There are several situations that call for a business to conduct qualitative research, and there are proven techniques to carry it out, particularly when it comes to focus groups.
A previous column looked at when focus groups should be deployed. The next step is to determine how to maximize their return.
Getting that maximum return is about the three Ps:
- Participants
- Preparation
- Performance
Participants
It is a waste of time and money to conduct focus groups where the participants – likely a mix of current customers, lost customers and potential customers for a revenue or growth issue – are not representative of the target market.
Careful consideration of who to engage for feedback is critical, and it is normally the responsibility of both the client – who should know the customer base – and the research or consulting partner, who may have a valuable independent perspective.
The process of ensuring that the right participants are in the room normally starts with a screening guide, which is a mini-survey consisting of demographic and other client- or situation-specific questions to zero in on. Recruiters are often hired to conduct the screening and select participants – they will do so from general consumer panels, or from the client's database.
Professional facilities – which have the clichéd client room behind two-way glass, stocked with food and liquor – usually have recruiters on staff. An ideal group consists of six to 10 participants, and multiple groups are recommended to avoid bias. One or two no-show's can be expected per group.
Screening typically costs $50 to $100 per participant, and a further incentive of about $100 per person is recommended (the amount increases for professionals). The entire process of writing the screener and recruiting should take less than two weeks to complete.
Preparation
I overheard a lawyer in a restaurant tell a client he drills three rules into his junior associates when it comes to litigation: preparation, preparation and preparation. There is some truth to that when it comes to getting ready for a set of focus groups.
It is the responsibility of the client to generate ideas for questions, and on objectives that have to be met by the execution of the groups. It is normally the responsibility of the research or consulting partner to then refine those ideas into actual questions, exercises and tools to be explored with group participants.
A problem solving orientation works better than a research orientation in most cases. It is a subtle but important change in thinking about the participants and the time spent in the room. Instead of treating people like research subjects – where the purpose, client represented and business problem are hidden – we believe treating participants as problem solvers with as much disclosure as possible leads to better results.
Consumers are smarter, more contemplative and more capable of managing complex situations than most clients or researchers give them credit for, and disclosure coupled with a visible respect level often gets participants to dig deeper and to want to help.
Regardless of orientation, it is the responsibility of the research or consulting partner to build out a moderator guide with the exact timing and flow of questions, exercises and tools required. Exercises may include sorting or prioritizing with hand-outs or sticky notes, and tools may consist of visual aids, such as mock-ups of products or advertising campaigns.
Clients should be able to review the moderator guide and literally picture the whole flow of the focus group. A moderator guide can be built and refined with a client in less than a week.
Performance
Once the right participants are selected and the rigorous preparation is completed, a successful outcome comes down to execution. A strong moderator is required to guide the focus group participants through the question areas and exercises.
It is his or her job to:
- Stay on time and on topic
- Ensure all participants actually participate
- Listen, process and change gears on-the-fly to pursue interesting tangents that may lead to important insights, then bring the group back to the topic at hand once the insights or dead ends are clear.
The last point is important and not always adhered to.
Some clients prefer a moderator who will stick to the script, but it can lead to a "dead group," where there is no energy and where participants get bored and shut down. Having a moderator who is well versed in the business problem leading the group can help alleviate this issue, as the person is more likely to seek the answer as opposed to focusing on asking questions.
Ninety to 120 minutes, covering four to six topics, is ideal in terms of pacing and matching consumer attention spans. Interactive exercises and visual aids employed by the moderator can help maximize participant engagement.
Special to The Globe and Mail
Mark Healy, P.Eng, MBA, is a partner at Satov Consultants – a management consultancy with practice areas in corporate strategy, customer strategy and operations strategy. Mark's focus areas inside the customer strategy practice include consumer insights, customer experience, innovation and go-to-market strategy. He is a regular speaker and media contributor on topics ranging from marketing to strategy, in telecom, retail and other sectors. Mark is known as much for his penchant for loud socks and a healthy NFL football obsession as he is for his commitment to Ivey and recent Ivey grads. He currently serves as chair of the Ivey Alumni Association board of directors. Mark lives with his wife Charlotte and their bulldog McDuff in Toronto.
Mark Healy