Editor's note: Harold Meier is president of Technical Analysis Inc., a research firm based in Teaneck, NJ.

Moderators and clients in the years ahead want more than just market research from a focus group facility - they're looking for fun, a lot of personal support and an office away from home. The implications of these changing demands mean that facility owners will probably face a large financial investment sometime in the near future.

These are the conclusions we drew from what clients and moderators said. My firm is expanding its base in New Jersey to an operation in Chicago (and, we hope, to other cities), so we asked the people we thought knew best to tell us what they thought would really make a distinctive, unique and absolutely special focus facility.

A year ago we sent a letter to moderators who had visited our Teaneck facility asking them for ideas we could incorporate in a Chicago site. We approached them like this because we did not want to hear just the customary responses. We knew it would be nice to have big rooms. We knew it would be good to have managers who cared. What we wanted were responses stated as flamboyantly and dramatically as possible.

Nor were we concerned with quantitative responses. The frequency was less important than the urgency or the impact of what was said. I suppose that makes this a qualitative survey.

Several areas of concern surfaced: service and management; business facilities; technical capabilities; construction specifics; recruiting; security; and miscellaneous. Below you'll find a list of suggestions and our interpretations, in our own descending order of importance and magnitude.

Personal service and good management

Service and management emerged in a variety of forms. Respondents thought staying in touch during the recruitment period was one of the more important aspects, as was considerate treatment of the client. "Know the moderator by name," they advised. Other suggestions included: "Have the general manager meet clients personally when they arrive." "Make sure the host knows the specs and help make sure the moderator can select the better ones in the group." "Have grids available as I arrive."

If you think about it a little, nearly everything on the list reflects management's efforts to provide service. All of these add up to one big word: HELP.

It's often tough to juggle client and moderator anxieties - four secretaries and 27 other assistants seem the minimum that makes them comfortable and satisfied. (That's not so unusual. Everyone knows what an asset a great secretary - even one - can be. And when you have 10 clients and you're serving food, the whole project becomes a matter of good management.)

One consequence is that there will probably be a gradually increasing emphasis on professional management and good training. A strong, active facility may often have multiple departments and a number of full-time people. The staff at our New Jersey location, for example, is up to 40 full- and part-time people over the year. This requires management skills, which will be more highly valued in the years ahead.

Of course, management is the great equalizer. That's why the smaller facility, when run by a caring owner/operator, continues to offer a great bargain.

Never enough phones

Think of the facility as an office, moderators said. One of the more frequent requests was for an anteroom, phone room, or phone booth for more private space to make and receive phone calls, and where M.D. respondents can answer their beepers. In fact, our own experience proves that there are almost never enough phones available, especially when breaks occur during the session and four or five people simultaneously need a phone.

Other frequent requests were for:

  • Note takers (underscoring once more the need for secretarial assistance).
  • Computer support. We were surprised at how frequently this was suggested. People who travel with their own laptop computers asked for dedicated phone lines for modems. Others wanted a computer and printer dedicated to client use, with or without secretarial assistance. They requested IBMs (or clones) and Macs. They also requested such programs as WordPerfect, Wordstar, Q&A, and desktop publishing programs. (It's been our experience that these capabilities are only requested occasionally. But when they are - usually without warning - they may be crucial to the project.
  • Copier availability.
  • Easels and flip charts.
  • An electronic presentation board that could turn notes into 8.5" x 11" copies.

Only one moderator asked for information about the retail areas nearby and the amenities available in the area. It seems, however, that one of the natural consequences of the drive toward business support will be that these facilities be located in areas that offer strong supporting services including good hotels and restaurants, electronic retailers, and office and art supply stores.

Technical capabilities and special facilities

The special facility goes well beyond supplying a one-way mirror and simple recording equipment. The most frequent request is for complimentary built-in video capabilities. It's no longer feasible to look at video recording as anything other than a normal and expected part of the facilities. The same holds true for built-in TV monitors in the viewing room and phone room. Some moderators want multiple cameras in order to get the right views.

Technical capability also means: having enough electrical outlets to allow for computerized note taking during the session; volume control, with client access, in the viewing room; jacks for video and audio in the observation room (so an independent videographer can plug in to the existing system without running cables down the hallway); headphones in the client rooms for serious note takers; and remote input to the moderator using a desktop device.

Ultimately, of course, this requires management's continuing commitment to provide the latest in audio, video and communications services. As time goes on, there will be still more to add. Videoconferencing continues to attract interest and support, for example, which will lead, in turn, to newer and better capabilities thus far unimagined. Stay tuned for the latest items to be incorporated into the focus facilities of your choice.

Construction specifics

Ideally, you want to carefully plan your facility before the shovels start breaking ground. It is not enough to try to put a focus facility into an existing space where the average room is 10' x 12', if you want to offer the best services. Starting from scratch requires credit and substantial investment. Here are some considerations:

  • Separately controlled thermostats for each client room and each respondent room. This is relatively easy to do when you are starting from scratch, but quite difficult if you are re-engineering an existing air conditioning/heating system.
  • Large viewing rooms. Most of our survey respondents said any room that accommodates 10 to 12 people comfortably is large, but our experience is that this is vastly understated - 15 to 20 clients is probably a better estimate. As one moderator simply said, "Rooms can never be too large." Large rooms are also useful for shooting video in the respondent room as they make it easier to get really clear pictures.
  • A separate client entrance. This maintains confidentiality needs.
  • A quiet air conditioning/heating system.
  • Easy washroom access.
  • Protection from outside noise (e.g., fire engines, ambulances).
  • A respondent holding area away from the host so that the clients can conduct business (e.g., request assistance from the host or discuss a particular respondent).
  • Large one-way mirrors.
  • Oxygen "healthy" environments away from the research area.
  • Few steps, if any, leading to facility entrances.
  • A place to change clothes (and press them, if necessary).
  • A large waiting area so that respondents can be comfortable while waiting for the session to begin.

