# My-Take > My-Take provides private online insight communities, research activities and reporting for consumer brands. # My-Take Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com ## The Smart Insight Community Platform Make faster, better decisions through continuous access to customer feedback, all from one integrated and innovative insight community platform. Demo Platform ## Why My-Take? My-Take is the smart choice for customer-first organizations looking to integrate VoC through insight community research. Our advanced platform and team of insight community research experts deliver exceptional insights and support through a wide range of qualitative and quantitative skills, continual learning, and a culture built on client focus, speed, and flexibility. ### Innovative Platform The platform scales to accommodate large member counts if needed, adapts to the user device, includes native mobile activities, easily handles images and video, and includes a multitude of member engagement, analysis, and reporting tools. ### Flexible Service A fast and flexible alternative to an 'agency', My-Take has been in the category for 14+ years and provides each client a team of insight community research experts regardless of service level. We offer DIY, hybrid, and full service market research support. ### Superior Value We deliver the best overall value in the category. The combination of service culture, process, and platform automation creates incredible return for clients. The My-Take platform is always innovating to provide enhanced capabilities. ### Secure & Encrypted My-Take prioritizes the security of our clients' data and that of members. Elements of the My-Take security approach include: data encryption, company data handling policy, secure member login protocols, admin roles/permissions, and more. ## Industry-Recognized Community Platform ## Smart Insight Communities Our proprietary platform empowers you to conduct qualitative and quantitative research, as well as CX and UX studies, all from a single integrated system. Qualitative Research: Uncover the "why" behind your data with powerful qualitative research tools in one platform. Run focus groups, interviews, open-ended tasks, and diary studies with ease, from recruitment to analysis. Quantitative Research: Turn data into decisions with tools for survey design, large-scale collection, and advanced analysis. Build precise studies, track metrics, and apply methods like cross-tabulation, significance testing, and segmentation in one place. UX Studies: See how users interact with your product using tools for testing, observation, and feedback. Identify friction points and improve experiences with real-time insights. CX Studies: Get a full view of your customer experience across all touchpoints. Collect feedback, map journeys, and spot pain points or trends to guide improvements and drive growth. AI-Infused Platform ### Optimize Workflows from Start to Finish At My-Take, our AI tools are designed to enhance your research process, not replace it. We integrate AI to empower researchers, streamlining research tasks from the start of the process all the way through to reporting & analysis. Explore AI Capabilities ## Innovative New Platform Features ### Conversations Mobile-first chat-based survey activity type with AI member engagement features baked in. ### Experiences (UX Testing) Test your app's or website’s user experience on mobile or desktop. ### AI Instant Theming (Open-End Coding) AI Instant Theming 2.0 effortlessly generates thematic summaries of open-ended questions, highlighting key themes, frequencies, and customer verbatims, all in one convenient space. ## Trusted by Fortune 500 Organizations We work with some of the most successful companies, including several of the Fortune 500. ## Flexible Service that Adapts to Your Needs At My-Take, we provide a dedicated team of insight community research experts, no matter the service level you choose. Whether you're opting for DIY, hybrid, or full-service support, you’ll have a team that understands your unique needs and is committed to helping you achieve your research goals. And if your needs change over time, it’s easy to switch between service levels, ensuring you always have the right support at every stage of your research journey. ## Frequently Asked Questions Have a question not listed below? Contact Us Here What are My-Take insight communities? An insight community is generally made up of a targeted group of stakeholders, usually customers, who are recruited into a private online environment to participate in a company’s or brand’s research-related activities on an ongoing basis. The purpose of the insight community is to secure actionable insights from customer feedback in order to drive business decisions. What are insight communities How do I choose an insight community provider? Assuming your goal for the community is to secure actionable insights for better and faster decision making within the organization, there are four main criteria that we recommend assessing: platform capability, research team capability, service approach, and overall value. Choosing an insight community provider Should I use traditional research or communities? Most companies use insight communities because they are cost-effective, efficient, and accessible, and they represent the way that customers often want to interact with companies. However, there are certain types of research projects that do require specialty research tools. An insight community can be a primary market research tool, while other tools could be used for some projects. An insight community is a cost-effective, versatile, and flexible tool that can handle the majority of your research needs, as well as complement other efforts. Traditional market research or insight community Should my insight community be branded or unbranded? An insight community will be valuable whether it’s branded or unbranded, and the choice you make is dependent on your needs and objectives. A branded insight community offers useful transparency for testing real campaign ideas and concepts. Unbranded insight communities are an opportunity to get feedback from consumers who aren’t familiar with your products and solutions. To decide what’s right for you, you need to first establish your goals and objectives for the community. Branded or unbranded insight community Are communities available in multiple languages? The My-Take platform supports 15+ languages. Explore languages ### Can’t find the answer to your question? Contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. ### Contact Us ### Get in touch with our team. Have a project in mind that you think we'd be a great fit for it? We'd love to know what you're thinking. Fill out the form to contact us or schedule a platform demo. ### Contact Info: Phone Number: (508) 366 8400 Email: sales@my-take.com 2000 W Park Dr #240, Westborough, MA 01581 # About My-Take Source: https://www.my-take.com/about ## Join Our Team Our culture is unique - but what's not is our mission: to create opportunity for our customers and our team members. ## Team Values ### Belief In Our Team We believe in our team and pay great attention to the needs of each employee in order to ensure a positive work environment. We focus on creating a team where everyone feels that they are valued, and each employee can grow professionally and at their own pace. ### Customer Focus Our focus is centered on providing our customers remarkable service and cutting-edge technology. We are a customer-focused company and it's something that we take very seriously. Our goal is to provide customers with the insights they need to drive their business forward, and give them the tools to be more agile and responsive. ### Technological Leadership Technological leadership is key to our success. We believe in providing customers with technology that is easy to use, seamless, and secure. At My-Take, we take pride in our commitment to customer satisfaction and are committed to delivering superior research capabilities. ### Continual Improvement We believe that learning never ends, and our mission is to help our team members learn more and continually improve so they can be better leaders and researchers. We are constantly making improvements to our platform and always strive for excellence. ### Bias Toward Action This value drives us to work hard and create innovative solutions that help our clients solve their business challenges. We strive to be the best and we are always looking for ways to make our platform better. ### Forward Looking The rapid pace of innovation today demands a unique mindset that allows us to be innovative and efficient, while always being forward thinking and looking. ## Current Openings There are no open roles at this time. # AI Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/ai ## Insight Community AI Unlock the Future of Research with Client-Informed, AI-Driven Insights ## A Smart Integration of AI AI at My-Take is designed to assist and amplify your expertise, not replace it. By automating routine tasks and providing intelligent recommendations, our tools help you conduct research more efficiently and creatively, delivering high-value insights. ## End-to-End AI Integration ### AI Survey Co-Pilot Streamline survey creation with AI assistance: Rewrite questions and answers for clarity and relevance. Get intelligent suggestions tailored to your research goals. ### AI Engage: Discussion Moderation Effortlessly manage discussion boards with our AI-powered moderation tool: Keep conversations on track with suggested probes and follow-ups. Approve and implement recommendations through a central admin hub. ### Conversations: Mobile-First Surveys Engage tough-to-reach audiences like Gen Z or busy professionals: Mobile-first, chat-based surveys adapt dynamically to participants. AI moderation ensures studies stay focused and engaging. ### AI Instant Theming: Open-End Analysis Turn open-ended responses into actionable insights in moments: Instantly organize and categorize responses into key themes. Save time while uncovering trends and narratives. ## SmartDeck™ Reporting & Analysis SmartDeck™ reimagines reporting by blending AI-driven automation with complete customization, helping you deliver results in powerful, presentation-ready formats. Explore SmartDeck™ # Contact Source: https://www.my-take.com/contact ## Contact Our Team ### Get in touch with our team. Have a project in mind that you think we'd be a great fit for it? We'd love to know what you're thinking. Fill out the form to contact us or schedule a platform demo. ### Contact Info: Phone Number: (508) 366 8400 Email: sales@my-take.com 2000 W Park Dr #240, Westborough, MA 01581 # Insight Community Research Source: https://www.my-take.com/insight_communities ## Insight Communities The smarter way to integrate customer feedback into daily decision making. ## What Are Insight Communities? Insight communities are private online environments where researchers can get real-time voice of customer (VoC) feedback. Communities are powerful tools that combine all the necessary features that customer-first organizations need to conduct qualitative, quantitative, customer experience (CX), and user experience (UX) research, all from one easy-to-use and integrated platform. ## Benefits of Insight Communities ### Instantaneous Feedback Insight communities offer immediate feedback through continuous access to members. Whether you are in the midst of the product development cycle or are getting ready to launch a marketing campaign, insight communities offer direct VoC when you need it. ### Depth of CX Insight Insight communities are a perfect tool for organizations and brands looking to improve their customer experience (CX). Communities provide a vast set of tools to allow researchers to dig deeper into the “why” behind customer insights with reporting capabilities. ### Cost Effective Insight communities offer a big advantage in average cost per study over traditional methods. Traditional research just does not have the capability or capacity to offer the same experience that insight communities do. ### All-In-One Platform Using an insight community platform for research allows stakeholders to collaborate on projects and access all relevant research tools in one integrated suite. It also makes researching and sharing data quicker, easier, and more efficient. ### Qual + Quant Capability Insight communities provide a platform for deep-dive market research. They allow researchers to conduct qualitative and quantitative research in real-time through a variety of activities, with the ability to break down data and share insights easily. ### Ideation & Co-Creation Co-creating in insight communities helps brands understand what their customers want and need, and how they view the product. It helps craft solutions that are customer-first; this can be beneficial when creating new concepts. ## Tools & Use Cases ### Customer Understanding Understand general perceptions of a product or service category. Uncover product or service usage, rituals, and user experiences. ### Concept and New Product/Service Evaluation Build customer-first products and services through co-creation with insight communities. Explore and test concepts to see which customers like the best. ### Customer Journey Get a deep dive into your customers' journeys and purchase processes both online and in-store. Learn what influences their decisions along the way. Discover how they view competitors and evaluate different products. ### Marketing Initiatives Use insight communities to analyze campaign positioning and messaging, analyze advertisements, and refine copy. Communities can also be used to evaluate websites, applications, and promotions. ## Industries ### Healthcare Access a steady stream of patient knowledge that continuously flows, informs stakeholder decisions, and helps create a patient-friendly experience with insight communities. ### Retail Customers are spending money in more channels, touch points, and with more brands than ever before. Insight communities can help retailers understand these changes and adjust strategies. ### Entertainment Today, customers have a wide variety of content choices. As a result, the future of media is in the hands of the audience. Insight communities allow creators to test ads and content. ### CPG/Consumer Durables By providing the right mix of customer insight to guide product development, test concepts, and conduct in-home-use tests, insight communities help CPG companies stay ahead. ### Insurance The insurance industry is undergoing extensive change, as technology allows for customers to be more active in their coverage. Insight communities can inform and engage these customers. ### Telecommunications The telecommunications industry is more than just a service provider; it provides customers with the latest technology advancements. Insight communities offer ways to test both UX & CX. ### B2B Research is the backbone of B2B companies. Business-to-business companies rely on robust customer research. Conduct competitor analysis, generate ideas and understand trends with insight communities. ### Financial Financial customers expect a seamless digital experience through every stage of the customer journey. Utilize video focus groups and user testing within insight communities to optimize their experinces. ### Technology The best technology companies integrate innovation into their daily practices. Insight communities can be used to know what’s next in an ever-advancing market and industry. # Insight Community: Use Cases & Applications Source: https://www.my-take.com/insight_communities_applications ## Insight Community Use Cases The My-Take platform supports a wide range of business and research objectives. Use Cases for Insight Communities ## Making the Most of Your Community Your insight community is a powerful tool for conducting both qualitative and quantitative research. Use it to explore fresh ideas, test concepts, gather in-depth feedback, and uncover actionable trends. Whether you’re launching new products, refining messaging, or enhancing the customer experience, our platform helps you extract meaningful insights to drive smarter decisions. ## Ways to Use Insight Communities ### Online Focus Groups & IDIs Running virtual focus groups in your community can offer a more efficient and cost-effective means to gather feedback. Virtual focus groups can be used to ask members multiple questions and probe them to provide rich, qualitative responses in real-time with Video Chats. ### Customer Journey Mapping Businesses can get a clear understanding of the customer purchase path through insight community research. Learn how customers interact with brands and products in real time. Have your customers record and narrate their journeys to capture light and pain points. Use Missions to document planning and in-store shopping phases. In addition, Experiences can be used to document members' online shopping experience. ### In Home Use Testing (IHUT) Product launch cycles are getting shorter and shorter, so it's more important than ever to test your products with customers before releasing them. Send your customers new products in advance to test and provide feedback. Early feedback will help you validate your designs, understand what your customers really need, and make changes along the way. ### Persona Research Create personas and their profiles through community research. This research method is very useful for product design, business strategy, marketing campaigns, and branding. Personas are useful for research and product development teams because they identify the needs of users and help create more engaging product designs. Personas can be used throughout the design process, from creating prototypes to testing and evaluation. ### Advertising & Marketing Evaluation Test your ads and marketing materials with your customers before launching. Use heat mapping and dial testing to create messaging and communications that resonate. ### Visual Emotion Exploratory Collages create a visual narrative of the customer's emotional state and what led them to the decision to buy. Collages can be used to tell a story, illustrate a point, or provide actionable data surrounding customers’ emotions regarding brands. ### Concept Testing & New Product Development The key to concept testing is creating an index of past concepts that can be compared as a way to understand each concept’s successes. Therefore, they are run the same way every time to compare metrics. Communities allow for an easy way to run concept tests with the same test group used each time, making insights easier to find and compare concepts. ### Social Media Simulation Test your posts and ads in a simulated social media feed to understand how they capture attention in an organic environment. Members view your content alongside unrelated posts, mimicking the competition for attention on real feeds. Gather valuable feedback as members engage through likes, comments, shares, video plays, or clicks on calls to action. Gain insights into what drives interaction and refine your strategy for stronger performance. ### MockShopping Put your products to the test in a simulated online shopping experience. MockShop allows members to browse product listings and make purchase decisions, just like in a real e-commerce setting. See how your product performs against competitors, uncover what drives purchase behavior, and refine your offerings to stand out in the digital marketplace. # My-Take Insight Community Platform Source: https://www.my-take.com/insight_communities_platform ## The My-Take Platform My-Take provides an integrated insights solution with many capabilities, all rolled into one powerful yet simple platform. All-in-One Platform ## Innovative Insight Community Research Tools My-Take is your solution for managing qual, quant, and UX/CX research in one seamless platform. With 12+ activity types, AI-driven analysis, and a highly secure, scalable environment, we empower you to uncover actionable insights with confidence. The Insight Community+™ platform is built in a responsive design, allowing for user-friendly member interaction on mobile, tablet, and PC devices. It supports multimedia (photos and videos) both to and from members. ## Integrated Insight Platform At My-Take, we provide a fully integrated platform to manage every aspect of your insight community research from start to finish. Engaging Activities From surveys and polls to in-depth mobile missions, online focus groups, and chat-based surveys, we support a wide range of methodologies. Explore Activities AI-Powered Analytics & Reporting SmartDeck™ does the heavy lifting for you. AI-powered theming, automated summaries, TURF analysis, and built-in video editing help you quickly analyze data and create presentation-ready reports, so you can focus on driving decisions. Explore Reporting Administration Suite Keep your research running smoothly with intuitive dashboards, activity management, and engagement tools like points and badges. Customizable platform settings ensure everything works the way you need it to. Explore Administration ## See the My-Take Difference Watch our lightning demo and experience the My-Take difference: innovative tools, expert support, and tailored solutions that elevate your research. ### Platform Security At My-Take, we are deeply committed to safeguarding the data of both our clients and their community members. Our robust security measures and certifications ensure your insights remain protected at every step. Key elements of our approach include: SOC 2 and HIPAA Certified: Adhering to the highest industry standards for data security and compliance. Encrypted Storage: All data is securely stored in an encrypted AWS database. Encrypted Data in Transit: Data is protected with encryption during transmission. Comprehensive Data Handling Policy: A strict policy governs how data is managed, ensuring the highest level of care. Secure Login for Members: Members access the platform via username and password for added protection. MFA available. With My-Take, you can trust that your data is in safe hands, enabling you to focus on what matters most, uncovering insights that drive success. ### Multilingual Capabilities With our activity translation feature, you can add multiple languages to a single activity. Members will view the activity in their native language, while back-end reporting tools will show results in the language of the report viewer for faster voice of customer integration. You can also add language overlays to the member portion of the community ensuring all elements of the community appear in the member's native language. Available Languages Chinese Danish Dutch French French - Canada German Hindi Italian Japanese Korean Norwegian Portuguese Portuguese - Brazil Spanish Spanish - Chile Spanish - Mexico Swedish Vietnamese # My-Take Platform Activities Source: https://www.my-take.com/insight_communities_platform/activities ## Insight Communities Activities Member activities can be created ahead of time and scheduled for later. ## 12+ Engaging Member Activities Qual + Quant + CX + UX Research ### Surveys ### Polls ### Discussions ### Journals ### Idea Sessions ### Home Use Tests ### Video Chats ### Collages ### Topics ### Experiences ### Missions ### Conversations ### Surveys Surveys allow many questions to be compiled into one activity. Our integrated survey builder contains over 30 question types and advanced logic capabilities. We utilize 7 types of logic, advanced multimedia capabilities, image zoom, heatmap, & hotspot. Survey results can be seen in real-time in the Live Report section of the platform. We also allow for multiple survey collection methods, enabling the researcher to invite non-community members to participate in any study. ### Polls Polls are an easy way to gain immediate feedback from your customers. Quick Polls provide one question feedback, while Battle Polls are a more interactive experience where members can decide between two options that are “battling” to win the most votes. ### Discussion Boards Our integrated Discussion Board allows members to answer a question in their own words, as well as read and respond to other members’ responses. Our searchable Discussion Boards can be divided into subcategories and offer complete control of which members participate. Members can subscribe to a topic to receive notifications. Discussions help strengthen a sense of community in the platform and allow for unexpected, insightful, and unique responses. ### Idea Sessions ### Co-creation In an Idea Session, members are asked to create, rate, and refine their own ideas and the ideas of others. Results of the idea ratings are visualized in a chart. The top ideas are ranked by each of their individual scores. Idea Sessions allow members to exercise a greater degree of creativity than most activity types, as well as create an opportunity for interaction within the community. ### Home Use Testing ### HUT Home Activities, or Home Use Tests (HUTs), are made up of a select number of respondents who test a current or potential product. Activities, most often Surveys, are scheduled throughout the HUT in order to examine how the product is being used, what is liked or disliked, and if the overall perception of the product changes based on the length of use. ### Journals Journal activities utilize a private Discussion or Survey to capture member feedback over a period of time. Journals allow members to respond… Daily Weekly Monthly or anytime ### Video Chats ### Online Focus Groups & IDIs My-Take's online focus groups provide research-focused features such as the ability to have backroom observers and a robust set of moderator tools allowing for full control that traditional video conferencing methods do not provide. In addition, automation in transcriptions and video recording, as well as editing tools for highlight reel creation, are high-end reporting capabilities that the platform provides. Online focus groups are a perfect opportunity for members to take a conversation in a direction that might not have been initiated otherwise. ### Topics Topics are focused studies with a small group of customers on a specific topic. Members are able to interact with other responses on the message board and answer Polls, Surveys, and other question types. Topics also provide a module for the client, the members, and My-Take to interact, allowing for advanced moderation and control. ### Collages In a Collage activity, we provide a series of images and a canvas, and members drag and drop the images to illustrate their feelings toward each item. Collages allow researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the consumer’s thought process and let us see how different images affect perception of an idea. ### Experiences ### UX Testing Evaluate customer online behavior and opinion through a powerful new insight community activity. Available on desktop and mobile. Advanced Features: Screen Recording, Video Clip Editor, Task Guide, Transcription Uses: Websites, Purchase Journey, Mock Shop, A/B Testing, UX Design ### Mobile Missions The mobile Missions app offers the ability to secure unique insights by offering mobile-specific activities. Native app for ethnography and out of home studies Missions supports multiple-step activities with options like video, voice and image upload, along with rating, open end, NPS, emoji, check-in, single choice and multi-choice. Integrated to back-end reporting dashboard App is available on iOS and Android ### Conversations Mobile-first, chat-based survey option designed to make the survey experience simpler and more appealing, especially for specific market segments and study applications. With AI abilities to adapt and launch dynamic questions based on individual member responses and set objectives, researchers can delve deeper into specific topics, uncovering trends and patterns. In addition, features such AI Response Feedback and AI Auto Moderation can be great tools for enhancing member engagement and experience by automating follow-ups, leading to higher quality responses. # My-Take Platform Administration/Moderation Source: https://www.my-take.com/insight_communities_platform/administration ## Insight Community Administration Administration is the backend community control panel for researchers. Full Community Control ## Streamline Community Administration Managing an insight community shouldn’t be overwhelming; it should empower you to focus on uncovering impactful insights. That’s where we come in. At My-Take, we guide you through every step of the process, equipping you with the tools and support needed to seamlessly manage your community, no matter the scale or complexity. ### Effortless Setup and Management Member Onboarding Recruit members from internal sources or sample firms using multiple recruitment paths simultaneously. Robust Member Management View member metrics, adjust permissions, manage points and badges, and even masquerade as users for testing. Smart Grouping & Segmentation Easily create groups from any data within the system. This can include profile fields and responses from any study. Groups can be utilized for home use test recruitment, activities targeted to a subset of the community, and also to filter question results. ### Engaging Activities for Deeper Insights Easy Activity Creation Create and target activities with just a few clicks, ensuring the right participants are always involved. Drag-and-Drop Survey Builder Build surveys effortlessly with over 30 question types, robust logic options, and answer piping for a seamless experience. Integrated Communication Engine Engage participants with email, SMS, and voice reminders. Use templates, scheduling, and metrics to optimize outreach. ### Integrated Incentives & Rewards Flexible Rewards System Choose from pre-configured gift cards or set up a custom rewards catalog. Optional Gamification Reward members with points and badges to drive long-term engagement. ### Customizable for Your Brand Branded or Unbranded The platform allows for easy customization to create a visually compelling community that matches a company's brand or desired community aesthetic. Tailored Scalability Whether you’re running a short-term community or managing an enterprise-level community, the platform adapts to your needs. # My-Take Platform Reporting Source: https://www.my-take.com/insight_communities_platform/reporting ## AI-Infused Community Reporting Our reporting tools are designed to transform raw data into polished, professional presentations. ## Revolutionizing Reporting with SmartDeck™ My-Take’s reporting platform, powered by SmartDeck™, transforms how researchers turn data into insights. Say goodbye to hours spent manual formatting and hello to impactful, professional reports delivered faster than ever before. ### Client-Informed Reports Instantly generate summaries, key insights, and recommendations tailored to your research objectives. ### Effortless Presentation Creation Reports are automatically formatted to your organization’s brand guidelines, including colors, fonts, and preferred chart styles. ### Customizable and Flexible Auto-generated slides are fully editable within the platform. Our AI also allows for custom prompts and revisions. ## Key Reporting & Analysis Features ### Live Reporting Live reporting is an incredibly powerful feature of the platform. It allows stakeholders to view results as they happen, and can also be used as a means to see a quick overview of the results and conduct additional analysis. Findings can also be presented directly from the platform with our intuitive, in-platform presentation mode. Perfect for collaboration or discussing preliminary insights before finalizing your deck. ### Data Visualizations Automatically generated charts, graphs, word clouds, and tables make it easy to turn complex data into clear, compelling visuals ready for presentations. The platform is also equipped with an infographics builder suite. Clients typically use this feature for communicating select results throughout their organization, or as a means to share select data with community members. ### Data Exports From Excel and PDF, to fully branded PowerPoint slides, the platform has export options to fit your workflow, ensuring your reports are ready to share and impress. ### In-Platform Report Editing Use our intuitive slide editor to refine, organize, and polish your presentation directly within the platform. ### Open-End Text Analysis Open-ended responses are categorized and themed with AI Instant Theming, cutting down analysis time while uncovering the most critical insights. ### Video Editor Integrated video editor allows you to create highlight reel montages of your members' multimedia uploads. ### Advanced Qual + Quant Analysis Tools Cross Tabs and Banner Tables Gain detailed insights with fully integrated cross tabulation capabilities. Easily nest additional questions or demographic data to create formatted banner tables for in-depth analysis. Statistical Testing and TURF Make confident, data-driven decisions with built-in analytics tools: Statistical Testing: Identify significant differences with confidence levels adjustable to 90%, 95%, or 99%. Analyze correlations to reveal key trends TURF Analysis: Optimize product and service offerings by pinpointing combinations that maximize reach and impact Filtering, Sorting, and Anchoring Tailor your data analysis with flexible options: Filtering: Focus on specific segments or criteria Sorting: Organize results by key metrics or importance Anchoring: Keep essential benchmarks in view for easy comparisons # Services Source: https://www.my-take.com/options ## Professional Research Services Offering a broad range of services, My-Take has a solution to match your unique business needs, big or small. Community Experts, Here for You ## Flexible, Remarkable Researchers With over a decade of experience in insight communities, My-Take helps transform insights into customer-first decisions. By combining community research expertise with advanced community technology, we help clients make informed decisions, and keep the voice of their customers at the forefront. Our flexible approach ensures we can adapt to changing client needs This commitment to excellence has earned us exceptional client retention, a testament to the trust our clients place in our team. ## Flexible Service Plans That Grow With You At My-Take, we know every team works differently. That’s why we offer a variety of service plans tailored to your goals and designed to evolve with you. Whether you want to take the lead, collaborate closely, or rely fully on our expertise, we have the right solution for you. Plus, you can easily move between service levels as your needs change. No matter the level, a dedicated service team is always by your side, providing the support and expertise you need to succeed. ### Saas/DIY Includes: Platform License Technical Support ### Hybrid Includes: Platform License Technical Support Select Research Services Moderation, Admin, Activity Creation, Analysis & Reporting ### Full Service Includes: Platform License Technical Support Full Research Services ### Agencies We work with many research and design agencies as they leverage the My-Take platform and capabilities. ## Hear From Our Team I love finding new ways of streamlining community launch processes to ensure that the focus is centered on client research objectives and is tailored to fit their specific needs. ### VP of Insights & Community Management 10+ Years on Team As a former client-side researcher, I'm passionate about providing clients the best community platform. I understand the challenges of delivering impactful insights on deadline. ### Sr. Director of Customer Success - SaaS 2+ Years on Team There's something satisfying about problem solving. It's often challenging, and it's great to know I have helped so many people move their projects across the finish line. ### Customer Success Manager 6+ Years on Team Being a part of the process that brings a product to life is rewarding, I love being able to give consumers a platform to voice their thoughts and opinions to make better products! ### Insights Coordinator 1+ Years on Team # Enterprise-Ready Insight Community Platforms: Key Criteria and What to Look For Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/enterprise-ready-insight-community-platforms Published: October 20, 2026 By: Kait Hanerfeld > What makes an insight community platform enterprise-ready? Eight criteria, including AI governance and data quality, plus the vendor questions that matter most. What makes an insight community platform enterprise-ready? It can run large, long-running research programs reliably as they grow. Eight criteria define it: methodological breadth, scalability, governed and integrated AI, a unified research hub with a research history repository, flexible service models, security and compliance, data quality and respondent integrity, and continuity and velocity. Buyers should test each one with live demonstrations and documentation rather than feature lists. Corporate insights work used to run project by project. Stakeholders now expect a steady flow of qual and quant answers on their own timeline, and insight communities, also called market research online communities (MROCs), have grown because they're built for that pace. That growth has put more pressure on the software underneath. Platforms that started as qual discussion tools now need to handle quant at scale and pass enterprise security reviews. They also need AI that fits inside corporate governance rules and data quality checks strong enough to catch AI-written and low-quality responses. Not every provider can support that kind of program. Below, we break down what enterprise-ready means for insight communities and the criteria worth evaluating. We also profile three comprehensive platforms enterprise teams commonly consider and cover what to look for beyond the feature list. ### In This Article 01What Is Enterprise-Ready? 02Eight Criteria 03Criteria at a Glance 04Platforms to Evaluate 05Questions to Ask 06Good vs. Great 07Fit vs. Features 08What's Next 09FAQ ## What Is an Enterprise-Ready Insight Community Platform? In market segmentation, "enterprise" usually refers to very large organizations, often those with $1B or more in annual revenue. This article uses the technology meaning: a platform's ability to perform reliably for large, complex, ongoing research programs, whatever the size of the organization running them. Enterprise readiness comes from how a platform is built and how the vendor supports it. A platform may handle your program well today, so ask whether it'll keep up as your research needs grow and your team changes. ### A Note on Company Size Enterprise readiness isn't only a large-company concern. Any organization running an ongoing community program needs permission controls for internal stakeholders and protection for participant data. Small and mid-sized companies also tend to grow into quant research as their questions broaden, so picking a platform with that headroom from the start saves you a disruptive switch later. ## Eight Criteria That Define Enterprise-Ready The eight criteria below describe what a platform needs to support long-running insight community programs as they grow. Criterion 1 ### Methodological Breadth Enterprise insights teams rarely have one research need at a time. In a single week, a team might run a qualitative discussion board, virtual focus groups and IDIs, a quantitative survey with significance testing across segments, a UX study, and a CX pulse check. An enterprise-ready platform handles all of that in one environment, without bolt-on integrations or manual workarounds. When teams stitch together separate point solutions, data ends up siloed and researchers lose time switching between tools. Breadth matters for growing programs too. A community that starts qual-heavy usually adds quant as stakeholder questions broaden, and a platform with a narrow methodological range caps the program right when demand picks up. Criterion 2 ### Scalability Scalability starts with community size and study volume. An enterprise platform should manage tens of thousands of members without slowing down and support simultaneous programs across teams and business units. Incentives should run automatically, so rewarding thousands of members doesn't become a manual job. Adding internal users and admins shouldn't raise your costs either. Some platforms charge per seat, which limits how many stakeholders can get into the research. The platform also has to reach members across regions and languages. Multilingual capabilities matter even for domestic programs, since many participant bases include people who'd rather respond in another language. It's worth testing the platform against the program you expect to run two years from now, once more of the business knows the community exists and requests start piling up. Criterion 3 ### Governed, Integrated AI Most enterprise buyers assume a platform has AI at this point, so the questions shift to how it fits into research workflows and whether it meets your organization's governance rules. On the workflow side, strong platforms use AI for repetitive work like coding and tagging open ends. They also use it to surface themes across studies and help researchers shape better follow-up questions. On the governance side, AI should keep client data out of model training and make it easy for researchers to check how it got to a finding. The strongest implementations follow a researcher-in-the-loop design, where AI drafts and surfaces patterns and the researcher decides what holds up and what reaches stakeholders. Many enterprises have also standardized on an approved AI assistant. Platforms that support secure connections through open standards like the Model Context Protocol (MCP) let those teams query community data within the assistant they already use. A connection like that is only as good as the platform underneath it, so ask how rigorous the analysis coming back is. Criterion 4 ### Unified Research Hub and Research History Repository A unified research hub brings the full research workflow into one platform, from study design and participant management through data collection, analysis, and reporting. That matters at the enterprise level because insights need to reach teams outside research and stay useful long after a study closes. Reporting should answer business questions in language stakeholders can act on, in formats that travel well inside the organization. Underneath that, a searchable research history repository keeps prior research findable and reusable, so what one study learned can enrich the next. That value builds over the life of a program, which makes a single hub especially important when team membership changes and programs span years. Criterion 5 ### Flexible Service Models Internal research capacity varies a lot across enterprise organizations. A large insights team might want full platform access and control, while a leaner one needs a full-service team for study design, recruitment, moderation, analysis, and reporting. Many teams fall somewhere in between and bring in expert support for the work they can't cover. An enterprise-ready platform supports that whole range on the same technology, so a team can shift service models easily as its capacity changes without migrating platforms or rebuilding its community. Criterion 6 ### Security and Compliance Security reviews are where a lot of platforms stall in enterprise procurement. At a minimum, buyers should expect a SOC 2 Type II report, single sign-on through SAML, multi-factor authentication, encryption for data in transit and at rest, and regular penetration testing. Buyers should also confirm how a vendor supports the privacy and consent requirements that apply to their participant base. Teams in regulated industries like financial services and healthcare should ask how sensitive data categories are handled before a study is designed, and avoid collecting sensitive data a study doesn't need. None of this sets a platform apart at the enterprise level, but falling short on any of it will stop a deal in procurement. Criterion 7 ### Data Quality and Respondent Integrity Insight communities start with an advantage over ad-hoc research. Members are recruited and profiled before they ever take a survey, so fraud risk is lower than with anonymous online panels, but it's still there. Fraudulent sign-ups can slip in during recruitment, and AI tools can make it easy to write a believable open end. Long-tenured members can also drift into habits like straightlining. Enterprise-ready platforms screen for these issues automatically at multiple points, from identity checks at sign-up to analysis of response behavior and open-ended content. Flagged responses should then go to a researcher to approve or reject before anything reaches a report, so the researcher makes the final call. Quality rules should also flex by audience, since vetted community members and external sample in the same study may not warrant the same level of scrutiny. Buyers in organizations that restrict AI use should confirm whether core quality protections depend on AI being turned on. Criterion 8 ### Continuity and Velocity Continuity is easy to overlook in a vendor evaluation because it doesn't show up in a demo. Long-running programs depend on a service team that knows the client's business, research history, community dynamics, and stakeholders well enough to move quickly without ramp-up time. Speed on its own doesn't help much if the team keeps turning over. Ask how fast a vendor can turn around a study, and also how well that team will know your business at month 18 compared to month one. ## Enterprise Readiness Criteria at a Glance Use this table as a quick reference during vendor evaluations. Criterion What to Look For Ask the Vendor Methodological Breadth Qual, quant, UX, and CX in one environment Can we run all of these without separate tools? Scalability Large communities, concurrent studies, multilingual members How does performance hold up as membership and study volume grow? Governed, Integrated AI AI built into the workflow, with a researcher reviewing its output Is client data used to train models? Where does a researcher review AI output? Unified Research Hub and