Unlike traditional research methods, agile research is iterative and flexible, allowing businesses to rapidly adapt to changing market conditions and customer feedback.
One of the significant benefits of agile research is its ability to create a continuous feedback loop between customers and companies. This approach not only reduces the time and cost associated with traditional research methods but also increases the speed to insights by as much as 30% or more. Let’s explore agile research in the context of online customer communities and highlight a customer case study that demonstrates how implementing agile research through customer communities led to faster and more cost effective insights.
Application of Agile Research Using Communities
What Is Agile Research Using Communities?
Agile research using communities involves creating a dedicated group of participants who regularly engage in research activities. These participants provide ongoing feedback, participate in surveys, and engage in discussions that help organizations understand their preferences, behaviors, and needs. This approach contrasts with traditional research methods that are often one-off, time-consuming, and expensive.
When to Use Agile Research Communities?
Agile research communities are particularly beneficial in the following scenarios.
- Concept Testing: Quickly test new ideas, products, or services before a full-scale launch.
- Experience Feedback: Gather real-time feedback on new or existing consumer experiences
- Ongoing Insights: Maintain a continuous dialogue with customers for follow up studies and to stay updated on their changing needs and preferences.
- Targeted Research: Engage specific customer segments or demographics to gain deeper insights into their unique needs.
Key Features of Agile Research Communities
- Double Opt In: Members that have been previously screened and opted in to participate in research activities, reducing recruiting and fielding time.
- Member Profiling: Continuously update member profiles with new information, enabling personalized and accurate respondent targeting.
- Reporting and Analysis: Easily target and report on specific persona, segment, or demographic attributes, as well as community members of varying engagement and participation levels.
- Virtual Qualitative Capabilities: Utilize a virtual platform for moderators, respondents and observers, discussion forums, and other qualitative methods to gather rich, detailed insights.
Case Study: Agile Research Communities in Healthcare
An Andrew Reise client in the healthcare field implemented an agile research community to improve its market research capabilities. The community was managed through a sophisticated platform that allowed the organization to engage with its members, gather insights quickly, and implement changes based on real-time feedback. The primary goals were to increase the speed of insights, reduce research costs, and enhance the quality of data collected.
Results
The healthcare organization's use of an agile research community yielded significant benefits.
Increased Speed to Insights
The community platform enabled the organization to gather insights faster than traditional methods. For example, concept tests and feedback surveys could be deployed and analyzed within days, allowing for rapid iteration and improvement.
Cost Savings
By utilizing a dedicated community, the organization eliminated recruiting costs and reduced the time needed for qualitative and quantitative studies. This led to substantial cost savings while maintaining high-quality data collection.
Actionable Insights
The combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods provided a comprehensive understanding of customer needs and preferences. The insights gathered were directly translated into actionable data points that informed business decisions and strategies.
Agile Research: A Powerful and Cost-Effective Way to Gather Insights
Agile research using communities offers a powerful approach to gathering customer insights quickly and cost-effectively. By maintaining a continuous dialogue with customers, organizations can stay attuned to their needs and preferences and make informed decisions that enhance products, services and customer experiences.
The healthcare organization's experience demonstrates the value of this approach. By using an agile research community, they were able to gather actionable insights, reduce research costs, and increase speed to insights.
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