the mezzanine group maximizing the value of interview research july 2012

Interview research is an incredibly powerful tool that allows businesses to

gain a rich and nuanced understanding of what really drives buyers, com-

petitors, users, members, and suppliers. But getting the most out of an

interview process requires a thoughtful, systematic, and skilled approach.

The research objectives must be clearly defined, and then the implemen-

tation must be oriented towards the objectives set. There are a number

of pitfalls that can reduce the value of interview research, but they can be

avoided with advance planning.

CONVERSATIONS WITH PURPOSE

Maximizing the value of interview research

Copyright © 2012 The Mezzanine Group. All rights reserved.

The Mezzanine Group 02

SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEW RESEARCH

There is more to conducting effective qualitative re-search than simply calling up a few people and reading a script of questions. We will cover the key elements to a successful interview process, and offer advice on how to address common challenges in interview re-search.

This white paper is based on the thousands of quali-tative interviews that we conducted over more than a decade, across a range of industries, on behalf of small, mid-size, and Fortune 500 B2B companies, and professional associations. It will be of interest to any-one seeking to understand how they can enhance their strategy, operations, customer service, and overall success by using interviews as a research tool.

For more on the value of interview research, see our companion white paper titled “Conversations with purpose: Improving decisions with the power of interview research,” which explains the benefits of interviews and when to use them.

MAXIMIZING THE VALUE OF INTERVIEW RESEARCH

INTERVIEW RESEARCH REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT – AND OFTEN UNDERUTILIZED – WAYS FOR B2B COMPANIES AND ORGANIZA-TIONS TO GENERATE IRREPLACE-ABLE INSIGHTS TO GUIDE CRITICAL DECISIONS. A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT CUSTOMERS, BUYERS, US-ERS, MEMBERS, COMPETITORS, SUP-PLIERS, INFLUENCERS, AND OTHER DECISION-MAKERS THINK CAN DRIVE STRATEGY, REFINE TACTICS, AND IM-PROVE OVERALL PERFORMANCE.

http://blog.themezzaninegroup.com/conversations-with-purpose-improving-decision-with-the-power-of-interview-research


WHAT IS REQUIRED TO CONDUCT INTERVIEW RESEARCH EFFECTIVELY?

If the interviewees are relatively senior, or the • issues are complex, it is important that the interviewer be given a level of autonomy to move the interview in the direction they see fit. Without this, the interviews will be uniform and take on the same characteristics as a web survey, lacking the flexibility to uncover unrealized needs or insights. There can be standard elements in each interview, but good interviewers will understand the con-text and research objectives and know how to maximize the time they have with each interviewee.

In-person• interviews are often a desired option when conducting qualitative research. Sitting face to face allows an experienced interviewer to set the pace, read body lan-guage, and delve deep into the interviewee’s thought processes and emotions. Though advantageous, this type of interview can be impractical to set up.

Te• lephone interviews are usually the most practical option. While some of the richness of an in-person interview is lost, an experi-enced interviewer will employ techniques to adapt and build rapport. Asking some easy questions up front to gauge the interviewee’s frame of mind is a key tactic. It is worth not-ing that some interviewees are more com-fortable on the phone than in person. Some may also be more likely to schedule a phone interview over an in-person interview, feeling that it is less intrusive (especially since it can

Defineresearchobjectives1.

Clearly defined research objectives are one of the most critical aspects of conducting qualita-tive interviews successfully. Without understand-ing exactly what information you seek, it can be tempting to ask as many questions as possible, searching for as many insights as one intervie-wee can provide. This dilutes the research value, wasting precious interview time with questions that are not core to what the company is trying to understand.

Research objectives should be created at the strategic level, and must represent real choices about priorities in the research in order to maxi-mize the value of the process.

Determine interview approach2.

The interview approach must be thoroughly thought through for a successful process.

What • confidentiality will be offered to the in-terviewees? Can they feel confident that it will be respected?

Will you ever revea• l the sponsor of the re-search? Why/why not?

- It may be desirable to reveal the sponsor in certain circumstances, such as when specific feedback is sought on satisfaction.

- The potential implications for the sponsor, including their client or supplier relationships, should be weighed. In some cases, it can be beneficial to be known as the sponsor of qual-itative research, as it may build credibility.


SHOULD YOU USE A THIRD PARTY OR DO IT YOURSELF?

Sponsorconfidentiality: In order to obtain objective data on many topics (for instance, brand perceptions or competitive intelligence), it is critical for the sponsor of the research to be kept confidential, which is not possible if they are conducting the research themselves. This also avoids tipping the sponsor’s hand to competitors.