Research History Repository All-in-one hub with searchable, reusable past research Can historical community data inform current studies? Flexible Service Models Full-service, hybrid, and self-service on one platform If what we need from you changes mid-contract, how do you handle it? Security and Compliance SOC 2 Type II, SSO/SAML, MFA, encryption, penetration testing What documentation can you provide for our security and privacy review? Data Quality and Respondent Integrity Automated screening plus researcher review of flagged responses How do you catch fraudulent sign-ups and AI-written open ends? Continuity and Velocity A stable team that knows your business Who are the people supporting our account? How long have they been with the team? ## Comprehensive Platforms Enterprise Teams Evaluate Insight community providers generally fall into three categories. Comprehensive community platforms offer broad technology, though service depth and technology investment vary from one vendor to the next. Methodology-focused platforms do one type of research well but leave teams running several platforms side by side. Research and brand agencies bring hands-on support, but they may offer more limited technology and longer timelines. For enterprise programs, the field narrows to comprehensive platforms that pair strong multi-method technology with flexible service. For independent third-party coverage and supplier listings, insight professionals often turn to GreenBook, Quirk's Media, and Insight Platforms. The following platforms and companies represent the leading enterprise options in the insight community and market research online community (MROC) market in 2026. The three providers covered are My-Take, Alida, and Fuel Cycle. Featured Platform ### My-Take My-Take is an insight community platform provider with more than 15 years of experience running complex, ongoing community programs for Fortune 500 brands. Its Insight Community+™ model brings the comprehensive technology of an enterprise platform together with the hands-on partnership of a research team that moves at the speed of your business. Research teams can run surveys, polls, discussion boards, virtual focus groups and IDIs, UX testing experiences, mobile-first chat surveys, IHUTs, collages, mobile ethnography missions, and journals and diaries in one platform, with 36 question types and advanced logic. Clients work in SaaS (self-service), hybrid, or full-service models and can shift between them as their internal capacity changes, with dedicated research support at every service level. User and admin accounts are unlimited at no added cost, so teams can bring in as many internal stakeholders as they need. My-Take maintains client retention above 90% and has been named to GreenBook's GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Market Research Suppliers list for six consecutive years. The platform holds SOC 2 Type II and supports SSO/SAML, multi-factor authentication, and encryption in transit and at rest. Every AI feature in the platform is built with the researcher in the loop. For survey responses, AI themes open ends and generates highlight reels of video responses, which researchers can edit in the platform's reel studio. AI Banner Table Studio builds the banner and points out what's notable, and the researcher decides what makes the report. MyAI, the platform's collaborative research thought partner, is the default for analysis, and it works from the community's own data, study objectives, and past research, plus any internal documents the team uploads. Researchers prompt it to summarize findings, run crosstabs and significance testing, query open ends and pull supporting verbatims, compare results across studies, and shape follow-up research. It also answers questions about participation and engagement on the community management side. Everything it returns goes back to the researcher to review, edit, and decide what reaches stakeholders. For organizations that have standardized on an AI assistant, the MCP Connector brings community data into the assistant they already use. It's built on the same foundation and with the same research rigor as MyAI, so teams can trust every piece of data it returns. My-Take never uses client data to train AI models. Data quality is covered by DQM™, My-Take's Data Quality Management System, which works across multiple layers: automated survey protection checks on every response, optional biometric liveness verification at the point of entry, and a Data Quality Review Console for managing flagged responses. The core layers work without AI, so communities get that protection whether or not AI is enabled. ### Alida Alida (formerly Vision Critical) is a long-standing provider in the insight community space. Its platform centers on continuous customer intelligence and is strong in CX-oriented programs. Alida serves enterprise clients across many industries and is a well-known name for organizations running large, ongoing community programs. ### Fuel Cycle Fuel Cycle positions itself as an AI-native insights platform that accelerates decision intelligence for brands by enabling organizations to capture, analyze, and act on insights required to launch new products, acquire customers, and sustain growth. For a broader list of providers in the category, see our Top 10 Insight Community Platforms & Companies in 2026 article. ## Key Questions to Ask a Potential Provider Use these questions to get past the sales deck before you commit to a platform. The answers show what a vendor offers and how they'll operate over the long term. Can the platform support qualitative, quantitative, UX, and CX research in one environment, without separate tools or manual data consolidation? How does the platform handle multilingual communities? Can they show AI working on a realistic task, such as theme extraction or open-end analysis? Can a researcher see how it got to its findings? Where does a researcher review and edit AI output before it reaches stakeholders? Is client data ever used to train AI models? If your organization has an approved AI assistant, can the platform connect to it, and how is that connection governed? Can historical community data be used in current research? How does the platform support cross-study and ongoing analysis? How does reporting help you show the value of the insights function to internal stakeholders? What service models are available, and how do they handle it when what you need from them changes mid-contract? Can they provide a SOC 2 Type II report and explain how SSO, multi-factor authentication, and encryption are handled? If you're in a regulated industry, ask how sensitive data categories are managed. How does the platform detect fraudulent sign-ups, AI-generated responses, and disengaged members? How do researchers review what gets flagged? Do core quality protections still work if AI is turned off? What does support look like at month 18 compared to month one? Ask for specifics on team continuity and account structure. What's the vendor's client retention rate, and how long do client relationships typically last? ## What Separates Good from Great at the Enterprise Level The criteria above describe what a good enterprise platform delivers. What makes a vendor great usually comes down to how they approach the relationship and the work. The best enterprise providers help clients build research capacity over time and shape their service around the business decision the research is meant to inform. They also understand the internal dynamics that can influence whether findings are acted upon. "Enterprise-ready is a continually rising standard for insight community platforms. Scale, governance, and integrated AI are table stakes. A platform and its team must constantly adapt. Clients trust a partner that earns their business daily and relentlessly brings new value to the relationship." Todd Hoskins, Co-founder, My-Take Platform switching also carries a cost that rarely shows up in vendor comparisons. Past research data can be harder to carry forward, and community members who built a relationship with the program get disrupted. On top of that, a new team needs months to learn your business before it can move anything forward. Pay attention to how a vendor talks about existing clients. High retention is a meaningful signal, and so is a willingness to provide references from clients who've been with them for three years or more. ## How to Evaluate Fit vs. Features A common evaluation mistake is choosing a platform based on where your research program is today instead of where it needs to go. The right enterprise platform has room to grow with your program and a service model that can adjust as your team's capacity changes. A few questions to ask your own team before you ask the vendor: Where does your research program need to be in three years, and can this platform support that version of it? If your internal research capacity shrinks or expands significantly, can you change your service model without starting over? What happens to your community data, member relationships, and research history if you switch platforms in two years? ## What's Next for Enterprise Insight Community Platforms Here's where we see the category going over the next few years, mostly toward capabilities that get more valuable the longer a program runs. ### Historical Data as a Research Asset As AI-powered analysis matures, platforms that keep past studies searchable let researchers compare new findings against prior work and spot trends. Past findings keep working as a research resource instead of sitting in an archive, and the program gets more useful every year it runs. ### AI That Works Within Governance Rules More companies are formalizing how AI can be used with customer and research data, and that's turning AI governance into a buying criterion. At the same time, AI in research is moving past coding and summarization toward collaboration, helping researchers build stronger reports and find gaps in current data. The platforms that lead will pair that collaborative capability with clear governance, including secure connections to the AI assistants enterprises have already approved. They'll also keep researchers in control of interpretation as AI takes on more of the drafting. ### Qual at Scale Demand for qualitative depth keeps growing while stakeholders expect answers faster. Video analysis, AI-assisted moderation, automated highlight reels, and asynchronous interviews are expanding what qual can do at enterprise scale and narrowing the old tradeoff between qual depth and quant efficiency. Related reading: For a full evaluation framework covering what to include in a vendor RFP, see our insight community RFP guide. To see how My-Take answers each of those criteria, read the My-Take platform evaluation companion piece. For a broader view of providers, see Top 10 Insight Community Platforms & Companies in 2026, and for more on protecting community data, read about the launch of DQM™. ## Frequently Asked Questions What does enterprise-ready mean for an insight community platform? Enterprise-ready means a platform can run large, long-running research programs reliably as they grow across methodologies, teams, and markets. Eight criteria define it: methodological breadth, scalability, governed and integrated AI, a unified research hub with a research history repository, flexible service models, security and compliance, data quality and respondent integrity, and continuity and velocity. Which insight community platforms are considered enterprise-ready? Three comprehensive platforms enterprise teams commonly evaluate are My-Take, Alida, and Fuel Cycle. GreenBook , Quirk's Media , and Insight Platforms offer independent coverage of the broader market. Is enterprise-ready insight community software only relevant for large companies? No. Enterprise-ready describes what a platform can handle, not the size of the company using it. Small and mid-sized companies often benefit the most, because they can grow into these capabilities without switching platforms later. What questions should I ask an insight community vendor about enterprise readiness? Ask whether the platform supports qual, quant, UX, and CX in one environment, what support looks like at month 18 versus month one, and what the client retention rate is. On AI, ask whether client data is used to train models and where researchers review AI output before it reaches stakeholders. Also ask for security overviews, how fraudulent and AI-generated responses are caught, and whether you can change service models easily after signing. How should enterprise teams evaluate AI governance in an insight community platform? Start with data handling. AI should keep client data out of model training, and researchers should be able to check how it got to a finding before anything reaches stakeholders. It's also worth asking how the platform connects with the AI assistants your organization has already approved. What is researcher-in-the-loop AI in market research? Researcher-in-the-loop AI is a design approach where AI handles drafting and pattern-finding while a researcher reviews the output and decides what moves forward. For example, AI might build a banner table and point out notable differences, or group open-ended responses into themes, and the researcher checks the underlying data and decides what makes the report. For enterprise teams, this keeps findings defensible and keeps a person accountable for what reaches stakeholders. Can insight community platforms connect to ChatGPT or Claude? Some can. Platforms that support the open Model Context Protocol (MCP) let AI assistants like ChatGPT or Claude query community data directly. How much you can trust the answers depends on what the connection is built on. My-Take's MCP Connector is built on the same foundation and with the same research rigor as MyAI, the platform's collaborative research thought partner, so teams can trust every piece of data it returns. Many enterprises require IT approval for custom connectors, so it helps to involve IT early. Do insight communities need data quality tools if members are opted in? Yes, though the risks look different than they do in open sample. Community members are recruited and profiled, which lowers fraud risk. Fraudulent sign-ups and AI-written open ends can still get through. Enterprise-ready platforms screen for these automatically and give researchers a way to review flagged responses before they reach analysis. What separates great enterprise insight community platforms from good ones? It usually comes down to how a vendor approaches the relationship. The best enterprise providers help clients build research capacity over time and shape their service around the business decision the research is meant to inform. Client retention above 90% and references from relationships of three years or more are strong signals of long-term value. What is a unified research hub in an insight community platform? A unified research hub brings the full research workflow into one platform, from study design and participant management through analysis and reporting, with a research history repository that keeps past research findable and reusable. For enterprise teams, it keeps findings searchable across departments and years, so what past studies learned survives team changes instead of disappearing into project folders and one-off exports. ### See Insight Community+™ in Action Schedule a demo and we'll walk through how My-Take meets enterprise requirements for your research program. Request a Demo Written by Kait Hanerfeld, Associate Director of Marketing, My-Take. For the full vendor evaluation framework, see the insight community RFP evaluation criteria guide. For My-Take's direct responses to RFP criteria, see the My-Take platform evaluation companion piece. # Taking on the Data Quality Crisis: My-Take Launches DQM™ (Data Quality Management System) for Insight Community+™ Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/taking-on-the-data-quality-crisis-my-take-launches-dqm-data-quality-management-system-for-insight-community Published: August 13, 2026 By: Kait Hanerfeld > My-Take launches DQM™, automated data quality control with human-in-the-loop, purposely built for insight communities and ad-hoc projects. Automated checks, biometric liveness verification, and a Data Quality Review Console protect research data from bots, fraud, AI-generated responses, and low-quality submissions My-Take has announced the launch of DQM™ for its Insight Community+™ platform, delivering automated data quality control with human-in-the-loop, purposely built for insight communities. DQM™ combines automated survey protection checks, webcam-based biometric liveness verification, and a Data Quality Review Console to catch fraudulent, bot-driven, and low-quality responses before they reach your data. At the core of DQM™ is My-Take's proprietary data quality framework, designed and built by our engineering team specifically for the Insight Community+™ platform. ## The Data Quality Crisis The market research industry is facing a data quality problem that continues to grow. Bad actors including bot farms, AI-generated survey responses, professional survey takers, and VPN-masked identities are degrading the reliability of research data. When the data is unreliable, the insights built on top of it are too, leaving business decisions to be made on a broken foundation. ### The Problem in Numbers 40% of researchers cite data quality as their top challenge 2025 GRIT Insights Practice Report, Greenbook 4-5% of all research records directly linked to fraud Global Data Quality Initiative, 2025 ## Why Insight Communities Are Better Positioned Insight communities have a built-in advantage when it comes to data quality. Members are recruited, profiled, and verified by the brand or research team running the community. They participate in ongoing research over time, building a track record that researchers can monitor and evaluate. Unlike open panels, where respondents are largely anonymous and interchangeable, community members have an established relationship with the organization and a reason to stay engaged. Researchers know who their respondents are and can track behavior over time. But better positioned does not mean invulnerable. Research teams have always invested significant manual effort in reviewing and protecting data quality within their communities. Community research still faces threats from bots, AI-generated responses, and low-effort participation, especially when fielding surveys to external audiences. DQM™ was built to close that gap, automating what previously required manual review and adding layers of protection that weren't possible before. "The data quality challenge isn't going away on its own. Insight communities have always been better positioned because of the direct relationship between the researcher and the respondent, but better positioned isn't bulletproof. We built DQM™ to close that gap with automated, multi-layer protection that catches what manual review can't." Todd Hoskins, Co-founder, My-Take ## DQM™: How It Works DQM™ works across three layers: automated survey protection checks that run on every response, optional biometric liveness verification at the point of entry, and a Data Quality Review Console for managing flagged responses. Access & Identity checks, Respondent Behavior Monitoring, Gibberish Detection, Biometric Liveness, and the full Review Console all function without AI. The remaining Content Analysis features are AI-powered and available to communities with AI functionality enabled. ### Survey Protection Layers: Multi-Layer Survey Protection Every time a respondent enters a survey on the Insight Community+™ platform, DQM™ runs automated checks across three categories: Access & Identity Unique IP Enforcement blocks duplicate IP addresses from entering surveys Duplicate Device Prevention identifies and prevents repeat device access Honeypot Threat Screening uses hidden fields to catch scraping scripts and bots automatically Automation/Bot Detection detects headless and scripted browsers Respondent Behavior Speeder & Straightliner Flags detect rushed completion and patterned responses Tab Switch & Copy/Paste monitors focus changes and clipboard activity Typing & Mouse Analysis analyzes keystrokes, mouse movements, and anomalies Content Analysis Gibberish Detection identifies nonsensical or low-quality text (available to all communities) AI Text Audit reads all responses to evaluate effort, language, and authenticity (AI-powered) AI-Generated Content Rejection identifies and removes content produced by AI (AI-powered) AI Image Auditor uses AI vision to verify uploaded images are relevant to the question asked (AI-powered) AI Video Auditor evaluates video responses for relevance post-completion, flagging mismatched or low-effort uploads (AI-powered) Verification ### Biometric Liveness Verification [Optional] DQM™ includes My-Take's proprietary liveness detection, which uses webcam-based checks to verify real human presence before survey entry. Respondents are prompted to perform actions that are difficult for bots or scripts to replicate programmatically. A second verification level captures blurred photos at the start and end of the check, and can confirm the same person completed both steps. Blurred images are available in the review console to aid decision-making without storing identifiable photos. DQM™ also supports optional integration with Verisoul* for advanced identity verification, including facial biometric scanning and government ID checks, for research programs that require a higher level of respondent authentication. ### Data Quality Review Console Automated detection is only part of the equation. The Data Quality Review Console provides a centralized interface for managing flagged responses across both external collector traffic and internal community members, giving research teams full visibility and control over data quality decisions. ### External Response Management Flagged external collector responses can be auto-redirected, manually reviewed, approved, or rejected. Research teams can configure rules for how different types of flags are handled, from automatic rejection to manual review queues. ### Member Survey Review Flagged member responses are held in Review status with rewards withheld until an admin approves or rejects. This prevents low-quality respondents from receiving incentives for flagged submissions while giving research teams the ability to make informed decisions about each response. ### Strike System Rejected surveys can trigger strikes against a member account, with automatic probation after a set threshold. The strike system creates long-term accountability within the community, discouraging repeat low-quality behavior and protecting overall community data integrity. ### Rejection Report Exports Flagged and fraudulent responses can be exported from the Data Quality Review Console for collector credit and refund processing, giving research teams a clear audit trail and documentation for managing external sample provider relationships. ### Researcher-Configured Quality Controls Beyond the automated checks, DQM™ gives research teams direct control over how quality is enforced. Three quality presets (Lenient, Standard, and Strict) can be customized and applied independently to different response paths within the same survey. Community members who have already been vetted can run through a lighter set of checks, while external panel respondents get a stricter evaluation. Each preset is fully customizable at the community level and can be overridden on a per-survey basis. Researchers can also set up logic-based quality traps using contradictory answer detection, which flags respondents whose answers contradict each other within the same survey. If a respondent says they are unaware of a brand but later names it as a favorite, the system flags that response for review. These traps are researcher-defined, letting teams target the specific inconsistencies that matter for their study. "DQM™ was purpose-built by our team. The data quality crisis affects anyone who relies on survey data, and we think the combination of an insight community model with the kind of automated protection DQM™ provides is the strongest answer out there right now. And this is just the start. We have more on the roadmap that will keep pushing the standard forward." Rich Armstrong, Co-founder, My-Take ## Built on Insight Community+™: Your All-in-One Continuous Research Operating System DQM™ builds on the foundation of My-Take's Insight Community+™ platform, a proprietary, fully integrated research operating system. Insight Community+™ combines: Multi-methodology capabilities: Qualitative, quantitative, CX, and UX research, optimized for all devices Versatile research hub: Execute both community and external ad-hoc projects with the same comprehensive toolset Flexible service layer: DIY, Hybrid, or Full Service options supported by My-Take's team of community experts Collaborative AI throughout: Including MyAI Assistant for system-wide intelligence Automated data integrity: Now including DQM™ for multi-layer quality control ## Expanding Portfolio of AI-Powered Research Tools My-Take continues to develop proprietary AI tools that work alongside DQM™ and the broader platform. ### MyAI Collaborative Assistant An intelligent, collaborative AI agent embedded directly into the platform and purpose-built for research environments. MyAI works alongside researchers as an intelligent thought partner, analyzing data, generating insights, and providing recommendations across both community management and reporting workflows. Unlike general-purpose AI tools, MyAI understands research context, drawing on community data, past studies, and study objectives. Learn more about MyAI → ### SmartDeck™ Reporting and Analysis An AI-powered reporting solution that combines advanced analysis with automated client-branded slide formatting, transforming how researchers create presentation-ready PowerPoint reports. SmartDeck™ analyzes study objectives and data to generate compelling slide headlines, actionable insights, and executive summaries, freeing researchers to focus on crafting meaningful narratives. Learn more about SmartDeck™ → ### Video and Text Analysis The platform automatically identifies and organizes recurring themes across survey video and open-ended questions, interpreting sentiment throughout. AI auto-generates impactful highlight reels organized by theme, bringing the most compelling customer feedback moments to life for stakeholders. Learn more about Video and Text Analysis → ### Conversations AI-Infused Mobile-First Surveys A mobile-first, chat-based survey format that makes the research experience simpler and more appealing, especially for specific market segments like Gen Z. AI auto-moderation probes for deeper responses, AI-generated personalized questions adapt to each participant, and AI response feedback fosters natural conversational interactions. Learn more about Conversations → ## Availability DQM™ is available to My-Take clients across all service levels. Core protection layers, including Access & Identity, Respondent Behavior, Biometric Liveness Verification, and the Data Quality Review Console, are available to all communities. Content Analysis includes Gibberish Detection for all communities, with AI-powered features available to communities with AI functionality enabled. To learn more or to request a demo, contact My-Take today. ## FAQ: DQM™ and Data Quality in Insight Communities What is DQM™? DQM™ is a proprietary quality control system built by My-Take for the Insight Community+™ platform. It combines automated survey protection checks across three categories (Access & Identity, Respondent Behavior, and Content Analysis), optional webcam-based biometric liveness verification, and a comprehensive Data Quality Review Console. The core protection layers work without AI enabled. AI-powered Content Analysis, including AI Text Audit and AI-Generated Content Rejection, is available as an additional layer for communities with AI functionality turned on. DQM™ protects research data from bots, fraud, AI-generated responses, speeders, duplicate entries, and other forms of low-quality survey submissions. What is the data quality crisis in market research? The data quality crisis refers to the growing challenge of fraudulent, bot-driven, and low-quality responses degrading market research data across the industry. Bot farms, AI-generated survey responses, professional survey takers, VPN-masked identities, and survey farms are flooding panels and ad-hoc data collection at scale. According to the 2025 GRIT Insights Practice Report published by Greenbook, 40% of researchers now cite data quality as their top challenge. Why are insight communities better for data quality than open panels? Insight communities offer a structural advantage over open panels because members are recruited, profiled, and verified by the brand or research team operating the community. They participate in ongoing research over time, building a track record of engagement and response quality that can be monitored longitudinally. Unlike open panels where respondents are largely anonymous, community members have an established relationship with the organization and a stake in the community itself. Researchers know who their respondents are, can track behavioral patterns over time, and can hold members accountable through structured governance systems. What is biometric liveness verification in market research? Biometric liveness verification uses webcam-based checks to confirm real human presence before a respondent can enter a survey. The technology verifies that the person attempting to participate is a real human being, not a bot, script, or automated system. In market research, this stops bot farms and scripted respondents at the gate, preventing them from ever accessing and contaminating survey data. My-Take's DQM™ includes biometric liveness verification as a pre-survey verification layer within the Insight Community+™ platform. How does DQM™'s Data Quality Review Console work? The Data Quality Review Console is a centralized interface for managing flagged responses. It includes External Response Management for auto-redirecting, manually reviewing, or rejecting flagged external collector responses; Member Survey Review for holding flagged member responses in Review status with rewards withheld until an admin approves or rejects; a Strike System that tracks rejected surveys against member accounts with automatic probation after a set threshold; and rejection report exports for exporting flagged and fraudulent responses for collector credit and refund processing. Is DQM™ proprietary technology? Yes. DQM™ is proprietary technology developed by My-Take for the Insight Community+™ continuous research operating system. The platform's core data quality protections, review workflow, and management console were designed and built by My-Take's engineering team. What survey protection checks does DQM™ include? DQM™ runs automated checks across three categories. Access & Identity (Unique IP Enforcement, Duplicate Device Prevention, Honeypot Threat Screening, Automation/Bot Detection) and Respondent Behavior (Speeder & Straightliner Flags, Tab Switch & Copy/Paste Monitoring, Typing & Mouse Analysis) operate without AI. Content Analysis includes Gibberish Detection, which is available to all communities, and AI-powered features (AI Text Audit, AI-Generated Content Rejection, AI Image Auditor, AI Video Auditor) available to communities with AI functionality enabled. ### See DQM™ in Action Schedule a personalized platform demo and see how DQM™ protects your research data. Request a Demo → Kait Hanerfeld Kait Hanerfeld is Associate Director of Marketing at My-Take, a leading insight community platform. At My-Take, Kait helps lead content and marketing programs that help insights professionals evaluate, understand, and get the most from insight community platforms. This press release was published by My-Take, a Greater Boston-based insight technology and analysis company specializing in online insight communities. Industry statistics cited from available reports and webinars by Greenbook (GRIT) and the Global Data Quality Initiative. For more information about My-Take's platform, visit my-take.com. *Verisoul is a registered trademark of Verisoul, Inc. Its inclusion does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by My-Take. # My-Take Insight Community Platform: Full Vendor Evaluation and RFP Responses Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-insight-community-platform-evaluation Published: June 23, 2026 By: Kait Hanerfeld > See how My-Take's Insight Community+™ platform answers every RFP criterion, from proprietary AI-powered technology to SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance, backed by three service models and 15+ years serving Fortune 500 brands. This article is a companion to our insight community RFP guide. That guide tells you what to ask every vendor. This one tells you exactly how My-Take answers those questions, with specifics. Want the evaluation framework first? Read the insight community RFP evaluation criteria guide. 15+ Years of Insight Community Experience 6x GreenBook GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative ✓ Proprietary Insight Community Platform My-Take is a purpose-built insight community platform with more than 15 years of experience serving Fortune 500 brands across industries such as CPG, consumer durables, financial services, healthcare, retail, technology, and media. The Insight Community+™ platform supports qualitative, quantitative, CX, and UX research natively in a single proprietary environment, with AI embedded across the full research pipeline from survey design through branded reporting and collaborative data analysis. My-Take offers three service models (DIY/SaaS, Hybrid, and Full-Service) with the flexibility to shift between them as program needs evolve. The platform is SOC 2 and HIPAA compliant. My-Take has been recognized on GreenBook's GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Market Research Suppliers list for six consecutive years. Platform overview → ## 1. Platform Technology RFP Criterion: Is the platform proprietary and purpose-built? My-Take's Answer Insight Community+™ is a fully proprietary, purpose-built research operating system for qual, quant, CX, and UX research. Every capability is built and maintained on the same native stack. The platform is cloud-hosted and scales from communities of a few hundred members to tens of thousands. It is fully responsive across desktop, mobile, and tablet. Multi-language support and translation management tools allow communities to operate across geographies while members participate in their native language. Custom branding is available for organizations that want a community experience that reflects their own identity, including layout options and platform skins that control the look and feel of the member-facing environment. ## 2. Research Methodologies RFP Criterion: What tools does your platform offer? My-Take's Answer Insight Community+™ supports all four methodology types (qual, quant, CX, UX) natively across more than 20 activity types. Research teams can run a MaxDiff study on Monday and a video IDI on Wednesday without switching platforms or exporting data between tools. ### Quantitative Advanced survey builder with complex logic, routing, quotas, and data piping MaxDiff and TURF analysis built natively Pricing studies: Gabor Granger and Van Westendorp Semantic Differential scales Cross-tabs and banner tables with significance testing (90%, 95%, 99%) and correlation analysis Quick polls for 24-48 hour turnaround Concept testing with historical database benchmarking ### Qualitative Native video focus groups and IDIs with purpose-built research tools Built-in video clip editor and automated highlight reel generator Discussion boards with threaded responses and private vs. community-visible toggle Journals and diary studies: longitudinal activities capturing topics, surveys, or private discussion board entries over a defined period Deep-dive qual activity type with mixed question types and advanced moderation Co-creation, ideation, and collage activities In-home use testing (IHUT) support and management ### CX and UX UX testing with screen recording for both desktop and mobile Mobile ethnography with photo and video upload Chat-based mobile-first surveys (Conversations) Social media simulation feed testing Mock shopping in a simulated e-commerce environment, including a retail environment option Stimulus testing: Heatmap, Highlighter, Dial Test ## 3. AI Capabilities RFP Criterion: Is AI integrated throughout the community platform? My-Take's Answer AI is embedded throughout Insight Community+™ across every phase of research, from administration through analysis and reporting. The platform delivers a broad suite of purpose-built AI capabilities designed to save researchers time, surface deeper insights, and reduce the manual work involved in running a community program. ### MyAI: Collaborative Research Assistant MyAI is a collaborative AI research thought partner embedded throughout the insight community platform's administration and reporting workflows, enabling researchers to interact directly with their data. It works alongside researchers, drawing on community data, study objectives, past research, and member activity to generate actionable insights and recommendations within the platform. It is purpose-built for the research context. Read the press release → On the administration side, MyAI can analyze participation trends, surface engagement insights, and draft activity question outlines. On the reporting side, it supports activity results summarization, cross-tabulation, open-ended response analysis, multi-report analysis, persona development, insight storytelling, and more. ### SmartDeck™ Reporting SmartDeck™ combines AI with automated client-branded slide formatting to produce presentation-ready PowerPoint reports. The AI analyzes study objectives and data to generate slide headlines, actionable insights, and executive summaries. All AI-generated content is editable and fully exportable. Additional report export formats include Excel, CSV, SPSS, and PDF. Read the press release → ### AI-Powered Video and Text Analysis For activities integrated with SmartDeck™ reporting, the platform automatically identifies and organizes recurring themes across survey videos and open-ended responses. For open-ended video, AI generates theme-based highlight reels with a built-in editor for refinement and interprets sentiment. Open-ended coding includes counts and percentages alongside each theme, with support for custom coding frameworks. Read the press release → ### Conversations: AI-Infused Mobile Surveys Conversations is a mobile-first, chat-based survey format where AI auto-moderation probes for deeper responses, questions adapt to each participant, and AI feedback fosters natural conversational interaction. Read the press release → ### Survey Writing and Discussion Moderation AI writing tools assist with rephrasing questions and answer options, and can draft member communications such as activity invitation emails and reminders. On discussion boards, AI generates follow-up probes automatically, with each suggested response going through researcher review before posting. All AI-generated outputs across the platform are reviewable and editable by the researcher before use. ## 4. Member Management RFP Criterion: Can the platform manage complex member profiles and engagement at scale? My-Take's Answer Member management is built into the platform's core administration layer. Communities can range from a few hundred focused members to thousands, with the same tools available at any scale. Member qualification criteria and profile fields are defined by the client during setup — the platform supports custom demographic, behavioral, and research-specific profile fields captured during onboarding to ensure the community reflects the right target composition from day one. Custom admin dashboards with real-time participation monitoring Profiling with custom demographic, behavioral, and research-specific fields Segmentation typing tool to automatically assign members to audience segments based on screener responses Multi-channel communications: email, SMS, and in-platform messaging Ability to create and schedule newsletters, sharebacks, and reminders Points, badges, leaderboards, and rewards with multi-currency support for global programs Member ticketing and support system for inquiry management ## 5. Reporting and Deliverables RFP Criterion: What advanced features does the platform provide across reporting and deliverables? My-Take's Answer Live dashboards are available during fielding so clients and their teams can watch results come in before a study closes. Charts and data visualizations are automatically generated from survey results. AI-generated slide headlines, executive summaries, and insight recommendations are produced automatically based on study objectives and data; all fully editable. Reports are exportable directly to client-branded PowerPoint, as well as Excel, CSV, SPSS, and PDF. For qualitative output, AI automatically codes and themes open-ended responses with verbatim citations, and generates video highlight reels organized by theme. Coded themes include precise counts and percentages. For quantitative output, cross-tabs, banner tables, TURF, and statistical significance testing are available natively in the platform. A centralized research repository allows clients and their teams to upload past external studies, creating a searchable archive that MyAI can draw on for full context of your research. The concept database supports benchmarking of new concepts against historical results within the platform, enabling researchers to get more value from prior work over time. Shareable reports with customizable stakeholder access allow clients to give internal teams direct visibility without manually exporting data. ## 6. Security and Compliance RFP Criterion: Is the platform compliant with relevant security and privacy standards, and how is PII managed? My-Take's Answer My-Take is SOC 2 and HIPAA compliant. The platform uses advanced data encryption during both transmission and storage. Detailed admin roles and permissions control what each user can see and do within the platform. