Methodologies

Type of Research

Details

Pros

Cons

Focus Group

Qualitative

Elicits perceptions and opinions through a group of 10-12 people selected from a sample or a pre-determined list.

Quick turnaround; In-depth exploratory research gathered by focusing and guiding conversation among small sample of participants.

Findings not always representative of entire population; findings are driven by limited base of people

Executive Interview

Qualitative

Garners information on an individual basis but analyzed as a group. Interviews done over the phone or on-site.

Quick turnaround; In-depth exploratory research is gathered by focusing and guiding individual conversations; Allows research to compare and contrast between different interviews and progress findings. In-depth probing.

Findings not representative of entire population; Findings are driven by limited base of people interviewed; Requires significant amount of analyst time. High degree of bias.

Mystery Shopping

Qualitative

Experienced researchers act as true consumers to analyze the point of service experience.  These are most effective in-person but can also be completed over the phone.

Research resembles what a real consumer would experience; Helps the business make service level adjustments to improve the overall customer experience.

Findings could be representative of entire customer base but will require weeks/months of data collection time.  Because the research can be subjective, the research does not involve views or opinions, only observations.