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Being flexible is a crucial part of any business. It’s a lesson we’ve all re-learned during this global pandemic. Our marketing research firm Bazis has special expertise in face-to-face interviews in Russia and Europe, but when the world doesn’t allow for such a setting, we must think creatively to work around this challenge. It requires taking a calculated approach to achieve a positive end-result. In a typical year, our team would be busy conducting research within the construction and agricultural space across Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. We’d be conducting in-person fieldwork, talking to relevant respondents in these industries.
But this year is anything but typical. We have had to transition to remote interviews for the health and safety of our team members and the people we’re interviewing. Fortunately, we have been able to create processes and systems that allow us to weather this temporary situation. Here are seven strategies we’ve learned from this temporary adjustment.
- Taking a deep breath to realize this is temporary
Online meetings are a temporary substitution. We’ve been reminding our clients of this. Reassuring that these are only temporary measures will calm their subconscious nerves. - Being “platform agnostic”
Not becoming too reliant on one platform will allow for malleability and readiness for change. We’ve found great success in meeting respondents where they are when it comes to video platforms. Alternating between Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, etc. will also allow for a possible favorite forum to emerge for your internal team too. - Being mindful of the meeting length
We’ve found that a one-hour meeting is very hard to carry out effectively for our types of interviews. We’ve noticed that splitting the interview into two 30-minute segments greatly improved agenda setting and focus among our participants. They can be done on consecutive days but should not be broken up by more than a three-day period. - Encouraging an active interview
Having the interviewer on video helps generating a positive environment. When using a platform like Zoom or Microsoft Team, participating through the video feature makes the interview flow and makes the meeting feel closer to an in-person conversation. - Optimizing the tools available on the platforms we use
We encourage the use of the screen share option when explaining an interview. It speeds the whole process along and less gets lost in translation that way. By doing this, we can walk them through survey questions and the interview, making for a smoother process. - Making the survey guide come alive
Along those lines, adaptations should be made to the survey guide in order to make it more accessible. If the survey guide is digital and “screen share friendly” then there will be less hassle between the interview and the respondent. It should be easy to read when the respondent views it. - Maintaining a strong connection with our respondents
Promoting a stable relationship with the respondents can help build trust—we want to keep the connection going because the industry leaders we survey will very well be important for other clients in the same space for a future research project. We look forward to returning back to face-to-face as soon as it’s a viable possibility!
Are you looking for a trusted on-the-ground research partner with deep knowledge about B2B industries across Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine? We’re the team for International organizations seeking that. Our strong analytics and project management team works with seven full-time, in-house certified technical translators with the experience and skills to transcribe and translate a number of large projects at once.
That experience has helped us transition and continue to conduct critical research for our clients. In addition to face-to-face interviews, we have an in-house call-center at our office in Ekaterinburg. We are also skilled in digital techniques such as online focus groups, mobile ethnography and eye-tracking.
But what sets us apart from any other research firm in Russia? Our people. With senior-level interviewers providing fieldwork across 23 cities in Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, we’re the research leaders in this region.
For more information, please visit us at http://bazisgroup.com
Bazis Group – ESOMAR Corporate Founding Member
