The foundation of successful research communication
Editor’s note: Emily C. Koenig is editor and content manager at Quirk’s Media, where she covers the marketing research and insights industry and oversees the Quirk’s Awards program. She has over 10 years of experience reporting on the industry and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and journalism.
“Collaborating doesn’t matter if you don’t all agree on what you’re going to do.”
I have this quote highlighted in my Day 2 notes from the Quirk’s Event – Chicago session, “AI-powered insight: How modern teams turn research into strategy,” presented by Dan Fleetwood and Christina Bottis.
Whether you’re attending an industry event or simply scrolling LinkedIn, it’s obvious that AI is transforming the working lives of insights professionals around the world. But this session was a reminder that what truly determines AI’s impact on insights is effective collaboration. AI is only useful when people are aligned and communicating well, which raises the question: How are insights teams making this happen?
To help answer this, I decided to look at how client-side researchers are navigating internal and external communications. I reviewed responses from our Before You Go series, “10 minutes with a corporate researcher,” a short Q&A-style conversation published in each issue of Quirk’s.
Researchers in this series have shared their top tips for improving collaboration and communication. The following responses offer a quick glimpse into the themes that emerged from those conversations with end clients, including how teams are aligning on business needs, engaging stakeholders more effectively across the research process and building strong relationships.
Identify true business needs
“One of the biggest differences between client- and supplier-side research is the level of investment in how the research will be used. On the vendor side, as a researcher I relied on what the stakeholder told me, without full visibility into internal dynamics, competing priorities or broader business objectives. As a client-side researcher, I can tweak my research approach to dig deeper into the true business needs – sometimes even uncovering insights that help multiple teams or solve adjacent challenges. I think the best way to improve collaboration is for clients to provide more strategic context upfront and for vendors to ask bigger-picture questions rather than just focusing on execution of the question at hand. When both sides are aligned on the bigger ‘why,’ the research becomes more impactful and ultimately more valuable to the business.” Sara Falzone, Delta Faucet Company
“Before even talking to potential [AI tool] partners, I have to define the need or the problem. And I usually start by making a list of must-haves, nice-to-haves and avoids. One of the most important roles of any market research professional is defining the problem to be solved so that we can develop questions that will help us uncover the right insights or solutions. It's easy to get distracted by bells and whistles when it comes to new technology, but just like when we're developing survey questions to get to the bottom of our customer needs, we also have to develop the right questions to solve for our own problems.” Sarah Haftings, Shurtape Technologies
“Ensure your work ties directly to business needs and strategic objectives – alignment is the bridge that connects your research to actionable outcomes, keeping you focused on the end goal. Aligning your research with business needs is not just a strategy, it's a mind-set that keeps you on track and ensures your work has a real-world impact.” Misty Flantroy, Owens Corning Doors
“Customer insights collaborates closely with nearly every department on the business operations side of [Portland Trail Blazers]. Business operations encompass functions ranging from ticket sales and corporate partnerships to finance and legal affairs. Our team supports departments that rely on fan and customer data to drive better outcomes.
“We focus on several key areas: conducting market research to understand fan segments; benchmarking to consistently track the metrics that matter most to our brand; applying a fan-first QA process to products or experiences; and delivering actionable insights – often using AI tools to enhance efficiency and output. This cross-functional support helps ensure our decisions are grounded in a deep understanding of the fan experience.” Matthew Gardner, Portland Trail Blazers
Involve key stakeholders early (and often)
“Whenever possible, I like to involve stakeholders, sometimes future stakeholders, in building the narrative. Whether it’s through workshops, debrief sessions or firsthand exposure to consumers, this involvement deepens their connection to the insights and makes the findings more actionable. When stakeholders feel personally invested in the story, they’re far more likely to champion the consumer perspective in decision-making. The goal is always the same: making insights impossible to ignore and easy to act on.” Sara Falzone, Delta Faucet Company
“My secret trick – that isn’t that secret – is sharing working versions and sharing early. Everyone loves a good news story, and they’ll not get tired of hearing it, but a big reveal of a bad story is never the best way to deliver news. I make sure the agencies I work with truly understand and feel comfortable with the iterative sharing process.
“We don’t expect or want a typo-free pack before the deadline, but we do want time to think about how to socialize and action results, regardless of whether they are positive, negative or in-between.” Isabel Parashos, Xero
Build strong networks
“Prioritize building strong relationships with your internal and external partners; trust and collaboration make communication smoother and more impactful. Strong relationships are the foundation of successful research communication, fostering trust and understanding that can enhance the impact of your findings.” Misty Flantroy, Owens Corning Doors
“Create a strong network both inside and outside your company. Inside your company, find the stakeholders and allies that value insights. Those folks will help make sure your POV and insights are present at every meeting, especially when you can’t clone yourself to be there. Their support will help you entrench the importance of insights throughout the company and help you get additional resources over time. Additionally, befriending insights professionals in other areas (such as product or customer insights) will help make sure you aren’t wasting your precious time focused on work that another team might be better suited for.
“Outside your company, connect with other insights professionals through groups like the newly formed Professional Insights Collaborative – thanks to Quirk’s for making that happen … yes, a shameless plug – and the Insights Association. Connecting with peers at other companies can help you come up with new ideas for your company, get recognized for the work you’re doing that your non-insights coworkers might not take for granted and have an outlet to commiserate.” Karen Kraft, Johnsonville
If you’d like to learn more about the state of the industry from the client side, watch for new Q&As in each issue of Quirk’s magazine.