Primary Research
Our primary research often begins with a review of a company and its products as well as interviews with key executives, key members of the sales staff, and others with an ear to the market. A second source of information is typically market experts in the relevant field of study who are familiar with the company and its competitive products and can provide insight into the current market and where it is trending. A third source of information, and usually the most important, is current, former, and prospective customers who can provide informed opinions about the questions being posed by this research.
Depending on the purpose of the research, our primary research methods may include:
- In-depth interviews
- Focus groups
- Large-scale surveys
In-depth Interviews. We have found in our years of conducting market research that in-depth conversations held by experienced researchers with a relatively small number of practitioners can yield extremely useful information to inform more quantitative research that may be needed to confirm results with larger numbers of customers and prospects. Our researchers are highly skilled in conducting these interviews, which last up to an hour or more. The interviews become conversations, during which time deep, nuanced patterns usually emerge. During a conversation like this, the interviewee comes to trust the interviewer and is inclined to express what he or she actually thinks about the topic under investigation.
Focus Groups. As you know, focus groups are generally used to get the personal, in-depth opinions of a small group of targeted prospects. Because it is expensive to conduct focus groups in different regions of the country, we often try to organize groups around meetings or conferences where prospects from all over the country are already attending.
Our professional moderators are trained on how to elicit information without skewing the results and on how to control the group and not have one or two people dominate the discussion. They also have no "stake" in the outcome so they can as objective as the need to be to ensure valid results.
We have also been quite successful in getting the personal, in-depth opinions of a small group of targeted participants through virtual focus groups. This service utilizes Web technology and avoids one of the limitations of traditional focus groups - - the small sample of people from a limited number of geographic areas. Virtual focus groups allow for a more representative sample and eliminate the need to travel.
Large-Scale Surveys. Our large-scale survey work employs NCS’s SurveyTracker or similar systems that facilitate the collection of data whether done by mail, the web, or email.
Depending on the project objectives, budget, and schedule, we recommend one or more of the following methods:
Printed Surveys. Printed surveys are the most traditional of all survey tools and are ideal for questionnaires requiring more than ten minutes to complete. While printed surveys are less expensive to administer than others, they usually result in lower response rates and may require some follow-up phone work to gauge the non-respondents’ reactions to questions.
Telephone Surveys. Telephone surveys are performed by trained KnowledgeQuest staff, using a dedicated toll-free number for return calls. This methodology is ideally suited for interviewing large numbers of target respondents relatively quickly. We can also use telephone questionnaires after qualitative research (i.e., focus groups) to validate the information previously gathered, to obtain needed information quickly, or to fine-tune a mailed or Web-based questionnaire to make sure the respondents understand all of the questions.
Electronic Surveys. Electronic surveys are delivered directly to a respondent's computer via the Internet, company Intranet or email. This methodology is most successful when the web site is advertised to the targeted respondents by a personalized invitation (usually email) or a pre-survey mailing that includes the web site address. Electronic surveying can also be combined and used in conjunction with telephone surveys, while featuring the following benefits:
- Very fast response times
- Elimination of data entry, ensuring efficiencies in both time and cost
- Ability to capture open and closed-ended responses
- Accessibility 24 x 7
We are also prepared to develop ongoing panels of prospective respondents as a means of keeping costs down and response times fast. Several panels operating at once may be needed to cover different target audiences from whom you might be interested in soliciting information.
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