The Most Common Missed Opportunities in Remote Consultations

Remote consultations have boomed in the pandemic era and will continue to expand in the coming years. Even as more researchers take advantage of remote consultations, there are still many missed opportunities. Researchers and project managers have too often simply applied remote work principles to existing research protocols. By viewing remote consultations as just a patch for in-person meetings, you ignore their objective strengths and unique benefits. In fact, remote consultations have enabled some brands to access deeper insights through creative utilization of new methodologies and technologies in the market research space. 

The Top Missed Opportunities in Remote Consultations

Using audio-only consultations.

Many researchers are used to the in-person/phone consultation dichotomy and have applied these divisions to the world of remote consultations. When you only use audio though, you miss the opportunity to gain richer insights through visual cues such as body language. You also risk falling into the pandemic-era issue of a more distracted participant who, without you being able to see if they’re focused, is increasingly likely to be occupied with other things while they’re talking to you. Be open from the recruitment stage that this study will require the participant to be on-camera and then hold that line during the meeting itself. Take notes on body language and physical reactions just as you would in person and don’t let remote mean detached. 

Sticking to traditional working hours.

With most senior professionals around the world working from home and busier than ever, keeping consultations strictly to working hours is limiting your access to the very individuals you seek. Take advantage of the increased flexibility of this era to offer meeting times at untraditional hours in the morning and evening. Many of these professionals are also parents who are juggling their children’s remote learning during the workday, making it even harder to get a hold of them than usual. Extending available hours to times when children are likely to have gone to bed will make it easier to recruit participants and ensure you have their full attention. 

Not staying up to date on technology

The pandemic set the world back in many ways, but on the technology side it has pushed innovation forward at a rapid pace. This is just as true in market research as anything else. From eye-tracking technology that can be piggybacked onto your remote call, to app-based journals, to AI that allows you to aggregate and analyze thousands of data points in moments. Staying informed on the newest releases in market research technology is more critical now than ever before as the changing landscape has propelled innovation forward faster than ever before.  

Not recruiting more diverse participants. 

Truly insightful market research walks the line between finding a highly-targeted pool of participants and ensuring that pool is diverse enough to provide a useful variety of responses. When research was geographically restricted, too many participant pools were accordingly homogenous. Add to this that recruiters would pull from the same databases repeatedly and much of market research lacked the depth of insights a more diverse group could offer. Remote consultations remove the location and time-bound restrictions that were contributing to this homogeneity and researchers must take advantage of the opportunity to diversify their research groups. If your database is in need of a refresh, reach out to affinity organizations in your target industries, HBCUs, or other national and international umbrella organizations representing diverse communities. 

An Opportunity for Creativity 

Just as the global pandemic pushed technological innovations forward at lightning speed, so can researchers seize this opportunity for creative thinking and problem solving. Identify issues in market research beyond the task at hand and use strategic and out-of-the-box approaches to address issues that have existed even before COVID-19 hit. These are just a few ways that you can apply advantages to the “unprecedented” obstacles that the pandemic has created. Remote consultations will continue even as we return to connecting in-person and these lessons from the pandemic should not be left behind.