Field Resources
This document is intended to provide an overview of the various field resources available to support you
throughout a Voice of the Customer (VOC) project.
Some companies can provide many of these services as a bundle. The advantage is having one project
manager or contact to guide you through the phases. However, there may be cases when you want to
use a variety of different suppliers.
Resource Types: The grid below outlines the most important resources associated with each phase of
the VOC process.
Resource / Phase
Central Location
Facilities
RECRUIT, INTERVIEW
ANALYZE
PRIORITIZE
X
X
Call Centers
X
X
X
Sample Providers
X
X
X
Panels
X
Programming Providers
X
Finding Resources: The following sources may help you find research partners:
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Quirks.com
Greenbook.org
Impulsesurvey.com
Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA) -- www.qrca.org
Referrals from colleagues who have used great partners. Word of mouth is often the best
source.
Contact us if you need help finding a freelance research partner.
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Qualitative Resources
CENTRAL LOCATION FACILITIES
A central location facility is primarily used for conducting face to face interviews (often called IDIs, indepth interviews, or one-on-one interviews) and focus groups.
Benefits of a Central Location Facility:
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Central location that is optimized for gathering respondents for viewing
One way mirror or closed circuit viewing of the groups for non-invasive, live observations
Neutral / unidentified location
Can accommodate 4-12 clients for viewing (please inform the facility when booking about how
many colleagues will attend so they can reserve an appropriately sized room)
Respondents in the area tend to recognize the facility’s name from communicating with them
in the past or having a friend who has participated. This gives the facility credibility during
recruitment
Capabilities and Services:
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Recruiting respondents from their own database or with a list provided.
Audio and video recording (stationary, or operator-assisted upon request)
Live streaming to allow those not onsite to view the interviews. While another company
provides the streaming service (e.g., FocusVision or proprietary), the facility has contracted for
their equipment so they can setup the live streaming for you upon request.
Client and respondent meals of your choice can be delivered by the facility to the respondents
and to you in the backroom
Transcriptions are available upon request or you can collect the recordings and send them to an
external transcriptionist for a lesser fee.
Moderation is not typically offered by a facility but some do have moderators for hire or can
refer you to an experienced moderator. (See moderator section)
Printing and copies can be made by the host at the facility and this can save you time and hassle
in bringing materials with you.
Incentives are typically distributed by the facility at the end of the interviews as the respondents
leave. Send a check for the incentives to the facility a week prior to the groups.
Some facilities charge processing or distribution fees.
There are also times when it may not be necessary or beneficial to use a facility:
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Budget can be an issue as the facility rental fees and all the other extras add up quickly.
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Distance can be an issue for respondents if they are scattered far away from the facility.
Remember to conduct interviews in locations that are convenient for respondents to maximize
the likelihood of participation.
National reach may be an important objective for your study. If you are trying to recruit just a
few people per region or state to speak with, going to many (5+) facilities around the country
can be time consuming, expensive, and logistically difficult. In this case it may be best to see if
alternatives are feasible for this project.
Alternatives to facilities:
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Hotel meeting rooms can work well but there are a few challenges to keep in mind:
o Meeting rooms are not set up for interviews this purpose and hotels may not be familiar
with the needs of market researchers. Be very clear in your communication with their
staff to ensure they understand exactly what you need.
o You may need to adjust the room to your liking, setup your own recording, and a closed
circuit camera that feeds into another room used for viewing, or set up live streaming.
o Need to act as the host for these respondents or hire one since you won’t have one like
in the facilities. This means giving them clear direction for getting to the hotel and room,
looking out for them as they check in, offering them refreshments, having them sign any
confidentiality agreement, and paying their incentive once the interview is completed.
o Not knowing the size or layout of the room can bring up issues since they are not
designed for focus groups or interviews. This can be even more challenging when you
need an additional room for client viewing. Be sure to ask for these details and envision
the type of setup you’ll need for your project.
Interviews held at the respondent’s place of work or the moderator’s offices may work well in
some circumstances. However, keep in mind some of the logistics mentioned above and be sure
that the respondent has permission from their employer for your arrival and possible video
recording. It is helpful to ask the respondent ahead of time about the layout of their office,
because if they are located in a cubicle or central space, it could interrupt your interview,
release confidential topics, or affect your recording.
Coffee shops, restaurants, or other public locations can be great neutral territory for
conducting interviews. However, these locations can get crowded and have quite a bit of
background noise and offer no privacy and would be unacceptable for confidential topics.