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO) are supported. Customizable PII settings allow organizations to restrict the visibility of personally identifiable information within the platform and in data exports, giving compliance and legal teams additional control over how member data is accessed and shared. The platform adheres to data handling policies that ensure privacy and compliance with GDPR and CCPA. Member consent, opt-outs, and data deletion requests are managed within the platform. In the event of a data breach, an established notification and incident response process is in place. On AI governance: client and member data are not used in AI model training. My-Take can provide documentation on all certifications and data handling policies during an evaluation. ## 7. Service Model and Team RFP Criterion: What service models are available and what does the account team look like? My-Take's Answer My-Take offers three service models. Clients can move between them as needs change. Service Model What's Included Best For DIY / SaaS Platform license, technical support & training Teams with strong internal research capacity who want full platform control. Includes dedicated and responsive customer support for platform assistance. Hybrid Platform license, technical support, select research services (moderation, administration, content creation, programming, analysis, reporting) Teams that want to own strategy while offloading execution on specific tasks Full-Service Platform license, technical support, full research services end-to-end Lean or no dedicated internal research teams, high-complexity programs requiring full management A dedicated service team is assigned to every client at every service level. Team members bring expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methods and have hands-on experience in community-specific research. My-Take emphasizes team continuity, which directly affects program quality: clients work with people who understand their research history, their stakeholders, and how their business uses insights. Platform onboarding and training are included at every service level. My-Take provides structured onboarding for new users and ongoing training resources as the platform evolves, so teams can work confidently in the platform regardless of their starting point. ## 8. Recruitment Strategy RFP Criterion: How do you recruit members to match specific target segments? My-Take's Answer My-Take supports recruitment from multiple channels: client email lists, sample partners for external audiences, and social media. Members can be screened directly within the platform using our survey tool, enabling a seamless onboarding process that keeps the experience within the community environment — an advantage over platforms that require external screeners or manual member imports. The platform's segmentation typing tool automatically places members into the correct audience segments based on their screener responses, using client-defined scoring values for each answer option. Saved segmentation mappings can be reused for future studies. For organizations migrating an existing community, My-Take manages the member data transfer and re-engagement process. My-Take works with each client to determine the right composition, including the appropriate balance between internal customer recruits and externally sourced members. Refresh recruitment is planned proactively. My-Take monitors community health, tracking active and engaged members. For clients using internal customer databases, recruitment emails can be deployed under the client's branding. Data quality is maintained at both the recruitment and platform level. My-Take recruits from high-quality sample partners that follow industry-standard data quality practices. Within the platform, data quality tools include honeypot survey questions, duplicate IP prevention, and address validation, helping ensure that research findings reflect genuine member responses. ## 9. Community Management and Engagement RFP Criterion: How do you maintain community health between high-priority studies? My-Take's Answer Insight Community+™ supports both branded and unbranded community configurations. A branded community gives members a named, distinct identity. An unbranded community runs under a more neutral experience, typically used when unbranded concept testing or U&A research is a primary use case. Both configurations run on the same platform, and communities can shift structure over time without rebuilding. The platform also accommodates a range of engagement models, from a fully interactive community with a member hub, discussion interaction, point balances, and sharebacks, to a leaner, more transactional model built around efficient research distribution. Between major studies, My-Take keeps communities active through a regular schedule of shorter activities (polls and brief discussions) at a pace of approximately two per month, depending on the audience and program design. Sharebacks, showing members how their input was used, are a consistent part of that cadence. The platform includes a built-in infographic tool for creating visual sharebacks that communicate results in an engaging, member-friendly format. The platform's built-in communications engine drives member participation through automated activity invitation emails and reminders, ensuring the right members receive timely prompts for the research activities that need their input. Participation trends, response rates, and member behavior are monitored in the admin dashboard on an ongoing basis. ## 10. Value and Long-term Fit RFP Criterion: What value does the platform provide, and does it fit my needs long-term? My-Take's Answer Insight Community+™ is designed to deliver compounding value over the life of a program, not just at launch. The platform brings together qualitative, quantitative, CX, and UX research within a single, proprietary environment. Its AI capabilities support reporting, analysis, and community management, reducing time spent on repetitive tasks while acting as a collaborative thought partner that helps researchers do more, faster, and with greater depth. My-Take maintains an active product innovation roadmap, with significant capability releases delivered in recent years, including SmartDeck™ reporting, AI-powered video analysis, Conversations mobile surveys, and the MyAI collaborative assistant. New features and enhancements are continuously added to the platform, with no separate upgrade fees required for clients. Recognition on GreenBook's GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Market Research Suppliers list for six consecutive years reflects this commitment to ongoing development. On pricing transparency: My-Take provides fully itemized cost proposals. The platform license includes access to all capabilities, including the full AI suite, every activity type, and all reporting tools. There are no additional charges for expanded self-service use; My-Take actively encourages clients to leverage the platform's full range of tools to drive more value from their program. Clients can request a cost estimate structured around their specific program size, activity volume, and service model. ## 11. Incentives and Engagement RFP Criterion: What incentive structures and engagement tools does the platform support? My-Take's Answer The platform includes a full incentive and gamification system, though incentives are optional and not required for every community. Members can earn points for completing activities, redeemable through an integrated rewards catalog. Incentive fulfillment can be automated, reducing the manual overhead that makes incentive management burdensome on some platforms — including integration with Tango for streamlined reward distribution. Custom rewards catalogues can also be configured, including loyalty program codes, points, or physical merchandise, giving clients flexibility in how they structure member rewards. Badges, leaderboards, and progress tracking are also available. For multi-geography programs, the rewards system supports internationally accessible redemption. Incentive budgeting and expenditure caps can be structured and managed within the platform. My-Take works with each client to recommend an incentive approach based on community size, activity cadence, and member profile. Clients can also close the loop with members through sharebacks, showing how their feedback influenced decisions, which builds trust and sustains long-term participation. ## 12. Implementation Timeline RFP Criterion: What does the implementation timeline look like, and how do you handle migration? My-Take's Answer New communities typically launch within a few weeks to a couple of months, depending on community size, branding complexity, and recruitment scope. My-Take provides a milestone-by-milestone implementation plan covering platform setup, customization, recruitment, team onboarding, and first activity launch. For organizations migrating from an existing platform, My-Take manages the member data transfer and re-engagement process. ## 13. Vendor Experience and References RFP Criterion: What is My-Take's track record, and can references be provided? My-Take's Answer My-Take has been building and managing insight communities for more than 15 years, working with Fortune 500 brands across a wide range of industries including CPG, financial services, healthcare, retail, technology, media, and more. Our program experience spans a broad range of community sizes and structures — from focused communities of a few hundred highly engaged members to large-scale programs with thousands of participants across multiple segments. Research volume handled ranges from programs running a handful of activities per quarter to high-cadence programs executing multiple activities per week across qual, quant, CX, and UX. We manage both branded and unbranded community configurations, single-brand and multi-brand programs, and communities serving everything from consumer audiences to B2B and healthcare populations. Recognition on GreenBook's GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Market Research Suppliers list for six consecutive years reflects consistent industry recognition across a period of significant platform change. The company maintains a high renewal rate, and the research team that manages client programs brings deep expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods alongside hands-on community management experience. Client references are available on request, and My-Take can speak to experience with programs comparable to yours in terms of size, industry, research mix, and service model. ## 14. Provider Focus and Program Commitment RFP Criterion: Are insight communities your core business, or one offering among many? My-Take's Answer Insight communities are My-Take's core business and sole focus. My-Take has been running insight communities for more than 15 years, as a primary offering from the start. Insight Community+™ was purpose-built for insight community research from the ground up, and every platform innovation since reflects what community-specific programs actually require. Our client-facing team is dedicated exclusively to insight community work. That means researchers who have spent their entire careers in the category, accumulating pattern recognition across a wide range of industries, community sizes, and research mixes — from lean quarterly programs for mid-market brands to complex, multi-brand, high-volume programs for Fortune 500 organizations. At the end of the day, the program commitment question is simple: is your vendor truly focused on the kind of work you are asking them to deliver? Their priorities, investment, and top talent should all be aligned with the success of your insight community program. It is also worth noting that Insight Community+™ can serve as a broader research hub for organizations that want platform access beyond a traditional community structure — for example, licensing the platform to manage ongoing research operations without a full branded member community. My-Take's flexibility across service models and deployment types means clients are not locked into one definition of how the platform should be used. ## 15. How My-Take Compares The insight community vendor landscape includes purpose-built community platforms, broader research or experience management suites with community modules, and newer entrants focused on mobile-first or conversational formats. Where a vendor falls on that spectrum affects platform depth, service continuity, innovation pace, and how much organizational attention your program receives. My-Take differentiates itself in a few areas that matter during an RFP evaluation. Insight Community+™ is a fully proprietary platform, meaning qual, quant, CX, UX, and AI all run on the same native stack with no third-party dependencies for core research functions. Some competing platforms assemble capabilities through integrations, which can create data continuity gaps and complicate support escalation. My-Take's singular focus on insight communities, rather than offering communities as one product line within a broader suite, means the full R&D budget, product roadmap, and client-facing team are dedicated to community-specific programs. And the platform's AI capabilities span the full research pipeline rather than being limited to one or two surface-level features. That said, every evaluation should weigh trade-offs specific to your program's needs. The right vendor depends on the research you plan to run, the service model you need, and how central the insight community is to your overall research strategy. For a detailed comparison across the leading providers, see our Top 10 Insight Community Platforms & Companies in 2026. ### Common Questions from RFP Evaluations Is My-Take's platform HIPAA and SOC 2 compliant? Yes. My-Take is SOC 2 and HIPAA compliant. The platform uses advanced data encryption in transit and at rest, supports multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO), and enforces role-based access controls. The platform complies with GDPR and CCPA, with member consent, opt-outs, and data deletion requests managed within the platform. Client and member data are not used in AI model training. Documentation on all certifications and data handling policies is available on request during an evaluation. What AI capabilities does My-Take offer? AI is integrated across the full platform. Capabilities include MyAI, a collaborative research thought partner that enables researchers to interact directly with their community data across administration and reporting; AI-powered video analysis with automated theming, sentiment detection, and highlight reel generation; SmartDeck™, which auto-generates client-branded PowerPoint reports with AI-produced headlines, insights, and executive summaries; AI-assisted open-ended coding and theming with verbatim citations; AI survey writing tools; Conversations, a mobile-first chat-based survey format with AI auto-moderation and adaptive questioning; and AI-powered discussion board moderation that suggests follow-up probes. For a full overview, see my-take.com/ai. What service models are available and can they change over time? My-Take offers three service models: DIY/SaaS (platform license, technical support and training, for teams with strong internal research capacity), Hybrid (platform license plus select research services including moderation, administration, content development, programming, analysis, and reporting), and Full-Service (full end-to-end research management, best suited for lean or no dedicated internal research teams). Clients can move between service levels as their needs change — no separate contract amendment required when priorities or team capacity shifts. ## Frequently Asked Questions Is My-Take's platform proprietary? Yes. Insight Community+™ is proprietary and purpose-built for insight community research. Core research functions; qual, quant, CX, UX, and AI all run on the same native stack. What research activities does the platform support? The platform supports surveys with advanced logic and question types (MaxDiff, pricing tools, matrix, heatmaps), polls, discussion boards, journals and diaries, video focus groups and IDIs, mobile ethnography, UX testing with screen recording, co-creation and ideation, collage activities, in-home use tests, social media simulation, mock shopping, and chat-based mobile-first surveys. All activity types are available natively within Insight Community+™; no external tools required. How experienced is the My-Take team? My-Take has more than 15 years of insight community experience. The company has been recognized on GreenBook's GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Market Research Suppliers list for six consecutive years. The team includes researchers with long tenure across qualitative and quantitative methods. A dedicated account team is assigned to every client at every service level. How does My-Take approach community health between major studies? My-Take actively manages community health between high-priority studies through a consistent schedule of activities at a recommended cadence of 2-4 per month. Gamification features, member acknowledgment, and closing-the-loop communications keep members engaged across the life of the program. What types of research programs does My-Take support? My-Take supports a wide range of insight community program types, including product development and innovation, customer experience and satisfaction, concept testing, advertising and messaging evaluation, usage and attitude studies, segmentation, competitive intelligence, and path-to-purchase research. Programs range from focused communities of a few hundred members to large-scale panels with thousands of participants across multiple segments, and span consumer, B2B, and healthcare audiences. Kait Hanerfeld Associate Director of Marketing · My-Take Kait Hanerfeld is Associate Director of Marketing at My-Take, a leading insight community platform. At My-Take, Kait helps lead content and marketing programs that help insights professionals evaluate, understand, and get the most from insight community platforms. My-Take has been recognized on GreenBook's GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Market Research Suppliers list for six consecutive years. LinkedIn → ### Ready to See the Platform in Action? Schedule a personalized demo and we'll walk through your specific research objectives and show you how Insight Community+™ addresses them directly. Request a Demo → Written by Kait Hanerfeld, Associate Director of Marketing at My-Take. This article is a companion to the insight community RFP evaluation criteria guide. For a comparison of providers in the market, see: Top 10 Insight Community Platforms & Companies in 2026. # What to Include in an Insight Community RFP: A Complete Guide Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/insight-community-rfp-guide Published: June 23, 2026 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Writing an insight community or MROC RFP? This 2026 guide covers every section to include, the questions that actually separate strong vendors, and a checklist to compare proposals side by side. Who this guide is for: Research leaders, insights managers, and procurement teams evaluating insight community or market research online community (MROC) vendors for the first time - or for the first time in several years. A strong RFP surfaces real platform and service differences. This guide covers every section your RFP should include, the key questions to ask within each, what separates strong vendor capabilities, and an interactive checklist you can use to evaluate and compare proposals side by side. If you're also looking to compare specific providers, see our Top 10 Insight Community Platforms & Companies in 2026. Disclosure: This guide was written by My-Take, an insight community platform provider. The questions, frameworks, and criteria are designed to help buyers run a rigorous evaluation - including of vendors other than My-Take. ## 1. Why Your Insight Community RFP Matters Most organizations issue an insight community RFP when they are looking to start a community or transition to a new provider. It's a high-stakes, low-frequency exercise - which means teams are often writing one for the first time, or working from a template that hasn't kept pace with how the space has evolved. A weak RFP produces generic proposals that are nearly impossible to compare objectively. A strong RFP helps vendors address what actually matters for your program, surfaces meaningful capability differences, and gives you the information to make a confident vendor decision. This guide draws on more than 15 years of insight community experience and reflects the RFP questions, requirements, and evaluation criteria we see most consistently across organizations of all sizes and industries. My-Take has been recognized on GreenBook's GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Market Research Suppliers list for six consecutive years - and this guide reflects our independent perspective on what a rigorous insight community evaluation should cover. The insight community vendor landscape includes purpose-built community platforms like My-Take, Alida, and Fuel Cycle; broader research or experience management suites that include a community module, such as Qualtrics and Forsta; newer entrants that emphasize mobile-first or conversational research formats, such as Rival Technologies; and research and brand strategy consultancies that manage insight community programs on behalf of clients, such as Finch Brands. Each category brings a different set of trade-offs across platform depth, service model, and long-term investment focus. For a detailed comparison across providers, see our Top 10 Insight Community Platforms & Companies in 2026. ## 2. Organizational Background and Research Context Before vendors can respond meaningfully, they need to understand the background on who you are, what you've done so far for research, and your team's needs. This sets the entire tone of the proposals you'll receive. ### What to cover A description of your organization, its brands, and the internal teams that will rely on community insights How insights will be used internally - which teams act on them (marketing, product, strategy, leadership), how findings typically get shared, and how they influence decisions The key business problems you're trying to solve - for example, a need to validate product decisions faster, gaps in understanding a new audience segment, or reliance on ad-hoc research that lacks continuity How the community will be used - is it primarily for research on product development, marketing, customer experience, or a mix? Whether you are launching a new community from scratch or migrating an existing one (and if migrating, how long you've been with your current provider and approximately how many active members/panelists you have) Your current research infrastructure - what tools are in your stack, what your internal team capacity looks like, and which areas of research your team expects to own and conduct vs. where you will rely on vendor support How many internal users will need platform access and at what permission level This context shapes every other answer a vendor gives you. A small, self-directed research team has different needs than a large organization with multiple brand stakeholders and dozens of internal users. ## 3. Research Objectives and Use Cases Describe the types of research your community needs to support with enough detail that vendors can map their platform capabilities to your real workflows. ### Understanding Methodology Types Insight communities support four main research methodology types. Understanding the differences helps you specify exactly what you need - and assess whether a platform can genuinely deliver across all of them. Methodology What It Answers Example Research Activities Qualitative (Qual) Why? - The motivations, emotions, and context behind behaviors Discussion boards, video focus groups, in-depth interviews (IDIs), journals/diaries, mobile ethnography, co-creation and ideation Quantitative (Quant) How many? How often? - Statistical patterns across your community Surveys, polls, MaxDiff, pricing studies (Gabor Granger, Van Westendorp), TURF analysis, cross-tabulations Customer Experience (CX) How do customers feel at each touchpoint in their journey? Chat-based/mobile-first surveys, mobile ethnography, in-home use tests (IHUTs) User Experience (UX) How do users interact with your digital products and interfaces? UX testing with screen recording, task-based navigation testing, heatmaps, hotspot analysis ### Types of Insight Community Research Use Cases Beyond methodology, it helps to outline the specific research use cases your community needs to support. The table below covers the most common categories; use it to help vendors understand the breadth of your program. Research Use Case Description Common Activities Product development Concept testing, ideation, pricing evaluation, in-home use testing Surveys, discussion boards, co-creation sessions, IHUTs, mobile ethnography Customer experience (CX) Customer journey mapping, touchpoint feedback Chat-based surveys, journals/diaries, mobile ethnography, in-home use tests (IHUTs) User experience (UX) Website/app testing, navigation and purchase flow evaluation UX testing with screen recording, surveys, heatmaps and hotspots Marketing & advertising Ad and message testing, content evaluation, promotional testing Surveys, dial testing, hotspot/heatmap analysis, social media simulation, and mock shopping Customer understanding General VoC, brand perceptions Surveys, discussion boards, video focus groups/IDIs, mobile ethnography Personas & audience definition Customer segment definition, persona development Surveys, discussions, journals/diaries, mobile ethnography Journals/Journaling Deep dive into consumer sentiment, behaviors, or experiences over a defined period of time Topics, surveys, or private discussion boards captured longitudinally Ad-hoc strategic research Quick polls, flash surveys for rapid business decisions Any methodology, as needed Ask vendors to confirm which of these methodologies are natively supported within the platform - not through third-party integrations or workarounds. Also address cadence and volume: how many activities per month do you anticipate in total, and how does that break down by activity type (surveys, qual sessions, quick polls, video focus groups, etc.)? What is your expected turnaround from activity close to report delivery? ## 4. Community Structure and Target Composition This is a key section of an insight community RFP. A vendor's ability to recruit, structure, and maintain your target composition is often a differentiator. ### Community architecture questions to address Is this a single community or multiple communities (e.g., one per brand or business unit)? Will communities be branded with your organization's identity or unbranded/blind? Do you need distinct member pools per brand, or is cross-brand overlap acceptable? What is the target community size? Define by total members and desired active respondent count. What audience segments must be represented? What is the desired balance of current customers vs. non-customers? What are the key criteria for qualification for membership? What member profile field data should be captured during onboarding? Spelling out your segments explicitly lets vendors demonstrate their recruitment and segmentation capabilities. Branded vs. unbranded: which is right for your program? This is worth thinking through before your RFP, as it affects community design, recruitment approach, and member experience. A branded community works best when the primary use cases involve existing customers - product and service feedback, loyalty program input, new concept testing with your customer base, and engagement-driven research. An unbranded community is the better fit when a key use case is unbranded concept testing or Usage and Attitudes (U&A) research. Some organizations run both. Ask vendors how they've structured programs for each model and whether their platform supports both configurations. ## 5. Recruitment Strategy and Capabilities Recruitment is the foundation of a healthy community. A good RFP gives vendors enough context to propose a specific, credible strategy. Include the questions below to get concrete responses. ### Key recruitment questions for your RFP How would you approach recruiting members to match our target segments and community composition? What is your external recruitment process? What quality control measures do you have in place for recruitment, whether sourced from internal lists or recruited externally? What internal sources do you recommend we leverage for recruitment, and how would you incorporate resources we already have access to (e.g., customer lists, social media, website) into your proposed strategy? Do you have any segmentation tools (e.g., typing tool) to automatically place members into audience segments based on their screener responses? What is your refresh strategy for identifying and replacing inactive or disengaged members over time? Can you send recruitment communications using our branding? For community migrations: how do you handle member data transfer and member re-engagement? ## 6. Platform Capabilities: Methodology and Research Tools Platform capability differences are real and significant. The goal is to go beyond "what tools do you have" and probe whether the platform can genuinely support the research you plan to run. A key question: is the platform proprietary and purpose-built, or assembled from third-party integrations? Proprietary platforms offer smoother workflows, stronger security, faster innovation, and consistent support chains. For a full breakdown of what separates elite insight community platforms from the field, see our guide to the best insight community platforms. Capability Area What to Verify Survey builder Advanced question types (MaxDiff, pricing studies, matrix, heatmaps, social media simulation, mock shopping), logic & routing, quotas, randomization, data piping Quick polls 24-48 hour turnaround capability Discussion boards & journals Threaded discussions, diary/journal formats, ability to toggle private vs. community-visible Video focus groups & IDIs Native video, advanced moderator tools, observer access, built-in clip editor and highlight reel generator Mobile ethnography Native mobile app, photo/video upload, location check-ins, in-the-moment capture UX testing Screen recording for desktop and mobile, task-based testing, website/app evaluation Advanced quantitative analytics Cross-tabs, banner tables, significance testing (t-test, z-test), correlation analysis, TURF, Gabor Granger, Van Westendorp, MaxDiff, Semantic Differential Co-creation & ideation Collaborative idea generation, collage/drag-and-drop activities, whiteboard tools Mobile-first surveys Chat-based/conversational survey formats optimized for mobile engagement Mobile experience & responsive design Do community members have a seamless experience across devices? Are all activity types - surveys, discussions, video, ethnography - fully functional on mobile? Multi-language support What languages are currently supported? How easy is it to add a new language, and is translation managed within the platform or handled externally? Are language settings configurable at the community or activity level? CX tools Social media simulation, mock shopping environments, heatmaps, hotspots Ask vendors to confirm native support vs. third-party integration for each capability. Third-party integrations for critical research functions can create data continuity issues, complicate support escalation, and add admin overhead. ## 7. AI Capabilities AI is no longer optional in insight community platforms - it's a meaningful productivity multiplier. Ask vendors to describe specifically how AI is integrated into their platform. The depth of implementation varies widely: some platforms offer surface-level AI features like basic survey question suggestions, while others, including My-Take, embed AI across the full research pipeline from survey design through branded reporting and collaborative data analysis. ### AI questions to include in your RFP Survey design: Can AI suggest or refine question wording and propose answer options? Automated theming and coding: Can AI automatically categorize open-ended responses with verbatim citations for transparency? Can researchers apply custom coding frameworks? Video analysis: Can the platform automatically generate themes, sentiment, and highlight reels from video responses? AI-powered reporting: Can AI generate branded, formatted slide decks with data-driven insights and executive summaries based on study objectives? Can outputs be exported directly to PowerPoint? Collaborative AI assistant: Can researchers interact with an AI assistant to analyze data, surface patterns, and generate insight narratives on demand - directly within the platform? Discussion moderation: Can AI suggest follow-up probes for discussion board posts to deepen engagement? Human in the loop: Does the researcher have the ability to easily review and refine all AI-generated outputs before they are used or shared? Governance: Is client or member data used in AI model training? What opt-out options exist for organizations with AI governance policies? The following questions will help you assess whether a vendor's AI capabilities are genuinely integrated or primarily for demo purposes. ## 8. Panel vs. Community: Clarifying Your Vision This distinction matters more than organizations typically realize at the RFP stage - and it's worth addressing directly to ensure vendors respond to what you actually want. A panel is primarily a mechanism for distributing surveys to a defined group of people. It's transactional and research-focused. A community is a more immersive, ongoing environment where members may interact with content, with each other, and with the brand over time - building engagement, loyalty, and a deeper relationship with your research program. ### Define your vision clearly in the RFP Do you want members to interact with each other (e.g., in discussion boards), or only with your research team? Do you envision a branded "home" experience for members - with a community hub, point balances, shared content, and sharebacks - or a leaner, more transactional experience? What engagement activities do you want to run between high-priority studies? Will you be running only surveys or do you need a wider set of research tools? If you're starting with a panel model, does the platform have the architecture to evolve to a full community if your needs change? Understanding your vision along the panel-to-community spectrum helps vendors propose the right architecture from the start. For a full breakdown of the differences, see our guide on the difference between market research panels and insight communities. ## 9. Member Incentives and Engagement Incentive programs play an important role in member engagement and community health. A well-designed incentive system should not create administrative burden -- ask vendors specifically how their platform handles fulfillment efficiently. Ask vendors to share their perspective on what works, not just their technical capabilities. ### Incentive and engagement questions Do you recommend incentives for joining, completing surveys, or both? What structures have you seen work best? What incentive options do you offer, and how can you help us budget and cap incentive expenditure over the course of the program? How automated is incentive fulfillment? Can rewards be distributed to members automatically, or does each fulfillment require manual action? For global or multi-geography communities, can your platform support internationally accessible points/rewards redemption? Do you manage incentive fulfillment directly, or through a third party? What gamification features are available (badges, leaderboards, progress tracking, point systems)? How do you maintain member engagement during periods of lower research activity - and what does that actually look like in practice? How do you "close the loop" with members - communicating how their feedback influenced decisions? ## 10. Reporting, Analysis, and Deliverables Research only creates value when it produces insights decision-makers can act on. Your RFP should specify both the formats you need and the level of analytical support you expect - and ask vendors to differentiate between what the platform generates automatically vs. what requires manual time. ### Specify your deliverable requirements Raw data exports: CSV, Excel, SPSS - are all three available natively? Data tables: cross-tabs and banner tables with significance testing - built into the platform or outsourced? AI-generated slide decks: can the platform export client-branded, formatted PowerPoint reports with AI-suggested insights and executive summaries? Are charts and data visualizations automatically generated from survey results, or does chart creation require manual work? Qualitative reporting: automated thematic summaries with verbatim citations and exact counts/percentages, video highlight reels, open-ended coding with customizable AI instructions Is there a live report feature that gives stakeholders immediate access to data as responses come in, in real time? Reporting timeline: what is the standard turnaround from activity close to topline? To full report? Research archive: is there any way to upload past research and studies to the platform? ## 11. Data Security and Compliance Data security requirements are an important element in every RFP. Organizations handling personally identifiable information (PII) have real obligations, and it is worth understanding exactly how a vendor manages member data before signing a contract. Requirement What to Ask Security compliance SOC 2, HIPAA, and penetration testing - which are current, and can documentation be provided? PII protection How is PII/data stored, encrypted in transit and at rest, and access-controlled? Data breach protocol What is the notification timeline and incident response process? Member consent & data rights How are opt-outs and data deletion requests handled? GDPR/CCPA compliance specifics? Access controls Role-based permissions, multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO) support Single sign-on (SSO) Does the platform support SSO? AI data governance Is client or member data used in AI model training? What are the opt-out provisions? ## 12. Service Model and Team Structure Platform capability and service model are equally important - and service model flexibility is one of the most overlooked dimensions of insight community evaluation. Be explicit about what you need and ask vendors to propose how they'd structure the engagement specifically for your program. Service Model What It Looks Like Best For DIY / Self-Service Full platform access; vendor support available but not hands-on. Your team builds, fields, and analyzes. Teams with strong internal research capacity and bandwidth Hybrid Shared ownership - vendor handles defined tasks (e.g., programming, analysis, reporting) while client drives strategy. Balance shifts as needed. Teams that want control without managing every execution detail Full-Service End-to-end management from study design through deliverables. Client focuses on strategy and decision-making. Lean or no dedicated internal research teams, high-volume programs, complex multi-brand programs Look for platforms that offer all three models - and let you shift between them. Locking into a fixed service tier that doesn't adapt as your team's capacity and needs evolve is one of the most common sources of mid-contract frustration. Ask vendors explicitly: "If our needs shift mid-year, can we adjust our service level?" ### Team structure questions Who specifically would manage our account day-to-day? What is their experience level and how long have they been with the company? Does the team have expertise and experience across qual, quant, and community management? How does your team approach speed and flexibility in service delivery when priorities shift or timelines compress? What is the team's overall tenure? Community management continuity directly affects program quality. How is project management structured - what does a typical activity workflow look like from brief to deliverable? What are your standard turnaround times for common service elements - for example, programming a survey, fielding and closing an activity, delivering a topline, and producing a full report? What happens between major studies? How does the vendor maintain community health and member engagement when research volume is lower? Is the research team that manages our community the same team that built and understands the platform? Is senior leadership accessible if significant issues or strategic questions arise during the engagement? Which areas can your team offer strategic guidance or thought leadership on to support best practices for managing an insight community? What training and onboarding do you provide for new platform users? Do you offer a learning management system (LMS) or self-serve training resources, and are these kept up to date as the platform evolves? Does your DIY / Self-Service model include dedicated and responsive customer support for when users need assistance in the platform? ## 13. Implementation Timeline If you have a hard launch date - driven by a contract expiration, a fiscal year start, or a strategic initiative - state it clearly in the RFP. Ask vendors to provide a milestone-by-milestone implementation plan that covers platform setup, branding customization, recruitment or migration, team onboarding, and first activity launch. For migration situations, ask specifically about the timeline for transferring member data and re-engaging existing members in the new environment. ## 14. Pricing and Cost Structure Ask vendors to itemize costs clearly so you can compare proposals on equal footing. Pricing structures vary significantly across vendors, so understanding the full picture upfront is important for accurate budget planning. ### Cost components to request Platform licensing / subscription fee (annual or monthly) Setup and onboarding fee Initial recruitment costs and annual refresh recruitment estimate Incentive program costs and management fees Per-activity or per-response costs, if any Professional services rates: methodology and content development, programming, moderation, analysis, reporting Number of platform seats included and cost of additional seats Any additional fees for AI features, video analysis, advanced analytics, or premium capabilities Is there a token or credit system in place, or can project volume be increased without hitting cost thresholds or platform limitations? If your model is volume-based, have the vendor provide pricing against anticipated growth volume for years 2 and 3. ## 15. Vendor Experience and References Go beyond standard case studies. Ask vendors to demonstrate experience relevant to your specific situation. ### Reference and experience questions What is your experience with organizations of similar size, complexity, or industry? Can you share examples of managing communities with similar research volume and activity mix to what we've described? Can you share examples of multi-brand or multi-segment communities you've managed? What is your client retention rate, and what is your average length of client relationship? Has your platform been independently recognized for innovation? (e.g., analyst recognition, industry innovation awards, or peer review listings) Please provide current client references we may contact, with their specific permission. ## 16. Provider Focus and Program Commitment Most RFPs spend significant time evaluating what a vendor can do. This section asks a different question: how committed are they to doing it? Not all insight community vendors are equally focused on the category. Some have built their entire business around insight communities; every hire, every platform investment, and every client relationship points in one direction. Others offer communities as one product line within a broader research, CX, or analytics platform. Neither model is automatically disqualifying, but the degree of focus has real consequences for what you experience as a client: how deeply the team understands community-specific challenges, how much of the vendor's innovation budget is directed at community capabilities, and how much organizational attention your program actually receives when competing priorities arise. Vendors like My-Take have built their business exclusively around insight communities, while others offer communities within a broader platform portfolio. Understanding where a vendor falls on that spectrum helps set expectations for the depth of attention your program will receive. Focus is not the same as size. What matters is whether insight communities are central to the vendor's mission and business model. "Several suppliers will check most of the boxes in an RFP. Those requirements are important - but ask these questions too: Is the platform purpose-built and proprietary? What is the company's approach to AI, and what's next on their roadmap? Who are the people supporting your account? Understand how much community research experience they have, and if they are likely to still be on the account in 12 months. Which provider will adapt to the inevitable shifts in needs and priorities without treating every change as a contract negotiation? The checklist gets you onto the shortlist. These questions might help you find a partner." - Todd Hoskins, Co-founder, My-Take ### Focus and commitment questions What percentage of your revenue comes from insight community programs specifically? A vendor where communities represent the clear majority of revenue will prioritize platform investment and service staffing very differently than one where communities account for a fraction of a broader book of business. How long have you been delivering insight communities, and has it always been a primary offering — or was it added to an existing service portfolio? Longevity in the category matters, but only when the category has been the focus. Is your client-facing team dedicated exclusively to insight community work? Dedicated community teams accumulate knowledge across programs that generalist teams often lack. How many active insight communities does your team currently manage, and across how many industries and program types? When you visit the vendor's website, is insight community research clearly central to who they are? Criteria worth confirming before finalizing your shortlist. Most vendors will address the broad strokes of your RFP. A handful of capabilities are harder to cover natively and worth verifying directly before inviting a vendor into a full evaluation: A proprietary platform with no critical third-party dependencies AI-generated branded PowerPoint reporting Social media simulation and mock shopping environments SOC 2 Type II plus HIPAA compliance Not every platform covers all four natively. Confirming these early narrows your list to vendors who can genuinely deliver. Why focus matters once the program is live. Platform investment, team depth, service continuity, and institutional knowledge all tend to be stronger at vendors for whom insight communities are the core business — not one offering among many. The questions above are designed to surface this distinction in a way that proposal documents rarely do on their own. ## Vendor Evaluation Checklist Use this checklist to score and compare vendor proposals. Evaluation is organized across three pillars, each carrying equal weight (33%) in the overall score. Work through it digitally or print - your progress is saved as you go. 0 items checked 0% Platform & Technology 0% Service & Delivery 0% Value & Long-Term Fit 0% Weighted Score Pillar 1: Platform & Technology 33% of total score Platform Architecture Proprietary platform Cloud-hosted, scalable to any community size Fully responsive across desktop, mobile, and tablet Multi-language / translation support for global programs Custom branding options Customizable admin dashboard for real-time community monitoring Quantitative Research Tools Advanced survey builder with complex logic & routing MaxDiff and TURF analysis built natively Pricing studies: Gabor Granger & Van Westendorp Cross-tabs and banner tables with significance testing and correlation analysis Quick polls (24-48 hour turnaround) Concept testing with historical database benchmarking Qualitative Research Tools Native video focus groups & IDIs Built-in video clip editor and highlight reel generator Discussion boards and journal/diary activities Deep-dive qualitative activity type (focused qual with mixed Q types) Co-creation and ideation activities Collage / drag-and-drop visual activities CX, UX & Mobile Research UX testing with screen recording (desktop & mobile) Mobile ethnography with photo & video upload Chat-based / mobile-first survey format Social media simulation feed testing Mock shopping / simulated e-commerce environment In-home use testing (IHUT) support and management Member Management & Engagement Member profiling and segmentation with custom profile fields Segmentation typing tool to auto-assign members to audience segments Multi-channel communications: email, SMS, in-platform messaging Gamification: points, badges, leaderboards, rewards Internationally accessible incentive/rewards redemption Multi-path recruitment options (internal lists, external panels, organic, social) AI Capabilities AI-assisted survey question writing and refinement AI Dynamic Text Questions: conversational follow-up probes Automated open-ended theming and coding with verbatim citations AI-powered video analysis: themes, sentiment, highlight reels AI-generated branded PowerPoint reporting with executive summary and insights Collaborative AI research assistant for on-demand analysis AI discussion