Boosting Response Rates

According to the latest survey from RSM, an independent full service agency, 37% of market research professionals are concerned about declining response rates and finding representative samples.  These concerns are widespread throughout consumer and B2B research and represent the most significant finding from the latest wave of the Research Professionals’ Survey... more.  It is important to see that these concerns come not only from the research industry but also from clients and end users of that research.

Of course, this finding does not come out of the blue because researchers have known for a long time that it is increasingly hard to recruit people for telephone-based research.  Other methods of research have also suffered, though not necessarily to the same extent.

So what can be done about this decline in response rates?

There is no single solution to this problem, but a number of things can be done to improve the chances of getting a good response rate.

• Firstly it is helpful to target the respondents carefully because people are more likely to respond if they see a relevance to their own lifestyle.

• Next, use a system that can calculate an expected response rate in each quota cell (based on historical behaviour), and can save sample in some quota cells for when it is really needed for another project.

• Another important aspect is to manage the frequency of contact with a respondent with appropriate resting periods so they don’t get either over or under used.

• Lastly much of the industry is turning towards online research which gives respondents an opportunity to choose when they complete a survey and doesn’t put them under pressure as an unsolicited phone call can.

Is all this easier said than done?  Well, Centurion’s product MARSC is a specialist sampling and panel management tool that allows a non-technical person to easily build a target matrix, calculates the needed sample based on historical response rates, manages frequency of contact and provides a web portal for panel management.

If you would like to find out more about MARSC please call Centurion on +44 (0)1306 621062 or email info@marsc.com.  We look forward to being of assistance.