Intervieweeconfidentiality: Only a third party can credibly state that confi-dentiality will be maintained. This encourages interviewees to be more forth-coming with genuine impressions and opinions, and therefore the interview results can be taken more seriously.

Objectivity:To get the full value from a research process, a fresh set of eyes is often needed. An outsider can see patterns that insiders might miss, and insiders may shy away from tricky findings that a competent and professional external research or firm should be comfortable addressing.

Capability:Designing, conducting, and analyzing the results of interviews are specialized research skills that most companies and organizations do not pos-sess. Interviewers must be able to fully grasp the business context and the research objectives, adjust to the styles of the interviewees, and adapt the interview questions to the responses received. Most companies and organiza-tions do not have these skills in-house.

Network: An external firm may have a larger and more diverse network than the company or organization itself, as well as relationships with experts in vari-ous industries, which it can bring to bear on securing interviews.

For some purposes, a company or organization can conduct interviews itself, and gain useful results. This is true particularly when there is a very specific information objective desired, there is little perceived risk in having the company reach out directly, and where confidentiality is not perceived to be important to the interviewees. Sometimes, as with client satisfaction check-ins, there can be a relationship-building aspect to the company doing this kind of research itself.

4. Decide how to attract interviewees

Providing an incentive can be extremely effective, especially for the majority of individuals who will not participate out of goodwill alone, and need to justify the time they spend with you. Which incentive to use depends on your target population, so understanding their motivation is key:

Cash:• This can be very effective, and is the most common approach when the sponsor is not being revealed or if the target group does not have a strong affinity for the sponsor. (On occasion, an interviewee may waive the fee or ask for it to be donated to charity.)

Sharing results:• If the target group is known for being interested in research or if they work in an industry where very little market research exists, offering to share some of the findings can be a powerful incentive, particularly for a brief targeted interview. The time it takes to prepare this specific report must be built into the project’s timing and budget.

G• oodwill: There are some interviewees who will respond without a specific incentive, but they are typically only found among groups where volun-tary roles are common and there is a perceived shared interest in the success of the organization (such as professional associations). In this case it is critical to create a communication plan so the stakeholders are informed about the results of the research project to which they have contributed.



3. Determine who to talk to

While it may seem obvious, defining the inter-view target often requires research to under-stand exactly which person in an organization will be able to give you the answers you are looking for. Identifying the relevant influenc-ers and decision makers will generate higher quality and more impactful interviews.

Clear research objectives will help ensure that the right people or roles are targeted. While the CEO may be the ultimate decision maker, he or she isn’t necessarily the one whose opinion matters most. For example, the of-fice manager may be the key user of a piece of software, thus his or her satisfaction and recommendation may be the critical factor that the C-suite uses to make a decision.

The number of people to interview depends in large part on the population you are trying to speak with. In our experience, approximately twelve to fifteen interviews per group or seg-ment will generate valuable insights. Addi-tional interviews per group can provide more insights, but sometimes begin to get repetitive in terms of the major themes. If the group is highly diverse, more interviews are neces-sary to generate a sample of enough people with specific characteristics. To determine how many people to interview, it is important to have hypotheses about the population and their perspectives.



It is possible to have interviewees evaluate • materials, such as a website or marketing ma-terials, if they are sent via email or if the inter-view is conducted in person.

6. Identify and prepare interviewers

Capable interviewers are critical to research suc-cess. The more strategic and sensitive the research, the more experienced and skilled the interviewers must be. Regardless of the topic, the interviewers should be thoroughly briefed on the business or organizational context of the research, the back-ground of the interviewees, and the research ob-jectives. They should be aware of which questions are expected to elicit the richest information, and which might be perceived as intrusive or sensitive.

Practice runs are recommended to gauge the flow of the interview and to ensure the interviewers are familiar with the content. The first interview con-ducted can be observed by other interviewers, who may provide helpful feedback as well as benefit from seeing a preview.

Interview results must be captured, ideally verba-tim, for later analysis. Additional impressions of the interviewers, such as the tone and emphasis of comments, should also be recorded.

5. Design the interview guide

The interview guide translates the research objectives into language that will resonate with the interviewees, to elicit the maximum responses from them. Some key points to re-member when developing the interview guide:

It is a guide, not a set of rules. In qualita-• tive interviewing, a slavish adherence to the interview guide will result in missed opportunities to follow up on interesting disclosures and inhibit a natural-feeling conversation.