moderation (probe suggestions) Reporting & Deliverables Live in-platform dashboards during fielding Export to Excel, CSV, SPSS, and PDF natively AI-generated, client-branded PowerPoint export Historical research repository within the platform Security & Compliance SOC 2 Type II certified/compliant HIPAA compliant GDPR and CCPA compliance with documented data handling policies MFA, SSO, and role-based access controls Pillar 2: Service & Insight Delivery 33% of total score Service Model & Team Quality Offers DIY, Hybrid, and Full-Service models with flexibility to shift Dedicated account team with strong tenure and low turnover Team has expertise in both qual and quant research methods Proactive community health management Pillar 3: Value & Long-term Fit 33% of total score Cost & Pricing Fully itemized cost breakdown No hidden per-activity or per-response fees Contract structure allows movement between service levels ROI & Efficiency Platform consolidates qual, quant, CX, and UX in one environment AI and automation integrated into research workflows Active platform roadmap with recent capability releases - platform is continuously improving Timely delivery of accurate reports and insights Track Record & Long-term Fit Demonstrated track record: independently recognized for innovation through analyst recognition, industry awards, or peer review listings High client retention rate (ask for specific number) Use this checklist to evaluate and compare vendor responses systematically. Each pillar score reflects the percentage of items checked within that category. The weighted score averages all three pillars equally. Once you've scored your proposals, see how the leading platforms stack up side by side: Top 10 Insight Community Platforms & Companies in 2026 — a full comparison of providers across platform, service, and value dimensions. ## Frequently Asked Questions What is an insight community RFP? An insight community RFP (Request for Proposal) is a structured document that organizations use to solicit proposals from vendors capable of building, managing, and supporting an online insight community or market research online community (MROC). A strong RFP covers organizational background, research objectives, community composition requirements, platform capabilities, AI needs, service model expectations, data security requirements, and pricing structure - giving vendors enough context to respond specifically and giving you the raw material to compare proposals objectively. What should be included in an insight community RFP? A complete insight community RFP should include: organizational background and research context, research objectives and use cases, community structure and target composition, recruitment strategy requirements, platform capability requirements, AI capability specifications, member incentive and engagement approach, reporting and deliverable specifications, data security and compliance requirements, service model expectations, implementation timeline, pricing and cost structure, and vendor qualifications and references. See the full guide above for what to ask in each section. How do I evaluate insight community vendors from their RFP responses? Evaluate vendors across five key dimensions: platform capability (is the technology proprietary and purpose-built, or assembled from third-party tools?), research methodology breadth (can it handle qual, quant, CX, and UX natively in one environment - and is it fully responsive across desktop, mobile, and tablet, not just mobile?), AI depth (does AI accelerate real research workflows across the full pipeline?), service model flexibility (can you shift between DIY, hybrid, and full-service depending on your needs?), and team quality (what is the experience level and tenure of the people who will actually manage your account?). Our interactive checklist above is designed to help you score vendors systematically across all of these areas. For a more detailed framework, see our guide to choosing an insight community platform. What is the difference between a panel and an insight community in RFP terms? A panel is primarily a mechanism for distributing surveys to a defined group of people - transactional and research-focused, with no ongoing brand relationship. An insight community is a carefully recruited, private group with an ongoing relationship with your brand, enabling deeper, iterative, multi-method research over time. When writing an RFP, clarify which model fits your vision: a leaner panel experience focused on survey distribution, or a richer community environment with member engagement, two-way interaction, branded experiences, and ongoing relationship-building. For a full breakdown, see our guide on the difference between market research panels and insight communities. How important is AI in an insight community RFP evaluation? Very - but the depth and quality of AI implementation varies widely. In your RFP, ask vendors specifically about: automated theming and coding of open-ends (with verbatim citations, not just summaries), video analysis and automated highlight reel generation, AI-powered branded reporting, and collaborative AI assistants that let researchers interact with data on demand. Platforms that use AI well help researchers work faster and smarter while keeping them in control of interpretation and recommendations. To see what deep AI integration looks like in practice, explore My-Take's AI capabilities. Why is service model flexibility so important in an insight community RFP? Because your team's capacity and needs will change over the life of a contract. A vendor that locks you into a fixed service tier limits your agility and often costs more than necessary. Look for platforms that offer DIY, hybrid, and full-service as distinct, flexible options that can shift easily. How long does it take to launch an insight community after selecting a vendor? Launch timelines vary depending on platform setup complexity, recruitment volume, branding customization, and whether you are migrating from an existing platform. A new community typically takes a few weeks to a few months from contract to first activity, with migration projects on the longer end of that range. Your RFP should ask vendors to provide a detailed milestone timeline specific to your community size, segment complexity, and whether migration is involved. What is a market research online community (MROC)? MROC - Market Research Online Community - is an older term for what is now most commonly called an insight community. The two terms are used interchangeably across the industry. "Insight community" has become the preferred term because it more directly signals the business value: actionable, ongoing customer insights that enable faster and better decisions. For a full explanation of how insight communities work, see our complete guide to insight communities in market research. What insight community platforms should I include in my RFP shortlist? Start by identifying vendors across the main categories in the space: purpose-built insight community platforms (such as My-Take, Alida, and Fuel Cycle), broader research or experience management platforms with community modules (such as Qualtrics and Forsta), mobile-first or conversational research platforms (such as Rival Technologies), and research and brand strategy consultancies that manage insight community programs on behalf of clients (such as Finch Brands). Your shortlist criteria should prioritize platform depth across qual, quant, CX, and UX; AI maturity across the research pipeline; service model flexibility; security compliance; and the vendor's degree of focus on insight community programs specifically. For a detailed comparison across providers, see our Top 10 Insight Community Platforms & Companies in 2026. What's coming next in insight community platforms? AI will continue to expand its role across every phase of community execution. Platforms will increasingly need to support qual at scale, especially video focus groups and IDIs, as demand for depth grows alongside the expectation for speed. Your RFP is a decision not just for today but for where the space is heading - choosing a vendor committed to continuous platform innovation matters as much as what they offer right now. ### Ready to See a Strong Proposal? Let us show you how My-Take's Insight Community+™ platform handles every requirement in this guide. Request a Demo → # Top 10 Insight Community Platforms & Companies in 2026 Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/top-10-insight-community-platforms Published: March 14, 2026 By: Kait Hanerfeld > A 2026 overview guide to the top 10 insight community and market research online community (MROC) platforms and companies. My-Take's view of the market: The rankings within each category represent My-Take's independent view of the competitive landscape. We recognize that as an active participant in this space, an inherent bias exists — and we think it's important to be transparent about that. We recommend starting with our more detailed evaluation guide, linked below, so you can make the decision that's right for your organization. We've organized the market into three provider types: Comprehensive Community Platforms, Methodology-Focused Platforms, and Research/Brand Agencies, based on how each category is primarily architected, what research problems it is optimized to solve, and the service model it typically delivers. The views, categorizations, and assessments in this article represent My-Take's independent perspective and are intended for informational purposes only. For our full buyer's guide on features and evaluation criteria, see: Best Insight Community Platforms: Features, Use Cases & How to Choose → ## What Is an Insight Community Platform? Definition: An insight community is a private, online environment made up of a defined group(s) of stakeholders, typically customers, prospective customers, employees, B2B professionals, or other target audiences, who are invited to participate in ongoing research activities for a company, brand, product, or service. Members engage through surveys, discussion boards, polls, video focus groups, in-depth interviews, and other interactive formats designed to generate continuous, high-quality feedback. An insight community platform is the technology, and in many cases the research team, that powers that environment. Insight community platforms enable ongoing member relationships, multi-method research (both qualitative and quantitative), and the kind of iterative, always-on engagement that transforms research from reactive reporting into strategic foresight. The distinction matters: many tools claim to support insight communities, but only purpose-built platforms provide the depth of member management, research flexibility, and infrastructure needed to sustain a high-quality community over time. ## Understanding the Insight Community Platform Market The insight community space includes a wide range of providers. Our full analysis of platform types, capabilities, and evaluation criteria is available in our in-depth buyer's guide. Below is a summary of the three provider types that define the market in 2026. Provider Type What They Offer Best For Representative Providers Comprehensive Community Platforms Purpose-built, enterprise-grade technology supporting qual, quant, UX, and CX in one integrated environment. Offer various service models from self-service to full service with insight analysis and reporting. Ongoing, multi-method research programs at mid-to-large organizations. My-Take, Alida, Fuel Cycle, CMNTY Methodology-Focused Platforms Deep expertise in a specific methodology — qual, mobile, or video-based research. Strong within their niche; broader multi-method support may not be as deep. Programs centered on one primary methodology where specialist depth matters more than breadth. Recollective, Rival Technologies, Qualzy Research/Brand Agencies Research expertise and strategic thinking is the primary offering. Community programs are conceived, designed, and managed on your behalf. Technology supports the service relationship. Organizations looking for a higher consultative experience and full service, high-touch insight delivery and support. Finch Brands, Ipsos, C Space/Escalent My-Take's view: The right provider type depends on your program goals, internal research capacity, and how much direct platform access matters to your team. What matters most is choosing a provider whose strengths align with the actual demands of your research program, not just its current state, but where it needs to go. For a detailed breakdown of evaluation criteria, see our full platform guide. For independent third-party directory listings and industry coverage of insight community platforms and market research suppliers, researchers commonly reference GreenBook, Quirks Media, and Insight Platforms. ## Top 10 Insight Community & Market Research Online Community (MROC) Platforms and Companies in 2026 The following ten platforms and companies represent the leading options in the insight community and market research online community (MROC) market in 2026, organized by provider type. The ten providers covered are: My-Take, Alida, Fuel Cycle, CMNTY, Recollective, Rival Technologies, Qualzy, Finch Brands, Ipsos, and C Space/Escalent. Comprehensive Community Platforms · 4 providers Comprehensive platforms are purpose-built enterprise-grade technology solutions that support the full range of research methods — qual, quant, UX, and CX — in a single integrated environment, designed for research teams that need multi-method flexibility at scale. AI is now a defining feature of the strongest platforms in this category, not as an add-on, but integrated throughout the research workflow. Another key differentiator within this category is service model flexibility: the strongest comprehensive platforms offer a genuine range of options from DIY self-service through to hybrid support and full insight analysis and reporting, letting teams scale up or down depending on changing project demands. The category is not uniform beyond that, and the differences matter. #1 ### My-Take My-Take is a leading insight community platform with more than 15 years of experience in building engaged communities for brands and agencies. My-Take's Insight Community+™ is a fully proprietary, purpose-built research operating system that brings together multi-method research, collaborative AI, and flexible service models (DIY, Hybrid, Full Service) within a single, integrated platform. My-Take has been recognized on GreenBook's GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Market Research Suppliers list for 6 consecutive years. Schedule a Demo → #2 ### Alida Alida is a customer experience management and customer insights platform that helps leading brands create engaged research communities to gather feedback that empowers better customer experiences and product innovation. #3 ### Fuel Cycle Fuel Cycle is an AI‑native insights platform that accelerates decision intelligence for legendary brands by enabling organizations to capture, analyze, and act on insights required to launch new products, acquire customers, and sustain growth. #4 ### CMNTY The CMNTY Platform is an all-in-one solution and online community software for launching, conducting, analyzing, and presenting both qualitative & quantitative research. Methodology-Focused Platforms · 3 providers Methodology-focused platforms deliver genuine depth within a focused methodology. Some concentrate on qualitative research, discussion boards, diaries, and IDIs. Others are optimized for mobile-first or conversational experiences. Others center on video-based research. #1 ### Recollective Recollective is an online qualitative research platform that combines the strategic value of engaged communities with the depth of qualitative research, all powerfully assisted by AI. #2 ### Rival Technologies Rival Technologies is a mobile-first conversational market research platform that captures authentic, genuine, and in-the-moment insights. #3 ### Qualzy Qualzy is a qualitative research platform for asynchronous communities, diary studies, and homework tasks. Research/Brand Agencies · 3 providers Research/Brand agencies lead with research expertise and strategic thinking. Community programs are fully conceived, designed, and managed on the client's behalf. The model works best for organizations that want a fully managed strategic research partner and are less focused on direct platform access. When evaluating agency partners, it's wise to ask whether they leverage robust community platform tools to power their programs. #1 ### Finch Brands Finch Brands is an insights-driven brand consultancy and a leader in insights communities, helping organizations forge ongoing customer relationships generating continuous, actionable intelligence that drives smarter strategy, bolder innovation, and sustainable brand growth. #2 ### Ipsos Founded in 1975, Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. #3 ### C Space / Escalent C Space are customer relationship experts, connecting brands to their customers through insight communities to deliver customer insight, strategy and innovation that drive business growth. C Space is part of Escalent, an AI-enabled research and advisory firm. A note on the broader market: The categories above represent our view of how providers are primarily architected and what they are optimized to do. Some providers could reasonably appear in more than one category depending on how they are evaluated. There are also additional players that enter the community conversation including Qualtrics, Forsta, QuestionPro, and others — that we have not featured as primary community platform providers. ## FAQ: Insight Community Platforms What is an insight community platform? An insight community platform is the technology — and in many cases the team — that powers a private, online environment made up of a defined group(s) of stakeholders — typically customers, prospective customers, employees, B2B professionals, or other target audiences — who are invited to participate in ongoing research activities. These platforms enable multi-method research including surveys, discussion boards, polls, video focus groups, in-depth interviews, and more. For a comprehensive overview of how insight communities work, see our complete guide to insight communities in market research. What is the difference between an insight community and a panel? A panel is typically a large, opt-in group of consumers available for ad-hoc research projects with no ongoing brand relationship. An insight community is a carefully recruited private group with a direct, ongoing relationship with your brand — enabling deeper, iterative research. For a full breakdown of the differences, see The Difference Between Market Research Panels and Insight Communities. What is a comprehensive insight community platform? A comprehensive insight community platform is a purpose-built solution that supports qualitative, quantitative, UX, and CX research in a single integrated environment. Unlike methodology-focused platforms focused on one methodology, or survey tools with community features bolted on, comprehensive platforms are designed for research teams who need multi-method flexibility at scale. But the label doesn't guarantee quality — some platforms in this category aggregate third-party tools rather than running on a proprietary stack, which creates data continuity issues and a fragmented support chain. Others are built for ongoing research but not for agility, locking teams into rigid workflows and fixed service levels that can slow you down when the business needs fast answers. The strongest comprehensive platforms combine fully proprietary technology with service models that adapt to your needs. To see what a comprehensive platform looks like in practice, visit the My-Take platform overview. What is the difference between a methodology-focused platform and a comprehensive platform? Methodology-focused platforms deliver deep expertise in one methodology — such as qualitative discussion boards, mobile diaries, or video-based research. They perform well within their niche, but most organizations hit their ceiling faster than they expect. When a research question demands a different approach, or when you need qual and quant running in the same environment, you're either stitching tools together manually or starting over with a different platform. Comprehensive platforms integrate multiple methods in one environment, letting teams pivot without switching tools, losing data continuity, or rebuilding from scratch. What should I look for in an insight community platform in 2026? Key criteria include multi-method research flexibility (qual and quant in one environment), mobile capabilities, video research tools, AI-powered analysis, member management features, security and compliance, scalability, and quality of support. You should also assess whether the platform is proprietary and purpose-built or assembled from third-party integrations. Equally important is service flexibility: the strongest platforms offer DIY, hybrid, and full-service models that adapt to your team's needs, rather than locking you into a fixed level of support that may not fit as your program evolves. For a full evaluation framework and feature-by-feature breakdown, see our Best Insight Community Platforms: Features, Use Cases & How to Choose. When should I use an insight community instead of an ad-hoc study? Insight communities are best when you need recurring feedback from a consistent audience, want to test and iterate concepts over time, or need insight into how attitudes and behaviors evolve. Ad-hoc studies are more appropriate for single, narrow research questions that don't require follow-up. What is a market research online community (MROC)? MROC — Market Research Online Community — is an older term for what is now most commonly called an insight community. The two terms are used interchangeably in the industry. "Insight community" has become preferred because it more directly signals the business value: actionable insights that enable better decisions. How do insight community platforms use AI in 2026? Leading platforms use AI to accelerate and enhance research across the full workflow — not just one phase. That includes coding and theming open-ended qualitative responses, sentiment detection across video and text, automated highlight reel generation, AI-assisted slide generation and reporting, adaptive moderation in mobile surveys, and collaborative AI that can analyze data, surface patterns, and generate insight narratives on demand. The best implementations keep researchers in control of interpretation while removing the time-consuming manual work. To see how My-Take approaches AI in research, visit My-Take AI. ### See My-Take in Action Schedule a personalized platform demo and let's talk about your research program goals. Request a Demo → This article was published by My-Take, a Greater Boston-based insight technology and analysis company specializing in proprietary online insight community platforms. Competitor descriptions sourced from publicly available GreenBook directory listings and company websites. For a full evaluation framework and deeper analysis of the platform landscape, visit: Best Insight Community Platforms: Features, Use Cases & How to Choose. All third-party brand names, product names, and trademarks mentioned in this article are the property of their respective owners. Their inclusion does not imply any affiliation with, sponsorship by, or endorsement by My-Take. # My-Take Launches MyAI Assistant for Collaborative Research Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-launches-myai-assistant-for-collaborative-research Published: March 9, 2026 By: My Take > My-Take has announced today the launch of MyAI Assistant for its Insight Community+™ platform. This innovation reimagines how researchers interact with the platform, delivering unprecedented speed, research-grade accuracy, and enterprise-level strategic intelligence across qualitative and quantitative studies. MyAI Assistant is collaborative AI built specifically for market researchers, embedded directly inside My-Take's Insight Community+™ platform. Unlike general-purpose AI tools, MyAI understands research context — drawing on community data, past studies, and study objectives to help teams analyze results, manage insight communities, and surface actionable insights faster and with greater confidence. Westborough, MA, USA – [March 9th, 2026] – My-Take has announced today the launch of MyAI Assistant for its Insight Community+™ platform. This innovation reimagines how researchers interact with the platform, delivering unprecedented speed, research-grade accuracy, and enterprise-level strategic intelligence across qualitative and quantitative studies. As research teams face mounting pressure to deliver faster insights without sacrificing rigor or quality, My-Take's collaborative AI addresses these challenges. Purpose-built for market research and embedded throughout the Insight Community+™ platform's administration and reporting workflows, MyAI is fundamentally different from general-purpose AI tools. Unlike general LLMs, MyAI is engineered for high-accuracy research environments — where data integrity, contextual understanding, and trust in outputs are critical. MyAI goes beyond simply answering questions. It understands research context and surfaces meaningful insights by leveraging community data, study objectives, past research, and web intelligence to deliver strategic, actionable recommendations researchers can trust — while making community research more efficient. "We've successfully integrated AI for years, and MyAI represents the next evolution of that commitment to platform innovation. We are unlocking further value for the researcher and allowing them to do more by delivering a solution that is ubiquitous and contextual. MyAI works alongside research teams as an intelligent collaborator. With this launch, we are delivering a complete community research operating system that is as intuitive as it is powerful." — Todd Hoskins, Co-founder, My-Take ### MyAI Assistant: Collaborative AI Built for Research MyAI Assistant is accessible via a convenient pop-out interface within the platform, available across key areas of administration and reporting. It works as a research thought partner — analyzing data, generating insights, and providing recommendations and draft content that researchers can review and implement directly in the platform. The result is a research experience where AI expertise is embedded in every phase of community research, eliminating context switching and enabling faster, more confident decision-making. MyAI is powered by a comprehensive knowledge system that draws from research objectives, past studies, member activity, and client context to generate insights aligned with the full scope of your research. Researchers can further strengthen this foundation by uploading internal documents and external study data into a community-level external repository. A smart folder system and intelligent tagging keeps research assets organized and easy to retrieve. While unified under a single AI system, MyAI adapts its capabilities based on researcher intent: ### Administration-Focused AI MyAI's administration capabilities support community and member management, enabling researchers to analyze participation trends, surface engagement insights, optimize incentive drawings, and create first-draft activity question outlines. Example use cases include: Analyze participation trends: "Show me participation trends over the last quarter and identify any drop-off points." Surface engagement insights: "Who are our most active participants this month, and what activities are they engaging with?" Find activities: "What activities have we created using the Social Media Simulation question type within the last year?" Draft and refine questions: "Draft a survey about going to the theater vs. online movie streaming targeted towards Gen Z." ### Reporting-Focused AI MyAI's reporting capabilities help researchers turn data into actionable insights across multiple dimensions — individual questions, activity results, multi-report analyses, and external web sources. Capabilities include summarization, crosstabs, statistical testing, open-ended response analysis, cross-study comparisons, persona development, concept testing, insight storytelling, and built-in quality assurance. Example use cases include: Activity results summarization: "Summarize key findings from the survey including top metrics." Crosstabs: "Create a cross-tab analyzing number of monthly movies watched at home by generation." Open-ended response analysis: "What are the primary motivations driving preference for Concept A, and show me supporting verbatims from Gen Z respondents?" Multi-report analysis: "Analyze the key metrics and overall trends of Product A across all studies uploaded to the platform this year." Persona development: "Based on our recent movie survey, create personas representing our different viewer segments." Insight storytelling: "I'm trying to turn this report into a stakeholder-ready story — what big themes would you structure the story around?" External web intelligence: "Using external web sources, estimate how many movies Gen Z streams online a month." Concept testing and decision support: "Which movie concept should move forward based on all available metrics, and what's the rationale?" Study design recommendations: "What do you suggest we create a study on next based on the findings from this report?" Quality assurance and control: "Check this activity for data quality issues and flag any responses that could affect analysis, then summarize your findings." MyAI can also access the platform knowledgebase — a centralized repository of platform guidance — giving researchers fast, accurate answers about the platform itself while working across any workflow. ### Built on Insight Community+™: Your All-in-One Research Operating System MyAI builds on the foundation of My-Take's Insight Community+™ platform — a proprietary, fully integrated research operating system. Insight Community+™ combines: Multi-methodology capabilities: Qualitative, quantitative, CX, and UX research, optimized for all devices — desktop, mobile, or tablet Versatile research hub: Execute both community and external ad-hoc projects with the same comprehensive toolset Flexible service layer: DIY, Hybrid, or Full Service options supported by My-Take's team of community experts Collaborative AI throughout: Now including MyAI for system-wide intelligence ### Expanding Portfolio of Insight Community Platform AI Agents My-Take continues to develop specialized AI solutions that address specific research challenges, working in cohesion with MyAI and the broader AI system to deliver comprehensive support across the research lifecycle. "We designed MyAI specifically for the way research teams work, but this launch is just the beginning. We have an aggressive roadmap ahead with a multitude of specialized agents and expanded capabilities rolling out in the coming months. This launch represents our long-term commitment to continuously innovating our platform and evolving alongside the needs of our clients." — Rich Armstrong, Co-founder, My-Take Already released AI innovations on the platform include: ### Video and Text Analysis The platform automatically identifies and organizes recurring themes across survey video and open-ended questions, interpreting sentiment throughout. The AI also auto-generates impactful highlight reels organized by theme, bringing the most compelling customer feedback moments to life for stakeholders. Learn more about Video and Text Analysis. ### SmartDeck™ Reporting and Analysis This cutting-edge reporting solution combines advanced AI with automated client-branded slide formatting, transforming how researchers create presentation-ready PowerPoint reports. SmartDeck™ frees researchers from time-consuming formatting tasks so they can focus on crafting meaningful narratives and impactful stakeholder presentations. The AI analyzes study objectives and data to generate compelling slide headlines, actionable insights, and executive summaries. Learn more about SmartDeck™ Reporting and Analysis. ### Conversations AI-Infused Mobile-First Surveys This mobile-first, chat-based survey option makes the research experience simpler and more appealing — especially for specific market segments like Gen Z. The format mimics mobile texting, while AI auto-moderation probes for deeper responses, AI-generated personalized questions adapt to each participant, and AI response feedback fosters natural conversational interactions. Learn more about Conversations AI-Infused Surveys. ### Availability MyAI Collaborative Assistant is rolling out to My-Take clients across all service levels. To learn more or to request a demo, contact My-Take today. # Best Insight Community Platforms: Features, Use Cases & How to Choose Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/best-insight-community-platforms Published: December 18, 2025 By: My Take > This guide explains what defines the best insight community platforms, the core capabilities that separate leading solutions from basic tools, and how to evaluate suppliers to ensure long-term success. Meanwhile, you're juggling five different tools, waiting on vendor timelines, and patching together findings that answer the question but don't translate into actionable insights for your organization. That's where insight community platforms come in - they provide an all-in-one environment where your customers contribute continuously, qual and quant don't live in separate worlds, and you can pivot from concept testing to CX, UX Testing, and beyond without losing momentum. But here's the thing: not every platform delivers on that promise. Some are limited to just qual or to narrow use cases like mobile-only research. Others pile on third-party tool integrations that leave you stranded when you need urgent, in-the-moment strategic support. Few are truly built for researchers who do it all; not just one type of study, but whatever the business throws at them next. The best insight community platforms enable organizations to build long-term, engaged research communities that deliver continuous, high-quality insights. While many solutions claim to support insight communities, only top platforms provide the depth, flexibility, and governance required for scalable research. This guide explains what defines the best insight community platforms, the core capabilities that separate leading solutions from basic tools, and how to evaluate suppliers to ensure long-term success. ## What Is an Insight Community Platform? Definition: An insight community is a private online space made up of a defined group of stakeholders, often customers, who are invited to participate in ongoing B2C or B2B research related to a company, a brand, products, or services. Members take part in activities such as surveys, discussion boards, polls, online video focus groups or interviews, and other interactive formats designed to generate meaningful feedback and insights. An insight community platform is more than a survey tool. It is an online space where members can interact, share experiences, and provide feedback over time. You can conduct research using a variety of tools including: - Surveys and polls - Discussion boards and journals - Live focus groups and IDIs - Co-creation activities - Mobile ethnography research - In-home use testing (IHUTS) / Product testing - Video, audio, and image capture from members - UI/UX testing with screen recording - Creative exercises like collages, brainstorming, and whiteboarding Unlike traditional research, insight communities are continuous, with the voice of the customer always at your fingertips. Members participate in research regularly, providing deeper insights and context that one-off surveys fail to capture. This continuity enables stronger long-term insights and supports better decision-making. The core purpose of an insight community is to collect actionable insights that help inform key business decisions across areas like product development, marketing, brand positioning, customer experience (CX), and user experience (UX). By maintaining continuous engagement with members, these communities enable brands to stay aligned with changing customer needs and market dynamics, supporting innovation and business growth. Tip: Think of your community as a living research hub where insights deepen over time. ## Advantages of Insight Communities Traditional research methods can be slow, costly, and don't tell the full story. Insight communities change the equation by providing... ### Speed, agility, and efficiency Insight communities deliver rapid feedback. Over 60% of member responses are collected within 24 hours, which means you can ask a question Monday morning and have answers by Tuesday's stakeholder meeting. Research cycles that have traditionally taken weeks now take days. Real-time dashboards let you (and your stakeholders) watch results come in live, turning insights into decisions while the business context is still relevant. ### Multi-method integration for rich context Many community platforms began as qualitative tools, simple discussion boards with surveys added on as an afterthought. Elite insight community platforms take a different approach. They're purpose-built for research teams who need to handle qualitative, quantitative, CX, and UX work, all within a single integrated environment. The result is greater breadth, depth, and nuance. This matters because real research rarely fits neatly into methodological boxes. You may need to understand why satisfaction scores dropped (qual), how many customers feel that way (quant), where the experience breaks down (UX), and when sentiment shifts over time (CX). Switching between platforms means losing context, duplicating work, and slowing down when speed is critical. True multi-method integration lets you follow the research wherever it leads without switching systems or manually stitching data together. ### Continuous understanding Ad-hoc research answers the question you asked at that moment, under those conditions. But business doesn't stand still - customer sentiment shifts, competitive dynamics change, and you need to understand why. Insight communities let you track attitudes, behaviors, and sentiment over time by conducting longitudinal research. You can spot trends, identify when changes occur, and make decisions based on patterns rather than isolated data points. Continuity of communities helps turn research from reactive reporting into strategic foresight. ### Collaboration and iteration The best insights often come from iteration, showing customers a concept, hearing their reactions, refining it, and testing again. In traditional research, that cycle can be costly and slow. Each round can mean new recruitment, new fielding, new analysis. Insight communities make iteration seamless. Participants actively contribute ideas, react to evolving concepts, and help co-create solutions in real time. This ongoing feedback loop lets research teams continuously refine features, messaging, and experiences based on diverse customer perspectives. The result: smarter decisions informed by the voice of the customer. ### Engaged and high-quality responses Survey fatigue, straightlining, and speeding are all growing concerns among many researchers. Panel respondents rushing through questionnaires deliver exactly the quality you'd expect. Community members are different. Because they've opted into an ongoing relationship with your research program or brand, they're invested. They provide richer, more thoughtful feedback. They participate in multiple activities over time, giving you depth and context. For research teams, this means faster turnaround and deeper insight, the rare combination of speed and quality that reflects the voice of your customer. Community administrators also have the ability to monitor member responses over time and remove any members who are not providing high quality responses. A common concern with returning to the same group of participants is the risk of bias --- whether through repeated incentives, overfamiliarity with research, or an overrepresentation of brand advocates. Strong insight community programs actively mitigate this risk. Through diversified activity design, rotating sample segments, adding fresh recruits periodically, and applying methodologically sound sampling protocols, teams can ensure balanced representation and data integrity. ### Access to niche or hard-to-reach markets For organizations in highly specialized, B2B, or niche consumer markets, communities deliver an additional advantage: ongoing access to audiences that are otherwise difficult and expensive to recruit. Building a community of these customers reduces repeated recruitment costs and creates a sustainable, long-term source of deeply knowledgeable participants, something traditional ad-hoc research simply can't match. ## Market Overview: Types of Insight Community Platform Providers Not all insight community platforms are created equal. Understanding the landscape helps you evaluate the options that best fit your needs. Qual-focused platforms are good at basic qualitative work but often struggle with more advanced research. If your research is primarily straightforward qual, they can work. If you need true multi-method flexibility, you'll hit their ceiling quickly. Survey tools with limited community features are fundamentally quantitative platforms that bolted on some qual capabilities. They're built more for one-off projects, not continuous engagement. If you need ongoing relationships with participants or iterative research, they can fall short. Platforms like these can be good for launching individual studies, but the community experience feels like an afterthought. These platforms typically lack the sophisticated tools and workflow automation that elite community platforms have refined over years of specialized focus. Platforms that focus on one methodology/limited use cases specialize deeply in one type of approach; some may be mobile-focused, optimized for in-the-moment capture and mobile diaries, while others concentrate exclusively on video-based research. These solutions deliver solid experiences within their niche but can't pivot when your research questions demand different methodologies. These platforms can be highly effective if your community strategy centers on one primary use case and you're confident it won't evolve, but most organizations eventually need versatility. Platform-first, but service challenged tools work for ongoing research, but they're not built for agility. If you need to run additional studies, pivot your approach mid-project, or adapt to changing research priorities, you'll often find yourself slowed down by rigid workflows. Even more critical is the service gap: these platforms typically lock you into a fixed level of support that may not meet your evolving needs. They don't "meet you where you are", whether that means providing more hands-on assistance during a complex project, adjusting timelines, or scaling support up or down. The result is slower turnaround, bureaucratic processes, and a research experience that can feel inflexible and frustrating when speed, insight, and responsiveness are most critical. Ecosystem solutions that use third-party tools promise "best-of-breed" performance, but in reality they require you to manage multiple vendor interfaces, learn different systems, and deal with more challenging support. Although these platforms offer many tools, the extra admin work often wipes out any efficiency they're supposed to provide. The ecosystem approach results in weaker client service and support, because the platform provider depends on their ecosystem tool providers for assistance, creating an inefficient support chain and communication bottleneck. In addition, data continuity suffers when insights live across disconnected platforms, and you'll spend significant time on data integration and reconciliation. Security and compliance also become more complex when participant data flows through multiple systems with different protocols. Full-service consultancies that don't have access to a powerful platform bring deep research expertise and strategic thinking, but without good technology, they're often cobbling together solutions and tools. Not every consultancy has a powerful tech infrastructure, and those without one often charge premium fees for services that could be delivered more efficiently with better technology. The biggest loss of value comes in speed and collaboration. Without visibility into the back-end of a unified platform, research teams are locked into time-consuming workflows, reliant on static exports and manual data integration. Iteration is slower, insights are delayed, and stakeholders have limited real-time access to results. This lack of transparency and agility makes it challenging to collaborate effectively or pivot research mid-project, reducing the overall efficiency and impact of the work. Elite insight community platforms are purpose-built for researchers who need to do everything. They integrate qual, quant, CX, and UX in an all-in-one environment. They're designed with research workflows in mind: sophisticated study design, rigorous analysis, flexible reporting, and the ability to handle whatever methodology you need. These platforms recognize that technology alone isn't enough, which is why they pair comprehensive capabilities with experienced research teams and flexible service models. Understanding which category a platform belongs to is the first step in making a smart evaluation. ## Core Capabilities of Top Insight Community Platforms When evaluating top insight community platforms, consider four critical areas: platform tech capability, research team expertise, service flexibility, and overall value. ### Platform Tech Capability A strong insight community platform should be powerful, intuitive, and designed to handle everything from exploratory qual to large-scale quant. Below is a detailed breakdown of the key tech capabilities that distinguish elite platforms. ### Integrated Administration & Recruitment: