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Considerations for selecting the right technology for your team

By Jake Leal, Senior Director, Vision Suite™, InnovateMR

Ever since I joined the market research space over six years ago, I’ve been in positions in which I’ve leveraged increasingly sophisticated tools and technology to support clients with conducting research that drives business results faster. As time has passed, we’ve seen a significant acceleration in the role that technology plays in streamlining research. While there has been a lot of shared benefit, there are also shortcomings and big considerations that remain. 

DIY platforms have their advantages but they can also pose challenges if they aren’t properly aligned with your organization’s unique needs and goals. With about 50% of projects being handled internally by clients and with that percentage only expected to grow, DIY platforms are becoming even more of a necessity in order to keep up. On the surface, it seems that DIY platforms would be the perfect fit for this change in workload allocation but it’s important to take a step back and fully consider what full technology adoption entails. In addition to these trends of increasing internal workloads and the proliferation of technology, it’s critical to acknowledge the trend of the democratization of insights. This ease-of-access to technology enables more businesses than ever to capture insights and apply them in their strategies. Insights professionals should not be wary of this change but should take an active role in shaping these new methods and help to influence a new wave of platforms that can improve productivity, quality and time to insights.

With these themes as our backdrop, there are a few considerations to help inform and empower researchers to make decisions that will help simplify their day-to-day workload, as well as improve the speed and quality of their insights. As a DIY expert, here are the top things I’ve learned from speaking with clients that can be useful when considering a DIY solution:

Consider the time required in technology adoption. 

We need to be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that platforms not only require time and specialized attention, but also demand a level of learning and hands-on application to feel comfortable using the technology. Always expect a learning curve before you or your team are proficient in a new platform, no matter how intuitive it may seem.

Assess the capabilities of a research platform. 

It’s important to understand what capabilities are being offered to better plan your holistic strategy as it relates to your research goals. Surprisingly most companies aren’t just using one platform. Today, organizations are often leveraging five or more tools to conduct their research, and according to the most recent ESOMAR buyer study, this figure topped out at 5.4 tools per company in the U.S. Are you okay with adopting individual systems – potentially one tool for building surveys, one tool for procuring research respondents and another for reporting and data visualization? On the surface, that doesn’t sound efficient, but the data shows this is often the case. It’s important to understand how managing disparate systems can impact your time and resources upfront as you learn the ins and outs of each tool.

Think about platform connectivity. 

Even after the initial learning phase, you will frequently need to connect or pass information between the platforms you use, so being realistic about the reoccurring demands will be important to your team and research. On the positive side, as technology is advancing, there is an increase in platforms that look to integrate one or more tools into a single solution. The development of integrated products can increase your productivity but it is worth considering whether an integrated platform will provide you the quality of output that you could get from separate but specialized systems. As an example, some tools offer sample, but they don’t own or manage the panel, so domain expertise is limited and problems can be slow to be resolved. 

Understand the impact of your research. 

Some all-in-one tools lack the quality and sophistication of a dedicated tool but the trade-off for convenience can more than make up for it. There will always be trade-offs and considerations to be made when determining what’s right for your team and your research. The key is understanding your bandwidth, knowing what you want from a platform and going into the process informed so you can make the best decision possible.

Consider the availability of a support team. 

Outside of technology considerations, there is another very important aspect of research platforms that is often taken for granted but quickly becomes important: support. When choosing research platforms, you will want to consider whether you want a solution that is fully DIY or something with a level of dedicated support, which our team likes to call DIT (do-it-together). Most platforms will lean toward DIY and offer customer support if questions or technical difficulties arise but only a few will offer more than that. This is noteworthy when unexpected problems occur. If you are a team or organization who wants independence and can manage the tools along with your day-to-day workload, then true DIY platforms are a convenient way for you to execute your research in a quick and cost-effective manner. However, consider the advantages of dedicated support, especially with teams being tasked to do more than ever.

Consider a blended option if bandwidth is a challenge. 

If you find yourself constrained for both time and attention, or if you don’t feel comfortable with managing all aspects of the technology, then DIT may be the more appropriate route. Often, there is 24/7 support and specific team members dedicated to your account who act in more of a partnership role than tech support role. With DIT, you can get hands-on support and a consistent contact that will learn how you approach your research and be there to provide advice when needed. It’s common to find researchers who lead with a DIY approach but soon become frustrated when their own workload increases or the support doesn’t keep pace with their needs. Being mindful of your own bandwidth at the start can set you up for success with whichever form of support you decide to choose.

Choose the right partner. 

The right partner will be empathetic, understand your research goals and consider your day-to-day workload. As we pursue better and smarter technology, sometimes we find that we take away too much of the human aspect when it comes to relationships and support. When choosing a research platform, don’t look at it solely as a tool, but instead as a partner or an extension of your team. Ask yourself: Are you content with a partner who only communicates via e-mail and provides technical support or do you value more of a one-to-one relationship where in addition to a platform, you are also getting phone and/or video support? Are you okay speaking to someone different every time you have a question or do you value a consistent contact and relationship? Finally, are you willing to go it alone or do you want a partner to understand the research you are conducting and provide a consistent resource for the times you need help? There’s no right answer or one-size-fits-all solution, because we all have different needs and preferences. The only certainty is that, as you decide on a platform, it’s essential to know what you really want or need. Don’t make the choice solely on technology but also consider the human aspect. 

In light of these trends, the team and I at InnovateMR have developed the Vision Suite™ which strives to blend the best aspects of technology and personalized support into one solution. Our platform was designed to avoid disparate systems and provide an integrated suite that offers survey design, sample procurement, data quality controls and dynamic reporting, all in one platform. Our integrated platform is unique in that we are experts in both panel recruitment and data quality, so our solution is designed with a research-first mind-set as opposed to a focus on technology with a lack of expertise. Finally, we cultivate and promote a DIT environment, where we offer consistent points of contact through call, video and e-mail support, as well as hands-on support – whether it’s addressing questions or helping implement aspects of your research. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution but the Vision Suite™ is our embodiment of what we think DIY can and should be. Reach out to us at info@innovatemr.com to learn more and see if the Vision Suite™ is the right solution for your research team.

info@innovatemr.com

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