Data Quality- Why should I care?
As a researcher, there can be nothing more frustrating than poor quality data. Have you ever experienced the following…?:?
- Data jumps and contradicts itself as you are trying to find a story?
- You spend a lot of time cleaning out unmotivated responses and figuring out why certain subgroups yield results that are not intuitive? Not to mention, the time consuming back & forth with your suppliers?
- Your data does not match market trends or existing data sources, taking up lengthy discussions in research debriefs?
What does ‘Data Quality’ really mean?
At the recent 2022 Human Insights conference, we asked researchers, panel suppliers & end users what they consider most important when choosing a supplier.
The results overwhelmingly showed it was Data Quality!
But what does this mean exactly? A few questions you can ask your research panel…
- Where does your research panel source their respondents??
- Many panel companies buy existing lists and aim to recruit from that (potentially skewed) pool of people.?
- Some use ‘online affiliates’ who direct traffic to the panel, uncertain of their actual source.?
At Octopus, we strive for creating advocates which gains us access to untapped audiences and broadens the scope of opinions in an organic way. Members refer us to their network because they trust, believe and appreciate the panel experience.
Survey sample composition
- Where is the sample in your data coming from? Is your panel provider using their proprietary panel only or are they topping up with other panel companies and what of their recruitment and data quality measures?
- Does your panel have an obvious inherent skew or bias? If it is made up of loyalty reward members who receive marketing material from specific brands, will there be a skew in brand recognition or behaviour?
Respondent quality checks
- Which checks are put in place, and how often does your panel clean their data? Speeders, skimmers, inconsistent answers just scratch the surface. Regular deep probing unearths the weeds in a panel.?
Incentivising respondents fairly
- How much do respondents get paid for their time? We are the highest paying consumer panel in Australia and therefore have respondents that are more motivated and engaged in the survey experience. We don’t budge on price, because most of it goes as a promised incentive to our respondents
- Who is processing your data? How close are they to the job? At Octopus, our data analysts have a minimum of 10 years experience and all work on a project from beginning to end. We don’t outsource, so you can be sure we pick up mistakes that could otherwise go unnoticed.?
- Where and how is your data stored and secured? We have implemented digital identity rules, mobile number registration, behavioural pattern monitoring, SSL encryption, firewalls and we’re backed by AWS infrastructure. Our proprietary platform and data collection servers are all located in Australia
- If you still have doubts about the quality of your panel, check their ISO accreditation- this is often a basic validation to a professionally run panel.?
I think we all agree that data quality is a must. At Octopus, we pride ourselves in the emphasis we place on due diligence and are ruthless with bad quality respondents. If you are curious if we stand by our word, contact us via [email protected]