Efficient & Intuitive Admin is the control panel for researchers. Look for platforms that let you recruit, manage, and communicate with participants seamlessly, with thoughtful attention to nuance and workflow efficiency. ### Flexible recruitment channels & tools Top platforms allow research teams to reach participants through multiple pathways: - Email outreach using internal lists or opt-in members - Social media campaigns to engage online audiences - Live touchpoints via QR codes - Sample partners to access external panels or databases Some elite platforms also have segmentation typing tools that allow clients to categorize respondents and ensure they align with the intended audience criteria. These tools use client-provided values or scores for each answer option in a set of qualifier questions, then automatically place respondents into the correct segment based on their scores. These tools also allow users to save segmentation mapping to reuse for future surveys if desired. ### Administration essentials - Custom admin dashboards: Monitor community health, engagement, and participation in real time to quickly identify active members, response trends, and areas that need attention. - Member management & roles: Effortlessly add, edit, segment, and assign permissions for members and users, making it simple to manage communities with internal stakeholders who need view-only access and external participants with different permission levels. - Dynamic profiling & segmentation: Create custom profile fields (demographic, behavioral, or research-specific) and dynamically form groups for targeting, allowing you to slice your community instantly based on purchase behavior, product usage, or any custom variable you've captured without rebuilding lists manually. - Integrated incentives & gamification: Motivate participation with optional points, badges, leaderboards, or rewards, with multi-currency support to ensure global programs run smoothly (flexibility matters - some communities need this, others don't). - Multi-channel communications: Streamline outreach via email, SMS, voicemail, and in-platform messaging, with automated templates for newsletters/sharebacks, scheduling, and reporting to maintain consistent and personalized contact with less manual effort. - Ticketing & support system: Manage member inquiries and support responses efficiently with a system that tracks, routes, and resolves issues when participants have questions. - Global readiness: Multi-language support with translation management tools to ensure communities can scale across geographies while maintaining engagement. - Branding & customization: Fully tailor the community experience, including homepage, login, communications, and the option for branded or unbranded layouts. Tip: Platforms that pay attention to the nuanced details of administration with smart automation can save your team significant time, cutting hours of manual work. ### Activity Creation: Multi-Method, Complex, and Intuitive Elite platforms support a full spectrum of research activities, from simple surveys to complex multi-phase studies. By integrating qualitative, quantitative, CX, and UX tools within a single environment, you can capture richer insights and make connections across data without switching systems, giving you the ability to execute even the most complex studies in a simple way. ### Core activity creation features elite platforms have - Drag-and-drop survey builder for fast and easy study setup, with the power to handle complex logic, not just linear questionnaires - Advanced survey question types including MaxDiff, pricing studies (including Gabor Granger and Van Westendorp), matrix/grid/array questions, image and video uploads, heat maps/hot spots, product builders, mock shopping, social media feed simulators, and more - Logic & routing with skip patterns, answer logic, conditional branching, quotas, data/text piping, least fill, randomization, anchoring, and carry-forward, with sophisticated controls that let you build studies that adapt to each respondent - Dynamic activity targeting to deliver activities to specific segments based on real-time participation and profile data (for example, if someone just completed your survey, you can immediately invite them to a follow-up discussion without manual list exports) - Scheduling & automation tools that enable you to plan future activities and communications, set up recurring studies, and configure automated reminders. - Future study planning tools such as calendars or project planners ### Research activity types elite platforms support Quantitative - Surveys - Polls Qualitative - Virtual focus groups & IDIs built for market research - Discussion Boards / Journals / Diaries - Deep-dive qual discussions/topics - Co-creation activity types - Collages: drag-and-drop visual activities - Home use testing - Mobile ethnography CX/UX - Mobile-first, chat-based survey tools - UX testing tools (for desktop/laptop and mobile devices): Test websites, applications, documents ### Mobile-responsive design & mobile-focused research activities The community platform and its research activities should be fully responsive across devices. Whether members are joining a discussion on desktop, responding to a chat-style survey on mobile, or uploading photos and videos from the field, the experience should feel natural and seamless. Tip: Choose a platform that lets you mix research methods in one environment and makes complex studies simple to execute. ### Reporting & Analysis: Real-Time, AI-Enhanced, and Versatile Reporting tools should do more than export spreadsheets. They should be versatile and able to transform raw data into stakeholder-ready insights with multiple output options. Look for dashboards, visual summaries, and presentation-ready deliverables that make it easy to communicate insights. Features like AI-automated custom slide decks and highlight reels can speed up the path from raw data to stakeholder-ready reports. ### Reporting capabilities elite platforms support - Live dashboards & previews to watch results in real time and spot trends before an activity closes - Automated visualizations such as charts, graphs, sharebacks, newsletters, word clouds, tables, and infographics - Flexible export options in a variety of formats based on your needs: Excel, CSV, SPSS, PDF, and branded PowerPoint - Advanced filtering & segmentation to slice results by any variable without rebuilding the analysis - Shareable reports with customizable access for stakeholders - Concept tracking database to compare new concepts against historical benchmarks quickly ### Quantitative analysis features - Cross-tabs, banner tables (nested/formatted) - Statistical testing: independent, paired, proportional, t-test, z-test - Correlation, significance testing: 90%, 95%, 99% options - TURF, MaxDiff, and pricing analysis - Filtering, sorting, and group series options ### Video & multimedia analysis - AI-assisted theming and sentiment detection - Automated highlight reels - Built-in video editor ### Theming & coding - Precise counts, percentages, and frequency labels for coded themes that show verbatim and how they are coded for transparency - AI-assisted coding with custom framework options ### AI Capabilities: Accelerating, Not Replacing, Researchers AI should work alongside the researcher to help them work faster and smarter. The best platforms use AI to assist with coding, theming, and reporting, helping you find patterns in data at scale quickly while maintaining full control over interpretation. - Survey optimization: AI-assisted question refinement - Discussion moderation: Suggesting probes and follow-ups - Mobile-first surveys: Adaptive chat-style interfaces - Instant theming & coding: Auto-categorize text and video responses - Video analysis: Automated theming, sentiment scoring, highlight reel generation - Reporting automation: AI-generated slides, charts, summaries, headlines, and branded PowerPoint decks ### Platform Security & Infrastructure: Scalable, Cloud-Hosted, and Compliant Whether you manage a few hundred members or tens of thousands, your platform should handle it and scale effortlessly. Enterprise-grade security, data privacy compliance, and scalability ensure research runs smoothly. - Cloud-hosted & scalable to manage small to large communities effortlessly - Secure settings for PII, roles, permissions, MFA, single sign-on - Responsive design for desktop, mobile, and tablet access - Compliance & certifications such as SOC 2, HIPAA, and others for secure research operations Tip: Security, compliance, and scalability are non-negotiable for long-term research programs. Platforms that fail here risk participation, data integrity, and organizational trust. ### Service Layer of Platform Technology alone isn't enough. A strong platform is backed by a research team that acts as an extension of your workflow ### What to Look for in Service Team - Deep expertise across research methods: Strong teams bring experience in both qualitative and quantitative approaches, including community-specific research. They know how to design activities, analyze complex datasets, and translate raw data into actionable insights that stakeholders can trust. - Passion and client focus: Exceptional teams are driven by a genuine passion for insight communities and a commitment to helping clients succeed. They anticipate your needs, respond quickly to questions, and guide projects so that insights are timely and relevant. - Curiosity and analytical thinking: Great community managers have a natural intellectual curiosity. They dig deeper to uncover patterns, connect data points across activities, and ensure that insights go beyond surface-level findings. - Agility and responsiveness: Research projects evolve and priorities shift. Skilled teams are flexible, iterative, and ready to adapt to changing timelines, methodologies, or stakeholder requests without sacrificing quality. - People and community engagement skills: Your community team is the bridge between members, you, and the platform itself. Effective moderation, clear communication, and thoughtful engagement keep the community vibrant and trusted, and results in higher participation. - Project management and organizational excellence: Timelines, onboarding, and ongoing activities are handled with precision. Seasoned community managers ensure consistency and quality, allowing clients to focus on strategy and storytelling instead of administrative tasks. - Insights delivery expertise: At the end of the day, a great insight community platform team translates research into action. They craft clear, compelling recommendations and reports that connect member feedback to business decisions, helping organizations act confidently on the voice of the customer. AI can assist with routine tasks like coding or theming, but it's the expertise and judgment of the team that turns findings into clear, actionable recommendations that drive decisions. ### Service Flexibility Different research teams have different needs. The strongest insight community platforms don't just provide technology; they offer service models that adapt to your workflow, letting you get the support you need when you need it: - DIY self-service: Full platform access with guidance available as needed. Ideal for teams that want independence while still benefiting from support, ensuring control over study design, analysis, and reporting. - Hybrid service: The platform team can support key tasks such as programming, analysis, or reporting, freeing your team to focus on higher-level insights and strategy. What really sets a hybrid model apart is its flexibility: it can be customized to fit your team's unique needs, shifting the balance between hands-on support and autonomy depending on project scope, timelines, or evolving priorities. Providing the right level of assistance exactly when and how you need it, so you maintain both speed and control over your research. - Full-service research: End-to-end support from study design to reporting, with your team guiding strategy. Every element, from activity creation to insights delivery, is managed by experienced community experts, so you can focus on decision-making rather than administrative details. A key benefit of full-service support is its impact on community health and engagement. Expert teams monitor activity frequency, refresh recruitment, and proactively manage participation to ensure the community remains active, balanced, and responsive. This hands-on oversight contributes directly to an engaged participant base. With flexible service options, your team can scale support up or down depending on project complexity, stakeholder demands, or changing workloads. Combined with an expert research team, this flexibility ensures continuity, quality, and efficiency, making your community platform not just a tool, but a true partner in delivering actionable insights. ### Overall Value True value comes from the combination of platform, team, and service: - Team experience and retention: Long-tenured, skilled research teams ensure continuity, deep expertise, and reliable support. Your projects benefit from staff who know the platform, your organization, and the nuances of community research. - Speed of deployment and time-to-insight: Platforms designed for efficiency with cutting-edge AI capabilities, paired with agile teams, let you move from data collection to actionable insights faster. Decisions are informed sooner, giving your organization a competitive advantage. - Platform innovation and continuous improvement: Providers that regularly enhance capabilities based on client feedback help future-proof your research program. - Proven outcomes and long-term success: A track record of satisfied clients and long-term partnerships demonstrates that the platform, team, and service can consistently deliver insights that drive real business results. When these factors align, you reduce errors, save time, and accelerate decision-making. The right combination transforms your platform into a strategic partner for turning insight into action. ## How Leading Community Platforms Consolidate Research Workflows One of the biggest challenges researchers face is managing fragmented tools. Qualitative, quantitative, UX, and CX research often live in separate systems, creating inefficiencies and slowing insights. Top insight community platforms consolidate these workflows in a single, integrated solution and go far beyond a qual tool. Consolidation allows research teams to: - Work in one platform for multiple research methods. - Reduce time spent switching between software or manually combining datasets. - Streamline reporting and presentation creation. - Focus more on strategy and storytelling rather than tedious administrative tasks. The best platforms are proprietary and purpose-built for research, not a patchwork of integrated third-party tools. Proprietary systems ensure smoother workflows, stronger security, faster innovation, and consistent user experiences across every research method. By centralizing research workflows, teams can spend less time managing technology and more time delivering actionable insights efficiently. ## Best Practices for Successful Insight Communities Running a thriving insight community requires more than just technology. Follow these best practices to maximize engagement, insights, and impact: - Start simple with clear goals: Launch your community with a focused plan and measurable objectives. Clear goals help guide activities, set expectations for members, and provide a benchmark for success. - Mix research methods: Combine qual and quant activities to capture richer, more nuanced insights. A multi-method approach keeps engagement high and delivers more actionable data. - Maintain regular activity: Consistency is key. Running activities consistently keeps members involved, ensures ongoing feedback, and strengthens continuous insights. - Share the impact of member contributions: Show participants how their feedback influences decisions through sharebacks. Communicating results builds trust, encourages continued engagement, and reinforces the value of their participation. - Leverage AI thoughtfully: Look for a platform that allows you to use AI to accelerate your research workflow while keeping you in the driver's seat. Maintaining researcher oversight ensures insights remain context-rich, accurate, and meaningful for stakeholders. - Avoid common pitfalls: Prevent survey fatigue by using a mix of activities, maintaining consistent engagement, and ensuring the community is fully mobile-friendly. Thoughtful execution keeps members active and ensures feedback is high quality. ## Choosing an Insight Community Platform Supplier Now that you know what to evaluate, you can identify which solution best aligns with your research goals. The best community platforms combine powerful technology with research expertise, helping teams work faster, uncover deeper insights, and make better decisions with confidence. When comparing options, prioritize platforms that are purpose-built for community research rather than assembled from third-party tools. Proprietary, integrated systems provide smoother workflows, stronger security, and faster innovation, all of which are critical for long-term success. Look for complete solutions that are thoughtfully designed with all the capabilities and nuances needed to support both the depth and breadth of your research. ### Include My-Take in your consideration set We built Insight Community+™ from 15+ years of running insight communities for leading brands, so every feature solves real research problems we've faced ourselves. The platform handles everything from exploratory qual to complex quant in one integrated environment, with AI that accelerates your work and lets you achieve more. ### Platform highlights Insight Community+™ is 100% proprietary, purpose-built to work the way researchers actually think. Qual at scale, advanced quant, UX, and CX research all live in one place. Run deep-dive discussions and focus groups right alongside MaxDiff, TURF, and crosstabs. The platform seamlessly lets you explore the "what" and the "why" without breaking stride. The platform works across devices, so your participants can jump in from wherever they are. Our cutting-edge AI capabilities cut hours off coding, theming, and reporting, while keeping you in the driver's seat. Whether you're managing a tight-knit community or running a massive global program, the platform scales easily. The platform also meets critical privacy and security standards including SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance. ### Team and service Our research team brings decades of combined experience across industries and methodologies. With low turnover and long tenure, you work with the same team project after project: they know your business, your goals, and how you like to work. We're flexible: whether you want DIY self-service, targeted hybrid support, or full-service execution, we meet you where you are. No matter which model you choose, you get the same quality, expertise, and can-do attitude that keeps our clients coming back. ### Value delivered With My-Take, you spend less time on tedious admin work and more time on insights, storytelling, and strategy. Our platform and team work together to help you deliver actionable insights faster. We continuously innovate with new features, and our track record speaks for itself: high client retention across industries and organizations of all sizes. Ready to see what makes Insight Community+™ different? Schedule a personalized demo and let's talk about your research goals. Contact Us. # My-Take Unveils AI-Powered Video Analysis and Enhanced Theming Insights Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-unveils-ai-powered-video-analysis-and-enhanced-theming-insights Published: August 22, 2025 By: My Take > My-Take, a leader in insight technology, has launched a powerful new suite of AI-driven analysis tools for qualitative research, headlined by advanced video capabilities and complemented by broader enhancements across its platform. Designed to accelerate and deepen qualitative survey analysis at scale, the new features span AI Video Theming Analysis with Auto-Generated Highlight Reels, a full Reel Editing Suite, Instant Theming enhancements, and a smart Coding Agent for both video and text data. Westborough, MA, USA – [August, 22nd, 2025] – My-Take, a leader in insight technology, has launched a powerful new suite of AI-driven analysis tools for qualitative research, headlined by advanced video capabilities and complemented by broader enhancements across its platform. Designed to accelerate and deepen qualitative survey analysis at scale, the new features span AI Video Theming Analysis with Auto-Generated Highlight Reels, a full Reel Editing Suite, Instant Theming enhancements, and a smart Coding Agent for both video and text data. As video becomes an increasingly central part of market research, researchers face growing challenges in managing and interpreting large volumes of video feedback. Manually reviewing hundreds of survey video responses is not only time-consuming but often fails to scale insights effectively. My-Take's new AI video analysis tools address this need head-on, while the additional enhancements further expand the platform’s value for qualitative analysis. “With this launch, we’re unlocking a completely new level of qual at scale and storytelling for our clients. These features empower researchers to spend less time on manual tasks and more time crafting compelling stories that drive action. Our goal is to help researchers go deeper, faster, and accomplish more. We see AI as a collaborative partner that amplifies the researcher’s experience, enabling them to do more with their insights. We’re delivering capabilities that not only improve efficiency, but also elevate the quality and clarity of insights shared with decision-makers.” - Todd Hoskins, Co-founder ## AI Video Analysis Features: ### Introducing AI Video Theming Analysis with Highlight Reels With AI Video Theming Analysis, My-Take’s platform automatically identifies and organizes recurring themes across survey video responses. The AI distills feedback into clear patterns and pulls relevant quotes and clips to support each theme, cutting hours of manual review and enabling researchers to focus on higher-level synthesis and storytelling. In addition to analyzing spoken feedback, the AI also interprets sentiment and nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions and movement, offering a deeper, more nuanced understanding of participant reactions. The Highlight Reels feature builds on the theming capability, auto-generating impactful videos organized by theme. These reels bring the most compelling moments of customer feedback to life, giving stakeholders a fast way to engage with real customer voices and insights. ### Reel Editor: Customization with Control The Reel Editor allows researchers to quickly edit and customize theming highlight reels. Designed with flexibility in mind, users can rearrange clips, trim content, and adjust messaging to align with stakeholder needs. Alternatively, they can create reels from scratch or use the AI wizard to create a reel guided by the platform. No matter the starting point, the Reel Editor provides complete creative control. ### Built for Surveys, With More to Come While AI video analysis focuses on video content collected through surveys, support for video IDIs, focus groups, and other activity types are on the horizon. ## Broader Qual Analysis: Instant Theming Enhancements and Coding Agent In addition to video analysis, the release includes features designed to enhance qualitative research across activity types. Instant Theming Enhancements We’ve upgraded our AI Instant Theming to give you more control and clarity. Now you can easily toggle between narrative descriptions, counts, or percentages, with improved visibility into the underlying verbatim. This enhancement brings a quantitative layer to qualitative research and is available for both video and text responses. This update helps you gauge theme prevalence, prioritize insights, and communicate findings with confidence. Collaborative AI Coding Agent My-Take’s Coding Agent is an optional AI-powered assistant that supports both video and text data. It helps researchers apply the most suitable coding methodology for their study by automating bucketing to improve consistency, accelerate workflows, and reduce manual effort. Researchers can also provide specific guidance or terminology to the agent, enabling the AI to customize its analysis to fit the unique needs of each study. Manual bucketing remains available for projects that require full researcher control or specialized coding schemes. ## How to Access and What’s Next All features in this release are now available to My-Take clients across all service levels. While the new video analysis capabilities are currently optimized for survey-collected responses, support for video IDIs, focus groups, and other activity types is on the way. Instant theming enhancements and My-Take’s coding agent are available across all applicable activity types. To learn more or request a demo, contact My-Take today. # 5 Years in the GRIT Top 50: My-Take's Market Research Innovation Legacy Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/5-years-in-the-grit-top-50-my-takes-market-research-innovation-legacy Published: December 5, 2024 By: My Take > The GreenBook GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Suppliers list, an industry-leading ranking of the most forward-thinking companies in market research, has included My-Take for the fifth consecutive year. Westborough, MA, USA – [December 5th, 2024] – The GreenBook GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Suppliers list, an industry-leading ranking of the most forward-thinking companies in market research, has included My-Take for the fifth consecutive year. Published annually by GreenBook, a market research directory and leading authority in the insights industry, the GRIT Business & Innovation Report highlights top market research suppliers. This year, My-Take was recognized as the top community provider in the technology category, ranking as #6 for the category overall. This achievement reflects My-Take’s dedication to advancing its leading-edge insight community platform and supporting brands with insights that shape business decisions in an efficient and robust manner. “Being recognized as a top innovative supplier for five years running is a tremendous honor and a testament to our commitment to delivering powerful, AI-infused research tools that respond to our clients’ needs. We’re committed to continually enhancing our platform so clients can efficiently capture customer feedback and draw actionable insights, keeping their research agile and responsive.” - Co-founder, Todd Hoskins This year, My-Take has introduced many new capabilities to the platform, with two major releases to highlight: Conversations and SmartDeck™Reporting & Analysis. Conversations is a mobile-first, chat-based survey tool for engaging harder-to-reach participants such as Gen Z or on-the-go professionals. With AI-driven features such as auto moderation, dynamic text questions, and response feedback, Conversations fosters rich, interactive engagement. SmartDeck™ Reporting & Analysis enhances community reporting by integrating AI-driven insights with automated PowerPoint®* formatting. After a one-time setup of a client’s branded templates, SmartDeck™ automatically formats future reports for easy export, minimizing the need for manual styling. The AI is client-informed, drawing from each study’s data and objectives to generate tailored recommendations. Key features of SmartDeck™ include automatically formatted branded PowerPoint® reports, AI-generated slide headlines and insights, and an executive summary for quick high-level findings that serve as a starting point for researchers. This gives researchers more time back to focus on storytelling and deeper analysis. “For over a decade, our remarkable team has helped clients with invaluable insights through continuous Voice of the Customer feedback, driven by our cutting-edge market research community platform. We’re thrilled to be recognized once again as a leading technology partner—an acknowledgment of our unwavering commitment to innovation and delivering exceptional value. And there is more on the way; our dynamic innovation roadmap promises groundbreaking solutions to keep our clients ahead of the curve in insight technology.” - Rich Armstrong, Co-founder About My-Take:My-Take is a Greater Boston-based customer research technology company that offers an advanced insight community platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for our clients. *PowerPoint® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. # My-Take Introduces SmartDeck™ Reporting & Analysis for a New Era in Insight Community Reporting Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-introduces-smartdeck-reporting-analysis-for-a-new-era-in-insight-community-reporting Published: November 4, 2024 By: My Take > My-Take is proud to announce the launch of SmartDeck™ Reporting & Analysis, designed to elevate insight community reporting, analysis, and presentation. Westborough, MA, USA – [Nov, 4, 2024] – My-Take is proud to announce the launch of SmartDeck™ reporting & analysis, designed to elevate insight community reporting, analysis, and presentation. “SmartDeck™ reporting & analysis is a major step forward in insight community platform reporting capabilities. It combines advanced AI tools with client-driven automatic slide formatting, allowing clients to efficiently export presentation ready PowerPoint®* reports. The AI is informed by the study's objectives and data to deliver insights that are both relevant and accurate, helping researchers craft high-quality, actionable reports for stakeholders. By automating time-consuming tasks like PowerPoint formatting, researchers can focus on delivering more meaningful insights and impactful reports.” - JR King, Chief Technology Officer Features of SmartDeck™ Reporting & Analysis: Automatic Client-Informed Custom Slides: Automatically formatted, editable Microsoft PowerPoint® reports that align with your brand’s specific presentation needs and style. With a one-time setup, the My-Take team assists in configuring your brand’s PowerPoint templates within the platform, ensuring your unique look, preferred chart styles, and other branding elements are incorporated. Once set up, all future studies are seamlessly formatted for easy export, minimizing manual formatting while keeping each slide fully editable. Other export formats include Excel, CSV, SPSS, and PDF. Intelligent AI Slide Headlines & Insights: The platform leverages advanced AI technology to provide data-driven slide headlines and insight suggestions. These tools enhance the research process by integrating relevant information tailored to the specific context of each study and its data. AI features are optional and can be customized to fit client needs. Users also have the flexibility to input custom prompts and save them for future use, ensuring even more tailored, consistent insights. Executive Summary: SmartDeck™ reporting & analysis includes an executive summary feature that automatically generates top-level insights, offering a clear, concise overview of study results. The executive summary takes into account the specific objectives of the study, ensuring the insights are aligned with the activity’s core purpose. Users can leverage AI tools to generate not only summaries, but also background information, recommendations, and revisions to current content. These smart takeaways serve as a starting point for the researcher as they seek to formulate actionable insights and build a compelling narrative. Updated In-Platform Report Editing & Presentation: For DIY users, the platform now features a redesigned, more intuitive user interface for in-platform report editing and for report live previews. There is also the ability for users to present directly in-platform now. “With SmartDeck™ reporting and analysis, we’ve further integrated AI into our insight community platform, creating a powerful tool that dramatically changes how the researcher works. We will continue to integrate AI throughout our platform, providing efficiencies and capabilities for researchers to deliver more impactful and timely insights. We aim to future-proof the insight community platform decision, through continual innovation and focus on the researcher.” - Todd Hoskins, Co-founder My-Take’s SmartDeck™ reporting & analysis is now available to clients at every service level. Contact us to learn more and demo the platform. About My-Take:My-Take is a Greater Boston-based customer research technology company that offers an advanced insight community platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for our clients. *PowerPoint® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. # Insight Communities Explained | A Market Researcher's Guide Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/complete-guide-insight-communities-market-research Published: August 21, 2024 By: My Take > Discover the power of customer insight communities for market research. Learn how insight community platforms provide actionable customer insights, enhance CX, and drive business growth through continuous member engagement and innovative qualitative and quantitative research techniques. ## Table of Contents Part One - What is an Insight Community? The Origin Story - Market Research Online Communities Insight Communities Defined Panels vs. Insight Communities Part Two - Insight Community Benefits & Usage When to Use Insight Communities Benefits of Using Insight Communities Insight Community Use Cases - Qualitative & Quantitative Industries Insight Communities are Used Part Three - Components of an Insight Community Key Components of an Insight Community Customer Insight Community Research Activity Types Innovative Insight Community Features and Tools Part Four - Best Practices & Decisions for Insight Communities Insight Community Best Practices - Member Engagement What Makes a Remarkable Insight Community Researcher Choosing the Right Service Level - SaaS, Hybrid, or Full Service How Much Does It Cost to Run an Insight Community? Selecting an Insight Community Platform or Provider Steps to Take When Launching an Insight Community Part Five - Insight Community Trends & Predictions Insight Communities - A Look Ahead Part Six - My-Take Why My-Take ## Part One: What is An Insight Community? ## The Origin Story - Market Research Online Communities It has been roughly two decades since the emergence of what we now know as online insight communities. Since then, insight communities have gained widespread acceptance in the research technology (restech) industry as a fundamental tool for qualitative and quantitative research. Their usage has continued to expand to new areas such as customer experience (CXM) management and user experience (UX) research thanks to ongoing enhancements and innovations in capabilities. The term for this research approach hasn't remained static; it's shifted over time, and various terms are used interchangeably. Insight communities have been referred to as market research online communities (MROCs) or simply online communities, as indicated by listings in leading market research directories. However, companies like My-Take and other industry leaders lean towards using the term 'insight' because it conveys the idea of more valuable and actionable customer feedback. ## Insight Communities Defined An insight community typically consists of a specific group of stakeholders, often customers, who are invited to join a private online platform to engage in ongoing market research activities related to a company or brand and its products or services. These activities may include surveys, discussion boards, polls, online video focus groups/IDIs, and other interactive methods designed to elicit feedback and insights from community members. The primary aim of an insight community is to gather actionable insights from customer feedback. These insights inform and guide critical business decisions, including product development, marketing strategies, brand strategies, customer experience (CX) and user experience (UX) enhancements, and more. By fostering continuous engagement with members, an insight community is a valuable resource for brands seeking to stay in the know with evolving customer preferences and market trends, ultimately driving innovation and/or business growth. ## Panels vs. Insight Communities ### What is a Market Research Panel? A panel refers to a group of customers or members who have opted-in to partake in research. Panels tend to encompass a larger demographic, and engagement may not occur regularly. Occasionally, the term "panel" is used to refer to sample firms, some of which offer extensive databases of millions of customer profiles available for recruitment purposes in ad-hoc research. Unlike insight communities, participants do not maintain a direct affiliation with the brand or organization conducting the research. ### Similarities between Panels and Insight Communities Both panels and insight communities consist of individuals who express interest in participating in an organization's research-related endeavors. These customers play a crucial role in shaping an organization's brand or the experience of its products/services. They contribute to ensuring the customer experience (CX) is finely tuned to meet an audience’s specific needs. ### Differences between Panels and Insight Communities The primary distinctions between insight communities and panels revolve around their purpose, frequency, and depth of interaction. In panels, participants are less inclined to engage with each other or establish a lasting connection. On the other hand, insight communities foster deeper and more enduring relationships, leading to more comprehensive insights over time. This continuous engagement is particularly beneficial for understanding the "why" behind research findings, as insight communities provide a consistent stream of actionable, human-centered insights. They enable organizations to maintain ongoing customer relationships and monitor changes in member behaviors over time. In addition, insight communities typically feature a dedicated community manager who actively collaborates with brands to cultivate connections and engage with members. This community manager serves as the heart of the community, creating an environment where customers feel valued and listened to. Members of panels tend to participate in activities that are survey-related and quantitatively focused. These activities are typically designed to gather large-scale data quickly and efficiently. Conversely, members of insight communities engage in a mix of qualitative and quantitative activities, as well as UX/CX activities. These activities may include in-depth discussions, diary studies, ideation sessions, and other forms of qualitative research that delve deeper into the motivations and experiences of participants. Another key aspect of insight communities is that members agree to terms around confidentiality and purpose, which sets clear expectations for the relationship. This agreement helps ensure that all interactions and shared information are kept secure and used appropriately. Additionally, communities benefit from having deeper profile information and context about the individuals involved. Members are carefully screened based on the community's purpose, ensuring a more relevant and engaged participant pool. Ultimately, when choosing between methodologies, it's essential to consider: ● Your organization’s or client’s business and learning objectives. ● The research's purpose. ● The frequency of participant engagement. ● And the duration of the research. ## Part Two: Insight Community Benefits & Usage ## When to Use Insight Communities Insight communities are particularly advantageous for organizations and brands of any size facing these common business challenges: ### Organizational Gridlock For businesses struggling with interdepartmental gridlock, where different teams may have conflicting opinions or priorities, communities offer a centralized space for research collaboration. By fostering open communication and sharing of insights, communities can help break down silos and promote synergy across departments. The voice-of-the-customer is often a unifying force. ### Internal Market Research Resources are Sparse When internal market research resources are limited, insight communities can be invaluable. Communities provide a cost-effective solution for gathering customer feedback and insights without the need for extensive internal resources. They allow brands and researchers to conduct continuous and iterative research, ensuring that customer perspectives are always integrated into decision-making processes. ### Product Development Challenges & Opportunities Market research insight communities can also address challenges related to new product development. Businesses often invest significant resources in developing products only to find them falling short of customer expectations upon launch. With communities, brands can integrate the voice of the customer throughout the entire product development cycle, by involving customers in the early stages of product ideation, gathering feedback, and iterating on concepts in real-time. Communities can also be used for conducting In-Home Use Tests, or IHUTS, where community members are sent product prototypes to test and provide feedback on. This proactive approach not only minimizes the risk of undesired outcomes but also ensures that products are tailored to meet the genuine needs and preferences of customers. ### Traditional Research Is Too Slow & Expensive One of the key advantages of insight communities is their ability to ease common pain points associated with traditional research methods. Another instance in which communities can help is when traditional research methods are too time-intensive, leading to delays in decision-making and market responsiveness. Insight communities enable rapid feedback and analysis, allowing businesses to stay agile and adapt quickly to changing market trends. Oftentimes, organizations can get 24-hour or 48-hour instant customer feedback to bring the voice of the customer to the table when it otherwise may not be possible. By leveraging the power of online communities, organizations can streamline the research process and expedite their response to meet market dynamics. ### Rapidly Changing Marketplace Communities encourage a shift towards continuous feedback throughout the research project, rather than relying solely on validation at the end. This iterative approach enables businesses to course-correct in real-time, incorporating feedback iteratively and ensuring that their strategies remain aligned with evolving customer needs and market trends. As a result, organizations can avoid the pitfalls of relying on outdated or inaccurate insights, leading to more informed decision-making and better outcomes in the long run. ## Benefits of Using Insight Communities According to a recent Insights Practice report by GreenBook conducted in 2023, close to half of the sampled researchers currently leverage insight communities for both qualitative and quantitative market research. There are many benefits to using insight communities for customer research, including: ### Agility With over 60% of member responses in 24 hours or less, insight communities provide researchers and brands with agility in gathering quick feedback and insights. By continuously engaging with members, brands can adapt to changing market conditions and get a quick pulse on customers and their preferences at scale. ### Speed The quick turnaround of communities allows stakeholders to get in-the-moment customer feedback when it’s needed the most. This rapid feedback loop powers prompt decision-making and can help ensure products or services align with customer needs and trends. An insight community feature that enables speed is real-time live reporting, which facilitates immediate access to study results. ### Integration with Organizational Processes The always-on nature of insight communities allows organizations to tie community feedback to key projects and milestones within an organization, efficiently and on an ongoing basis. Advanced platforms that integrate the community processes can efficiently deliver qualitative, quantitative, CX, and UX through all-in-one-suites (Administration, Activity Creation & Programming, Member Engagement, and Analysis & Reporting). ### Iterative Insight communities foster an iterative environment where diverse customer perspectives, ideas, and feedback are continuously exchanged and built upon. This approach allows for ongoing refinement and improvement over time. ### Cost Effectiveness Insight communities provide a cost-efficient solution by leveraging pre-existing members, streamlined engagement tools, and AI-powered time-saving capabilities. This allows brands to undertake more projects and conduct more research within their budget. As mentioned above, the iterative nature of insight communities fosters continuous learning opportunities as the research process is streamlined, allowing brands to make timely customer-informed decisions. Insight communities ultimately offer unparalleled value for brands and researchers seeking to maximize resources. ### Versatility Insight communities are incredibly versatile, serving as powerful tools for qualitative and quantitative research, as well as for analyzing customer and user experiences. They enable deep qualitative insights, facilitate large-scale quantitative surveys, provide direct access to customer feedback for CX analysis, and offer user insights for UX refinement. Their agility and adaptability make them an all-in-one tool across various domains of market research. ## Insight Community Use Cases - Qualitative & Quantitative Insight communities are robust platforms for qualitative and quantitative research, with many use cases across various industries. