Operations Awards 2018

Best Data Collection (face-to-face)

What the judges said: “Acumen clearly demonstrated how their face-to-face team delivered genuinely inventive data collection within hard to reach audiences in the last 12 months. Two case studies involving creative interviewing methods backed up their submission and the quality of their fieldwork and client servicing was strongly reinforced by glowing testimonials. A worthy winner for 2018.”

Winner: Acumen Fieldwork

Highly Commended: Ipsos MORI

Best Data Collection (online)

What the judges said: “Alligator and Northstar have successfully come up with a new and innovative approach to Pricing Research called That’s too much. It brings in thinking from multiple disciplines such as gamification and behavioural economics. They have produced a data collection method that outperforms more traditional pricing techniques in terms of user experience and engagement. Congratulations and well done!”  

Winner: Alligator and Northstar London

Highly Commended: IFF Research

Best Data Collection (telephone)

What the judges said: “QRS Market Research successfully implemented a suitable real-time end-to-end approach for a challenging financial conjoint study. Their innovative approach used a mixture of interview techniques, including email and instant messaging as well as targeted telephone calls, to encourage participation. The success of the approach was demonstrated by a significant increase in participation rates and strong client support.”

Winner: QRS Research

Best Data Solution

What the judges said: “Walnut Unlimited, working collaboratively with the University of Surrey, created an innovative approach using functional Magnetic Resonance Imagery to evaluate the deep emotional connection participants had to the National Trust. The 21st century innovation validated the National Trust’s 120-year-old belief and purpose, demonstrating that the deeply held values were true, reinforcing and supporting the Trust’s continued mandate and mission.” 

Winner: Walnut Unlimited and University Of Surrey

Best Support Services

What the judges said: “Liveminds have successfully tapped into social networks and search engines to revolutionise respondent recruitment.  This works because of their use of profiling and targeting technology which accesses vast respondent pools and selects representative samples for each research study. Tens of thousands of respondents have already been recruited this way for several well-known research companies. This is a great example of a technology-driven and new approach to recruitment.”

Winner: Liveminds

Best Training & Development

What the judges said: “Epinion Research clearly demonstrated their wholehearted commitment to interviewer-centric training and development with MRS and IQCS quality guidelines underpinning the whole process. Their multi-layered peer mentoring and assessment program focusses on improving interviewer competence, confidence, engagement and morale, investing in the continual improvement of skills to ensure a consistent, quality-driven approach to their passenger research at Heathrow Airport.”

Winner: Epinion Research

Best Viewing Facility

What the judges said: “i-view’s submission had the wow factor. They have recently undertaken a huge investment programme which not only involved building new studios equipped with the latest technology but also a heavy investment in staff training and development. This has obviously paid off as they offer everything a moderator needs from a modern viewing facility, evident from the fantastic feedback from their clients, who feel they ‘set the benchmark for customer service and industry knowledge’.”

 Winner: i-view London

Operational Excellence

What the judges said: “Taking a holistic view of client issues, IRI demonstrated effective collaboration between research and operations teams to create a Client Excellence Program that improved overall experience. Their success in achieving their Client Excellence vision was evidenced by a 40 point improvement in their Net Promoter Score, going from good to great!”

Highly Commended: Cobalt Sky

Winner: IRI