Further, you will have to check in the location ahead of time to see if they allow video recording
if you need that. It’s recommended to give them business for using their space and to do avoid
any disruption with their normal business. Additionally, as with some of the other methods
mentioned above, the host logistics apply.
Telephone is a great alternative for cost savings and when dealing with a wide geographic group
if video recording is not necessary and there is little to no stimulus that the respondent will need
to react to. While this may also be better for sensitive or confidential topics, it can be more
challenging to build rapport than in-person.
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CALL CENTERS
Most facilities have a call center or work with an external one to recruit for their groups and/or IDIs.
Most facilities, but not all, will even recruit respondents to meet and interview outside of their facility.
However, since they prefer to have you use their facility, there are cases when they won’t. If this is the
case or you need a national reach (some facility chains can be limited to a database within their
network), call centers are available as a standalone or a resource within a larger research company.
It is especially important to seek out the right call center for difficult recruits. Some call centers
specialize in B2B vs. B2C recruiting arrange their calling hours according to availability of their target
audience.
Here are some things to consider when finding the right call center to partner with:
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Are you trying to reach high level or difficult to reach professionals? It is important to speak
with the call center you are bidding with for a project and understand their familiarity with your
target audience. A proactive call center that can get referrals, navigate through challenging
gatekeepers, and conduct research to support a lead is very important on difficult recruits.
How much time do you have for fieldwork? Whenever telephone work is involved, it takes
longer than it would online. Whether the call center is recruiting respondents to participate in
an interview at a later time or they are doing interviews on the spot, this phone work will take
time. Please plan at least 2-4 weeks for any telephone work. Tougher audiences or larger sample
sizes can take longer. Review timing expectations with the call center so they can plan
accordingly or recommend a more feasible timeline.
Are the hours they call during the best for the target audience?
Is the call center accommodating the time zone of the respondents?
Many call centers will charge per recruit not complete. That means they may recruit 100
people to your survey but if only 50 of them complete it, you will still need to pay for the 100
recruited plus any more that you need to reach your final 100. Call centers can usually advise on
how many people they need to recruit to reach the desired number of completes.
What languages do they speak? Make sure that the call centers you use can accommodate all
the languages of your study.
Who is paying the incentive? Confirm with the call center if they will collect the respondent’s
information to pay the incentive or if you need to do this. Keep an eye out for fees as they will
usually charge processing fees.
How will they deliver the final data? Whether they need to send over results of how the calling
went, answers to the survey questions, or anything else, be sure to specify the format you want
it in.
How much sample do you have? The amount of sample available to you will change the call
center's strategy. The less sample you have the more precious each piece is, so they will need to
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carefully track conversations they have with potential respondents, when to follow up with
them, who they are being referred to, and more.
Do you want to observe the interviewing quality? It is your option to request that the call
center send you recordings of their calls and interviews. This can be helpful for you to
understand if you can improve the survey. Reading your written survey to yourself is one thing
but hearing an actual interviewer with the respondent can offer great insight.
Does the call center offer other services as well? Bundling services tends to save money. If you
find a call center that can also do your programming, buy sample for you, and do other things
that you need for the research study, they might be able to offer you a discount for doing
everything through them.
SAMPLE PROVIDERS
While many of your partners can arrange to purchase sample for you and they may even have bulk price
breaks, there will still be times when it is advantageous to purchase your own sample:
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Calling or sending email invitations internally
Want to personally manage the sample list and set priorities for different numbers
Want to use the sample purchased with multiple vendors/partners
Want to purchase sample from multiple sources and de-duplicate the lists against each other
Only need to buy a small number of targeted sample
Here are some additional considerations when looking for a sample provider:
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Minimums: Many sample companies have minimums that can range from $500-$2,500 and
even if you only need a small amount of sample you will be required to pay this amount.
Email Addresses: Almost all sample companies will sell you a list of phone numbers but not
many will sell email addresses. Sample companies tend to rent email addresses meaning you
can provide the email invitation and the sample company will send that to the email list you
purchase for a charge per email and a charge per completed interview.
Unadvertised sample providers: Whether you are trying to reach a difficult audience or you
want to buy a sample list with email addresses that you can use yourself or use again in the
future, associations or publications can be a good alternative. Consider reaching out to
associations and publications established specifically for your target audience and see if they
have opt-in lists that you can buy or rent.