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies within insight communities offer comprehensive ways to gather insights that inform strategic decision-making, product development, customer journey research, and marketing strategies. Here are some of the different qualitative & quantitative research use cases for insight communities: ### General Customer Understanding & Brand Perceptions Insight communities are powerful tools for gaining a deeper understanding of customers. By creating dedicated online spaces where customers can actively engage and share their opinions, preferences, and experiences, businesses can tap into invaluable insights that traditional research methods can potentially miss. Through ongoing dialogue, a continuous feedback loop, and collaboration, insight communities facilitate a more nuanced understanding of consumer behavior, motivations, and aspirations, enabling brands and researchers to make informed decisions, develop tailored strategies, and cultivate meaningful relationships with their customers. This not only enhances brand perception, but also positions businesses to anticipate and adapt to market trends more effectively. ### Customer Experience and User Experience Research A focus on customer and user experience is essential for crafting products and services that prioritize customer needs. Insight communities provide a flexible solution for continuous, ongoing feedback. Through member activities like journaling, discussion boards, and UX testing, stakeholders can capture valuable insights on product usage and website navigation, cultivating a comprehensive understanding of customer/user experiences. ### Tracking Usage & Visual Documentation Insight communities can serve as repositories for tracking usage, offering multiple methods for visual documentation through photo and video uploads that can illuminate customer rituals and usage habits. Tools such as collages, in-home use testing, video chats, journals/diaries, mobile ethnography, and chat-based surveys can also provide a comprehensive framework for understanding customer behavior and preferences, empowering brands to enhance their offerings to meet evolving customer needs effectively. ### Persona Creation Persona creation is a key aspect of understanding and segmenting your audience. Insight communities can be used to conduct this process as they offer a continuous flow of customer insights. By observing and engaging with community members, researchers can identify common characteristics, behaviors, and motivations that define different customer segments. This rich data helps in crafting dynamic personas that reflect real customer profiles. Deeper Customer Understanding Use Cases/Tools ● Journaling ● Discussion Boards ● Photo/Video Uploads ● Tracking Usage ● Chat-based Surveys ● In-Home Use Testing (IHUT) ● Mobile Missions (Mobile Ethnography) ● Video Chats (Online focus groups & IDIs ● Customer and User Experience Testing(CX/UX) ### Product Development Insight communities play a crucial role in the various stages of new product and service development, providing valuable feedback and validation. From the initial stages to the final product launch, insight communities offer researchers and brands actionable insights to enhance their offerings and better serve their customers. ### Concept Testing During the early phases of product development, insight communities offer a platform for understanding customer pain points and gathering feedback on potential new products. Through concept testing, companies can validate ideas and new product or service concepts, ensuring that they align with customer needs and preferences. Concept repository database tools can make it easy to run concept tests in insight communities and compare results historically over time. ### Usability Testing One significant advantage of insight communities is their ability to address questions related to usability and functionality. By tapping into the experiences of community members, companies can gain valuable insights into how their products are used in real-world scenarios. This information is invaluable for refining product designs and improving user experience. ### Ideation and Co-Creation Insight communities also facilitate ideation and co-creation, allowing customers to actively participate in the product development process. By soliciting input and ideas from community members, companies can co-create product specifications and features that resonate with their customers, ultimately leading to more successful product launches. ### Pricing Evaluation In addition, insight communities also play a vital role in pricing evaluation. By leveraging different types of activities and the robust survey question types within community platforms, researchers and brands can gather data on how customers perceive the value of their products and services. This information is essential for setting competitive pricing strategies and optimizing profits. Some pricing tools built into communities include Gabor Granger and Van Westendorp survey question types. ### Product/Service Need Insight communities also help companies understand evolving customer needs and preferences, providing valuable guidance for future product and service development initiatives. By continuously monitoring customer feedback in communities, companies can stay ahead of market trends and deliver innovative solutions that meet changing demands. ### In-Home Use Tests Another use case for insight communities is that they offer a convenient platform for conducting in-home use tests, allowing companies to gather feedback from members in their natural environment. This approach provides authentic insights into how products are used in everyday life, helping to identify areas for improvement, and ways brands can refine their offerings before launching to the market. Product Development Use Cases/Tools: ● In-Home Use Testing (IHUT) ● Concept Testing/Concept Curator ● Pricing Evaluation: Gabor Granger, Van Westendorp ● Product Packaging Testing ● MaxDiff Analysis ● Ideas Sessions (Ideation/ Co-Creation) ● Integrated Statistics/Banner Tables ● TURF (Total Unduplicated Reach and Frequency) ### Customer Journey Mapping To effectively market products and services, organizations must gain a comprehensive understanding of their customers' journey towards making a purchase. This involves delving deep into the intricacies of customer behavior, preferences, and decision-making processes. Insight communities are ideal for conducting such research, thanks to their continuous and iterative nature. ### Key Purchase Influences One primary benefit of insight communities is their ability to unveil the key influences that shape customers' purchasing decisions and journey. By engaging members, brands can identify the various factors, such as recommendations from friends or online reviews, that sway customers towards or away from a particular product or brand. Armed with this knowledge, companies can tailor their strategies to effectively target these influential touchpoints. ### Social Media Usage Insight communities also serve as great resources for understanding customer social media habits. Organizations can gain insights into the social media platforms members frequent, the content they engage with, and the trends that shape their purchasing decisions. This information is essential for crafting targeted and impactful social media marketing campaigns and advertising that resonates with customers. Tools for testing content in simulated social media environments are also available in some leading-edge community platforms. ### Assess Competitors Additionally, insight communities facilitate thorough competitor assessments by providing direct comparisons and insights from members themselves. By gathering feedback and opinions on competitors' products or services, brands can gain a deeper understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and positioning in the market. This enables them to refine their own offerings and differentiate themselves more effectively. ### Purchase Process and Journey Insight communities allow organizations to dive deep into the purchase process, capturing valuable insights at each stage. By engaging customers during their journey, from initial consideration to final purchase, marketers can uncover pain points, preferences, and moments of opportunity. This understanding enables them to develop targeted strategies that address customer needs and motivations effectively for different touchpoints along the way. ### In-Store Research Insight communities allow brands to capture customer behaviors and perceptions in-store, leveraging mobile applications for on-the-go research. By conducting in-store evaluations within the community environment, organizations can gather real-time feedback on product displays, promotions, and overall shopping experience. This hands-on approach provides key insights for optimizing retail environments and enhancing the overall customer journey. Customer Journey Mapping Use Cases/Tools ● Journals ● Mobile Missions (digital shop-a-alongs) ● Conversations - Chat-based Surveys ● Video Chat ● Social Media Simulation ● MockShopping ### Marketing & Advertising Insight communities can be used for refining marketing and advertising initiatives through continuous evaluation. In the fast-paced world of marketing, staying relevant is crucial for brands, while customers increasingly seek platforms where their voices are heard. By maintaining an ongoing dialogue with customers, companies can gauge the effectiveness of their positioning and messaging strategies, ensuring they hit the mark. ### Brand Positioning Within insight communities, sophisticated tools are readily available to assess various aspects of marketing efforts, including advertising, promotions, websites, and apps. For instance, when it comes to brand positioning, insight communities offer tools like hot-spot analysis and heat maps. ### Refining Messaging Messaging refinement is a constant process in marketing, and insight communities offer diverse tools to achieve this effectively. By leveraging the feedback and opinions of community members, brands can fine-tune their messaging to better resonate with their customers. ### Evaluate Advertisements For advertising evaluation, insight communities play a pivotal role in optimizing campaigns and budget allocation. Through tools such as dial testing, companies can test ads before launch time, ensuring they strike a chord with the intended audience and maximize impact. ### Evaluate Websites & Apps Website and app evaluation is essential for ensuring usability and appeal. Insight communities provide methods for comprehensive online experience assessments, helping brands to identify areas for improvement and enhance user experience. ### Test Promotions Insight communities enable brands to test different promotional strategies and refine marketing initiatives accordingly. By creating campaigns inspired by community member feedback, brands can increase engagement and drive better results. Marketing & Advertising Use Cases/Tools ● HotSpot ● Heatmap ● Highlighter ● Whiteboard ● Markup ● Social Media Simulation ● Dial Testing ● UX Testing ● MockShopping ## Industries In Which Insight Communities are Used Insight communities can be used across many industries, offering a platform for brands and researchers to collect feedback from members. By fostering ongoing engagement, communities enable the creation of valuable insights, aiding in strategy refinement and product innovation. Through collaboration and feedback sharing, decision-makers are empowered to make informed choices that align with member preferences, driving continuous improvement across many sectors. ### Healthcare Gain continuous access to patient feedback via insight communities, empowering stakeholders to make more informed decisions and improve the patient experience through a consistent and valuable flow of knowledge. ### Retail In today's retail landscape, customers are spreading their spending across a multitude of channels, touch-points, and brands. Insight communities offer a valuable tool for retailers to gain a deeper understanding of these evolving customer behaviors and tailor their strategies accordingly. ### Entertainment With the rise of streaming and online media, customers now enjoy an endless array of content options, placing the future of the entertainment industry in the hands of the audience. Insight communities offer creators the opportunity to experiment with advertisements and content, enabling them to gauge audience preferences and refine their offerings accordingly. ### CPG Customer communities assist consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies in staying ahead by offering an ideal blend of insights to inform product development, test concepts, and conduct in-home product testing. ### Consumer Durables For the consumer durables industry, communities provide a rich blend of customer insights that inform product innovation, enhance user experience, and guide long-term strategic planning. By engaging directly with customers, companies can gather detailed feedback on product functionality, design preferences, and usage patterns. This continuous stream of insights enables manufacturers to refine existing products, develop new features that resonate with consumers, and anticipate market trends. Additionally, insight communities facilitate in-home usage testing and real-world evaluations, ensuring that new products meet customer expectations and perform well under everyday conditions. ### Insurance The insurance sector is experiencing significant transformation due to technological advancements, enabling greater customer involvement in choosing insurance coverage providers. Insight communities have the potential to inform and engage these customers effectively. ### Telecommunications The telecommunications industry extends beyond providing services, actively delivering the latest technological advancements to customers. Insight communities serve as hubs for testing telecom user and customer experiences, enabling continuous improvement and innovation. ### B2B Research serves as the backbone of B2B companies. Businesses operating in the B2B sector heavily depend on thorough research processes that insight communities can streamline. These include conducting competitor analysis, brainstorming new ideas, and staying ahead of industry trends by engaging with community members. ### Finance Financial customers anticipate a smooth digital journey across all stages. Harnessing video chats and user testing within insight communities can generate actionable insights to enhance their experiences effectively. ### Technology Top-tier technology companies seamlessly incorporate innovation into their day-to-day operations. Insight communities can enable technology brands to anticipate upcoming trends in an ever-changing market and industry landscape. ## Part Three: Components of an Insight Community ## Key Components of an Insight Community ### Targeted Group Insight communities generally consist of a customer or user base ranging from 500 to 600 members, but they can also scale to include thousands or even hundreds of thousands. It is crucial for brands and researchers to thoroughly consider the objectives of the insight community and then strategically recruit members. ### Private Online Environment Community environments have progressed into robust, yet easy-to-use insight suites with diverse and sophisticated functionalities. Maintained as private and secure spaces, they allow for the research and evaluation of products or campaigns within the community, prior to launching to the general public. ### Research-Related Activities For many brands, insight communities have become a predominant research tool due to their adaptability and range of use cases. While online surveys and polls remain valuable, insight communities now cater to a range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies including general voice of customer (VOC) work, customer journey analysis, concept testing, new product development, in-home use testing, and UX testing. The more advanced insight community tools also seamlessly integrate into the mobile environment, support video, and offer AI capabilities. ### Ongoing Basis An insight community has the potential to transform how research is perceived and conducted. It offers brands a valuable opportunity to consistently tap into customer opinions and ideas. This continuous access enables swift insight generation and fosters ongoing engagement and iteration. ### Actionable Insights The main goal of many research studies is to offer insights that can be put into action. These insights go beyond simply restating data; they provide decision-makers with detailed information that can be effectively showcased by adding context, depth, and color. This transition involves moving from just presenting findings to making recommendations and highlighting potential results. ### Business Decision-Making Insight communities can inform decision making at every step of a project. Their agility enables brands to expedite decision-making processes and gather a wealth of data, all achieved in a more optimized and cost-effective manner. Companies that incorporate member feedback into their decision-making processes can make customer-first decisions. ## Customer Insight Community Research Activity Types Cutting-edge insight community platforms provide a wide range of activities that seamlessly blend qualitative and quantitative approaches. Here are several engaging member activity types commonly found within communities: ### Surveys Surveys engage members in structured questionnaires focused on specific topics. They are among the most widely utilized activities due to their efficacy in collecting feedback. Through surveys, insight communities can efficiently gather opinions at scale, enabling a comprehensive understanding of diverse member perspectives. Insight community platform survey builders offer versatile toolkits for generating insights. Leading-edge platforms have robust question types, paired with advanced logic functionalities. From closed-ended queries to open-ended prompts, surveys encourage community members to dive deeper into their thoughts, fostering a collaborative environment. With the increase in mobile phone usage, it is vital that the survey platform be responsive to screen size; some companies also provide mobile-first solutions. An ideal situation would be to have both a robust tool and one optimized for mobile as well. ### Polls Insight community platforms leverage polls as a quick, engaging method to gather input from members. By posing a single question to the community, polls offer a dynamic and enjoyable way for members to actively participate. One notable feature is the immediate visibility of other members' responses upon completing the poll. This real-time interaction not only enhances community engagement but also serves as a valuable tool for swiftly gathering different perspectives and insights. Additionally, poll results can be used to guide the development of subsequent activities within the community. ### Discussion Boards and Journals/Diaries Discussion boards are another member activity type offered in insight community platforms. By providing a space for members to both contribute their feedback and engage with the responses of others, discussion boards foster a strong sense of community and can elevate the level of engagement among members. Discussion boards can also function as a diary/journal for members when set to private. This activity type is ideal for questions or prompts that require in-depth responses or encourage members to build off one another's ideas, nurturing a collaborative environment. In addition, the organic nature of these discussions often leads to the emergence of unexpected, insightful, and unique information that might otherwise remain undiscovered. ### Customer Co-Creation Ideation and co-creation activities allow for collaborative brainstorming with members. Community members engage in a dynamic exchange, where they generate, refine, and evaluate ideas. Through this process, members are granted the freedom to contribute to a shared pool of innovative ideas and solutions. Visualizations of idea ratings in charts can reveal the most promising concepts, encouraging further discussion and collaboration. Overall, this activity type allows members to exercise a higher degree of creativity while cultivating a sense of community engagement. ### Online Focus Groups and IDIs Leading insight community platforms provide tailored activities specifically designed for hosting video focus groups and in-depth interviews (IDIs). These activities provide capabilities beyond traditional video conferencing such as advanced moderator tools, the flexibility to include observers, and seamlessly integrated video clip editing suites for crafting compelling highlight reels of customer feedback. These sophisticated features not only enrich the research process but also amplify the impact of presenting insights to stakeholders. Additionally, these platforms often include robust analytics tools, allowing researchers to easily digest and delve deeper into the data and transcriptions gathered from video focus groups and IDIs. Screen sharing functionalities also enable moderators to share their screens with participants and/or allow participants to share theirs, enhancing the depth and interactivity of video focus groups by facilitating real-time feedback on digital content, products, and other visual materials. ### Online UX Testing Conducting usability testing empowers organizations and brands to test their products or designs, evaluating them for user-friendliness and ease of use among customers. This type of activity can reveal invaluable insights crucial for enhancing user experiences. Within a community platform, usability testing activity types can be used for many applications such as website/app testing, evaluating navigation/purchase processes, and online shopping. ### Mobile Ethnography With the rise of mobile, understanding the factors driving customers’ digital and real-world decisions is critical. Ethnography has long been integral to market research, though traditional methods can be time-consuming and inefficient. Mobile ethnography has advanced research practices through capabilities such as photo/video upload, location check-ins, and more, allowing researchers to gain deep customer insights in a much more cost-effective manner. Mobile ethnography activity types not only provide a more comfortable experience for customers compared to traditional ethnography methods, but also allows them to offer feedback without any external pressure. My-Take's mobile application 'Missions' enables organizations to leverage mobile ethnography within their communities, tracking real-time emotions to better comprehend motivations and purchase triggers. ### Collages Collage activities within insight community platforms offer members the opportunity to visually express their feelings and perceptions. Through a series of provided images and an interactive canvas, members can engage in a hands-on experience, dragging and dropping images to depict their thoughts and emotions. This interactive approach enables brands to delve deeper into customers’ thought processes. By observing how various images influence the perception of an idea, collages provide insights into the intricacies of customer behavior in a visualized format. ### Qualitative Deep Dive Some community platforms offer activity types for facilitating deep dive qualitative research by homing in on specific subjects with a select group of customers. This focused approach enables members to engage in interactive discussions, and participate in polls, surveys, and various qualitative and quantitative question types. Additionally, these platforms offer advanced moderation and control features, ensuring a structured and well-managed research environment for all stakeholders involved. The My-Take platform has an activity type called "Topics" specifically tailored for this purpose, offering enhanced tools for in-depth qualitative exploration. ### In-Home Use Testing In insight community platforms, In-Home Usage Tests (IHUTs) play a pivotal role in gathering valuable feedback from a curated group of participants who engage in testing current or potential products within their own living spaces and natural environment. IHUTs serve as a central hub for various activities, primarily consisting of surveys, scheduled throughout the testing period. Through this method, researchers can closely observe and analyze how the product is integrated into the daily routines and lifestyles of members. This approach not only provides insights into the product's functionality and usability, but also offers a comprehensive understanding of its real-world applications and potential improvements. ### Mobile-First Chat Surveys Mobile-first research and surveys in insight communities allow researchers to engage members in a user-friendly format. Embracing an interactive, mobile-first strategy, chat-based surveys create a relaxed atmosphere that mirrors the everyday communication style of members with their friends and family via mobile messaging. Chat-based surveys prompt members to share their thoughts and emotions freely, increasing engagement levels, particularly among demographics that can be more challenging to reach, such as Gen Z. Beyond capturing in-the-moment feedback, mobile-first surveys can also be sprinkled in as relief from lengthy studies, offering an engaging and streamlined experience. In addition, they can be valuable in retail settings, facilitating real-time feedback from shoppers. Mobile-first surveys are also ideal for on-the-go professionals, such as contractors, as they offer a convenient means of participation, enabling them to share insights effortlessly while navigating their busy schedules. My-Take has recently launched a mobile-first survey activity type called “Conversations” to the platform. ## Innovative Insight Community Features and Tools As the demand for more innovative and effective methodologies grows, insight communities continue to evolve, incorporating new features and capabilities to enhance member engagement, streamline insight delivery, and future-proof market research efforts. Here are some of the most cutting-edge features that are driving the evolution and innovation of insight communities in leading platforms: ### AI Theming AI theming saves researchers time by automatically and efficiently processing open-ended answers and providing a summary of the main themes with cited customer verbatim, reducing the hours spent and effort required for manual coding. Additionally, AI theming can enable quick initial insights and the potential to expedite reporting. By automating this process, researchers can dedicate more time to interpreting data, conducting deeper analyses, and crafting compelling customer stories. ### Chat-Based Surveys With chat-based surveys in insight communities, brands can tap into the power of mobile customer research. The interactive mobile-first approach of chat-based surveys fosters a comfortable environment and mimics how members communicate day-to-day with their family and friends through mobile messaging. Chat-based surveys encourage members to express their opinions and feelings openly by meeting them where they already spend their time in a familiar format. This can lead to higher response rates among harder-to-engage demographics such as Gen Z. ### AI Discussion Engagement Engagement tools powered by AI, paired with the human touch, can effectively optimize the process of eliciting additional information and insights from members' posts on community discussion boards. These tools automate the process of responding to member comments, with automated responses undergoing review and approval before posting. ### AI Survey Writing Tools AI survey writing tools can assist in rephrasing questions and answer options. When a question's wording feels off, an AI question rewriter tool can provide alternative phrasing suggestions. Similarly, if answer options feel incomplete or when uncertain about where to start, using AI to propose and inspire ideas can prove beneficial. ### Social Media Simulation Social media simulation tools place insight community members in a simulated social media feed environment where they can engage with content. This can provide valuable insight into how posts or advertisements may perform in a natural social media setting. Within the simulated feed, posts compete with unrelated content, giving a realistic gauge of effectiveness in grabbing attention. For instance, members might see an advertisement alongside other unrelated posts. They can then engage with the content in the feed through commenting, liking, sharing, and more. ### Mockshopping Mockshopping allows members to participate in a simulated online shopping scenario. When mockshopping, insight community members can browse product listings within a virtual store and select items they would hypothetically purchase, revealing how a product or offering might perform compared to others within an e-commerce platform environment. ### User Experience Testing Insight community user experience (UX) testing tools allow researchers and brands to observe how members assess websites and applications, and progress through the purchase process. The user experience is analyzed by tracking participants as they complete various online tasks. This approach supplies research teams with valuable data and customer feedback used to improve online user experiences. These tools can record participants' desktop or mobile device screens and guide them with instructions and questions. ### Video Focus Groups/IDIs & Editing Unlike video conferencing tools, leading insight community platforms provide specialized video chat features tailored for market research focus groups and in-depth interviews (IDIs). These platforms offer advanced moderator tools, the ability to have observers, and video clip editing suites designed for creating highlight reels of customer responses. ## Part Four - Best Practices & Decisions for Insight Communities ## Insight Community Best Practices - Member Engagement Active participation from members is crucial for creating a strong community over time. Engaged members not only contribute to higher response rates, enhancing the quality of insights, but also reinforce the value of them. Ultimately, the involvement and responsiveness of members are fundamental elements of thriving communities. Here are some best practices for maintaining member engagement in insight communities: ### Consistently Post Content It's important to maintain a consistent schedule for posting content to ensure that members can log in regularly and find activities to engage with. It's essential to avoid overwhelming members by posting too much at once, while also preventing disengagement by ensuring that there are regular activities available. The most frequent and most reasonable range for posting can range between 2-4 activities per month. ### Various Activity Types Incorporating diverse activity types, both qualitative and quantitative, provides members with fresh experiences each time they participate in an activity, sustaining their interest in future participation. It's crucial for this content to hold significance for members, ensuring that the questions or tasks presented are engaging and relevant to their interests. This involvement in the research process encourages continued engagement from members. ### Close the Loop Fostering a sense of community is vital for engagement, ensuring that members feel they play a meaningful role in the studies they're involved in. It's crucial to communicate to members that their contributions are valued, which, in turn, encourages their active participation in activities. My-Take employs three key strategies to enhance member engagement. First, we ensure consistent content by offering various low-priority research activities such as polls or short discussions between high-priority studies, keeping members engaged even during lulls in activity. My-Take also provides a diverse range of content types, including 13 different activity types and more than 30 question types within surveys, to maintain member interest and offer variety. In addition, the platform builds a sense of community through features like point systems for frequent participation, discussion boards for member interaction, and share-backs of key findings to demonstrate the impact of member feedback, ultimately encouraging sustained engagement in projects. ## What Makes a Remarkable Insight Community Researcher There are various skills and traits that make a great community researcher. Here are 10 elements that make a top-notch insight community manager: ### Passion A great community insights manager is passionate about insight communities as a research tool and, more importantly, about helping clients succeed in the marketplace through better and faster decisions enabled by the voice of the customer. ### Client-Focused Responsiveness Traditional research can often move slower than the needs of the client. A great community insights manager not only responds quickly to requests but also anticipates clients' needs in advance. ### Inquisitive Nature Naturally curious individuals with a desire to learn bring higher quality insights to the table. This curiosity is crucial when designing and analyzing different research activities. ### Research Expertise A background in marketing or market research is beneficial. A strong community insights manager has experience in both qualitative and quantitative research, familiarity with community research, and exposure to the newest research tools and techniques. ### Agile Approach Clients need technology and personnel that enable agile, iterative, and flexible actions. A community insights manager should embody these qualities. ### Interpersonal and Community Engagement Skills Acting as the liaison between the community supplier, the client, and community members requires extensive communication. Ensuring continuous and meaningful engagement within the community is key for fostering active participation and valuable insights. ### Organizational and Project Management Skills Strong organizational and project management skills are essential for establishing a solid foundation during the initial client onboarding process and maintaining consistent, timely execution, which are crucial for sustaining long-term success. ### Analysis and Market Research Tech Tool Skills Proficiency in using analysis tools and interpreting information is critical for delivering great insights. This includes experience with analytic and market research tools, critical thinking abilities, and the ability to deliver compelling insights. ### Writing and Storytelling Skills Writing is essential to accurately and powerfully expressing ideas and information. A great community insights manager should excel in crafting narratives that convey insights effectively. ### Actionable Client-based Recommendations Ultimately, clients seek actionable insights that will drive their decision-making and company results. A great community insights manager finds meaning in raw information, understands the implications, and provides strong, customer-inspired recommendations. ## Choosing the Right Service Level for Your Community When selecting the right service level for your insight community, it's crucial to align the level of support with the complexity of your research needs. ### SaaS DIY For researchers seeking a self-managed approach, SaaS (Software as a Service) models offer a DIY solution. These platforms provide the necessary research technology for managing online insight communities independently. Ideal for companies confident in their research capabilities, SaaS allows for full control over community management and research activities. ### Full Service Full-service providers offer a comprehensive solution, combining both technology and full expert professional services. These providers leverage their expertise in community research to deliver tailored solutions for complex research projects. Ideal for organizations seeking hands-on support and guidance throughout the research process, full-service providers ensure a seamless experience from setup to insights delivery. ### Hybrid Hybrid models bridge the gap between self-management and full-service support. This flexible approach caters to organizations requiring some assistance with community management or specific research tasks while maintaining a degree of autonomy. ## How Much Does It Cost to Run an Insight Community? While it is generally agreed that insight communities provide a very good return relative to the spend, they do represent an investment or commitment to capturing the voice-of-the-customer on an ongoing basis. Because of the range of options available it is difficult to provide a definitive annual cost, or even a range. Industry sources indicate a very broad range of community costs. Clearly there are SaaS/DIY solutions that are modest in cost. There are many examples of communities that are obviously more expensive due to certain factors such as extensive consultation, extremely large number of members, or multiple brands that exceed the top of the range. What may be more helpful in trying to understand numbers is to talk about the factors that impact the ultimate cost. Those include, but are not limited to, the following: ### Objectives and definition of the community The purpose and definition of the community can certainly impact price. It is not difficult to imagine that a community leveraged throughout the organization for higher stakes decisions would require more capability, communication, and support. In addition, the community may encompass several brands or businesses. ### Degree of professional services Community objectives would certainly impact the desired professional services attached to the platform. A company could choose a DIY option, select services (Hybrid), or full-service including administration, study creation, analysis, and reporting. ### Technology platform There are varied levels of technology capabilities within the market, and understanding what functionality is desired is important. The increased capabilities might cost more, but they offer huge savings in automation. Additionally, there are direct, but usually modest, costs associated with leveraging AI, and specifically large language models. ### Community composition (members & activities) The variables that most commonly have a significant impact on cost are the number of members, which is derived from the desired number of responses, and the volume and type of activities. First, the number of members in a community impacts management, moderation, and, in some cases, analysis. The other factor is the number and nature of studies going through the community. Other costs (setup, recruitment, and incentives) There is also generally a setup fee to establish the community which includes site design and community parameters. In addition, there is the cost of recruitment if using external sources. Any budget should also include refresh recruitments for future years, although these will be much smaller. Also, a community member incentive plan should be established as well. This will likely be viewed as a much lower cost per participant than traditional market research. ## Selecting an Insight Community Platform or Provider Selecting an insight community provider involves careful consideration and asking the right questions. It's crucial to ensure you choose a provider that aligns with your organization's needs and goals. Here are some key questions to ask prospective insight community providers: Platform Source & Capabilities With technological advancements expanding the breadth and depth of capabilities, and also delivering huge time savings through automation, the platform continues to grow in importance. Further, companies who are able to deliver enhancements, innovation, and have a deep understanding of the technology offer a big advantage. It is important to ask potential suppliers the source(s) of their technology and platform. Some important aspects to look for in platform capabilities include video abilities and analysis, mobile friendliness, scalability to any member count, and robust tools for qualitative, quantitative, customer experience (CX), and user experience (UX) research. Additionally, learn if the platform integrates AI tools such as open-end theming, member engagement tools, and dynamic survey questions. Understanding these capabilities helps ensure the platform is future-proof and can meet your evolving research needs. Platform Security Ensure the platform has strong security measures and handles Personally Identifiable Information (PII) with the utmost care. It is crucial to understand the provider's data protection protocols, compliance with industry standards, and their approach to safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring participant trust. Multilingual Capabilities Many platforms now offer translation features that allow activities to be conducted in multiple languages. Members can participate in their native language, while the insights gathered are translated for the report viewer. Look for a platform that provides language overlays, ensuring that all elements of the community interface, such as instructions and navigation, appear in the member's native language. This approach not only enhances participation but also ensures that the insights collected are more reflective of a diverse customer base. Understand the Client’s Business It is essential for the community provider to have the ability to effectively inquire about, and understand, the client's business. This includes connecting business objectives to insights and leveraging storytelling to present findings in a compelling and actionable manner. Research Team Expertise & Continuity Who will manage my account, and what experience do they have? Understanding the team's capabilities is essential for ensuring successful community management. Some of the qualities of great insight community managers include proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative research, strong project management abilities, and a “Can Do” mindset. Look for a team that is genuinely invested in your company and its products or services. It’s also important to understand the tenure of the individuals with whom you’ll be working to gauge stability and consistency. In addition, the ability to maintain high levels of community engagement is also essential for successful community management. Brand and Segment Handling How can the community be configured to accommodate brands and segments? Assess the provider's approach to segmentation and brand management. Member Engagement What strategies do you use to keep community members engaged? Look for providers who prioritize member satisfaction and interaction. Keeping members engaged is essential for retention. Cost Structure What are the major cost parameters, and are there additional charges? Understanding pricing and potential extra fees is crucial for research budget planning. Data Analysis Capabilities What segmentation and filtering tools do you offer? Ensure the provider can analyze data effectively and provide relevant insights. Project Execution How do you handle different project types? Assess the provider's experience and processes for executing various studies. Reporting Timeline How long does it take to receive final reports? Establishing reporting timelines is vital for meeting project deadlines. Look for an insight community provider that can meet your reporting turnaround needs. Reporting Capability What reporting outputs and export options does the provider have available? Client Involvement How much time and commitment are required? Understand your role in ensuring the success of the community. Flexibility What happens if I need to run more activities than outlined in the contract? Seek providers who are flexible and adaptable to changing needs. Community Setup How long does it take to launch a community, and what are the key steps? Evaluate the provider's efficiency in setting up and launching communities efficiently. Differentiation What sets your company apart from competitors? Assess the provider's unique strengths and how they align with your organization's goals. Platform Roadmap What new capabilities are scheduled to become available over the next 12 months? How is the company integrating AI? By asking these questions, brands can make informed decisions when selecting an insight community provider, helping to ensure a successful relationship. ## Steps to Take When Launching an Insight Community Launching an insight community marks a thrilling milestone for any organization. Kick-off meetings with insight community providers are crucial for aligning on vision and setting objectives. Here are some steps to take when first launching an insight community: ### Outline Community Priorities Defining the most important deliverables, or desired outcomes, can help the team maintain focus on the top priorities. An example of an important goal would be to increase the success rate of new products. ### Decide on Community Branding An important factor to consider when launching an online community is whether you want the community to be branded or unbranded. This will determine how members view the community overall. ### Form Community Composition Knowing who you want in your community as well as having your screener questions and profile fields defined are important steps in preparation for launch. ### Recruit Community Members Defining and securing the right people for the community is crucial. There are several sources for members, including: panels, customer lists, associations, and, in some instances, social media. ### Address Potential Pitfalls Potential pitfalls, such as overly strict screening quotas or undefined objectives, must be addressed. Planning objectives and content calendars beforehand streamline the launch process and prevent wasted effort. ## Part Five: Insight Community Trends & Predictions ## Insight Communities - A Look Ahead Insight community decisions are often, and should be, about making a choice not just for today but also for the future. This is important because of changes in