Case Study: Decrypting the needs of IT Decision Makers

 

Client:

Cybersecurity Solutions Provider

Background:

Understanding the pain points and needs of IT decision-makers is crucial for any business offering technology solutions. Our client, a cybersecurity solutions provider, aimed to comprehend the unmet needs and future demands of IT decision-makers across various industries.

 

Methodology:

We employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. This included a comprehensive online questionnaire, followed by in-depth interviews with a curated list of CTOs, CIOs, and IT managers.

A total of 250 fully vetted IT decision makers were recruited to take part in the online survey, followed by 15 CIOs, CTO etc. for 60 minute qual interviews. All of them from large companies (>250 employees).

 

Tools & Technologies:

We used a secure, encrypted platform for administering the online questionnaire and conducted the interviews through a vetted video conferencing tool to ensure confidentiality. Advanced data analytics tools were employed to sift through the voluminous data, extracting actionable insights.

 

Outcome:

Our client received a granular understanding of the IT landscape, enabling them to tweak their product offerings and marketing strategies. Their new, more targeted solutions have been successfully launched, and early feedback indicates a strong market fit.

 

Client-side Feedback:

“SCR’s robust methodology and technological expertise have been invaluable in helping us understand our key demographic. The insights gained have been instrumental in shaping our new product offerings. SCR stands out for their commitment to delivering precise, actionable data that drives strategic decision making.”

Case Study: Engaging Health Policy Makers for Informed Decision-Making

 

Client:

Major Healthcare Consultancy

Background:

The complexity and sensitivity surrounding healthcare policy demanded an approach that could both provide actionable insights and maintain strict confidentiality. Our client, a healthcare consultancy, aimed to understand the perspectives of key health policy makers.

 

Methodology:

We implemented a mixed-method research approach, using in-depth interviews and AI-enabled sentiment analysis on policy documents for a comprehensive view. Virtual face-to-face interactions were facilitated via specialized, secure video conferencing tools, while blockchain technology was employed to assure anonymity and data security.

A total of 30 payers, and policy makers were recruited to take part.

 

Tools & Technologies:

End-to-end encryption was used for all data transfer, ensuring the privacy and security of the participant data. Artificial intelligence was utilized for sentiment analysis, providing a nuanced understanding of policy stances beyond the interviews.

 

Outcome:

Our multifaceted research methodology not only provided enriched data but also significantly increased participant trust and engagement. As a result, our healthcare consultancy client gained actionable insights that have been instrumental in shaping new policy considerations.

 

Client-side Feedback:

“Partnering with SCR afforded us a level of access to key Health Policy Makers that was previously unattainable. Their innovative methodologies in assuring data security and participant anonymity proved to be pivotal in obtaining high-quality inputs for our research. We view SCR’s approach as the industry standard for engaging with complex and hard-to-reach audiences.”

Expertise

SCR was founded to address the growing demand for access to executive-level B2B decision-makers, opinion leaders, and healthcare professionals from around the world who are often difficult or impossible to reach using traditional recruitment methods. We understand the challenges suppliers face in reaching these key audiences despite persistent demand from clients, and our mission is to provide the access and insights needed to overcome these obstacles and successfully deliver for our clients.

 

Expert Network

Our expert network holds the immense power of pooling together a diverse group of specialists in different fields, consolidating their knowledge and experience for easy access. By tapping into our network, you’ll gain valuable insights, solutions, and guidance that would otherwise be challenging and time-consuming to obtain. Our expert network expedites decision-making processes, mitigates risks, and fosters innovation by providing timely and accurate information from trusted authorities.

Our expert network comprises carefully vetted respondents, ensuring that the knowledge and insights provided come from trusted authorities in their respective fields. Respondents are recruited via invite only and are all vetted to be who they say they are. We use our proprietary Expert Network for both Qualitative and Quantitative research.

Read more about Expert Networks here

 

Custom Recruitment

Our custom recruitment services excel in identifying and recruiting meticulously vetted respondents for research purposes, ensuring that you have access to individuals who possess the desired expertise and knowledge relevant to your study. By leveraging our expertise in respondent selection and screening, we streamline the process of finding the right participants, saving you time and effort. Our custom recruitment services enable you to gather valuable insights and data from a carefully curated pool of qualified respondents, enhancing the quality and validity of your research. This allows us to recruit the otherwise impossible to source respondents thanks to our executive interviewing centre. We use our Custom Recruitment services for Qual and also Quant methodologies.