The context of the interview, including • confidentiality and incentives, must be part of both the beginning and the end of the interview.

S• tart with more general, open-ended ques-tions to allow the interviewee to ease into the discussion.

Place more complex or sensitive questions • toward the end of interviews so the inter-viewer has had a chance to build rapport and trust.

Some questions should be open ended • to allow the interviewee to fill in the gaps. This also provides the interviewer with the latitude to probe deeper, perhaps with tailored follow-up questions.

Closed-ended and quantitative questions, • such as rating a company’s service on a scale of 1 to 10, can be included, but avoid making these questions overly complex.





7. Secure the interviews

The methodology for requesting interviews will depend entirely on the target population and the incentive being offered. A communications plan for securing the interviews should be developed, including a number of different methods to reach out to and persuade potential interviewees.

For an interviewer, leveraging one’s profession-al network can be very effective and will result in insights that are richer and deeper than a cold call since the interviewee has already estab-lished trust in the interviewer. Online networks like LinkedIn can be enormously helpful in draw-ing from professional connections.

Industry associations or networking organiza-tions are helpful in finding people from specific industries or with specific designations. Web-based research into certain companies or sec-tors can also be used to identify potential inter-viewees.

It often takes time, but with enough persistence, in-terviews can be secured with even the most elusive individuals. In some industries, people will respond to a request immediately; in others, it can take up to twenty touch points to secure the interview. Flex-ibility should be built into the timeline to allow for variations in responsiveness.

Email versus phone calls: • Typically there should be email contact with telephone follow-up, but this should be adapted based on the tar-get interviewees.

M• essaging: The initial invitation should be carefully crafted in order to interest the potential interviewees. It should provide clarity as to the interview’s purpose and expectations and the incentive offered for participation.

Ti• ming: Some industries or professions are known for having particular times of the day, or days of the week, when they are easier to reach.

Seasona• lity: Not all industries are seasonal, but it’s important to be aware of those that are. Trying to reach a retailer during the Christmas season is probably not the best approach.


LEVERAGING ONE’S PROFES-SIONAL NETWORK WILL RE-SULT IN INSIGHTS THAT ARE RICHER AND DEEPER THAN A COLD CALL.


8. Monitor and course correct as required

It is important to evaluate the quality of the questions being asked and the consistency and efficacy of the answers being provided. Comparing notes between interviewers and observing interviews, when practical, helps en-sure that everyone is following protocol. It also allows interviewers to share tips about what is working with the target group. Every industry is unique, and the approach needs to be tailored to the specific elements and idiosyncrasies of the target industry.

9. Perform systematic and rigorous analysis

Occasionally, interview results are reported back without any analysis provided. The ques-tions asked are listed, with responses cap-tured in point form. However, a huge part of the value in conducting interview research lies in taking a systematic, intelligent approach to analyzing the results to understanding the implications of the research findings.

An effective methodology for analyzing the results of interview research includes these steps:

Review single interviews as a• whole to see comments in context.

Compare answe• rs to the same question across the population and by segment (where applicable).

Think about what you would expect to • hear from certain questions. Is that what you heard? What didn’t you hear that might have been anticipated?

Look for overall trends as well as influential • standalone interviews. – Especially with industry expert interviews, or research objectives looking at trends or future developments, a lone voice can provide valu-able insights.

Triangulate the results using multiple sources:•

– For really tricky topics, when no single interviewee can give you the answer you seek, findings can be triangulated from mul-tiple interviews at different levels of seniority. Sometimes secondary research can also help with triangulation.

– Use judgement and common sense: A key skill of an experienced qualitative inter-viewer is common sense; the ability to listen to an answer and know whether it is reliable. In the analysis stage, the original interviewer can add this form of analysis to go beyond the pure content or quotes from the interview.

Findings should be analyzed based on the re-search objectives, but serendipitous findings should also be reported. These are findings that were not part of the original brief, but emerged through the interviews and should not be ignored. Implications can be developed based on these findings that help facilitate discussions about the next steps that should be taken based on the re-search conducted.




COMMON PITFALLS AND SOLUTIONS

There are a number of common mistakes in qualitative interview research, and these are some sug-gested methods to either address or avoid them.

PITFALL: LEADING THE WITNESS

While it can be tempting to try to get the interviewee to confirm your hypothesis, this undermines • the process, jeopardizing the quality of results.

