Advanced Conference Calling Features Available to Savvy Market Researchers

Focus groups are a core part of market research. Moving beyond the limits of physical gatherings, market research companies often use conference calls as a means to hold virtual focus groups. The ubiquity of the telephone network allows a research team to assemble the perfect mix of participants, delivering the optimal set of insights to their client.

In conducting such virtual focus groups research teams deal with two very different groups; their clients, the company that commissioned the research activity, and the focus group participants whose opinions form the basis of the research.

For the work to be successful, it’s imperative that everyone involved have the best possible experience. The entirety of the experience reflects upon the research team. The client needs to view the process as productive use of resources, delivering valuable insights in a manner that’s both efficient and transparent. Similarly, the courteous, efficient handling of focus group participants conveys respect for their participation. This helps build lasting relationships with valuable target groups.

At ZipDX we’ve built tools to aid the savvy market research team in providing concierge service to their clients and research groups alike.

1. Call-Me Convenience

It’s been said that time is money. In fact, time is the single most precious resource. There’s no bigger waste of time than having most of an entire group waiting for the last one or two participants to join the conference. The ability of the conference service to dial out to invited participants at the scheduled time helps ensure the conference gets underway in a timely manner.

Further, it eliminates the need to remember complicated dial-in instructions, making the entire process more convenient for everyone.

2. Positive Identification of Participants

Our Identity Conferencing scheme ensures that only those explicitly invited to the focus group are allowed into the conference. Since access details are unique to each conference, past participants or former employees cannot join the conference clandestinely. Thus, confidential information is shared only with the known group of participants.

3. Dashboard Control of the Live Conference

The conference dashboard puts control of the conference into the hands of the research team. It allows the team to always know exactly who is speaking, and ensure that interruptions are minimized, making the best use of time.

4. One-Way Glass

A special break-out room with one-way glass allows the clients to monitor a focus group session. Joined to the conference this way, they can listen-in on the focus group, but cannot be heard. Safely behind this one-way glass, they’re free to engage in private discussion, without any risk of interfering with the research team or focus group activity.

5. Transcription

A transcript of the conference is the definitive way to capture the focus group results. Our Scribble automated transcription is created on-the-fly as the session proceeds. Automated transcription is immediate and affordable, but imperfect. The rough transcript can be corrected after-the-fact using an editor that references a phrase-by-phase recording of each participant in the focus group. Alternatively, order a publication-ready transcript from our team of professional transcriptionists.

6.  Simultaneous Interpretation

When the scope of research becomes international, it can also become multilingual. Our unique approach to simultaneous interpretation over-the-phone allows natural flow of conversation, even when two or more languages are involved.

This capability allows an English-speaking research team to engage with research subjects in their native language. It scales from one-on-one interviews with industry experts to an entirely non-English speaking focus group, monitored via interpreter by an English speaking client.

All of these capabilities empower market research teams to conduct virtual focus groups in the most productive, efficient and professional manner possible. This ensures that both clients and focus group participants enjoy a superior experience from start-to-finish. They also illustrate how ZipDX can become a strategic partner, delivering sophisticated conference solutions to improve your business.