technology, consumers, and client needs. Looking forward, these are some of the challenges and opportunities emerging now and in the near future. Driven by technology, insight communities will rapidly expand in terms of capabilities and automation. AI in particular will impact all aspects of community execution. Initial gains will be in automation of the routine, with future progress in more prescriptive analysis. Technology advancements will change and enhance the role of the researcher. With gains in technology, the researcher will be able to spend less time on operations aspects of research and more on asking the right questions and more sophisticated and subtle insight delivery. Additionally, an individual researcher will be much more productive and satisfied with their work. Tools and methodology will more closely meet consumer behavior. Methodologies that track web experience, mobile-first, and video are examples. Qual at scale will flourish, particularly video focus groups and IDIs. Platform security, PII management, and sample quality will remain critical. Along with the traditional hallmarks of identifying poor or fraudulent participants, it will become increasingly important to separate AI-generated responses to safeguard data quality. DIY and Hybrid models will become more prevalent. Full-service engagements will become more efficient, and the end product better. Customers/brands will continue to value speed and flexibility from their providers. One aspect of this will be the highly automated platform, the other will be companies positioned to enable flexible insight delivery spanning the continuum of DIY to Full Service depending on the changing needs of the client. Community members (consumers/participants) will continue to commit time to engaging with various brands and services. However, they are likely to seek out community experiences that not only offer great engagement but also respect their time. Clients will benefit from access to more data sources and curation tools. AI tools will facilitate this process. More rich storytelling with high production automated output tools. ## Part Six: My-Take - The Smart Insight Community Platform ## Why My-Take My-Take empowers brands to make smarter decisions and create customer-first products and solutions, leveraging feedback from insight communities. By equipping brands with the tools and insight to future-proof their market research, My-Take ensures clients remain agile and adaptive in the evolving landscape of customer preferences and industry trends. At the heart of My-Take's success lies its leading-edge platform, packed with innovative features and functionalities designed to meet the evolving needs of modern researchers. With intuitive tools and advanced member engagement and reporting capabilities, My-Take provides continuous VoC feedback, enabling informed decision-making at every turn. My-Take's platform also offers robust translation capabilities, allowing members to participate in their native language while ensuring insights are seamlessly translated for stakeholders. This feature enhances participation and ensures that the feedback collected reflects the diverse voices of the customer base. In addition, security is a top priority at My-Take. We are dedicated to safeguarding both our clients' data and our members' information through a comprehensive security approach. Our platform employs advanced data encryption to protect data during transmission and storage, adheres to data handling policies to ensure privacy and compliance, and features secure member login protocols to prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, we manage access through detailed admin roles and permissions. My-Take also distinguishes itself through its remarkable support and insights teams, dedicated to ensuring the success of your insight community initiatives. From strategic guidance and consultation to hands-on assistance and expertise, the My-Take team stands ready to support brands’ research objectives and drive impactful results. Speed, flexibility, and value are also key components of My-Take's approach. With a commitment to delivering rapid insights and adaptable solutions, My-Take empowers brands to stay agile in a dynamic market while maximizing value through future-proof community research. My-Take offers the ideal combination of cutting-edge technology, expert support, and unmatched value, making it the smart choice for companies seeking to future-proof their market research strategies. Contact us to learn more about how My-Take can help your brand get started with insight community research. # My-Take Launches Conversations: Chat-Based Surveys for Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-launches-conversations-chat-based-surveys-for-insight-communities Published: February 2, 2024 By: My Take > My-Take LLC, a Greater Boston-based insight community technology and analysis company, has just launched a new mobile-first research activity type to its insight community platform called Conversations. This new release allows clients to create chat-based surveys in their insight communities and comes fully integrated with multiple AI capabilities to enhance member engagement and help yield even richer insight. Westborough, MA, USA –February 2024 – My-Take LLC, a Greater Boston-based insight community technology and analysis company, has just launched a new mobile-first research activity type to its platform called Conversations. This new release allows clients to create chat-based surveys in their insight communities and comes fully integrated with multiple AI capabilities to enhance member engagement and help yield even richer insight. “We are thrilled to announce the release of Conversations to our insight community platform. Chat-based surveys not only enhance the survey experience for members but also allow for more authentic and in-depth feedback by meeting them where they already are spending time, on mobile. This allows our clients to foster an environment for members that feels familiar and mimics how they already communicate day-to-day with their family and friends. This release for mobile has been highly anticipated by clients, marking a significant step forward in our commitment to delivering cutting-edge AI-powered, innovative tools that allow them to go further with their market research.” - Todd Hoskins, Co-founder Advanced AI Features of Conversations: AI Auto Moderation: Auto moderator automatically probes members that submit a low-quality long text response via a follow-up question. AI Dynamic Text Question: AI-generated question type that uses an objective and/or previous responses to engage members with a personalized question. AI Response Feedback: AI-generated question response/feedback that displays to members after they answer a question, to help foster conversational interactions. Applications of Conversations: Some common applications for Conversations include capturing the attention of harder to engage demographics such as Gen Z, conducting studies with on-the-go professionals (B2B research studies), location-based research such as retail or live events, and serving as an alternative to continual long-form surveys. Conversations are available to clients at every service level. Contact us to learn more and demo the platform. About My-Take: My-Take is a Greater Boston-based customer research technology company that offers an advanced insight community platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for our clients. # Press Release: My-Take Named a Top Innovator in Market Research for the Fourth Consecutive Year Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-named-a-top-innovator-in-market-research-for-the-fourth-consecutive-year Published: November 14, 2023 By: My Take > My-Take LLC, a leading insight community technology company based in Greater Boston, has been named as one of the most innovative suppliers in market research in GreenBook's 2023 GRIT report, marking its fourth consecutive appearance on the esteemed list. WESTBOROUGH, Mass., Nov. 14, 2023 My-Take LLC, a leading insight community technology company based in Greater Boston, has been named as one of the most innovative suppliers in market research in GreenBook's 2023 GRIT report, marking its fourth consecutive appearance on the esteemed list. "We are thrilled to receive this recognition for our innovation. Our unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and enhancing our customers’ experience remains at the heart of our values. Achieving this industry recognition for four consecutive years demonstrates our dedication to integrating the voice of the customer into everything we do. Through our ongoing focus on creating new research capabilities and time saving automation, we aim to ‘future proof’ our clients’ communities.” - Todd Hoskins, Co-founder My-Take has introduced several upgrades and new features to its platform this year. Most prominently, My-Take has been extremely aggressive in generative AI with powerful features for open-end coding/theming (AI Instant Theming), member engagement (AI Engage), and survey/question refinement (AI Creation Co-pilot). Another noteworthy addition is the Concept Curator & Database, a state-of-the-art reporting tool that enables clients to seamlessly track, compare, and filter through product concepts within a centralized repository. In addition, My-Take has unveiled two new cutting-edge survey question types: mockshop simulated online shopping experience and a social media simulation. "Our professional services team is committed to aiding brands in harnessing the power of continuous Voice of Customer (VoC) feedback powered by our innovative insight community platform. We take immense pride in our dedication to providing remarkable support, ensuring our clients have seamless access to real-time, actionable customer insights. This commitment has not gone unnoticed, and we are honored to once again be recognized as one of the industry's top innovation partners.” - Rich Armstrong, Co-founder About My-Take: My-Take is a Greater Boston-based customer research technology company that offers an advanced insight community platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for our clients. # Press Release: My-Take Launches Concept Curator & Database for Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-launches-concept-curator-database-for-insight-communities Published: May 16, 2023 By: My Take > My-Take LLC, a greater Boston-based insight community technology and analysis company, has just launched a new analysis & reporting feature to the platform, Concept Curator & Database. Westborough, MA, USA –May 16th, 2023 – My-Take LLC, a greater Boston-based insight community technology and analysis company, has just launched a new analysis & reporting feature to the platform, Concept Curator & Database. This new release allows clients to track, compare, and filter through all of their product concepts in a central reporting repository. “Concept evaluation is one of the top uses for market research insight communities, as many companies view new products and services as the lifeblood of business growth. This capability has been highly requested and offers tremendous value by adding an additional layer of context to their concept evaluations.” – Todd Hoskins, My-Take Co-founder Features include: ● In-report summary table: integrated matrix maps key data for easy comparison ● Concept database: repository to compare historical concepts ● Mapping: key metrics for each concept map to the historical database ● Smart filtering: concept database can be sorted by key metrics ● Concept card: click into any concept in the database for key information “Concept testing is essential for reviewing the potential of ideas and products before launch. It helps brands identify which concepts should move forward, as well as how to improve existing ideas so that they achieve maximum impact. The My-Take Concept Curator and Database is the perfect tool for brands looking to easily compare concepts over time and across categories.” - Rich Armstrong, My-Take Co-founder My-Take’s Concept Curator & Database is available to clients at every service level. Contact us to learn more and demo the platform. About My-Take: My-Take is a greater Boston based consumer insight technology and analytics company that offers an advanced market research insight community (MROC) platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for clients. For more information, visit: https://www.my-take.com/ # For the Third Consecutive Year, My-Take Named a Top Innovative Supplier in Market Research Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/for-the-third-consecutive-year-my-take-named-a-top-innovative-supplier-in-market-research Published: September 1, 2022 By: My Take > WESTBOROUGH, Mass., Sept. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- My-Take LLC, a Greater Boston-based customer research technology company, has been named one of the Most Innovative Suppliers in Market Research in GreenBook's annual GRIT report. This marks My-Take's 3rd consecutive appearance on the prestigious list. "We are very proud to again be recognized for our innovation. Continual improvement and delivering an exceptional experience for our customers are core values. By delivering new applications for our customers, we open up new research capabilities. Additionally, we seek to automate insight community functionality to help our customers go faster and unlock new insights. To achieve this industry recognition for three consecutive years is a testament to our relentless focus on integrating the voice of the customer." - Todd Hoskins, Co-founder This year, My-Take has added many enhancements and new features to the platform. The most notable is the release of the third version of Video Chats, an activity type used for online focus groups and IDIs. This new release comes with added reporting and administration capabilities along with enhanced UI layouts, giving users more control and research-focused features to make running online focus groups more seamless and intuitive. In addition to Video Chats, another recent platform release to highlight would be Experiences. Experiences is a digital user experience (UX) testing activity that allows organizations to understand customer behavior and opinions on digital assets such as websites and programs. "For over a decade, our teams' focus has been on helping brands and organizations understand their customers better through continuous feedback powered by our insight community platform and professional services team. We're delighted to have been recognized again as one of the top technology partners in the industry for our innovative platform!" - Rich Armstrong, Co-founder About My-Take: My-Take is a Greater Boston-based customer research technology company that offers an advanced insight community platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for our clients. WESTBOROUGH, Mass., Sept. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- My-Take LLC, a Greater Boston-based customer research technology company, has been named one of the Most Innovative Suppliers in Market Research in GreenBook's annual GRIT report. This marks My-Take's 3rd consecutive appearance on the prestigious list. "We are very proud to again be recognized for our innovation. Continual improvement and delivering an exceptional experience for our customers are core values. By delivering new applications for our customers, we open up new research capabilities. Additionally, we seek to automate insight community functionality to help our customers go faster and unlock new insights. To achieve this industry recognition for three consecutive years is a testament to our relentless focus on integrating the voice of the customer." - Todd Hoskins, Co-founder This year, My-Take has added many enhancements and new features to the platform. The most notable is the release of the third version of Video Chats, an activity type used for online focus groups and IDIs. This new release comes with added reporting and administration capabilities along with enhanced UI layouts, giving users more control and research-focused features to make running online focus groups more seamless and intuitive. In addition to Video Chats, another recent platform release to highlight would be Experiences. Experiences is a digital user experience (UX) testing activity that allows organizations to understand customer behavior and opinions on digital assets such as websites and programs. "For over a decade, our teams' focus has been on helping brands and organizations understand their customers better through continuous feedback powered by our insight community platform and professional services team. We're delighted to have been recognized again as one of the top technology partners in the industry for our innovative platform!" - Rich Armstrong, Co-founder About My-Take: My-Take is a Greater Boston-based customer research technology company that offers an advanced insight community platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for our clients. # UX Testing in Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/ux-testing-in-insight-communities Published: August 26, 2022 By: My Take > As the marketplace grows to be more and more customer focused, organizations need to put resources towards enhancing both the customer experience (CX) and user experience (UX) when it comes to their products and services. In this blog article, we will walk you through the different ways you can test user experience with customers/community members. As the marketplace grows to be more and more customer focused, organizations need to put resources towards enhancing both the customer experience (CX) and user experience (UX) when it comes to their products and services. In this blog article, we will walk you through the different ways you can test user experience with customers/community members. ## What is Usability Testing? Usability testing allows organizations/brands to test their products or designs and assess them for ease of use and user-friendliness with their customers. Usability testing can unlock a wide range of insights when it comes to improving experiences. There are many different use cases for usability testing within a community platform that can provide many benefits. ## Usability Testing Insight Community Use Cases: ### Website/Desktop App Evaluation Website and application evaluation are both popular reasons why many organizations choose to conduct usability testing. Developing a deep understanding of the way a site works and learning how customers interact with the different elements and functions involved as they make their way through their online journey can help uncover ways to improve their experience.These insights can then be used to enhance web-based designs and user-centricity. Some examples of things to evaluate on websites to improve experience can include: Measure how well a page is converting customers Understand ease of learning for new customers Analyze how well returning customers maintain memorability of the site Identify bugs and areas of difficulty/poor usability ### Navigation/Purchase Process Testing navigation can be used to see how different customers navigate through a website or application’s user interface when given a certain task or a set goal to accomplish. A common reason to conduct navigation testing is to see how customers interact with a new design compared to older versions. Other reasons could include: Analyze customers’ paths to purchase Learn how easy it is for customers to find/search for a given website as well as how they use any on-site search function Look at how customers explore and discover different areas of a site. ### Mock Shopping Simulate a mock shopping experience with customers. Learn what their preferences and opinions are when it comes to shopping online. Mock shopping involves showing a mock-digital storefront to customers and having them guide through their shopping process Mock-shopping can unlock rich insights as to: How customers make their way through a digital store/ecommerce environment Why they make certain purchase choices Uncover pain points they may experience along the way. ## How The My-Take Platform Incorporates UX Testing My-Take Experiences: Online UX Tool, allows organizations to test and analyze desktop user experiences with community members by recording their screen and having them narrate through their process as they navigate through a series of online tasks in addition to prompting them with instructions and questions along the way. This first-hand qualitative look at a customers’ user experience can provide researchers and teams with the feedback and insight needed to enhance online user experiences. To learn more about the My-Take platform and Experiences contact us today. # Use Cases for Online Focus Groups in Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/online-focus-groups-insight-communities Published: August 26, 2022 By: My Take > Market researchers are increasingly relying on technology to help collect customer feedback. As research grows to be more digitized and now that customers are more comfortable with using video as a means to communicate, there is a solution for replacing the in-person experience within communities: online video focus groups and IDIs. ## Why use online focus groups? Market researchers are increasingly relying on technology to help collect customer feedback. As research grows to be more digitized and now that customers are more comfortable with using video as a means to communicate, there is a solution for replacing the in-person experience within communities: online video focus groups and IDIs. Bringing focus groups online allows researchers, product teams, and stakeholders more opportunities to find the necessary feedback while cutting back on time, travel, and overall expense without sacrificing the quality of feedback; and running them within a community can make the entire process seamless! Advanced online focus group tools allow for research-focused features such as the ability to have backroom observers watch, as well as providing a robust set of moderator tools to allow for full control that traditional video chatting methods do not provide. In addition, automation in transcriptions and video recording with the addition of editing tools for highlights are high-end reporting capabilities. Overall online focus groups and IDIs allow research teams to secure deeper qualitative understanding of opinions and emotions which can complement or inform quantitative studies. ## Use Cases for Video Focus Groups and IDIs in Insight Communities ### Product & Concept Testing Video focus groups can be used to evaluate new products or concepts to members that either own and use similar products or are interested. For new products and concepts this can begin by first identifying what participants are currently using within a specific category to better understand current pain points and what is working best. This sets the stage for introducing the new concept or product. This could be simply verbalizing a concept description in its very early stages or showing a physical prototype to members. The objective is to learn whether to proceed with developing the concept or product as is, or making changes before launching. For products that are currently in the market and aren’t selling or performing as expected, focus groups can be used to identify why customers aren’t purchasing and to "test" customers’ knowledge on product lines. These focus groups identify what changes need to be made to the product or concept to entice customers to buy and see what they know. ### Advertising and Marketing Evaluation Another use case for video focus groups includes advertising and marketing asset evaluation. This can include showing potential advertisements, commercials, and marketing materials to potential customers. The primary objective is to understand from the participants whether the messaging, including the imagery, conveys the right information as well as whether it entices the viewer to purchase the product or not. ### Customer Journey Evaluation IDIs and one-on-one interviews can be utilized to map out the customer purchase path. In these, participants can share their screens and guide the moderator through their purchasing journey when it comes to researching and buying online products. Conducting this type of research through a one-on-one would allow the moderator to chime in and ask questions during the process and ask things like why participants are taking these particular steps. This can allow for deeper insight into customers' path to purchase and enable organizations to understand shopping habits. ## How My-Take Can Help Make Your Next Online Focus Group a Success My-Take’s advanced insight community platform offers video chat sessions to clients as well as those interested in SaaS ad-hoc studies. Our expert researchers are available for additional services as well. Contact us today to find out how we can bring your study to life online! # Best Practices for Insight Community Member Engagement Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/best-practices-for-insight-community-member-engagement Published: August 26, 2022 By: My Take > Member engagement is essential for building a strong community long term. For drawing insights, engaged members can mean a higher response rate, which can strengthen data findings and reinforce valuable insights. All in all, members who are engaged and responsive are a fundamental aspect of any community. ## Why is member engagement so important in insight communities? Member engagement is essential for building a strong community long term. For drawing insights, engaged members can mean a higher response rate, which can strengthen data findings and reinforce valuable insights. All in all, members who are engaged and responsive are a fundamental aspect of any community. ## Best Practices for Ensuring Quality Member Engagement Some best practices for member engagement would be posting content consistently, utilizing a variety of types of content, and establishing a sense of community. ### Consistent Content First, consistency in posting content is crucial so members are able to log on relatively often and have activities available for them often enough to engage with. You don't want to overwhelm members by posting a lot at once, but you also don't want them to get disengaged by not posting an activity for a while. ### Varied Activities Second, using a variety of content types offers something new to members when they click into an activity, keeping them interested in what the next activity might be. It’s also important for this content to be meaningful to members, so that what we’re asking them is interesting or relevant to them and they feel involved in the research process and will continue to engage. ### Closing the Loop Finally, establishing a sense of community is important to engagement so members feel they're contributing to the meaningful projects that they're a part of. We want to make it known to members that we value their contributions, and in turn the members would like to be involved in our activities. ## How does My-Take ensure high engagement among community members? In terms of those three best practices for member engagement, My-Take first ensures consistent content posting by offering capabilities to post low priority research in between high priority research studies, like a Poll or short Discussion question, anytime when there might not have been an activity posted recently. Short activities like these can still provide meaningful insights, but they're also beneficial just as a way to hear from members and have something for them to take between larger projects, if needed. In addition to consistently posting content, My-Take also encourages engagement by ensuring all content posted is relevant and meaningful to the members. My-Take also offers a wide variety of types of content to utilize. The My-Take platform offers more than 10 different types of activities, and surveys alone offer over 30 question types, which allows questions to be posed to members in many different forms that can offer some variance and keep them interested. In addition the platform offers capabilities to establish a sense of community among members. Point systems recognize members who participate frequently and can encourage them to continue participating to earn more points and rewards. Also, discussion boards allow members to communicate with each other, in which members are encouraged to share their ideas and opinions, so they can post a new question or topic related to the community, and others can respond to them. Share-backs are another way My-Take keeps members in the loop; by summarizing key findings from activities members have contributed to and share some of that back with them through things like monthly newsletters or infographics, to show them how their feedback has impacted the research process after they finish taking an activity. These examples help provide a sense of community, which encourages members to participate and continue to be engaged in projects. If you have questions about how to increase engagement in your community, contact us today! # 2022 Intern Interview - Meghan Smith Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/2022-intern-interview-meghan-smith Published: August 16, 2022 By: My Take > The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Intern Analyst, Meghan Smith. Meghan is a rising senior at Providence College, majoring in Marketing. In this Q & A we will discuss with Meghan her experience interning at My-Take. The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Intern Analyst, Meghan Smith. Meghan is a rising senior at Providence College, majoring in Marketing. In this Q & A we will discuss with Meghan her experience interning at My-Take. What sparked your interest in interning at My-Take? Being a marketing intern and sociology minor I have had the privilege of taking several market research and social research classes at the beginning of my college experience. I have always had a curiosity about data analytics and began to search for internships in that field. What I really liked about My-Take is their online insight communities and their clientele that spans several industries. What are your 3 biggest takeaways from interning at My-Take? Practice makes perfect: Interning at My-Take has taught me that any skill can be mastered if you put in the hours. I remember when I first started coding last year, now I can code in half the time and it comes as second nature. Take a step back: Working with data all the time, it can be easy to get lost in the numbers. Taking a break and working on something more qualitative for even a half hour gives me a new set of eyes when revisiting the data. Remote collaboration: During the continuous times of Covid, My-Take has shown that a remote/hybrid workplace can still be highly collaborative (something I appreciate most). What was the best piece of advice you got while working here? The best piece of advice I received was given to me at the very beginning of my journey at My-Take. They advised me to stay curious about every aspect of the process. Although my tasks were concentrated on one step, asking questions about the bigger picture helped me understand the overall market research process. What have you found the most rewarding from your internship at My-Take? Having the opportunity to intern at My-Take for the past two years, has provided me a unique chance to grow within the company during a short time. I find it most rewarding to have worked on projects that I never would have played a role in during my first year. Are there any skills or lessons you’ve learned that could be applicable outside of market research online communities? The main skill I took away is confidence in the workplace and in my abilities. I think in any industry confidence is key in all roles because it enhances communication and opens doors. What has been unique about working at My-Take? Although I have had no corporate work experience prior to joining My-Take, I have had many jobs where I have observed workplace culture. What is different about My-Take’s culture is there is an established level of respect for each colleagues’ abilities. The level of collaboration is high and effective because each employee trusts each other. What are you looking forward to in your upcoming semester? I am looking forward to experiencing my last year of college, learning as much as possible in the little time I have left, and of course making more lifelong memories. # 2022 Intern Interview - Tara Kiley Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/2022-intern-interview-tara-kiley Published: August 16, 2022 By: My Take > The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Intern Analyst, Tara Kiley. Tara is an MBA student at Providence College. In this Q & A we will discuss with Tara her experience interning at My-Take. The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Intern Analyst, Tara Kiley. Tara is an MBA student at Providence College. In this Q & A we will discuss with Tara her experience interning at My-Take. What sparked your interest in interning at My-Take? I originally found My-Take through my college. As I was searching through all the internship applications on my college’s career platform, My-Take’s caught my attention. In the past, I have worked as a research intern and was intrigued by the concept of market research. I believed that the market research industry was something I would be interested in, and I was particularly enthusiastic about the aspect of data analysis involved in this role. What are your 3 biggest takeaways from interning at My-Take? Communication I have observed through team and company meetings, email chains with colleagues, and contact with clients how important communication is. Communication is needed to make sure all objectives are being met and everyone is on the same page. Market Research Industry Over the past year, I have had the chance to work with five different insight communities. I have helped with a multitude of research projects and gained a lot of knowledge along with a newfound appreciation for the market research industry. Learning Techniques When entering a new job or industry there is going to be a learning curve. Everything is new and it takes practice to perfect. I have found that observing others and asking questions is key to learning a new job. In addition, I have found that a zoom call or an in-person meeting are great ways to discuss and clarify objectives. What was the best piece of advice you got while working here? Although I received a lot of advice and guidance over the course of my internship, one general takeaway comes to mind. I remember in my first one-on-one meeting with Todd Hoskins, he told me to always answer an email even if it’s just to confirm you got it. This piece of advice truly transformed my view on communication. Every time I receive an email, I think of his suggestion. It is especially vital in today’s world with remote work to be able to communicate effectively. What have you found most rewarding from your internship at My-Take? This summer I had the opportunity to research the implementation of the User Categorization question type for a given community. Through the use of User Categorization, respondents will be able to categorize their own open-ended responses. This will help the coding of projects move quicker and allow My-Take to allocate its time to other projects. I enjoyed working on this project because I felt it was beneficial to making business operations more effective. I am excited to see the outcome of this UCAT project over the coming weeks! Are there any skills or lessons you’ve learned that could be applicable outside of market research online communities? I have learned more about business operations, improved my analytical skills, enhanced my communication skills, and gained knowledge about market research. Some takeaways are to learn as much as you can, ask questions, and enjoy the present. Overall, I have been extremely thankful for My-Take and the experience it has offered me over the past year! What has been unique about working at My-Take? The company’s culture is unique and one of my favorite aspects of My-Take. I found that everyone truly cares about you on a personal level, and this is not something that you can find at all companies. On two separate occasions, my manager and the co-founder of My-Take have both taken time out of their days to ask me how my MBA classes are going. It’s such a nice feeling to feel valued by your employer. What are you looking forward to in your upcoming semester? I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge in business administration this upcoming semester. I am enrolled in an MBA program that started this summer, and I have enjoyed the classes I have completed thus far. In the fall, I am excited to take courses in accounting, finance, management, and statistics. # 2022 Intern Interview - Joe Moore Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/2022-intern-interview-joe-moore Published: August 16, 2022 By: My Take > The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Intern Analyst, Joe Moore. Joe is a rising senior at The University of New Hampshire, majoring in Business Administration, Marketing, and Information Systems Business Analytics. In this Q & A we will discuss with Joe his experience interning at My-Take. The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Intern Analyst, Joe Moore. Joe is a rising senior at The University of New Hampshire, majoring in Business Administration, Marketing, and Information Systems Business Analytics. In this Q & A we will discuss with Joe his experience interning at My-Take. What sparked your interest in interning at My-Take? I had taken a class called Market Research that I liked a lot, and as I looked for opportunities in Market Analytics, I found this internship. It looked like a good organization and the position looked very similar to what my interests were. I wanted to learn more about how consumers guide business decisions, and this internship looked like a perfect opportunity for that. What are your 3 biggest takeaways from interning at My-Take? Communication: Asking questions and talking to those who are more experienced than you is the best way to learn. Prior to this internship I tended to try and learn everything on my own, but I have now learned that the more you communicate, the more you can learn. Communication is key to keeping a business and team running, so understanding that has been great for transitioning into the business world. Diversify: Trying new things and learning many different aspects of the company is a valuable takeaway I have gotten from this internship. Taking on different projects and challenges is important. Even if I was not fully confident in something I was starting, I took the project/role and learned more about it by asking questions and talking to others. This has allowed me to develop many great skills at My-Take which I will be able to use heading into the future. Understanding the business world: Having never been introduced into the business world, this internship at My-Take gave me the foundation of how businesses are operated, and what to do when in a business. I learned how meetings were run, how employees email each other, as well as what it takes to have a successful and functioning team. Getting to see and learn about these things first-hand has been a great experience. What was the best piece of advice you got while working here? The best piece of advice was regarding organizing a large template I had been working on. When I went over the template with some team members, they gave me a lot of great advice about how to use font, heading, creating categories, and writing objectives for each category to make the template more user-friendly and easier to understand for people who were going to use it. This advice was valuable to make the template easy to use and understand. What have you found most rewarding from your internship at My-Take? Being able to see the work that I am doing reach the clients and community members, is rewarding. It is always nice to see the work that you do is being put to use and is valuable to the company. Are there any skills or lessons you’ve learned that could be applicable outside of market research online communities? I have learned a lot about how to communicate in the business world, whether that is face to face, or over email. I have learned how to talk to clients and how to make sure they are satisfied with the work that is being put out. Getting all the basic skills needed to work at every business has been very important. What has been unique about working at My-Take? This is my first true internship experience, but I think My-Take is unique because of the people. Everyone is so eager to help and give opportunities for me to learn new things. I have been able to sit in on meetings, and truly see how the company runs effectively. It has allowed me to be able to work with many aspects of the company and do a lot of different things. Being able to do work that is being sent to clients and have a tangible effect on the company is great and unique. What are you looking forward to in your upcoming semester? Going into next semester, I look forward to enhancing my knowledge in the analytics space in the classroom and continuing to work with My-Take to get more familiar with the company. I am excited about taking on more projects and to help My-Take in any way that I can. The internship has been great, and I look forward to continuing it further. # My-Take Launches Video Chat 3.0: Online Focus Groups and IDIs Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-launches-video-chat-30-online-focus-groups-and-idis Published: June 29, 2022 By: My Take > My-Take LLC, a greater Boston based insight technology and analysis company, has just launched its latest version of Video Chat, an insight community activity type used for conducting online focus groups and IDIs. WESTBOROUGH, Mass., June 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- My-Take LLC, a greater Boston based insight technology and analysis company, has just launched its latest version of Video Chat, an insight community activity type used for conducting online focus groups and IDIs. "This activity type upgrade and launch comes with many new enhancements. We believe this launch will add a lot of value for our clients by integrating the ability to conduct online focus groups in addition to in-depth interviews, all from within the community platform. Deep qualitative feedback gained through video chat can add color to a study and bring insights to life." – Todd Hoskins, My-Take Co-founder Updates in the 3.0 launch include: Layout/UI Updates - New grid format with an enhanced user control panel, in addition to a new Tech Helper Chat panel. Co-moderators - Video Chat Sessions can now have up to 2 moderators. Mobile Friendly - Now available for use on Mobile devices. Quick Create - Allows admins to create Video Chat Sessions on the fly. Hover Contextual User Information - Enables permission approved moderators and observers to hover and view a user's key contextual information. Smart Tagging - Allows admins to highlight specific moments and add a note, live, during a Video Chat Session. A highlight reel is auto created for these moments in Reporting. Technical Updates - Participants must now complete a tech check to participate in a Video Chat Session. Reminders and communications for Video Chat Sessions have also been revamped. "Unlike video conferencing tools, our Video Chat activity is specifically built with market research in mind. With advanced moderator tools and features, the ability to have observers, and our clip editor used for creating highlight reels, a tool like this really lends itself to researchers." - Rich Armstrong, My-Take Co-founder My-Take's cutting-edge platform offers video chat sessions to clients at every service level. Contact us to learn more and demo the platform. About My-Take: My-Take is a greater Boston based consumer insight technology and analytics company that offers an advanced market research online community (MROC) platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for clients. For more information, visit: https://www.my-take.com/ # Product Development in Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/product-development-in-insight-communities Published: April 29, 2022 By: Liza Armstrong > Whether you are in the early, middle, or late stages of product development, an insight community can help you get valuable data about your customers’ needs and give you answers to questions that arise throughout product development, giving you a strong advantage over competitors. Whether you are in the early, middle, or late stages of product development, an insight community can help you get valuable data about your customers’ needs and give you answers to questions that arise throughout product development, giving you a strong advantage over competitors. ## Why is Product Development Important? Product development involves the process of bringing a new product/service to market. Research is typically the first step in the process, to understand the customer needs and trends in the industry. In this post we're going to be talking about how you can use insight communities to streamline product development and bring new innovations to life! ## Benefits of Using Insight Communities for Product Development When developing a new product, the process can be complex and time-consuming. It involves understanding your market and knowing what your customers need to make an informed decision about your product. However, with ever-changing markets and demands, it’s difficult to know exactly what will work for different groups of people. This is where insight communities come in! Insight communities give you the opportunity to quickly identify key insights about your customer base and gain valuable information that can help shape your product decisions throughout the entire development process so that customers’ changing needs are captured. This can save a lot of time as other research methods can keep your team waiting months to capture the same level of insight. They also help