SRA Research Group, Inc. -

N E W S & A R T I C L E S

The benefits of telephone depth sessions

Editor's note: Barbara Allan is CEO of SRA Research Group, Inc. (formerly Sunbelt Research Associates, Inc.), a Jupiter, Florida research firm. She is a member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association. She can be reached at (800) 734-5662 or at ballansra@adelphia.net.

A client has just called, and wants to know how people with a high net worth, excluding real estate, will react to a new product line.

What is your next move? You could start by booking a traditional focus group facility. Or, as more and more moderators are starting to do, book online groups in a virtual facility.

And let us not forget, smaller groups conducted in facilities, such as mini groups, triads, dyads, and one-on-ones. All are options open to any experienced moderator.

Now, let's make the project a bit more interesting, by mentioning that none of the people your client wants to talk to live in the same area, and none are computer-savvy types eagerly awaiting an online research experience.

Under these circumstances you might consider calling the client back and saying you have decided to pass on the project. But wait, help is at hand, in the form of telephone depth sessions.

Telephone depth sessions combine the probing benefits of traditional focus groups with the confidentiality provided by one-on-one interviews. Topics which may not be appropriate for an open forum discussion can easily be broached during telephone depth sessions.

Therefore, if you don't mind missing a few crowded, never-on-time flights, staying up late conducting groups, and getting up early to catch a flight to the next city, telephone depth sessions may be an option for you. Naturally, there is a catch: You have to supply your own M&Ms.

Case study

A few months ago, a financial service organization came to us with a request. They asked us to conduct a study among respondents with assets, excluding real estate and business ownership, in excess of $3 million.

We certainly did not have to be told that these are not the kind of folks who are going to jump at the chance to gather around a table to share ideas on how to make their next million.

Compounding the problem was the fact that while these individuals lived in one market during the winter months, it was now July and most were scattered throughout the country at their summer homes.

The challenge therefore became more than how to successfully and as cost-effectively get results for the client (a daunting problem in and of itself). The problem was also how to recruit a group of individuals who under any circumstances might be considered difficult but, under the current conditions, appeared impossible to reach.

Our solution was telephone depth sessions, which fit the bill perfectly. We designed a project that met our client's expectations, we did it quickly, and at a cost within the client's budget.

Where they work well

Telephone depth sessions should be considered whenever a project calls for qualitative research among a small targeted audience, who either because of their profession, location, or lifestyle are extremely difficult to bring together for a two-hour discussion group.

The types of respondents we have successfully completed telephone depth sessions among include: high net-worth individuals, seasonal residents, corporate executives, physicians, attorneys, community leaders, and salespeople.

Recruiting telephone depth sessions can be done in a variety of ways. We have found that two methods work particularly well. The first is modeled after the recruiting procedure used for traditional focus groups. A professional recruiter contacts potential respondents via phone, screens them to ensure they meet the qualification criteria, and invites them to participate in t he research. Naturally, we know that if we are calling physicians, lawyers, or corporate executives our first contact will not be the person themselves, but their assistant. We are prepared with a succinct explanation and a request for a fax number. We find faxing information to the assistant's attention is very helpful in finally being able to reach the person we want.

The second method requires more setup time than the first, but has proven to be very successful.

Step one - Be sure you have an up-to-date mailing address for the people you want to interview.

Step two - Prepare a letter to send to potential respondents by either first-class regular mail or express mail. Depending on whether or not this is a blind study, the letter should be prepared on your letterhead or the client's.

You are by no means limited to just a letter. The objective is to represent your client and the project as quality entities, and of course, to interest potential respondents in participating in the research. This is a great time to put your creative talents to work. A well-done contact piece appeals to their ego and whets their interest in the project.

Step three - Send the mailings out in waves of 50. You may not need to contact everyone on the list. Therefore, sending the correspondence in batches saves you both time and money.

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