| November 2006 Newsletter |  |
Hi and welcome to this edition of i-Newsletter! |
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This month we introduce you to new staff and say farewell to others. We also announce some exciting new product upgrades including a complete revamp to our i-Discuss system and our survey system will now include the function to have multiple questions per page.
In other news, the i-Link website has also been updated and the Qualified Opinions Research Panel answers ESOMAR’s questions.
As always we welcome any feedback or contribution you may wish to make and hope you enjoy the read!
Lorraine de Castro - Bachelor of Computer Science / Arts (Marketing)
Lorraine comes to i-Link as Senior Project Manager after working at National Field Services (NFS) where she was responsible for managing multiple research projects and data collection for both online and CATI.
Lorraine’s demonstrated experience managing tracking studies, mixed methodologies and her extensive knowledge in all aspects of research along with her high level of customer service make her a perfect fit to the i-Link team.
Sasa Lujic – Bachelor of Commerce (Management) / Business Computing (Information Management)
Sasa joins i-Link as a Project Manager after working at Millward Brown as a Client Service support executive.
Sasa has worked on numerous quantitative and qualitative accounts for both online and traditional methodologies and comes to i-Link with extensive experience with data management and analysis.
Welcome to both Loz and Sasa – we are confident that both will continue to provide the high level of customer service and output that i-Link is renowned for.
| Bon Voyage! | |
Even as we welcome new members to our team, it is with a mix of excitement and sadness that we also announce both Michael Dawson and James Morris will be leaving i-Link in December in favour of travel and adventure. |
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Michael and his partner are moving to London while James and his partner are taking up the adventure challenge in Canada. We understand woollens are number one on their Christmas lists!
Over the past 2 – 3 years i-Link has been extremely fortunate to have both Michael and James on our team. They have been instrumental in assisting us to grow and we will truly miss them.
The entire i-Link team wishes them both safe and happy travels.
| i-Link's New Website! | |
| Our website has recently undergone a face lift! We think the new look brings a more contemporary feel to the site while still maintaining i-Link's strong identity. Of course, our favourite 'bush girl' is still featured - how could we do without her? | |
The new look i-Link website now has improved menus so you can find information you need quickly and easily.
The site also includes more useful information on online research generally as well as enhanced details on our services and demonstrations of our great systems.
If you’d like to view our site now please click here
| Qualified Opinions Answers ESOMAR | |
Qualified Opinions Research Panel fully supports and maintains the ESOMAR & AMSRS guidelines for internet research and panel management policies. |
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We also choose to adopt the guidelines established by the Market Research Society of Australia and ESOMAR for the confidential handling and delivery of respondents' information.
The following are answers to the “25 questions & answers for research buyers”; guidelines put in place by the governing research bodies:
1) Is it an actively managed panel (nurtured community) or just a database?
Qualified Opinions is an actively managed panel which includes members from Australia, United Kingdom, USA and Canada.
All members are recruited for research participation only and are recruited via print media, online marketing initiatives, direct mail and other recruitment initiatives.
Qualified Opinions believes in creating a community and building durable relationships with its members. We believe this is a fundamental factor in successfully managing a highly rated research panel.
2) “Truthfully” how large is it?
The current registered member base as of July 2006, is 123,560.
3) What is the percentage of active members and how are they defined?
As of July 2006, Qualified Opinions has approximately 108,238 (87.6%) active members within the panel.
Members of the panel are defined by over 100 pieces of discreet information which is collected upon registration. In addition, members are additionally profiled on a frequent basis and are involved within panel discussions and events.
4) Where are the respondents sourced from and how are they recruited?
Qualified Opinions believes that respondents should be recruited via various methods to minimize skews within the panel make-up.
Our member base is recruited through a number of different mediums including print media, online marketing initiatives, direct mail and affiliate partnerships.
5) Have members clearly opted in? If so, was this double opt-in?
Qualified Opinions members are required to join through a double opt-in process before registration is complete.
The first stage involves admission of their profile information and email address, whilst the second stage involves activation of their account through a confirmation email. This method ensures that members have provided a legitimate email address and that they have consented to being contacted by Qualified Opinions.
6) What exactly have they been asked to opt-in to?
All members are asked to opt in to undertake online research. Upon registration members are advised and required to abide by the terms and conditions set out by Qualified Opinions regarding their membership and participation within market & social research projects.
The terms of conditions include expectations when participating with research, ethical guidelines, National privacy guidelines and their involvement within market research.
Qualified Opinions also ensures that members agree that the information they provide is used solely for market research purposes, and that their personal information will never be disclosed to a third party unless written consent has been given to do so.
7) What do panel members get in return for participating?
Qualified Opinions does not provide cash incentives to our members. It is our view that panel members completing a research project should be provided with a suitable reward for their participation. However, we are also mindful that excessive payment can lead to bias in research and the development of 'professional respondents'.
8) Is the panel used solely for market research?
The Qualified Opinions panel is used entirely for online research and does not provide candidates for e-Marketing campaigns at any point.
9) Is there a privacy policy in place? If so, what does it state?
Respecting privacy and confidentiality is of paramount importance at Qualified Opinions and we firmly endorse and abide by the Australian National Privacy Laws.
