Qualitative Market Research - Three Steps To Getting The Respondents You Want
May 12th, 2008 by LoadRunner
At the 2007 QRCA annual conference, attendees discussed ways to attract quality respondents. Someone suggested that researchers should explain to the recruiting facility what the project is about and describe the type of person that should be recruited–especially when the target respondents are outside the norm and an appropriate screener can’t be written. That way, as recruiters go through the screener, they can listen for cues.
That sounds like a reasonable, tactic, we suppose. But here’s what we recommend you might want to consider before using this tactic:
1. Write a comprehensive screener to avoid trouble
One of the primary reasons fieldwork fails is that researchers ask for something they can’t articulate in a screener. Unfortunately, respondent recruiters are trained to read scripts, not minds. Which means, for the time being, anyway, you will get out of your project only what you put into your screener. So write a comprehensive screener to avoid trouble.
2. Make your screener “field friendly”
Effective screeners are not only comprehensive, they are “field friendly,” too. Field friendly screeners are easy for recruiters to follow and for respondents to understand. Our tips for effective screeners:
- limit the screening process to 10 minutes or less
- consider how respondents hear, rather than read, your questions over the phone
- make recruiter instructions simple
3. Don’t leave respondent quality to the interpretation of respondent recruiters
Through no fault of their own, most respondent recruiters lack the marketing experience and life experience needed to understand your project’s “big picture.” Besides, that’s not what they’re paid to do. Recruiters can’t be expected to “know what you mean.” Nor are they trained to “listen for cues” from respondents, even though we wish they were. So try not to leave respondent quality to the interpretation of respondent recruiters. Write a screener that puts into words exactly what you’re looking for. Doing so will help your recruiters. And you, too.
Putting it all together
Crafting the right screening questionnaire is a time consuming task, as you know. So is getting the right respondents for your qualitative market research. That’s why it pays to know the limitations of respondent recruiters.
Giving respondent recruiters a screener that is incomplete or difficult to follow is a recipe for recruiting disaster. That’s because recruiters don’t have the researcher’s insight and depth of understanding of the research objectives. Although not easy to do, effective screeners are written through the eyes of recruiters and respondents.
It’s worth repeating: If your screener isn’t right, neither are your respondents. What’s more, if a recruiting shop feels that they have delivered what your screener asked for, they are going to charge for the work. And rightly so, right? So save time, money and headaches by crafting screeners that articulate what recruiters are–and are not–supposed to do. Your research, and your relationships with recruiters, will be better for it.
Mark Goodin is president of Aaron-Abrams Field Support Services, the respondent recruiting and fieldwork management specialists for qualitative market researchers. Subscribe to “Field Smarts,” the monthly e-newsletter that helps you improve your qualitative fieldwork. Receive a free report when you sign up at http://www.aaronabrams.com/newsletter
Tags: focus group facilities, focus groups, qualitative research, qualitative research suppliers
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