September 26, 2011
We Can Finally End the Blame Game
By Susan Frede, VP, Research
We in the Online Panel Market Research industry have been playing in the Major Leagues of the Blame Game for years.
First, we blamed survey respondents for bad behavior. Then we decided it wasn’t always their fault – we determined that the surveys we send them are too long, boring, and repetitive and they lose interest. So then we blamed our clients for bad surveys.
Now, as an industry we can finally stop blaming and rather empower clients to improve the overall quality of surveys. MarketTools’ SurveyScore predictor, which Lightspeed Research and our Kantar parent company have embraced as part of our commitment to TrueSample in the U.S., gives us a tool to do just that. The SurveyScore predictor is a modeling tool that provides a quantitative measurement of respondent engagement prior to fielding the survey. And quantitative is key. For the first time, we have a standard, objective measure of survey quality based on multiple survey design elements, including items such as number of questions and word count.
It’s quite easy to use. Simply enter key information about the survey design elements into an online form and press a button to calculate the SurveyScore. The tool also provides suggestions for improving the questionnaire.
This takes much of the emotion out of the supplier/client struggle over survey length and content, which has long fueled our game of blame. It not only helps both supplier and client field better surveys that increase respondent engagement, but it also creates a more collaborative relationship that can further improve the respondent experience, reduce drop-out rates, and improve quality.
In my opinion, this simple tool is changing what had been a lose/lose dynamic into a game that all the players can win.
Category:Data Quality, Survey Best Practices
Posted on September 26, 2011
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