We conduct the three primary methods of surveying – telephone, mail and web-based, online surveys – as well as in-person interviews and telephone/web survey combination surveys.

The audiences we survey include:

  • General population
  • Targeted business decision makers/buyers – B-to-B
  • Targeted consumer buyers, specific demographics – B-to-C
  • Customers/Clients
  • “C-level” executives/other “difficult audiences
  • Client company employees

The table outlines the benefits and drawbacks of the telephone surveys, mail and web surveys, telephone/web combination, and in-person interviewing such as mall intercepts or door-to-door interviews.  Typically, a given project’s particular requirements will tell us which method is most appropriate.

Typically, a given project’s particular requirements will tell us which method is most appropriate.

ElementTelephoneRegular mailWebPhone/Web CombinationIn-person*
Ability to handle complex questionsGoodFairFairGoodExcellent
Ability to collect large amount of data per respondent – to “go in-depth”GoodFairGoodGoodGood
Full disclosure on "sensitive" issues questionsFairGoodGoodFairFair
Degree of sample controlGoodFairGoodGoodExcellent
TimelinessExcellentFairExcellentGoodGood
Response rate/Non-response biasGoodFairFairGoodFair
Ability to use visualsPoorExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
Ease of set up/Preparation time & effortFairPoorExcellentFairFair
CostFairGoodExcellentFairPoor

*  “In-person”, in this case, refers to quantitative types of personal interviews, like door-to-door and intercept interviews, and not to qualitative methods like focus groups and one-on-one depth interviews in which relatively small numbers (i.e., <100) are researched.