Telephone Surveys – Research Strategies, Inc.’s Telephone Operations Center conducts in excess of 15,000 completed questionnaires per year, ranging from Public Opinion Polls, to Community Attitude Studies to Legal Focus Groups/Mock Trials to Customer Satisfaction Studies. These telephone intercepts are conducted across all time zones throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Research Strategies, Inc.’s in-house 24-Computer Station (CATI like) Telephone Operations Center is located in Mobile, Alabama. This center is manned with professionally trained researchers, specifically selected for their demeanor and speaking ability. Our Telephone Operations Center’s arsenal of software programs include: SPSS, Sawtooth, Access, Microsoft and Research Strategies, Inc.’s proprietary software “Research Express.” Software used in the data retrieval process is kept on a separate computer server that is not connected to the Internet for security purposes. The data is backed up nightly and a copy of the data kept off-line and off-site for protection. Research Strategies, Inc. will maintain an electronic copy of all databases for up to three (3) years after its completion of the project as a security measure.
On-Site/In Store Surveys – Research Strategies, Inc. offers professionally trained In-Field Researchers located throughout the United States including: Atlanta, Biloxi/Gulfport, Birmingham, Charlotte Denver, Fresno, Huntsville, Marksville, Memphis, Mobile, New Orleans, Palm Springs, Pensacola, San Diego and Yuma. Each of Research Strategies’ In-Field Researchers is carefully selected for their demeanor and ability to meet strangers. These full-time employees go through extensive training to ensure that they record onsite information accurately and in detail. All In-Field Researchers are skilled in using the latest electronic data collection devices. The average age of these individuals ranges from the mid-40s to the early 60s. This diversification of our in-field experience encompasses the Super Bowl for Cadillac to Good Humor Ice Cream to Harrah’s Casino to Michelin Tires. Research Strategies, Inc.’s supervisors review and explain each question with the In-Field Researchers before they are placed in the field. Each Researcher is carefully monitored using an internal Mystery Shopper Program. These programs keep their performance level well above what traditional research companies achieve using sub-contractors like temporary employment agencies.
Research Strategies, Inc.’s In-Field Researchers are capable of reaching most markets within the continental United States.
On-Line Surveys – Research Strategies, Inc. offers secured On-Line Surveys. Our Analysts and Programmers work directly with our client to assure surveys meet the specific requirements of the research. No “cookie cutter” surveys here! We carefully monitor in real-time each individual research participant, to assure the surveys are being properly completed by qualified individuals. The results are placed into easy-to-read graphics and all verbatim comments scrutinized to pertinence and clarity.
Focus Groups/One-On-One Intercepts – Research Strategies, Inc. has conducted over 800 Consumer Focus Groups, Business-to-Business Focus Groups and Legal Focus Groups/Mock Trial throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. We offer two (2) highly trained moderators, well skilled in a number of business categories. An Air-quality camera crew is also available, capable of live streaming the Focus Group anywhere on the Internet. Research Strategies, Inc. maintains a database of over 700 previously used facilities ranging from Focus Group facilities to Conference Centers to Hotels to Municipal buildings to even church auditoriums. This database offers our client complete flexibility. And Research Strategies, Inc. can randomly recruit anywhere, reaching even the most difficult ethnic groups and/or geographic locations. Research Strategies, Inc.’s Focus Groups/One-On-One Intercepts can be a “turn key” project and “la carte.”
Validation – Research Strategies, Inc.’s offers continuous monitoring/validation of a minimum of 5% of all completed surveys by Telephone Intercept, On-Site Intercepts, On-Line Intercept, etc. We follow standard procedures developed by the Marketing Research Association as well as Data Collection guidelines for the Council of American Survey Research Organizations.
Over-the-Air Quality Audio/Visual Sub-Header – Research Strategies, Inc. offers an in-house audio/visual team and all the essential equipment to conduct the sessions in any conference center or hotel ballroom in the country. This is done using state-of-the-art, over-the-air quality technology consisting of the following equipment:
Cameras: SONY D30 3CCD (Broadcast) or Hitachi D2000 w/ studio Config.
Lens: Fujinon 14x & 16x Lens w/ Wide angle Adaptor
DVD Recorder: Sony VRDMC6 & Pioneer (Broadcast)
Monitors: 42 “ Vizio & 42” NEC Flat Screen
Microphone: Audio Technica Omni Directional Mic.’s, Audio Technica PZM
Video D.A.: Extron, E Electronics Multi Channel
Audio D.A.: SIMA 4 Channel
Audio Mixer: Behringer 1002 6 Channel
Headphone Amp: Behringer 4 Channel
Headphones: Sony, sennheiser
Hitachi D2000 w/ studio Config
These capabilities increase the site flexibility of Focus Group sessions, eliminating the need for Focus Group facilities where not available or found to be inadequate. The usage of landmark hotel and/or conference centers that are better known by the research participants, adds an increased feeling of security and comfort to the research participants.
Cell Phone Mix – Research Strategies has monitored that over the past twelve (12) years landline telephone households are eroding and being replaced solely with cell phones. These cell phone households are roughly 45% to 55% of the marketplace, with heavier skews among younger consumers and ethnic consumers. Research Strategies has a standing protocol that our research samples incorporate a combination of landline and cell phone numbers.
Stratified Sampling – Research Strategies uses a Stratified Sampling methodology to provide our clients’ telephone research with an accurate geographic and demographic representation of the marketplace. These can be either a micro or macro protocol in order to match the jury pool market area. Based on United States Postal Service data, Research Strategies can sample street-by-street or by residential ZIP Codes for a town, city, county, state or the entire United States. This assures the sample weighting is accurate to current residential populations, data that is updated every six (6) months versus United States Census Bureau data that is recalculated every ten (10) years. Our stratified sample delivers an accurate representation by:
- Education mix
- Age mix
- Gender mix
- Other demographic requirements of the marketplace
Random Digit Data – Research Strategies is one of the country’s best-unknown RDD (Random Digit Data) samplers. This technical process ensures our clients that the research is being conducted with individuals who have not been preconditioned by being a part of national research panels or previously subjected to other qualitative and quantitative research methodologies as found with individuals queried from research lists. The advantage gained by RDD is that the research participants are “fresh” and do not have any preconceived opinions or consider themselves research experts.