Research Methodologies

October 7, 2015

Does One Size Fit All? – How Important is Recruiting Method to a Qualitative Study?

Recruitment methodology should be appropriate for your research method. A ‘one size fits all’ approach doesn’t work.

Jason Horine

by Jason Horine

Vice President - Client Solutions at Schlesinger Associates

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one size fits all

 

By Jason Horine

There is no doubting that the quality of research participant recruitment has a direct impact on data reliability and the quality of insights.  Recruitment methodology should always be appropriate for the target audience, but, equally, it should be appropriate for your research methodology.  Unfortunately, that is often overlooked in procurement of online qualitative data collection.

When was the last time you consulted with your recruiter about the methods being adopted for your online qualitative study? 

Three Approaches to Recruiting for Online Qualitative

Often lost in the noise about all the various platforms and technologies now available for online qualitative research is the essential element of how to recruit respondents for online qualitative methodologies.  Without quality respondents, an otherwise perfectly designed project is put at great risk. And just as there are appropriate recruiting approaches for in-person qual and online quant, there are also appropriate methods for recruiting to online qual methodologies.

We have all made that impulse buy of an item of clothing labelled ‘one size fits all’  – as if it promises mystical expanding, contracting and enhancing powers – and then felt remorse as we look in the mirror and question the loose semantics of the word ‘fit’.  Equally, for online qualitative recruitment a ‘one size fits all’ approach can have a disappointing outcome.  For optimized results, a good recruiter must evaluate the research design, target audience, methodology, chosen technology and study budget before we can determine how to best to tailor a solution for filling the digital seats.

Let’s explore a few scenarios.

Traditionally, if you needed respondents for your study you were either contacting a panel provider for quant surveys or a telephone recruiter for qual projects.  Today, we operate in an industry packed with hybrid and multi-mode research methodologies compounded by new technologies and platforms for hosting online research, particularly within online qual.  It follows that recruiters need to be nimble in their approach, and follow suit with hybrid methods for recruitment.

There are certainly many ways to find respondents, and at Schlesinger Associates we are often required to get creative in our recruitment methods, but depending on the specifications involved, we generally select one of three main ways in which to recruit for online qual:

  1. Traditional telephone recruit
  2. Web-to-web recruit
  3. Web-to-web with telephone confirmations/validations

Each approach has its merits and its pitfalls, so it is important that you know how your project is being recruited in order to discuss how each merit can be built-on or each pitfall can be countered for the best recruiting outcome.

  1. Traditional telephone recruit

A traditional phone recruit is most familiar to qual researchers to when conducting IDIs or focus groups at a facility, or even TDIs and in-person ethnographies off-site. Telephone recruitment is still necessary for a large portion of online qual projects, driven by the need for hard-to-find respondents.  Many projects are conducted as online qual specifically because the respondents are too hard to find in particular markets, making in-person qual infeasible.  It follows that phone work is still required for these recruits.  A phone recruit will take an average of two to three weeks, and is best suited when sample sizes are fewer than 50. Pricing will vary depending on target audience, but will be comparable to national TDI pricing.

  1. Web-to-web recruit

A W2W recruit is what comes to mind when we think of quantitative online surveys. With online qual projects, a W2W recruit may be the best option when large sample sizes and tight recruiting windows are at play.  W2W is usually appropriate for high-volume, high-incidence recruits feeding into an online community or mobile ethnography. Large sample sizes can be achieved very quickly (i.e. 300 consumers at a 60% IR can be completed in 6-9 days).

The biggest wrinkle with W2W recruitment for online qual is the question of over-recruitment – with so many different platform technologies, timeframes, apps, tasks, etc., there are few standard notions for appropriate over- recruitment.  We’ve found that some require a 40% over- recruit, while others require a 300% over-recruit.  Knowing the level of engagement you can expect from each respondent is a bit of a mystery without the telephone validation, and with so many projects requiring respondents to download an app or make a shopping visit, or any number of other activities, relying wholly on surveys and emails carries with it some risk.  While the individual CPR may be remarkably cheap, if you end up needing to over-recruit by 300% it may not be worth it.  Make sure you are exploring with your recruiter the implications of taking this route.

  1. Web-to-web with telephone confirmations/validations

The most common solution for online qualitative projects, and most accepted, W2W with phone confirmations is generally cheaper and faster than traditional phone recruiting, but still ensures higher quality and engagement than a straight web recruit.  Additionally, there is a value in having respondents complete the full screener online, as participation in the research itself will take place online, so qualifying the screener is the first indication of competence in that medium.  This method of recruitment has worked for consumers, business professionals, patients, and healthcare professionals.  It also has affordability going for it too, as the pricing usually comes in around 60-75% of regular telephone recruitment pricing.

Tailored recruitment is important, and begins at the bidding stage – how respondents will be recruited has a clear impact on price, timing and feasibility. If any of those items is out of line with your expectations then your recruiter may have an approach worth discussing.  Make sure you engage with your recruiter and seek a consultative approach to the management of your recruitment because one size most certainly does NOT fit all.

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Disclaimer

The views, opinions, data, and methodologies expressed above are those of the contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official policies, positions, or beliefs of Greenbook.

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