"Once again I would like to reiterate how incredibly impressed I was with your team
on the survey you designed.
This professionalism extended to all stages of the project -- from the beginning,
where you had the courage and respectful persuasiveness to convince me to use a
different channel than I had planned, to the follow-up, which extended well beyond
the contracted relationship."
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Custom Research
Research Design
Sample Selection
Participant Recruitment
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Reporting
Presentation
Research Design
We have found that the most important step in the research process is to clearly
understand client needs and requirements. Karlamar Associates will work closely with
your organization to fully grasp your business situation, understand your research
objectives and then select the right set of tools to deliver the information that
you require. We will then present the results of the study in the
context of the your business, making the results both meaningful and actionable.
Sample Size and Selection
We will need to understand whom you want to study, in order to identify and prepare
a representative sample of this population. The size of this sample affects
how well the population is represented in the results. Sample size trade-offs
are often made based on how the results will be used, available budget, time constraints,
the degree of precision required, response rates and access to qualified
participants.
Depending on the desired demographics, likely sources of contact are identified.
These sources range from customer contact lists, to published business listings.
We take care to find the best source of qualified participants. Contact may be made
through targeted email by the official list owner, through direct mail, and / or by telephone
via a tele-recruitment house.
Participant Recruitment
We feel strongly that pre-recruitment is often required before most surveys or interviews are conducted
to ensure that the sample of respondents adequately represents the demographics
required by the study. Participants need to be screened prior to surveying
to ensure that relevant sub-groups within the population are adequately represented,
and that the respondents are truly whom they say they
are. We do not advocate using general-use online panels, since
respondent demographics are often not verified, participants may not be
whom they represent themselves to be, and respondents may be "professional" survey
takers, all of which may affect the quality of the resultant data.
Data Collection
There are many ways to conduct surveys and collect data, each with their own strengths
and weaknesses. For instance, data can be collected in face-to-face
meetings or by telephone, mail, email, or via the Internet.
The choice of method often depends on
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the client's timeframe and/or project budget
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the respondent's access to the Internet or e-mail
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the respondent's level of literacy and ability to express themself
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the respondent's level of comfort with computers and various survey tools
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the respondent's desire for anonymity
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the respondent's sensitivity to specific topics.
Data Analysis
Some say that, "Market Research Data Analysis is a blend of statistics, psychology,
information technology and art... there is a need to manage the blending of these
disciplines in order to develop and organize a complete analysis of the data that
satisfies the information requirements of the project." We agree and
feel strongly that the analysis and communication of findings is key to the success
of any market research project.
Reporting
Once the analysis has been performed, it is important to communicate the results
in a timely manner and client useable form. Our reports are structured such
that information is concise, and is easy to read, understand and apply. You can
quickly find what you are looking for since our reports are written with
the intended reader in mind.
Presentation
We will be more than happy to develop a custom presentation for your use in communicating
the results of your research to others within or external to your organization. We
believe that the findings should be formatted and presented such that they can be easily shared
with and understood by others.
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