Web-enabled In-depth interviews and focus group discussions? Check!

Online community platform? Check!

Respondent recruitment? Check!

Mobile research application? Check!

These are all fantastic features, sure, but have you ever thought about what could’ve happened to your research if the technical support was noticeably lacking?  It may seem trivial at first until you’re down to badly needing someone who can effectively assist your respondents online during different hours of the day.

Sometimes because we focus too much on the bigger picture, we forget about the smaller things that also matter. The same thing should be considered when conducting online qualitative market research. You can’t just focus on exceptional features alone and disregard the support services. You have to be mindful of both aspects to ensure a successful global market research.

You can’t just put up an online market research community if you don’t have a well-trained moderator. You can’t just rely on Google translate to have your foreign data be translated to the English language so you can study and analyze it. Both are important and should not be compromised for the other to thrive.

Therefore, it definitely pays to partner with a third-party vendor offering all the possible features needed, seamless technical support included.

Four Types of Overlooked Support Services Utilized in a Global Market Research:

24-Hour Tech support

If you’re working on a global project, chances are you’ll be working with respondents from other parts of the globe under different time-zones. If anything comes up – a technical glitch or quick assistance in one of the services, you won’t have to worry because there are services providing technical support round the clock. It’s crucial that you are assisted by a technician who knows about your project and will be available to help you immediately. Weekend coverage is equally important especially for respondents that are difficult to get a hold off on weekdays.

Moderator network and training

Your IDIs or focus group discussions may just be one experienced moderator away from being a successful project. It’s important to work with moderators who can give you extensive personalized support throughout your study. These moderators are expected to show you ideas for making maximum use of available tools and services, set up your web room and load your stimuli, set up online communities, register your respondents, and program your discussion guide. It would also be helpful if they can do a run-through of your project in advance so you feel ready to conduct your study. Hence, look for services with seasoned and well-trained moderators.

Multi-language support

Apart from being available to your clients and respondents operating in different time zones, it’s also crucial to conduct research in the client’s local language. Per request, your partner company should be able to provide screener and discussion guide translation and transcriptions in multiple languages. With a global network of simultaneous virtual transcriptionists and translators, you can efficiently conduct research anywhere globally.

Respondent assistance

Look for a business that caters to prepping your respondents and making sure that they’re all set to participate. It’s a protocol to have your respondents’ webcams successfully installed and in such a way that it is correctly focused on them. The same goes with mobile research when navigating through the mobile app. Should issues arise with any of your respondents, a report must be sent in advance so you can make appropriate adjustments.