SOLUTION: REMAIN NEUTRAL; CONSIDER USING A THIRD PARTY

Questions should be open-ended and neutral, giving interviewees as much latitude as possible • to speak about what is important and critical to them. In the best interviews, the interviewee does most of the talking and is helped along by the interviewer only through questions such as, “Can you tell me more about that?” or “How did you arrive at that conclusion?”

Wher• e the interview topics are sensitive, or where there are concerns that the results may not be taken as objective, consider using a third party to increase the credibility of results.

PITFALL: TAKING WHAT INTERVIEWEES SAY AT FACE VALUE

Taking interviewees’ comments entirely at face value is not always advisable. Their level of • credibility and authority in dealing with a particular topic, as well as their candour, need to be evaluated carefully by interviewers. This is particularly important in industries where suspicion is high and competitive posturing is suspected, or where jargon is commonly used.

SOLUTION: BE SKEPTICAL

One of the most important jobs of an interviewer is to maintain a healthy level of skepticism • throughout the interview. Answers should be probed deeply, especially if the credibility of the interviewee isn’t well known. Interviewers should listen for what is not being said as well as probe to understand interviewees’ potential motivations and perspectives on the interview itself.

It is • absolutely critical to ask interviewees to define their terms. This may be accomplished simply by asking, “What do you mean by that?” to avoid inaccurate assumptions.


PITFALL: INTERVIEWER FATIGUE

Each interview must be approached as a blank slate with optimism and positive energy. But if • the same key themes keep coming up, the interviewer can lose their edge and end up leading the witness or moving too quickly through the interview.

SOLUTION: CHANGE IT UP

To guard against leading the witness, one successful tactic is for interviewers to periodically • observe each other and provide feedback. Additionally, alternating interviewers can help create better research findings by ensuring that each interview is approached with fresh eyes. These tactics require more than one skilled interviewer, which may necessitate using a third party if internal resources are not available.

PITFALL: NOT RECOGNIZING OPPORTUNITIES

Even an experienced interviewer can fail to recognize when an interviewee is entering into an • area that can be expanded upon and probed.

SOLUTION: PREPARATION AND INTERVIEWER SKILL

Since every industry has its own nuances, an extensive briefing should be provided to each • interviewer before they begin conducting interviews so they have a understanding of industry dynamics and research objectives. Choose an experienced interviewer who can put the inter-viewee at ease, build credibility, adapt to the flow of the interview, and ask different questions or probe more deeply on specific areas based on the answers provided.





PITFALL: SAMPLE BIAS

When interviewees are from an internal group, such as employees, clients, or members, specific • individuals may be selected for interviews who are not representative of the entire population.

SOLUTION: RANDOM SAMPLING

Random sampling, or randomly selecting interviewees from certain categories, such as large • clients, small client, lost clients, new clients, etc., will avoid this kind of bias in the sample.

PITFALL: RETICENCE AND SUSPICION

Some industries or workplaces are characterized by high levels of suspicion, and it may be • particularly difficult to secure interviews or obtain rich information from them.

SOLUTION: TRIANGULATE AND BUILD TRUST

Speak with multiple people within an industry — people likely won’t tell you about their own • company, but they will talk about what they observe in the marketplace.

Use a third party research firm so there is con• fidence that confidentiality will be maintained.

If the group of interviewees is accessible • enough, perform regular research and report the results to build trust.



INTERVIEW RESEARCH IS A POWER-FUL TOOL TO UNLOCK INSIGHTS FROM CUSTOMERS, SUPPLIERS, US-ERS, MEMBERS, AND COMPETITORS.HOWEVER, IT TAKES SIGNIFICANT SKILL AND MANAGEMENT TO REAL-IZE ITS FULL VALUE.

Taking the time and dedicating the proper resources to this process will make it possible to obtain a de-tailed picture of various stakeholders’ perspectives while providing the opportunity to uncover unex-pected findings which may have strategic implica-tions. Consider carefully whether the value of these conversations can be best realized by using internal resources, or whether a third party should be en-gaged to ensure the quality of the results.

CONCLUSION


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ABOUT THE MEZZANINE GROUP

The Mezzanine Group is a Toronto-based Business to Business

strategy and marketing company.

For more than ten years, we’ve helped executives in small and

mid-sized companies, large enterprises and professional

associations achieve growth through effective strategic plans

and marketing implementation.

We know growth - we were named one of the fastest growing

companies in Canada for four years by PROFIT Magazine.

The Mezzanine Groupwww.themezzaninegroup.com

416 598 4684

[email protected]

http://www.themezzaninegroup.com/

the mezzanine group maximizing the value of interview research july 2012

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