Face to face research

Surveys • Depth Interviews • Recruitment • Focus Groups

We have a range of interviewing experience and interviewers with different skill sets. Some are experienced to deal with more complex face to face interviews such as conducting pre-recruited interviews with people on sensitive topics. Some are experienced in conducting business to business depth interviews and focus groups at executive level, others have experience of working with people with mental and physical disabilities.

Quantitative surveys

We all enjoy meeting the public where ever they are and who ever they are. We also use a mobile research studio in the form of a fitted out silver double bus. We have used this at agricultural shows to research farmers and in 'park and ride' car parks to explore how council services are experienced by city residents.

Our face to face survey interviewers work as a team and have been seen at events, in-stores, in high streets and in parks. Although we are located in Northamptonshire, the team has conducted surveys in the streets of Guildford, Croydon, Milton Keynes, Manchester, Northampton, Nottingham, Sheffield and Leicester - sometimes as part of a whistle-stop surveying tour of the UK. We use handheld survey devices (such as PDAs and smart phones) to input the data at the time of interview and this is sent directly to our survey analysis software. For more in-depth interviews we resort to pen and paper surveys.

Some of our interviewers and recruiters have an enhanced CRB check for interviewing children and vulnerable adults. Our team are disability aware and have undertaken many projects with people with disabilities (both physical and mental health issues). One of our interviewers is a dual sensory loss communicator who undertakes interviews with people who have hearing impairment.

Qualitative depth interviews & focus groups

Our in-depth interviews have been conducted in-home, in workplaces, or at other neutral locations which a respondent prefers to be interviewed such as in cafes or parks.

We also undertake focus group facilitation typically with groups of up to 12 people. We hold focus groups in places that are fitting with the project objectives and the types of participants involved, in work places, within pubs, hotels, night clubs and schools and also in more traditional market research viewing studios.

Our style of conducting focus groups is through facilitation - facilitating people to access their feelings, their perceptions, their attitudes and their behaviours. We use projective techniques in order to help participants to access their subconscious in order to provide deeper, more insightful findings for our clients.

Based on the results of the research we undertake, we recommend and facilitate programmes of change and innovation strategies for our clients.

Training and supervision of staff and volunteers to undertake surveys for their organisations

We also provide interview skills training. This has proved popular for organisations wanting to involve their staff and/or volunteers in the research process. We can also provide supervision and project management services for staff and volunteer interviewing teams.

Some examples...