Information to Request: It is important to find out all of the information that will be included
per sample piece. There is a big difference between calling a company and asking for the owner
and calling a company and asking by name to speak with the owner. Generally speaking, the
more contact information that is available, the better your chances of reaching them. Here are
some items that can be included in the sample that should be confirmed: Company Name,
Company Main Phone Number, Company Main Email Address, Contact Person Name, Contact
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Person Title, Contact Person Direct Phone Number, Contact Person Email Address, Company
Revenue, Number of Employee, Headquarter Location and Additional Locations
Sample Amounts: The more difficult it is to reach your target audience the more sample you will
need. Please be sure to order enough sample to accommodate the number of completes that
you will need. Most sample providers should be able to help you calculate the list size needed
for the desired number of completes.
MODERATOR SERVICES
Most research companies will have their own moderators or can recommend a moderator. Otherwise,
utilizing LinkedIn or speaking with a trusted colleague can be the best way to find a qualified moderator,
especially since there are many freelance moderators in the industry. When looking for a moderator,
keep in mind:
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Distance from your office and the location of the research is important to think about since you
will likely have to pay their travel expenses.
Type of focus group techniques they specialize in is helpful to know. While most will not have a
problem doing VOC interviews, some may need to be briefed on the technique in order to
conduct the interviews.
Audiences they specialize in (e.g., children, CEOs, doctors, etc.) may not be an issue with the
average group but please keep in mind that some audiences, such as children need special
attention, accommodations, or interviewing techniques.
Will they be appropriate for the interviewing audience? For example, if the topic is a sensitive
one for women, having a man moderate could prevent openness and opportunity to build
rapport.
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH
International recruiting requires a lot of outsourcing due to distance, language, and custom barriers.
The advice presented so far can apply to international work as well but due to the additional barriers, it
is recommended to find a trusted partner that can help manage international work.
Here are some benefits from a partner to consider when doing international work:
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They already have their own trusted partners around the world which can save you time from
reaching out to each country or region individually.
They know cultural customs, local holidays, and understand how people will respond to the
survey content and can advise on any changes that would help with recruiting or clear responses
during the interviews.
Translations can be setup by them directly.
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They can arrange simultaneous translation in whichever languages you need during the
interviews themselves then they can accommodate having the interviews translated for
transcription.
They know moderators who work in the native language and can communicate project details
with them.
Some partners will be very accommodating to the point where if you travel to the study
location, they can meet you and offer their help as a guide in a region that is new to you
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Quantitative Resources
PANELS
These are companies that have established a relationship with people online. While some panels are
invitation only and they seek out potential respondents once the person has been validated as real,
others advertise about their panel and new members can join by visiting the company website. Either
way, these panels have an established respondent base who they profile regularly and maintain a
connection with. There are many panels out there but you’ll notice that a few players are used widely in
the industry due to the vast amount of people registered on the panel.
When seeking out a panel to partner with, here are some key factors to discuss and consider:
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Do you need a domestic or international reach? There are panels for respondents all around
the world. There are plenty of choices for panels in the US but keep in mind that some of these
can meet your international survey needs as well. Some markets may require using a local panel
but, whenever possible, try to use as few panels as possible.
What are you expecting from the project manager? Panels do not only work during typical
business hours. Because respondents look for their survey opportunities during various times of
the day, it is common to send out invitations to panelists in the evening and on weekends. To
accommodate this, please be sure your project manager can provide evening and weekend
coverage. Further, set clear expectations of what you need from them ahead of time in terms of
speed or frequency of communication and updates.
How large is the panel? The size of the panel may be important but not always. A large panel is
great for finding respondents in general so if you want to speak with a lot of people and you
have few screening criteria (e.g., women aged 18+ who buy jewelry) this is your best bet for low
costs and a quick turnaround. When you are trying to reach a difficult audience it is important to
understand how large their panel is and if they have enough of the type of people you are
looking for. A panel can be vast but if they don’t have the type of people you need to speak
with, it’s irrelevant.
What industries does the panel specialize in? A small panel can work just fine if they have your
target audience. Some panels specialize in particular consumer types or professional industries.
There are panels that are exclusive to the healthcare industry or Hispanic consumers. They build
credibility over time with their panel members and learn the best techniques to accommodate
that particular group. Finding a panel that is an expert in your target audience will reduce costs
and timing and they can offer advice on how your survey can better speak to that audience.
Is your target audience available online? There still are audiences that have little to no online
presence. Think about a construction worker who is out on site all day and never sits at a
computer desk. He may be reachable once he gets home and signs on his computer but if this
isn’t something he does each night, it will be difficult for him to be reached online to complete a
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survey. If you are doing research with people who have visual impairments, it would be best to
call them for an interview than to ensure they have the right technology to complete an online
survey. Consider any challenges to reaching your target audience online and getting them to sit
at the computer for your survey’s allotted time.
