From seasoned insights professionals, to those just dipping their toes into the water of marketing research, collaborating with a recruiting or logistics focused market research operations partner can be a daunting task. Research preparation is time-intensive and complex.
Beyond managing the survey programming, data collection, and recruiting teams, there are multiple stakeholders to consider throughout the research process. When considering a market research operational partner, many questions immediately arise:
- Does the partner understand the research objectives?
- How will the division of labor work?
- How will my team stay informed of the operational progress?
- Will the partner come through on the deliverables?
The status quo seems to be that teams show up, start throwing files back and forth at each other, loop everyone in on an e-mail thread, have one 15-minute call to kick things off, and everything will get sorted as the project rolls along. Those actions are not representative of a collaborative and proactive team culture that produces quality work.
Oftentimes, fear of repeating a past negative experience can taint new research partner relationships. Reframing the opportunity can lead to a total win for all involved when navigated correctly and result in a long-term reliable partnership which produces many meaningful research outcomes.
Careful navigation of the partnership journey starts with building a foundation of trust. This trust is necessary to support future projects and is something we obsess over at Qlarity Access. We believe a few intentional actions make ALL the difference. We want to be your ally in the market research industry. To that end, we created our proprietary Xperience Qlarity Formula.
What is Qlarity Access' Xperience Qlarity Formula?
The Xperience Qlarity Formula is a 4-step roadmap to bring clarity to decision making through the alignment of teams and focus on clear and concise research objectives. This proven process simplifies complex fieldwork into clear, manageable steps that ensure trustworthy research results which drive brand success.
Step 1: Research Logistics Plan
To kick things off, we begin by creating a customized Research Logistics Plan for each project. Our Research Logistics Plan addresses project scope, sampling, responsibilities, timeline, and budget. The aim is to turn the complex simple with shared agreements, foundational knowledge, common goals, key metrics, and boundaries.
We start with a team-wide launch call to illuminate the journey that brought us all together. The agenda includes introductions and background information on all call attendees. We make sure to create room for candor throughout the conversation and establish a safe space for asking questions. The goal of the meeting is greater than the individual project logistics; it is to invest time towards building trust and open communication for ongoing collaboration.
After introductions, we identify, discuss, and solve for each key question in the Research Logistics Plan together. These include questions about project scope, target audience, sampling, responsibilities, timeline, budget and invoicing, and ensure both teams have total clarity on the logistics. As we step through each component, some simple questions help get appropriate clarification and set the stage for project accountability. Some examples include:
- What else?
- What boundaries or limitations do you see?
- What could be an issue in this area?
- What is mine, what is yours?
This initial Research Logistics Plan lays the foundation for our work together, confirming we’ve aligned on expectations creating clear commitments early on, and ensuring there are no surprises. This step is the 20% of effort that creates 80% of the impact, the rest is in execution.
Step 2: Configure
During the configure phase of the process, our teams collaborate to design and refine the research instruments - both quantitative research design and qualitative screeners or discussion guide refinement occur during this second phase.
Certain partners and projects require additional design support. Our Design and Analytics Team consolidates the answers to your critical questions into a thorough research design, whether that be for a quantitative survey or a qualitative discussion guide. Our team has extensive analytics experience which allows them the knowledge of when more intricate data analysis is needed, such as through conjoint/choice modeling, TURF analysis, segmentation, or other methodologies, and integrating these elements into the research process from the outset. We design research with the outcome in mind, leading to a more efficient project that creates confidence in the results.
Technical setup, including screener and web survey programming, and quality checks ensure the survey is an excellent representation of the customer and provides an accessible and engaging user experience. Our teams craft and review the exact communications and interactions a research participant will see from recruitment emails to phone scripts. We also determine the sponsorship or branding components required for inclusion in the study.
Together we refine the sample plan, addressing the who, what, where, and when of the target audience for research. The logistics of audience access, priority, targeting, and timing are fleshed out during the configure phase.
Finally, we come together to create our fieldwork and reporting communication plan by discussing frequency of updates, what the metrics for success are, and our commitment to specific data quality benchmarks and recommendations to ensure the study output is of the highest quality to meet business needs.
Step 3: Access
The access portion of the process is where we get down to the nitty-gritty of recruiting and data collection. Based on a thorough understanding of the objectives, our team is empowered to serve as a decision-maker in the best interest of the research.
Transparency and clarity are key during this stage of the process. Our project management team proactively communicates progress at the regular intervals agreed upon in the configure phase, reporting on metrics and milestones. The access phase includes a thorough data cleaning process, performed at regular interviews to ensure that all respondents are human and answering truthfully and responsibly. We monitor progress through a dynamic data-driven assessment of execution and provide solutions for challenges BEFORE they become roadblocks.
We take pride in our effective and efficient project management - no micromanaging necessary.
Step 4: Confidence
Our consultative approach through all steps of the process creates alignment with client needs. Throughout the stages of the research process, these needs guide the decisions we make, always keeping the quality of the final outcome in mind.
We understand data delivery isn’t the end of the line for research. Utilizing the answers from our Research Logistics Plan, our team crafts the final deliverable to provide the results you need in the format you need to meet the demands of what comes next for your team.
We structure our logistics, design, and project management to not just meet, but exceed client expectations. From setting expectations in step one to executing in the steps thereafter, our goal is to transform strangers coming together for one project into a team that works in lockstep to achieve repeated successful research outcomes. With Qlarity Access, you have an ally in the market research industry.
Interested in learning more about how our Xperience Qlarity Formula can take the stress out of your next project? Contact us today!
