How Have Intercept Interviews Evolved During the Pandemic?
The pandemic almost brought the corporate activity to its knees.
However, smart organizations were able to adapt to the new reality. The market research industry was not left out.
Regular in-person meetings took on a whole new look with social distancing becoming a thing. Remote work or telecommuting grew immensely as industries tried to adapt to the new normal.
Market research strategies like intercept interviews had to evolve to surmount the new challenges. This blog details a few of the changes to intercept interviews induced by the coronavirus pandemic.
Developing intercept interviews without compromising public health
It’s easy to understand why consumers would suddenly become hesitant to participate in intercept interviews when the airwaves are filled with heart-wrenching news of a deadly pandemic wreaking havoc across the world.
But somehow, innovative market research companies like DSG Associates, for instance, were able to conduct interviews successfully, in many cases, despite the prevailing crisis. Here’s a brief expo on how intercept interviews evolved during COVID.
Lockdown rules in applicable areas mean no intercept interviews can be conducted with consumers in public spaces.
In areas without a lockdown, consumers appeared more open to interviews when the interviewers are socially distanced.
In areas with partial lockdowns, interviews were mostly restricted to nearby parks and public areas closest to the target business’s location.
Also, agents conducting intercept interviews in public areas were made to use the right protective gear, in line with guidelines from reputable health organizations like the CDC.
Why are intercept interviews necessary - even during a pandemic?
A lot of things were placed on hold when the pandemic struck. While the market research industry, like most others, also adapted to some form of online capability, there were still instances where in-person intercept interviews still needed to be made if possible.
Data has it that customer expectations soared while customer experiences suffered during the pandemic.
And because even a pandemic that has been disastrous on all levels is still not enough reason to bore your customers with poor customer service, businesses still want to know what exactly it is that makes their customers tick, especially during this very challenging period.
Intercept interviews were very beneficial before and even now that we’re still dealing with COVID. A few of these benefits will easily include;
- Valuable feedback from diverse demographics that might not be well-represented online or on the internet.
- Real-time feedback and information gathering with ample room for interviewers to seek clarifications on unclear responses, observe respondents’ reactions and behaviors, etc.
- The cost-effectiveness of intercept interviews is on another level. While most participants don’t expect to be paid for the feedback, offering an incentive as little as a coupon or gift card helped the interviews, making it easier to get more people to participate.
Conclusion
Intercept interviews are some of the most qualitative market research strategies businesses can leverage to uncover data about their target audience and the market.
And even now that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted consumer behaviors and decisions, strategies like this would still have to be deployed to ensure businesses can differentiate themselves with excellent customer service and experiences for consumers who are obviously more stressed than they’ve been before now.
At DSG Associates, we’re experts at intercept interviews, customer surveys, mystery shopping, and a variety of other effective market research and survey services.
If you’re keen on exploring how any of these can benefit your business, our experts at DSG Associates will be more than happy to help you get started. Contact us today at DSG Associates. We’re just a message or phone call away!