Amy and Vicki talk about their first year at BEAM Fieldwork and offer tips on how to build a successful Fieldwork company…
Tell us about a typical day in the BEAM team?
Amy: What I love so much about my job is that everyday is different, we work on so many different projects and subjects no 2 days are the same! My day usually consists of quoting on projects, managing projects, discussing future projects with clients, speaking with respondents about a project they are due to attend and preparing project paperwork. I try and put at least 1 afternoon a week to one side so I can prepare business strategy to allow BEAM to grow.
Vicki: A typical day for me will involve initially getting in touch with any clients who had groups/events on the day before to check that everything went ok. I would then make sure that any venues booked for that day have all the details they need for the event. The great thing about this job is that every day is different. Sometimes we may be starting a new project, other days it’s a matter of checking in with recruiters to make sure everything is going well. This job definitely involves organisation to ensure all projects are going to plan and on schedule.
What has been the highlight of the year so far?
Amy: Vicki joining the BEAM team has been my main highlight, having Vicki on board has allowed us to work on more projects and with more clients, it’s been great – I really don’t know where I would be without her. The other main highlights have been moving into an office and being shortlisted for the MRS Oppies! Setting up BEAM has been the best thing I have ever done, huge thank you to my wonderful clients for the fantastic support you have shown us in Year 1. Looking forward to what the future brings.
Vicki: For me, the highlight was being nominated for the MRS Operations ‘Best Data Collection (F2F)’ award. Being such a new company and having not even reached our first birthday yet, this was a huge compliment from our industry. We had a great time down in London for the awards and it was a good chance to catch up with fellow nominees.
In your opinion what are the three biggest benefits to working with an independent fieldwork company?
- We offer a pragmatic approach to getting the job done!
- We specialise only in fieldwork, and have the right connections to deliver your project.
- We support our clients in an honest friendly and transparent way, like we are an extension to their team.
If you had to list the ‘best-kept secrets’ to building a successful Fieldwork company, which would you include and why?
BE Supportive
BE Trustworthy
BE Resourceful
BE Cost Effective
What tips can you recommend to businesses looking to carry out product testing?
Watch this space, we’ll give you all the tips you need in next months blog…
What are three hard-to-spot pitfalls that are critical to avoid when carrying out qualitative research?
Ensure the venue is suitable for the audience of the sessions, think about transport, parking, access etc…
Ensure you offer a decent incentive
Always have replacement respondents on standby in case you have a few cancellations
In your opinion what is a must do, when it comes to quantitative research?
Don’t rush the set up
Be prepared and organised
Ensure accuracy and quality of the data
Looking out 3 to 5 years, beyond the obvious trends, what do you think will be the next big change in your industry?
GDPR is going to bring significant changes in our industry. From client all the way through to recruiter, our industry may require significant remodelling to deliver projects which are both GDPR compliant and provide the best market research analysis.
I feel that those companies looking at the bigger picture of GDPR compliance have the potential to shape the future of research methodology.