Are you click-balancing? Especially when surveying the general population, to ensure
statistically valid data, many market researchers ensure that they have a balanced population
entering the survey. This means that the group of people in the survey should represent your
target universe or population. For example, if the U.S. has 51% women, of all the people you are
inviting to your survey, you want 51% of them to be women.
Do you know your incidence? Incidence is important to understand for costing and feasibility
purposes. If you survey 100 people and only 5 of them qualify to take your survey then your
incidence is 5%. If you know that your incidence is 5% and you need 100 people to take the
survey but the panel only has 200 of those type of people, then you know the project will not be
feasible because at that incidence the most amount of completed surveys you could get would
be 10. The higher the incidence, the lower the cost. Usually a partner can help you determine
your incidence. Some panels will even offer incidence check services.
How quickly can they field? Incidence also affects fielding times as well as the size of the panel.
A high incidence study with a large panel can field very quickly, in a matter of days or hours.
However, a lower incidence, a tougher target, or a smaller panel can lead to needing longer field
times. Communicate with your partner on the expectations so that you can build this in to your
overall timetable.
Is the incentive included in the cost per interview or an additional charge? Many panel
companies will give you a CPI (Cost per Interview) or CPC (Cost per Complete) and this will
include the cost of them to pay the respondent an incentive. However, since this is not always
the case, be sure to ask the panel how incentives are handled and if you need to budget them
additionally.
CALL CENTERS
There are certain circumstances where it may be beneficial to use a call center to conduct your research
for a variety of reasons:
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Target audience does not work at a computer
Target audience is difficult to reach by email
Target audience is busy or not engaged online and needs someone to motivate them to take
the survey
Visual impairments
Need for rapport, explanations, probing
Even if your survey is best completed online, you can utilize a call center to recruit your respondents to
the survey link. This way the respondents can be reached by phone to ensure they have the information
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to participate then they can complete the survey online in their own time. The call center can follow up
with respondents to remind them to complete the survey. Sometimes this is the extra nudge people
need. Please keep in mind that you will be charged per recruit rather than per complete. This can add up
quickly since you may need to recruit three people just to get one person to complete the survey.
All notes from the qualitative section about call centers will apply to quantitative fielding as well.
SAMPLE PROVIDERS
When doing a quantitative study, often times a panel is used and they will provide the sample. In cases
where they need more or you are using a call center for the study due to low online presence, you may
need to purchase your own sample.
All notes from the qualitative section about sample providers will apply to quantitative fielding as well.
PROGRAMMING PROVIDERS
Many partners will have this service available and you can bundle with other services provided by that
company or you can find an independent programmer. Here are some important questions to ask when
working with a programming provider, especially if someone from a different company will handle the
fieldwork:
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What software are you using to program the survey? There are many types of software
available for programming and while some are proprietary, there are standard ones in the
industry that many companies use. Depending on the complexity of your survey, some programs
have limitations that may not work for you. Understand what type of survey you are having
programmed before choosing a provider and have a draft ready for the potential provider to
review before signing on with them.
Who is responsible for testing and finalization? Even though a great programmer will test the
survey thoroughly and have someone else test their work, it is important for you to test the
survey yourself because:
o It’s helpful to have another set of eyes outside of the person who programmed the
script. Depending on how complicated the survey is, it will need a lot of testing to
ensure all potential answer patterns are error free and are returning the right data.
o The programmer is going to follow your instructions exactly. If you make an error such
as screening out all women in your survey instructions but you meant to only speak with
women, the programmer is not going to realize that objective and will just program the
script to your exact specifications, even if you made an error.
o Reviewing a survey in a word doc is very different from reviewing it in true survey
form. You may notice issues with the flow or the questions may not be as clear or
elegant once laid out in the planned program on screen. Be sure to take the survey
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several times from the perspective of the respondent. Envision that you are one of the
respondents taking this survey so that you can look for any areas of confusion, confirm
how long it takes to complete, or even places where taking the survey is cumbersome or
hard on the eyes. The better experience the respondent has while taking the survey,
the more valid the answers and the higher the response rate.
For any other questions or advice related to fieldwork logistics and resources, please reach out to AMS’s
Manager of Field Operations, Angela Holloway, at aholloway@ams-inc.com or (781) 250-6336.
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