These are all desirable objectives, but they require a hard analysis up front when space is being considered for a focus facility. Ultimately, if you tried to incorporate all or most of them, you might have to move or rebuild the facility every 10 years to keep up with styles and needs. And that might not be a bad idea!

Top-notch recruiting

Recruiting was mentioned only occasionally, perhaps because many of our moderators simply expect it from the facility they attended. There were, however, a number of other suggestions related to this issue:

  • Need for management to stay in touch during the recruiting phase.
  • Having grids available as moderator arrives (often an extra charge).
  • Rescreening respondents away from each other.
  • Offering support and appropriate solutions when things go wrong (as they do from time to time, even among the best).

Actually, it seems to us that future recruiting capability calls for direct interviewer access to the database, with networking capabilities.

Proper security

A little-noticed aspect of the facility business is assuring client confidentiality by:

  • keeping different client groups as separate as possible during the course of a day;
  • making sure audio- and videotaping is monitored in a separate and secured area so that only the appropriate tapes are given to each client;
  • locked closets available for storing client belongings overnight;
  • separate refrigerator/freezers for secure storage of food taste-test items (locked would be even better);
  • asking for identification if (and only if) the client has so requested. (Usually the moderator or other clients know who should be present and who should not. Some people report having been strong- armed to provide the appropriate business card before being admitted to the client room.)

Miscellaneous

Some comments addressed clear, obvious needs that all could agree on. Others, like the ones included below, sparked more debate.

  • Auditorium-type rooms. These have drawbacks, since rooms set up in this fashion are often less suitable for conference-style seating.
  • Bathrooms with showers. Perhaps a good idea, but it begs the question of ancillary supplies and facilities, like towels and laundry. One also wonders eventually how far personal service should be taken. (The answer: There's no known limit!)
  • Polaroid film. This seemed to be a good idea to some operators, perhaps for making photo IDs for the respondents. We aren't certain how this was supposed to work.
  • "Frequent moderator program" (similar to frequent flyer programs). Our moderators liked this idea, and it could be advantageous for facilities belonging to a chain.
  • Specific seating configurations such as modular tables, round tables or square tables. Each configuration had its proponents, along with the traditional rectangular table. The one thing everyone agreed on is that the table should be big (seat up to 13) - or maybe small, or sometimes medium-sized, etc.
  • Chair rails for propping up material, as well as dedicated wall space/corkboard for taping and tacking up displays.

More grab-bag

The following items were mentioned perhaps only once, but are worth adding to the total picture.

  • Sink and mirror in focus room for cosmetic product testing.
  • Healthy snacks and munchies.
  • Runway lights on steps in a tiered viewing room.
  • Ample writing surface with lighting for clients when the room is darkened.
  • Few wall distractions in the client room; perhaps even gray carpeting.
  • Locate mirrors so clients can easily see over moderator's head.
  • Don't put mirrors at the other end.
  • Be sure information about parking is included in conversation with respondents.
  • Be able to serve food in reception area.
  • Have pads and sharpened pencils available in viewing room.
  • Small unobtrusive mikes should be placed in the ceiling.
  • Refrigerator in viewing room.
  • Tiered client rooms.
  • Color-coded rooms to make sure respondents find the right one.
  • Ergonomic chairs for the clients.
  • Paper rolls for table tops to catch doctors' doodling.
  • Maps and good directions to the facility.
  • Information sheet about the facility and how to get there - notes the moderator can pass on to the client.
  • Gourmet pizza.
  • Focus hours like Friday evening, Saturday morning, Sunday evening.
  • Sofas in client room.
  • City lists of restaurants, electronic shops, copy shops, etc.
  • Easy telephone access.

As for the cost

It's worth mentioning that no one asked that such a facility be available at discount prices, unless the frequent moderator (client) program is counted as such. Maybe there is a tacit understanding that the best facilities are not going to be the cheapest. This realization does not, of course, give the facility manager carte blanche for pricing, but there seems to be recognition of the correlation between services, capabilities and cost. Perhaps getting something for your money is the key; maybe value is the right word.

All clients should know that a facility with most of these features necessarily requires substantial capital investment and continual reinvestment. That lesson ought also be taken to heart by people planning facilities in the future. Anyone can always enter the large middle market, but those who want to be leaders are going to have to think about the substantial dollars needed to get it done.

Only a few years ago, an executive of one of the well-known focus group facility chains said $75,000 would be required to get started in a new location. My sense is that it requires at least $150,000, plus money for security deposits, operating expenses during the startup period and so forth. A few would even say $300,000 plus. Potential investors and facility operators need to carefully consider the financial investment before taking the leap.

Why are we doing this?

Why are we telling all this to everyone else? Isn't that just giving away trade secrets?

First, there's nothing wrong with confirming what needs to be done and urging things along in that direction. Second, of course, knowing what should be done is really not the trick. A lot of people who have been around the business probably know by now what ought to be accomplished. The real trick is actually executing these various steps and providing the services that are at the heart of the business. Just writing it down on paper is never the whole answer. It is only a very early start. Only substantial investment and good management can ultimately bring it about. And those facility managers who are able to accomplish that are often in a class by themselves anyway.