In your organization, do you have a growing number of non-market researchers doing market research? You know what I mean: people using free or low-cost tools like Survey Monkey, Zoomerang and Wufoo to collect data without the sanctioning of the research department? Or those gathering customer insights from Twitter, Facebook, or their own personal blogs?
You are not alone.
It’s rampant. And the genie is out of the bottle.
Of course, if it gets out of hand, we have to be concerned about:
- Annoying customers too many research requests. Especially those that may be redundant.
- Inconsistent standards, such that data from different efforts cannot be compared.
- Poor questionnaire design, leading to misleading data, or worse data.
You get the drift.
So what to do? Try to stop it? I don’t think so.
Look, you now have a volunteer army of market researchers (even if they don’t know it). They are data collectors, insight mavens and customer listeners. GREAT!
Yeah, I know the familiar arguments: “…it takes training,” or, as someone tweeted to me recently, “…just because you could pull out your own tooth doesn’t mean you should.” Uh huh.
Look, I know it’s uncomfortable. We market researchers take a lot of pride in our skills, discipline and experience. But the genie is out of the bottle, and it isn’t going back in.
So we have a choice:
1. Deny, complain, prohibit. (good luck with that)
2. Find a way to leverage the trend in a sensible way.
So we should let it run rampant?
Does this mean we should sanction all DIY customer surveys? Encourage sharing of all market insights gathered from social networking sites?
No, of course not.
- We still have to make sure our valued customers are not over-surveyed, or subjected to bad questionnaire designs.
- We must make sure research is coordinated (no redundant studies, please).
- We have to help people understand what results are anecdotal versus reliably conclusive.
- We must make sure confidential information is protected (training people on what information is confidential and should not be shared or even hinted at on social media forums, etc).
- We need to make sure suitable data is shared, and shared appropriately.
And that’s where training and policies come into play. With a little planning and common sense, success is absolutely feasible.
Embrace the Chaos!
[Research Rockstar now offers a one-hour online course to help you turn unsanctioned market research into useful insights. Check out, "Leading Your Volunteer Army: Turning Unsanctioned Research into Market Insight Gold." Or email info@ResearchRockstar.com]
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You’re right that it needs to be embraced but the biggest potential issue is the use by people or organisations that don’t have a formal research function. On the business side, researchers can position themselves as valuable experts in their field. But consumers see surveys and won’t pay a great deal of attention to whether they are from toluna or survey monkey – the moment they are subjected to poorly constructed surveys is the moment their goodwill and tolerance towards the research industry recedes.
Cheers,
Simon
Thanks Simon. I am with you: I worry about already dismal response rates declining even further. For one client, I have been helping them create a short set of “approved” templates. Very short questionnaires (10-12 questions) that their staff can use. Is it a perfect solution? No. But it will be an improvevment over what they have been doing.
Wow, Kathryn! Developing a course about this is great. I was disappointed last year at the MRA annual convention that no one I talked to saw this as a problem. I think it represents a huge opportunity for the MR department, if they are willing to rethink their role in the organization:
http://blog.vovici.com/blog/bid/18087/Rethinking-the-Role-of-the-Market-Research-Department
- Jeffrey
Jeffrey, don’t tell my husband: I think I love you. I have been feeling the same way–I have been talking about this for over a year, and the agency folks I have spoken to just don’t seem interested. I have even told a few people they really need to read “The Innovator’s Dilemma” (the book was written for tech, but I think the same lessons apply here).
Also, I couldn’t agree more with your blog post (thanks for sharing it). Maybe you and I should team on a webinar on the topic??
This is a good idea for those with a cooperative ‘volunteer army’. In reality, renegade research is often conducted without the knowledge of the research department. We should not abandon educating upper management about best practices and the need for reining in these unauthorized users. Bottom line is that bad research generates bad data. It is not a matter of being a purist, it is a real concern that decisions are being made with inaccurate information.
Great comment Cathy! In my experience, the renegades are very well-intentioned. So I believe that the issue is not so much them being less-than-cooperative—it’s them knowing their options, getting support, and the org having some sensible (and not ridiculously restrictive) policies.
I also do recommend that companies take the time to assess the degree of unsanctioned research going on, whether surveys, customer interviews or social media monitoring (ad hoc even). It’s critical to know how much is going on, and why, before a sensible course of action can be taken.
Excellent post. I think we as market research practitioners must find a way to “bridge the gap”. The economic landscape has changed, and many of the DIY Tools have developed to the point of enabling relatively rigorous research initiatives. Obviously, the key is having the knowledge and experience to utilize the tools properly and execute the research in a way that yields reliable, actionable insights.
The proliferation of Social Media has created a mandate for openly sharing information to create value in all categories. Market Research has existed in an “information hording” mode since…..forever. I feel it is time for us to openly embrace the reality “DIY Research” and provide the necessary guidance to prevent/minimize poorly executed DIY efforts. This will demonstrate the value of properly conducted research and ultimately, the value of our expertise.
[...] set of policies is more critical today than ever before, with so many people conducting ad hoc or “DIY” research. Well-intentioned individuals often make mistakes that could be avoided through awareness of a [...]
[...] set of policies is more critical today than ever before, with so many people conducting ad hoc or “DIY” research. Well-intentioned individuals often make mistakes that could be avoided through awareness of a [...]
[...] set of policies is more critical today than ever before, with so many people conducting ad hoc or “DIY” research. Well-intentioned individuals often make mistakes that could be avoided through awareness of a [...]
[...] set of policies is more critical today than ever before, with so many people conducting ad hoc or ‘DIY’ research. Well-intentioned individuals often make mistakes that could be avoided through awareness of a [...]
Hi Felix,
Apologies–for some reason your comment was intercepted by the spam filter! I looked at the link you sent–I am not familiar with this firm or its management team. It is a member of CASRO, which is always a good sign!
If I can be of further help, please call or email 508 691 6004 ext 705, or KKorostoff@ResearchRockstar.com
Kathryn