The business of conducting research has come a long way especially as technology makes it more cost-effective and accessible.
With more organisations seeing the value that research adds to both their overall business strategy and their marketing campaigns, there is a greater appetite and need among organisations of all sizes, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to rethink how they use research especially if it can be done easily and cost-effectively.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).offers the opportunity to conduct research in-house, without having to rely on a project manager to adjust project specs or ensure a study is fielding correctly. Below are four benefits for taking a software-first approach in order to boost your research capabilities and optimise your workflow.
- Full control over your research. Having greater control over your research means you can tailor a study to your specific needs. A software subscription gives you the freedom to launch a study anytime you want, without having to wait until your services provider is available. This includes monitoring survey-completes in real-time, managing quotas, adjusting cost if needed, and more. Additionally, software allows you to track studies while they’re in-field. Instead of sending your study to a project manager and wondering about results, you can manage everything yourself. It also gives you the power to troubleshoot fielding issues that arise, as soon as they happen.
- Reduced survey sample costs. Another benefit of sampling software is that it greatly reduces your costs. While the bulk of these savings comes from not paying a project manager to run surveys, it can also be attributed to having more control over projects. For example, if you launch a study and decide that you want to reduce its scope, you can make that change.
- No technical expertise required. Learning a new technology can be daunting, but sampling software is simple. The key elements that should be included in fielding a study include sample size, target demographic(s), expected fielding time, cost, etc. Software allows you to implement those project specs and look at the study in a more granular way. Those who are less familiar with how sampling works can easily learn the process for setting up and running their research studies. Using software, you will quickly figure out the information you’ll need to run a study and make adjustments to your project when needed.
- Software and services can be used together. For organisations that want greater control but might not be ready to dive into owning their insights projects from end to end, there’s good news: you don’t have to choose either sampling software or professional services, you can use both. When it comes to running more complex studies, like brand trackers, relying on a full-service team might still be the most effective option. Leveraging a professional services team alongside a software license can be especially helpful when there’s a need to run multiple studies at once or if there are tight deadlines to meet. Plus, anyone using software is still able to keep an eye on all studies being conducted – even ones that project managers are running for you.
As research becomes a part of nearly every industry, leveraging software will enable businesses of all sizes to bring insights in-house and reduce their research spend. Whether you’ve been in the business for 15 years and have a team of researchers working alongside you, or you’re the sole insights analyst on your team (maybe “research” isn’t even in your title), you can still benefit from software.
It’s an incredibly flexible option for SMB owners, traditional researchers, academics, marketers and agencies plus provide valuable insights that can greatly enhance any campaign.