Read more about Participant Engagement here

 

Global Project Management

We are specialists in hard-to-reach audiences and if we can’t deliver something in-house, we’ll most probably have a local partner who can. SCR has built a network of trusted partners worldwide, giving us unprecedented access within the hard-to-reach space. Our partners are carefully vetted and go through a strict quality onboarding process with our supplier management team. Our in-house project management team seamlessly manages our internal resources as well as our partners for you, ensuring full feasibility for your projects. Both your Quant and Qual projects will benefit from our in-house expertise.

 

Phone 2 Web

Our phone to web service revolutionizes the way information is gathered by seamlessly bridging the gap between phone-based interactions and web-based data collection. This innovative solution allows for a smooth transition from phone surveys or interviews to online platforms, enabling greater scalability and convenience. By leveraging this service, organizations can effortlessly harness the power of both mediums, ensuring high quality and efficient data collection, improved response rates, and enhanced flexibility in conducting surveys and research.

 

Mixed Methodology

While our internal sample sources comprise vetted respondents from the Expert Network or Custom Recruitment, we understand budget constraints and have developed a solution to account for it. We have built an internal tool that allows us to blend our vetted sources with cheaper traditional sources such as online B2B panels. This enables us to use the vetted respondents’ answers as a benchmark for the cheaper but less qualitative sources, while still maintaining quality checks and commitments. By incorporating our vetted sources, you can expect increased quality in responses compared to traditional panels, resulting in higher overall data quality and validity.

Read more about our mixed methodology here

 

Quant Sample Only (Expert Network only or Overall Project Management)

Through a combination of data collection methodologies , we’re able to gather a large volume of answers, from all kinds of B2B respondents; decision makers, stakeholders, CEOs etc. from across the globe.

Our processes guarantee our respondents are who they say they are , as we can verify using LinkedIn and by confirming business email addresses (domains) etc. You can even follow up with respondents after the research with a TDI or request a recording of a specific interview.

 

Custom Panel

If you need a custom panel for your research, SCR can help you in building your own custom panel.

 

Regardless of your situation, the root cause of these quality concerns when utilizing online panels for B2B research is often the same: the significant challenge faced by online panel companies in verifying the authenticity of their respondents, compounded by the growing prevalence of fraud and identity deception among survey participants.

 

On average, 1 out of 3 respondents (or 32%), are removed from these projects due to quality reasons.

 

This has several negative consequences, including :

• Consuming valuable time for project managers and researchers
• Eroding confidence in the overall data quality (how much poor quality data has slipped through the cracks?)
• Questioning the integrity of researchers when false trends emerge
• and occasionally raising doubts about the reliability and methodology among end clients.

 

To address these issues, SCR offers a range of alternatives to our clients.

 

One such option is the “phone to web” approach, which involves vetting every respondent over the phone using our Expert Network or Custom Recruitment services. We employ various methods, such as cross-referencing LinkedIn profiles and email signatures, to ensure the respondents’ authenticity before providing them with a unique survey link.

 

This methodology offers the highest level of quality assurance but comes at a higher cost, with an average CPI ranging from $175 to $250.

 

Another favored approach by our clients is the mixed methodology, which combines online panels with the phone to web method. This approach typically involves an 70% online panel and 30% phone to web blend. It offers the benefits of both worlds, including larger sample sizes and lower costs from online panels, coupled with smaller but highly reliable samples from phone to web.

 

Using this methodology provides a solid benchmark for the overall data and instills confidence in the research outcomes. The blended CPI for this approach typically ranges from $75 to $95, compared to $50 to $70 when relying solely on online panels.

 

Allow us to share a success story from one of our long-standing clients who faced challenges with their B2B Quant projects solely relying on online quant panels.

 

We determined that the best solution, considering various factors, including budget, would be to adopt a blended approach for their future projects.

 

This involved sourcing a minimum of 25% of the data from Expert Networks/Custom Recruitment, with the remaining 75% from traditional panels, adjusted based on their budget and timeline constraints. After implementing this approach for approximately a year, they observed significant changes:

 

• Having 25% of guaranteed high-quality data allowed them to conduct additional checks to ensure the integrity of the entire dataset, swiftly identifying and addressing any issues arising from panel providers.

 

• Setting high requirements for company sizes and leveraging new data sources enabled them to confidently reach respondents working for large enterprises (with revenues exceeding $10 billion).

 

• Although the overall project cost is now higher compared to relying solely on panels, they are investing the same amount as they no longer need to rerun projects entirely due to data integrity concerns.

 

• The increased confidence in the received data has helped them build trust with their clients, ultimately becoming one of their unique selling points (USP).

 

Contact SCR today to explore how our solutions can positively impact your research endeavors and enhance your relationship with your clients. SCR specializes in providing MRAs and Consultants with access to the most challenging-to-reach audiences in the B2B and Healthcare sectors through our Expert Network and Custom Recruitment services. You can read more here