The Role of Technology in Market Research: A Look at ARA's Approach
At ARA, we are committed to using the most advanced technologies and tools to deliver the best possible insights to our clients. In this post, we will provide a deeper understanding of the specific technologies and tools we use, such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), Hybrid approach, and many other emerging technologies. We will also provide specific examples of how we have utilized technology in market research projects, as well as access to relevant case studies or success stories where technology played a significant role in delivering actionable insights.
Understanding of Specific Technologies and Tools
We use very advanced tools across most of our studies, whether in data management, processing, analysis, or reporting. We have worked on AI interpretation of sentiments in social media listening. This involves automatically analyzing and categorizing posts by sentiment: positive, negative, or neutral. Another automated analysis tool we use is in our Mystery Shopping (MS) programs AMIR (ARA Mystery Shopping Interactive Reporting).
The tool analyzes the evaluation results and produces "what if" scenarios that tell the client what kind of improvements need to be made and projects the outcome on the service quality score. This allows clients to prioritize strategies for tackling specific issues based on time-sensitive problems and/or cost-related considerations. The system also produces one-click automated reports that provide high-level benchmarks, trends, and solutions.
Specific Examples
One of the most significant challenges in quantitative research is reaching the target sample, specifically when the target includes professionals or is based on a sensitive subject (like respondents’ healthcare). This is especially an issue when the surveys are long and riddled with detailed or sensitive questions, which increase rejection and bailout rates of respondents. We faced this challenge in a recent project where we needed to choose between computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI), computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI), or computer-assisted web interview (CAWI) methodologies. Each methodology has its limitations and considerations, such as logistics, cost, or geographic reach.
To overcome these limitations, we developed a flexible hybrid computer-assisted data collection approach that combines CATI, CAPI, and CAWI interviews into one system captured in a single database. This hybrid approach minimizes the limitation of each methodology and ensures a relatively high response rate while maintaining a reasonably cost per interview. The automated CATI/CAPI/CAWI software routes the flow of the interviews based on the respondents' answers, allowing the supervision team to monitor the data of all the completed interviews on a real-time basis to maintain the highest quality and reliability of results. The software provides a unique interface, homogeneous and intuitive through all the steps of a survey from the questionnaire design, right up to the data collection and quality control.
What Can a Hybrid Approach Give?
In one patient engagement study we conducted for several hospitals, we used a hybrid approach that included CAWI and CATI. Patients received a survey link (CAWI) invitation, and when they failed to interact with the link or did not complete the survey, the system automatically pushed the contacts to the call center where our agents followed through in completing the survey with the patients. This hybrid approach resulted in an outstanding response rate and yielded around 13,000 successful interviews.
In another success story, we used a hybrid approach across CAPI, CATI, and CAWI. The initial contact was made through a telephone introduction call from the ARA call center. The call center agents introduced the purpose of the study and provided the respondents with the option to proceed with the telephone interview directly or to schedule a telephone (CATI) or face-to-face (CAPI) interview at a preset location, date, and time.
Respondents were also given the option to self-administer the survey through CAWI. All three interview methods were developed on the same platform and captured in the same database, ensuring a seamless inflow of interviews from any interview source to ARA's dedicated and secured servers. This allowed for centralized management of the survey process, assurance of data consistency, centralized compilation of the collected data in the same database, and centralized analysis of the results on a real-time basis via an advanced reporting dashboard. And to ensure that our clients are empowered with results on a real-time basis, we developed algorithms which analyze respondent feedback and sentiments on a real-time basis and send out automated email alerts to inform them of specific cases that require immediate action, instead of waiting for the final report to be issued. Here is our moto Dataction (from data to action) comes in place.
Implementing the Accurate Approach
Furthermore, in a specific project focused on monitoring the statements made by Members of Parliament in the media, we implemented an advanced approach using AI interpretation of sentiments. This involved utilizing cutting-edge technology to perform social media listening, enabling us to gather valuable insights from the vast amount of public discourse shared on various platforms. By harnessing the power of AI-driven sentiment analysis, we were able to delve deeper into understanding the prevailing sentiments and reactions of the public in response to these statements.
Through this innovative application, we leveraged the capabilities of artificial intelligence to automatically analyze and interpret the emotions, attitudes, and opinions expressed by individuals on social media platforms. This enabled us to gain a comprehensive understanding of the sentiment landscape surrounding the statements made by MPs. By employing AI-driven sentiment analysis, we were able to discern whether the public's sentiment towards these statements were positive, negative, or neutral.
At ARA, we believe in using the most advanced technologies and tools to deliver the best possible insights to our clients. Whether it's using AI to interpret sentiments in social media listening or developing innovative hybrid data collection methodologies, we are committed to staying at the forefront of market research technology. If you want to learn more about our successful projects and case studies, please visit our website or contact us directly. We are always happy to share our expertise and insights with you.