Qualified Opinions chooses to also adopt the guidelines established by the Market Research Society of Australia and ESOMAR for the confidential handling and delivery of respondents' information.
All demographic data collected by Qualified Opinions is numerically coded at the point of collection and stored separately from respondents' personal data.
Respondents are provided with an opportunity to unsubscribe whenever they are contacted by email and directly through the Qualified Opinions website.
Qualified Opinions abides by and supports the Australian Anti-spam legislation. Every email address we obtain and store is, to the best of our knowledge, provided by those who own them and who have further agreed to be contacted solely by us for the purpose of participating in research activities.
10) What research industry standards are complied with?
Qualified Opinions is fully compliant with the Australian Market & Social Research Societies (AMSRS) industry standards and ESOMAR guidelines. Furthermore, Qualified Opinions encourages all staff members to become registered associates of AMSRS.
11) Is the panel compliant with all regional, national, and local laws with respect to privacy, data protection, and children?
Qualified Opinions strictly adheres by the privacy act and agrees with Australian and international laws regarding member privacy and the protection of personal information.
12) What basic socio-demographic profile information, user ship, interests’ data, etc. is kept on members?
On registration, members are required to complete a number of profiling surveys in order to better segment the panel on the basis of demographic information. Such information includes:
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Personal details
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Geographic data
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Health & Wellbeing
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Home & Family
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Personal Interests
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Internet Use
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Media Consumption
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Personal Banking
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Shopping
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Technology Use
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Work & Study
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Travel
13) How often is it updated?
Qualified Opinions’ members are regularly encouraged to update their personal details should their circumstances change. Members have access to edit their personal details at any time via a safe and secure log in area within the website. Members are also sent newsletters and email reminders to update their personal information.
14) In what other ways can users be profiled (e.g. source of data)?
Other than the standard profiling variables we undertake, members can also be profiled on factors such as; recruiting source, the length of time in which the member has been part of the panel, and the types of surveys in which the member has been invited to participate.
15) What is the (minimum and typical) turnaround time from initial request to first deployment of the e-mails to activate a study?
Qualified Opinions requests that clients provide 24 hours notice prior to a project invite being sent to members, however, our flexibility to work within client timelines are always exceeded.
Project Managers always recommend that an initial pilot study is undertaken within the first 24 hours to determine accurate incidence rates and check data collection for each project.
16) What are likely response rates and how is response rate calculated?
Qualified Opinions obtain an average response rate of 40% over 4 days. This response rate is calculated on history as the proportion of members who respond and participate in a survey invitation.
The response rate is inclusive of all members who successfully complete, terminate or fail to complete the study.
17) Are or can panel members who have recently participated in a survey on the same subject be excluded from a new sample?
Members can be identified on the basis of past survey and invitation history and can be excluded from participation in any campaign upon request. Furthermore, members’ can also be excluded from each new sample drawn for the duration of a tracking study.
18) Is a response rate (over and above screening) guaranteed?
Qualified Opinions guarantees its clients a 40% response rate over 4 days, and does not charge on the basis of emails sent. Qualified Opinions does not however, guarantee incidence levels, as the accuracy of an estimated incidence rate is the sole responsibility of the client.
19) How often are individual members contacted for market research or anything else in a given time period?
The rolling 12 month average that respondents are contacted to participate within a project is 3.95.
20) How is the sample selection process for a particular survey undertaken?
Qualified Opinions utilises a proprietary system to generate even the most sophisticated sampling requirements in very quick turn around times. Samples can be matched to over 100 discreet pieces of information or even drawn representatively matched to ABS data within areas as small as electoral division.
21) Can samples be deployed as batches/replicates, by time zones, geography, etc? If so, how is this controlled?
Qualified Opinions can deploy a sample on the basis of a number of different variables. This will be primarily controlled by the allocated project manager for the project.
22) Is the sample randomised before deployment?
All samples are generated based on a randomised process, and should alternative samples be required, these too will be generated on a random basis.
23) Can the time of sample be controlled and, if so, how?
Qualified Opinions proprietary systems have been developed to manage and control sample provisions based on individual project specification.
Each project can be set up by a dedicated project manager to be deployed based on geographical location and time zone requirements.
We also have controls in place that alert staff when projects have reached a specific sample size (n=50/n=100) to allow for data checking and validation.
24) Can panel members be directed to specific sites for the survey questionnaire to be undertaken?
Qualified Opinions re directs its members to specific sites to undertake online research and then re directs them back to the Qualified Opinions on completion.
All sites companies utilizing these services agree to also abide by the national privacy policy and guidelines for research as espoused by the AMSRS and ESOMAR for online research.
25) What guarantees are there to guard against bad data (i.e. respondents cheating or not concentrating/caring in their responses (e.g. click happy)?
Qualified Opinions is able to identify and exempt members from participation in surveys who have a previous history of poor quality responses.
We encourage our clients to report any such activities where respondents are proven to lie or provide “junk” responses.
Qualified Opinions also maintains a black ban list and removes respondents who do not comply with our terms and conditions.
| Thanks for your support! | |
We wish to take this opportunity to thank the many of you who have provided such great testimonials to include on our website. |
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We are extremely pleased that we have been able to provide you with satisfaction and grateful for your encouragement.
If you wish to view clients’ testimonials please click here.