Taking Part

If you’ve been asked to take part in a research study with us, here’s a look at what will happen. There are a number of ways you could be asked to take part, from completing an online survey or taking part in a face-to-face discussion.

Selection

For every research project we do, we are looking for people whose input will be helpful to our clients, so we might only want people in a particular age group, who have or use certain products, or who have a specific interest.

To begin with you will be asked a number of questions designed to help us know whether you are the best person to help us. Not everyone fits the bill, but don’t worry, it’s not a reflection on you.

If you’re an existing customer of our client, your name will often have been supplied to us, but please be assured that we value and protect your confidentiality and follow strict codes of practice set out in The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and by the Market Research Society (MRS).

If you are selected to take part in a face-to-face discussion, you will be given details of the session: how long it will last, where it is, how many other people, if any, are involved, and what your ‘thank you’ for taking part will be.

For online surveys, you will have received an email inviting you to complete the survey and how long the survey will take.

What to expect

We specialise in research for financial services companies. This means that we could be asking for your opinions on anything from banking and insurance to savings and investments – and anything in between.

We will never ask for personal financial information – we are only interested in how you think and feel about the companies and products and services they offer, or more generally about your opinions on certain topics.

Sometimes we will ask you to do a small piece of homework prior to the session. This will be a very simple task asking you to jot down your thoughts or feelings about a subject, look up some information, or just think about a particular topic beforehand. Asking you to think about the information beforehand helps us prepare the session and manage your time with us.

For face-to-face sessions, when you arrive, the person who runs the session will go through the purpose of the research with you. You’ll be introduced to the topics and be asked for your views on what you see and hear.

For all research we do, the whole idea is for you to tell us what you honestly think. There are no right or wrong answers – it’s only your opinion that matters.

Regardless of the way in which the interview is conducted, everyone’s answers are then pooled together for a document we give to our client. Your comments are completely anonymous, ensuring confidentiality.

Face to face sessions may be recorded or filmed: this way we can focus on you and what you say, not on taking notes.

The recordings are only used to analyse the session and, in accordance with the MRS Code of Conduct, are only for the research project that you have agreed to take part in. If the client wants to use the recordings for any other purpose, we will ask your consent before the session, so that you know about this well in advance.

Within any research we do, you will not be sold to, or be asked to buy anything before, during or after the interview. We promise.

Confidentiality

We do not pass on any of your personal details or opinions to any third party. Ever. We comply with The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which lies at the heart of your right to confidentiality when taking part in research. You can find our data protection and security policy here.

The Market Research Society is the professional body overseeing market research companies. You can find more information about their Code of Conduct and their standards on confidentiality on their website.

If there is anything you are still not sure about, or if have a specific question, please get in touch with us.