Online Research DashboardsConfirmit's Pat Molloy asks: Where are we today with market research reporting?
8th Oct 2012
Sharing clear, accurate and timely survey responses across your business and with your clients is critical to realising the return on investment from your research programmes. Increasingly, end users at every level - from senior executives to project managers and survey analysts - expect to be able to access metrics online, in real time, in easy-to-read dashboard-style formats, and with only the information relevant to them being displayed.
Being able to deliver tailored reporting not only allows the right feedback to go to the right person, it also allows organisations to react quickly to survey responses and act effectively upon insight. In the past, however, true tailored reporting has been difficult, if not impossible, to deliver. As a result, market research has often been criticised for providing complex data that requires expert, detailed and costly analysis. Market researchers themselves have all too often been frustrated by the inability to drill down into survey results to extract meaningful data, and, in turn, clients have been frustrated by the lack of true ‘insight’ they gain. A research evolution Over the last five years, reporting and analysis tools have evolved quickly, spurred by the demand for business insight, and in part driven by the rise in popularity of Voice of the Customer or Feedback Management programmes. The new generation of reporting tools enables market research agencies to develop increasingly sophisticated reporting processes that allow users at all levels to access the level of feedback that is relevant to them; share this feedback within and beyond departments; and, most importantly, identify action points arising from the data. The most sophisticated of these tools have the power to deliver at-a-glance dashboards and topline reports for immediate action as well as in-depth customised reports that drill down into data (regardless of what channels have been used to collect it) for more detailed analysis. They also allow users to deliver these reports automatically, online or offline and integrate with other applications for wider business use. Such tools offer advanced correlation capabilities that enable you to establish relationships between Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in a business and specific feedback data. For example, users can identify the key drivers of customer satisfaction, or measure the effect of employee engagement programmes on the customer experience. They can also establish alerting rules that close the loop on feedback and research programmes. By allowing customers to identify the impact of different activities on KPIs, market researchers can more easily deliver the advice that drives investment, change and action in an organisation. The power of portals But it is not just the evolution of reporting tools that has driven change in market research practices. In line with the evolution of these tools has been the development of online technologies. This has led to the explosion of online portals, which are uniquely able to provide a fully-customisable and interactive means of delivering insight directly to the desktops of those who need it. Online portals allow market researchers to share only the information each viewer needs, in a dashboard that can be tailored to their particular viewing requirements. The detail shown can be filtered according to department, geographic location, or any other factor. This not only saves people time, it also ensures decisions can be made based on relevant information, clearly highlighted. One step further, portals can be designed to fit seamlessly with end user organisations, giving them complete control of the design and branding of all aspects of reporting, from the log in screen to end reports. Because online portals directly reduce the time, cost and complexity traditionally associated with survey analysis, they have transformed the way in which market researchers deliver data, and more importantly, insight to their customers. They also have the added advantage of engaging more people thanks to the immediate and targeted nature of the information they provide. This has a hugely positive impact on the effectiveness of research programmes as the results become immediately more relevant, and prompt direct action. Best practices in an online world As we’ve seen, there are many benefits that market research organisations can reap from today’s reporting tools. And the benefits of sharing information online are already well established. However, one question remains regarding online portals: what about security? For market researchers, the integrity and security of the data they collect and share must be maintained, regardless of the methods or channels used. Best practice shows that organisations, and the providers of the tools they use, should have a range of security measures in place covering all aspects of the research process, from survey creation and data collection to analysis and reporting. Data security and regulatory compliance should be assessed at each and every step of the survey lifecycle. When it comes to the data shared through online portals, it is essential that the security and confidentiality of your respondents and the data you gather from them is protected via a range of mechanisms. These should include separation of respondent and response data, sophisticated password functionality, and Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption of web traffic. To provide additional peace of mind, independent third party accreditation and testing should be performed to assess the external vulnerability of online environments. Testing should also be extended to the availability and reliability of those who provide the hosting environment for your online information—it is no use sharing reports online if your portal is unavailable for long periods of time. Embracing the online research portal The success of market research hinges upon delivering actionable insight to your clients, not purely providing a swathe of undigested data. Online reporting dashboards and portals are the most effective and efficient way to generate these in a flexible, repeatable and effective manner, whilst at the same time maintaining a high degree of control and security. These dashboards can provide ‘live’ insights which means that you and your customers can react quickly to emerging problems and trends. And after all, speed and effectiveness of response to problems is a key differentiator nowadays. If delivering insight at the level that suits different individuals gives your clients the best opportunity to understand their customers, employees, and other stakeholders, why wouldn’t you do it?
Pat Molloy, CSO, Confirmit
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