you understand who your customers are as a people, such as their desires, their needs, their wants, and what makes them tick. Here's how communities can be used iteratively to help you create better products. ## Ways to Use Communities at Every Stage of Product Development ### Pre-concept Exploratory When initially exploring ideas for new products, communities can be used for early exploratory research to see what type of products customers are interested in and gauge their first response. Video Chats are a great way to introduce new concepts to members face to face and record their first impressions in real time! ### Co-creation w/ Customers Insight communities allow for idea co-creation to occur. Co-creation can show your customers’ pain and light points initially, helping you design a better product for market. Communities enable an open flow of communication to take place, making idea creation and refinement easier. Topics, the My-Take platform’s deep dive qualitative activity type, is perfect for conducting this type of research ### Concept Screening Communities can also help uncover which concepts and ideas are the best to proceed with before the refining of concepts begins. Screening early on with surveys before testing can save a lot of time later in the process. ### Rough vs.Detailed Concepts Sketch out your next idea and start to lay out the specifics with the help of your community. Learn which details stand out to customers and refine your idea to create customer-first products. ### Product/Feature Prioritization Which features do customers need? Which ones do they want? Which ones differentiate the product and make it unique? These questions can be answered with the help of a customer community. ### Product Testing Communities can be used during the middle stage of a development cycle for concept testing and validation. This is a great time to perform a home use test (HUT) to see how your product will work in customers’ natural environments. When your team has fleshed out concepts, you can use your community to see which ones consumers like best and have them answer any questions that arise for your team. ### Launch Time Evaluation When it comes to the later stages, insight communities can be used to find out the best way to advertise your product and validate marketing plans as well as test/evaluate campaign messaging. Communities can also be used for package refinement and pricing. In addition, in late development, they can be used to see how customers troubleshoot issues and even see how they explore your website to purchase the product. For over a decade, My-Take has helped companies develop customer-centric products by providing a secure online insight community platform that helps them make better decisions for their customers.Click here to schedule a consultation and discuss your research needs. # Discussions - Insight Community Discussion Boards & Forums Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/discussions-insight-community-discussion-boards-forums Published: April 29, 2022 By: Liza Armstrong > Sometimes your team will need the qualitative data found in focus groups but cannot get community members to meet at the same time. If that is the case, the Discussion activity type can help your team in accomplishing this feat. Discussions can simulate a focus group without the block of time needed to conduct one, by allowing for open-ended questions to be posed that community members can answer on their own time, as well as allow for follow-ups and member-to-member interaction. Sometimes your team will need the qualitative data found in focus groups but cannot get community members to meet at the same time. If that is the case, the Discussion activity type can help your team in accomplishing this feat. Discussions can simulate a focus group without the block of time needed to conduct one, by allowing for open-ended questions to be posed that community members can answer on their own time, as well as allow for follow-ups and member-to-member interaction. ## What are Discussions? Discussions take place in the community’s discussion forum and allows for members to answer the prompt in their own words. There are three modes to which a discussion can be set and each has a different way others’ responses can be viewed. ### Public Members can see both the topic prompt and other members’ responses before posting. They can therefore reply to both members’ posts or the prompt. ### Respond-first Members must post a reply to the topic prompt before being able to see others’ responses. They are then able to respond to the other posts in the forum. ### Journal A private response to the prompt.Only the moderator can see other members’ posts. Moderators can ask individuals follow-up questions to their own posts. In public and respond-first modes, members are able to generate their own discussion topics within the forums that can provide insightful information that may not have presented itself otherwise. ## Journals A journal is not its own activity but has the option of either using discussions or surveys. When these activities are set to journal mode, members can take the same survey repeatedly and/or share their thoughts and ideas without other members’ influence. For discussions, journals are useful in situations where members need to write multiple times about the same topic, similar to an in-depth interview. ## What can Discussions be used for? ### Qualitative Research Discussions can be used to find qualitative information that could need clarification/follow up. One good way to do so is to use public or respond-first mode to have members introduce themselves early on in the community to establish some morality and initial engagement. Keyword reports for these can be used for active listening to unguided discussion. ### Home Use Testing Another way to utilize Discussions could be to create a dialogue before a Home Use Test (HUT) to build up excitement. ### Product Research Discussions can also be used to discover member’s issues or concerns with products, member’s daily habits or problems that they face with other brands. To learn more about Discussions, click here to schedule a demo. # My-Take Co-Founder Discusses Incentive Management & Rybbon Integration Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/blog-interview-post-my-take-co-founder-discusses-incentive-management-rybbon-integration Published: November 29, 2021 By: My Take > The following represents a Q&A with My-Take’s Co-Founder, Todd Hoskins. In this interview, we will discuss incentive management in addition to My-Take’s new integration with Rybbon and their reward management capabilities. The following represents a Q&A with My-Take’s Co-Founder, Todd Hoskins. In this interview, we will discuss incentive management in addition to My-Take’s new integration with Rybbon and their reward management capabilities. How do incentives work in communities? Todd: Although it is not necessary for members to be compensated for every action in communities, it’s important that their contributions are recognized. In communities, members can earn points by completing research activities. Points can drive high community engagement by engaging and rewarding members who participate frequently. Point systems can help encourage members to continue participating and earn more points. Some communities offer members the option to redeem their points for digital rewards and incentives. Other communities offer members the opportunity to participate in leaderboards and earn badges based on their accumulation of points. The key to success with incentives in communities is that the rewards need to align with what your target audience wants or needs, and you need to provide real value. Does My-Take do it differently? Todd: The My-Take platform offers an integrated rewards catalog where member reward options are chosen and managed. Clients have the choice of using integrations from the leaders in digital rewards or using their own custom catalog. Custom Rewards could be used to offer a free service, a coupon for a product, convert activity points into a customer loyalty program, etc. We recommend using an integration if you want quick and easy rewards through an extensive catalog of e-gift cards, or recommend a custom catalog if you already operate a storefront/customer rewards program and want to reward members through those channels. I understand you are working with a new incentive partner, can you share more details? Todd: Definitely! We recently integrated Rybbon’s reward catalog into our platform’s incentive and reward settings. Rybbon is a digital rewards management platform, and its cutting-edge Rewards Gallery is directly embedded within the My-Take platform. This integration creates a seamless shopping-cart experience when community members want to redeem their points for desirable digital rewards. This integration will provide My-Take clients with many benefits, including streamlined automated rewards distribution and management as well as international reward options in over 160 countries. When will this integration be available? Todd: The integration is already complete and currently available to existing and prospective clients. # Press Release - My-Take Adds Rybbon Integration to Rewards Catalog Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/press-release-my-take-adds-rybbon-integration-to-rewards-catalog Published: November 29, 2021 By: My Take > My-Take LLC, a greater Boston-based research & insights technology company, has announced a new integration with Rybbon, a Blackhawk Network business and a leading provider of digital rewards. The integration will allow for greater automation and management of incentive distribution within My-Take insight communities and enable My-Take clients to access Rybbon’s vast catalog of rewards when distributing incentives to community members. PRESS RELEASE: My-Take Adds Rybbon Integration to Rewards Catalogue My-Take LLC, a greater Boston-based research & insights technology company, has announced a new integration with Rybbon, a Blackhawk Network business and a leading provider of digital rewards. The integration will allow for greater automation and management of incentive distribution within My-Take insight communities and enable My-Take clients to access Rybbon’s vast catalog of rewards when distributing incentives to community members. “Automating reward distribution and management through Rybbon’s platform can lead to increased response rates and strengthen communities,” said Jignesh Shah, Head of Global Integrated Incentives at Blackhawk Network. “Rybbon’s digital rewards platform enables our clients to offer a wider range of digital rewards and that can aid in incentivizing participation.” “For over 10 years, My-Take has helped clients and brands connect with their customers through our advanced insight community platform and team of remarkable researchers,” said Todd Hoskins, Co-founder at My-Take. “Rybbon’s platform makes it easy for our clients to automate reward distribution, giving them access to new rewards including international options for over 160 countries. This gives clients the tools to recruit, retain, and encourage member participation, ultimately driving strong engagement within their communities.” The Rybbon for My-Take integration provides a solution allowing My-Take clients to easily add Rybbon incentives to activities. This integration is available now. For more information visit: https://www.rybbon.net About Rybbon Rybbon, a Blackhawk Network Business, puts the power of rewards to work for marketers and market researchers through its extensive catalog of e-gifts from top brands. Rybbon works great for international rewards programs, with options such as prepaid rewards that work in 160+ countries. Rybbon integrates with leading platforms to make rewarding easy and automatic. For more information, visit Rybbon at www.rybbon.net. About Blackhawk Network Blackhawk Network delivers branded payment solutions through the prepaid products, technologies and network that connect brands and people. We collaborate with our partners to innovate, translating market trends in branded payments to increase reach, loyalty and revenue. We reliably execute security-minded solutions worldwide. Join us as we shape the future of global branded payments. For more information, visit Blackhawk Network at www.blackhawknetwork.com. About My-Take My-Take is a greater Boston-based consumer insight technology and analytics company that offers an advanced insight community platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for our clients. For more information, visit: https://www.my-take.com/ # Missions: A Mobile Ethnography Insight Community Activity Type Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/missions-mobile-ethnography-insight-community-activity-type Published: November 10, 2021 By: Liza Armstrong > As consumers start to spend more and more time on their phones, it is becoming important to understand what drives them in the digital and real world to make decisions or perform certain actions. My-Take’s mobile application ‘Missions’ allows organizations to utilize mobile ethnography with their customer community and follow participants’ real time emotions to better understand their motivations and what triggers a purchase decision. ## What is mobile ethnography and why should researchers use it? As consumers start to spend more and more time on their phones, it is becoming important to understand what drives them in the digital and real world to make decisions or perform certain actions. For a long time, ethnography has played a major role in market research. Originally, the methods used to obtain this research, like in-person interviews, focus groups and home photographs, were intrusive and lengthy. Now, mobile ethnography has brought in new techniques that allow researchers to create an intimate yet unobtrusive setting for gathering insights. Ranging from smartphone photos to location check-in, it is now easier and more cost-effective to gain deep consumer insights. For consumers, mobile ethnography is more comfortable than traditional methods and allows for them to provide feedback without external pressures seen in traditional ethnographic research methods. My-Take’s mobile application ‘Missions’ allows organizations to utilize mobile ethnography with their customer community and follow participants’ real time emotions to better understand their motivations and what triggers a purchase decision. ## How does Missions work? The missions app must be downloaded to participants' Android or IOS phone. From here, participants are given mandatory steps rather than questions. ### The steps available are: Audio Record: Recording an audio file Emoji Select: Pick at least one emoji out of over 20 that best answers the question Location Check-in: Participants select their location. This is a good way to help you view where participants complete the activities Single Choice Answers Multiple Choice Answers Text Display Rating Net Promoter Score Long Text Answers Image Upload Video Upload ## What are Missions used for? Missions are best used for field research as they can be completed in public and provide ethnographic data. Some good uses for missions are in-person shopping for things as general as seeing the overall customer experience to specifics like seeing how a product appears in store. Missions can also be used to share customer shopping experiences with the employees of an establishment. ## What are some specific use cases for missions? ### Retail ### By allowing consumers to take a photo, shoot a video or respond to questions while they are shopping, your team gains direct feedback that can bring more clarity than second or third hand information. ### Home Use Tests (HUTs) These can help capture feedback as consumers use the product.For IHUTs, you can use missions to record the unboxing experience/set up/first time usage. They can also be an alternative to in-home interviews by sending people products and asking them to do specific tasks. Missions can also provide video and audio that can be added to a buyer persona to help bring it to life. To learn more about Missions, schedule a demo. # Topics: A Deep Dive Qualitative Insight Community Activity Type Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/topics-101-a-deep-dive-qualitative-activity-type Published: September 29, 2021 By: Liza Armstrong > If you are looking to gain deeper qualitative insights on a particular topic, then this activity is for you. Topics give respondents time-activated sequential questions that help you uncover in-depth insights. Topics are focused studies with a group of consumers on a specific topic. If you are looking to gain deeper qualitative insights on a particular topic, then this activity is for you.Topics give respondents time-activated sequential questions that help you uncover in-depth insights. Topics are focused studies with a group of consumers on a specific topic. Similar to bulletin boards, members are able to interact with other responses in a message board setting and answer the different questions provided. ## What are Topics? This activity works by giving respondents questions that can be served all at once or over a set time period.There is also the option to place a moderator into the activity who can add additional questions into the activity, comment on threaded discussions, and reply to respondents’ questions. These questions can be open or close-ended and be displayed based on conditional logic, group logic and start/end dates and times.Open-ended questions are either threaded discussions (meaning when public, members can see each other's responses/reply to them) orprivate discussions (meaning that members can only see their replies and moderator replies). In close-ended questions,respondents see the aggregate results of the question when it is set as public. Topics contain 13 different question types to help you gather feedback from your respondents.Some of the types include: ### Battle Two images are displayed and respondents pick which image they prefer ### Dial Testing A video is played and participants comment on various parts of the video and/or slide a dial to indicate how much they enjoy it. ### Markup An image is presented and participants can click around the image to either make comments on a particular area or indicate if they like or dislike a particular area. ### Text Input A freeform open response. This question type is unique to the Topics activity. ### Threaded Discussion Another long, open response that allows a moderator to ask follow-ups. If you have made questions public, other participants are also able to respond to others’ answers. ## What are some uses for Topics? Topics can be used externally as well as in the community for a variety of purposes Topics are a situational research tool that are mainly geared towards exploratory research and qualitative research. Topics are exploratory as they are open-ended and utilize moderator feedback. They also allow you to really probe respondents and follow-up on interesting things they say, as well as change the direction of the research in real-time should you discover things during the course of the Topic. In addition, Topic tools such as a threaded discussion are a major advantage. These allow for interaction between respondents/moderators and, because they are run over time, respondents can check back in and the moderator is able to guide the conversation and elicit feedback. Topics can also be thought of as an alternative to Video Chats. They allow respondents to share their thoughts and opinions with you and also with each other, and the moderator can continue to probe/follow-up on specific things a member said, or they can launch entirely new questions based on the direction that the feedback is taking. This takes place over a certain time period, as opposed to a Video Chat which takes place in real-time. Overall, it is a good alternative to a video chat because it does not require the person to dedicate a large amount of time all at once to the Topic. ## Specific uses for Topics: ### Customer purchase journey Topics are useful when it comes to capturing sentiment as well as thought processes/actual processes at each step of the customer purchase journey. ### Exploratory research Topics allow researchers to dive in on specific qualitative topics such as product/service usage, product/service sentiment, pain points, what brands are doing well/poorly. ### Concept Evaluation/Design The qualitative nature of the Topics activity allows respondents to thoroughly respond to concept and design evaluations. To learn more about Topics, click here to schedule a platform demonstration. # Concept Testing in Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/concept-testing-in-insight-communities Published: September 7, 2021 By: Liza Armstrong > Be it a product,service, marketing campaign, etc. it is vital that brands understand how concepts will be received and what can be done to garner the correct perception from their target market. Concept testing is the best way to choose which ideas to move forward with and/or how to improve upon current ideas to make sure a final product is the best it can be before it launches. Before a product or service is launched into the marketplace, it is extremely important to understand how it will be perceived once it is released to the public. Be it a product,service, marketing campaign, etc. it is vital that brands understand how concepts will be received and what can be done to garner the correct perception from their target market. Concept testing is the best way to choose which ideas to move forward with and/or how to improve upon current ideas to make sure a final product is the best it can be before it launches. ## What is concept testing? Concept testing is generally viewed as the evaluation or exploration of the viability of product and service ideas based on feedback from the target audience (usually consumers). However, this is best done with fleshed out concepts. Here, brands take all of their most promising ideas and present them before a segment of their target market to gather their perception of the concept as well as other characteristics, like price point, usability, desirability, etc, that brands deem important to keep in mind before launch. Therefore, concept tests can be as simple or complex as needed. ## Benefits of concept testing One of the main benefits of concept testing is that it gives your team direct VoC feedback data that allows you to evaluate ideas from the customer’s point of view and create customer first products and services, increasing the likelihood that your product will succeed in the market. Concept testing also can indicate if the concept(s) are even feasible to consumers, allowing product teams to ditch market flops earlier in the process. Testing concepts early on makes it easy to repeatedly test and refine right up until launch, allowing for quick changes if one day customers decide they do not like a particular point of a concept. Overall, concept testing allows teams to fish out concepts that would not work in the market as well as flesh out feasible ideas to ensure success once launched. A list of the primary benefits includes: ### Evaluation Increase the odds of a better decision through customer feedback. ### Refinement An opportunity to refine and optimize the concept (especially true with communities) ### Risk Management Greatly reduces, or eliminates, the possibility of a marketplace disaster ### Organizational Resolve An underrated benefit is that it unifies the team internally which speeds up the whole process. ## Types of concept tests As previously mentioned, there are many ways to run a concept test that can lead to results that are as simple and straightforward as “Which concept do customers prefer?” or as complex as determining price sensitivity, perception of the idea, likes, and dislikes about each and so forth. There are four ways to run a concept test. However, monadic (single concept) testing and sequential (multiple concepts) testing are the main ones used. Both of these tests yield in-depth results that cover a multitude of topics from usability to perceived value to price. Sometimes, comparison testing is used as an additional option to see which of your concepts is most popular among consumers, but your community manager will tell you which is the best way to go about concept testing. To find out more about the basics of concept testing from one of our insight managers, click here. ## Best practices when concept testing One of the first things that should be taken into consideration when concept testing is what elements should be the main focus of the test. The best elements to test are the ones that are new or unique to your product since that is where the biggest questions lay. Designing surveys that allow for both quantitative and qualitative data is also important as it allows for you to learn the messaging, imagery, and customer base needed to make sure your product succeeds. Also, any concept that is being considered should be simple enough or well-written so consumers can understand it. In addition, you must make sure that you are asking the same questions in every study so a database can be created of past concepts that your team is able to compare each of these in order to see which thresholds need to be met so your product is successful. ## How can concept testing be done in market research online insight communities? Market research online communities (MROCs) can be a very useful way to go about concept testing for a few reasons. First, the easiest way to complete a concept test is an online survey, and communities allow for an easy way to run surveys. These surveys can then be used to create an index of past concepts, which is a key part of concept testing. Therefore, they are run the same way every time to compare metrics. Communities allow for an easy way to run each survey and the same test group is used, making insights easier to find and compare among concepts. One of the advantages of running a concept test in an MROC is that you can test the concept in all phases of an iterative development cycle with nearly immediate VoC feedback due to the accessibility and ease of an MROC. If you are looking to brainstorm concepts or gain directional knowledge on products consumers want, we have a co-creation module activity type available: Idea Sessions.Click hereto schedule a consultation and learn more today. # test sorry kait Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/test-sorry-kait Published: August 5, 2021 By: Holly Stano > test test # My-Take Recognized as GreenBook GRIT Innovative Market Research Technology Supplier Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-recognized-as-greenbook-grit-innovative-market-research-technology-supplier Published: July 30, 2021 By: My Take > My-Take LLC, a greater Boston-based research & insights technology company, has been recognized as one of GreenBook’s most innovative suppliers in market research in this year’s annual GRIT “Top 50 Most Innovative Suppliers” list. Within a list that included several Fortune 500 companies, My-Take appeared as number 22 in the technology category. Contact: (508) 366 8400 ext: 1014 Westborough, MA, USA –July 30th, 2021 – My-Take LLC, a greater Boston-based research & insights technology company, has been recognized as one of GreenBook’s most innovative suppliers in market research in this year’s annual GRIT “Top 50 Most Innovative Suppliers” list. Within a list that included several Fortune 500 companies, My-Take appeared as number 22 in the technology category. The GreenBook GRIT reports are the most read and cited strategic planning reports in the world of insights. These reports provide updates on industry trends and deep analysis. The “GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Companies” list, included in the Business & Innovation edition of the GRIT report, provides a look at the top research-focused organizations in different categories. “We are excited to have been ranked amongst the GRIT Top 50 for the second consecutive year. Continual improvement is a core value for our company. Our team continues to deliver leading edge innovation in insight communities through our relentless focus on the customer.” - Todd Hoskins, Co-founder So far in 2021, My-Take has had many enhancements and new features added to the platform. One notable new feature to highlight is the Experiences: Online UX Tool. Experiences is a digital UX testing activity that allows organizations to understand customer behavior and opinions on digital assets such as websites and programs. “For over 10 years, My-Take has helped brands and organizations understand their customers better through continuous feedback powered through our insight community platform and team of remarkable researchers. We are grateful to appear among the top organizations in the industry and be recognized for our platform innovation.” - Rich Armstrong, Co-founder About My-Take: My-Take is a greater Boston-based consumer insight technology and analytics company that offers an advanced insight community platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for our clients. For more information, visit: https://www.my-take.com/ # Customer Journey Mapping in Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/customer-journey-mapping-insight-communities Published: June 30, 2021 By: Liza Armstrong > Customer journey mapping is a great way to become familiar with the customer experience. Understand what your customers want to achieve in different stages of the customer journey, and make improvements to the customers’ experience. Customer journey mapping can seem simple, but once you delve deeper into the process, you begin to realize how complex it is and how beneficial it is for your company. According to Salesforce, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has been the fusing of the digital and physical world due to a multitude of technological advancements. This has changed the way customers find products and services for good. Because of this, customer journey mapping has become crucial to companies as consumers are now averaging 10 different channels of communication with brands. Therefore, in order to succeed in this new world, businesses must learn to understand customers’journey each step of the way in order to enhance the overall customer experience. ## What is the customer journey and why is mapping it out essential? In the words of My-Take co-founder, Todd Hoskins, “The customer journey is the path that customers take when trying to accomplish a goal, whether it be buying a product, picking a healthcare provider, or deciding what show to watch.” The goal of mapping out customers’ journeys is to understand how customers evaluate products and research potential purchases. Since the customer journey is getting more and more complex with more touch points being added to the process, a visual map of their experience can help insights teams and other departments understand the different ways a customer uses to evaluate and eventually come to a purchasing decision, and the pain points that come at each channel, allowing for various teams to find ways to solve them. John Mitchell , a certified CXPA Certified Customer Experience Professional, explainsthat “a good customer journey map can be a powerful tool for spotting and fixing problems and improving the customer experience,” meaning that when done correctly, these maps can help you create a better experience for customers and solve problems that you didn’t even know existed. ## Stages of the customer purchase journey ### Awareness In order for any customer to start their journey, they must first be aware of the product. Stirista writes that customers tend to find your brand through search engines, from friends, a website, testimonial, a marketing email or an influencer. ### Research These days customers go through and find multiple companies, or brands, that sell solutions to their problem, in order to compare before making a final purchase. Most of this is done through online channels such as websites, online reviews or social media. ### Evaluation From research, the customer begins the evaluation phase. Cayley Hunt , a quality and process consultant, explainsthat in this stage customers are comparing you with a few other companies to see who offers what they are looking for in order to decide who they will choose. Your company can stand out by positioning yourself in a way that make you unique to your competitors. ### Decision Once customers are done evaluating, they move onto the final purchase decisions. Hunt warns here that there is still time for a customer to change their decision if they find the purchase of your product to be extremely difficult. ### Usage Sometimes called the retention or experience stage, this is the time where customers use or experience your product. Hunt writes that a lot of customer retention and loyalty comes down to their experience in the usage stage and how helpful the company is if they have any issues after purchase. ### Loyalty This stage can also be called the advocacy stage as it is all about making sure customers love your product to the point that they recommend it to others. Either through online reviews or word-of-mouth. According to Stirista, 71% of customers were more likely to choose a company after they read a positive review of the brand, so this stage is extremely important in not only keeping an existing customer, but helping new ones find you as well in the awareness, important referrals or research stages. ## Types of customer journey maps ### Current State: Rena Gadimova of Marketo defines this style of map as one that illustrates customers’ actions, thoughts, behaviors and emotions they have when currently interacting with your brand. ### Day-in-the-life State: Gadimova writes that this map shows customers’ habits and activities throughout a whole day regardless of whether or not they are interacting with your brand. ### Future State: According to Gadimova, this map is used to predict the actions, thoughts, behaviors and emotions that customers will now have when interacting with your brand in the future, after the current pain points have been removed. ### Service Blueprint: Aaron Agius explain that a service blueprint is not so much its own map, but a more complex version of any of the maps from above. According to him, a service blueprint involves an added layer of all the factors, people, policies, technology and processes responsible for the customer’s experience at that time, whether it be a proposed policy in the future state or the customer service rep in the current state. ## The steps of customer journey mapping ### Making buyer personas In order to be successful with any customer journey map you must first create buyer personas for each demographic that your company plans to or already appeals to. This is crucial since different demographics, especially for different generations, evaluate, review and shop through different channels and have different pain points at each one. Therefore, your team must understand how to fix all demographics needs since there is no one solution for this. ### Outline Aaron Agius from Hubspot suggests that a spreadsheet is made that “outlines key events, customer motivations and areas of friction within the user experience” in addition to each channel a customer uses in order to help you create the best map possible. ### Brainstorm Next, you and your team should get together and brainstorm why each customer would be at that specific channel at that time. Mackenzie Corp explains that this is a useful step as it allows you to get into the mindset of your customers and better strategize how your customer approaches purchasing and what potential problems could get in the way at each step. This should also be when you and your team decide on which type of map you are going to create. ### Map it out After brainstorming, you can now make the actual map. Here, it is key to remember that now the customer journey is cyclical in nature and not linear, so you might be going back to channels that you already used with a new customer objective in mind; for example a millennial customer might be going to your social media to see the product then going back to the social media for reviews in the comments. The only other important aspect of the map is to make sure that it is a visual that everyone on your team and anyone else that would need it, sales, IT, etc, can understand. ### Evaluate & revisit when needed Once mapping is complete, you and your team can now make decisions based on possible pain points to help improve your customer experience. A service blueprint style map can work here as members can bring solutions to the table and possibly simulate how this would work before implementing it. Once it is implemented it could be best to switch over to an insight community or another online market research community to see how your plan has actually worked out. ## The benefits of customer journey mapping There are many benefits that come from completing customer journey maps. A study by the Aberdeen Group found that companies that were able to create effective maps and implement their findings saw more than 10 times an improvement in the cost of their customer service. The same study found that these companies also saw a 21% year over year growth compared to -2.2% for companies that did not implement customer journey maps. Customer journey mapping coupled with online insight communities can help businesses understand consumers changing shopping habits such as with COVID and deliver the insights needed to quickly adapt. For nearly a decade My-Take has provided companies with secure online insight communities to help them make better decisions for their customers. Click here to schedule a consultation. # 2021 Market Research Technology Trends Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/2021-market-research-technology-trends Published: June 30, 2021 By: Liza Armstrong > What will the biggest trends in market research be in 2021? Here is a list of trends that are expected to shape the industry going forward. The pandemic brought along a multitude of unexpected challenges for many that had to be solved quickly. The quick adaptation of technology was able to solve a variety of them as well as lead into innovations that will be here to stay. With many enjoying this new work-life balance that was found during the pandemic, the best researchers will be able to utilize these technological innovations to gain better insights. ## Broader online community uses and the rise and reliance on technology 2020 drastically changed the workplace. With the adaptation of technology to facilitate work from home, both researchers and employers have found a new work-life balance that was not possible before. Because of the popularity of this new balance, this technology, particularly video, is not going to go away. Research technology such as insight communities have seen improvements such as increased qualitative capabilities through online video focus groups in communities, and the smart researcher would utilize it to maximize participation. Greenbook notes that video first will still be the trend even as people return to offices. In addition, with this digital shift, online communities have quickly added new features to their platforms. A notable example of new features available in communities includes expanded UX testing focused around customers' online experience leading up to a purchase. These improvements to communities will most likely continue as it is cost effective and efficient for companies to conduct most of their research through online means. ## Greater importance on CX & UX Due to consumers’ change in habits, particularly with the increase of online shopping over brick and mortar stores, it is now even more important to understand your customers' experiences when shopping on your company’s website as well as the other interactions that your customers may have with the brand. This focus on CX and UX and understanding the differences between the two can help take your research to the next level and help provide a better experience for new and existing customers. ## AI & automation With the vast amount of data now available to market researchers, technology has become extremely important in managing it all. When implemented and utilized properly, AI and/or automation can help researchers find smarter insights at a faster rate than before. One example of where AI can be implemented is with categorizing long-form and open-ended questions to find insights faster than any human can. With speed being everything, the best researchers will quickly learn how to utilize AI to aid them in creating better insights. ## Continuous Research In today’s fast-paced world, the need for in-the-moment insights is everything. By utilizing longitudinal, continuous and most importantly, quick research can find small changes in respondent’s behaviors that can lead to vastly different insights that help in the ever changing market. Fast customer feedback can also help your team evaluate new initiatives and allow for changes to be made along the way. The best way to go about this research is through online insight communities that allow for researchers to track these slight changes due to always having a group of willing participants that are always ready to provide immediate feedback. With My-Take, you can form an market research community that can easily track participants over time so you can learn about behavior changes when they happen. ## Short, mobile-friendly surveys Shorter attention spans make it hard for participants to make it through a whole survey without experiencing survey fatigue. Thankfully, the rise in technology has given researchers the ability to store demographic information about participants, allowing them to exclude demographic questions from most surveys. This coupled with only allowing one team on a survey at a time asking smarter questions, are leading to shorter surveys that almost eliminate survey fatigue with better insights. However, when designing these surveys it is important to keep in mind that there is now a decent chunk of participants taking them from their mobile phone, therefore it is important to design these surveys to be easily accessible on a mobile device and/or creating an app for participants will also aid in gaining these insights. With My-Take Missions, a mobile app that brings My-Take’s communities to a mobile phone, it is easy to gain as many responses as possible to create better decisions for your company. While missions are geared for specific applications like in-store feedback, all of My-Take’s activities are responsive and adjustable to the device a participant is using. ## Communities becoming all in one hubs The growing dependence on technology has also led to MROCs adding features that allow for companies to do more with a single platform. “You’re really seeing organizations looking to broaden what they do with insight communities form qual to quant to online focus groups...you can think of it almost as an insider research hub within an organization.” From expansions that will help companies understand consumers better to assessing the customer journey and enhancing marketing initiatives, MROCs [aka insight communities] are becoming the new one stop shop for companies to conduct most of their market research, even previous activities that used to mostly be done in person like focus groups or in-depth interviews.” - My-Take Co-founder Todd Hoskins My-Take has helped organizations make smarter decisions and market more effectively through powerful market research online communities and panels for 10 years now! Contact our team today to learn more about how our market research online community platform can connect your brand with your consumers. # Interview: My-Take Co-Founder Discusses New UX Testing Tool Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/interview-my-take-co-founder-discusses-new-ux-testing-tool Published: May 25, 2021 By: My Take > In this Q&A with co-founder, Todd Hoskins, we will discuss My-Take’s latest innovation, Experiences: Online UX Tool. The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Co-Founder, Todd Hoskins. In this interview, we will discuss My-Take’s latest innovation, Experiences: Online UX Tool. What is My-Take Experiences? Hoskins: Experiences is a new capability that we have added to the My-Take insight community platform. It is an Online UX tool that allows organizations to understand their customers’ reactions and opinions to digital assets such as websites and programs. What prompted the launch? Hoskins: We have always aggressively listened to our customers’ needs and have evaluated what new technology we can bring to the table. UX (User Experience) is an area our customers have shown great interest in, and of course we execute UX-based projects routinely. However, this feature broadens that reach greatly. With digital channels being a larger priority than ever, our clients can ensure they are fully understanding their customers’ online experiences and opinions. What sort of projects can Experiences be used for? Hoskins: It can be used for anything that is online and in a desktop environment. Evaluation of websites - Understanding navigation, pain-points, and more. Purchase journey - This has been radically transformed since COVID, making it even more important for organizations to understand their customer path toward purchase. Mock shopping - Learn how customers shop in a simulated online store environment. A/B testing - Compare and test different concepts to see which performs better. And overall UX design - Find ways to improve designs and user experiences. What capabilities does the tool have? Hoskins: The tool has advanced capabilities: Screen and Audio Recording - This allows organizations to watch and listen to the customer interact with the desktop experience. User Guide and Survey Tool - This is used to gain specific feedback on aspects of the experience as the customer navigates. Rapid Transcription - This gives a complete transcript of the customer’s experience. Video Clip Editor - This can be used to produce a video summary or highlight reel of the results. How does Experiences connect to the overall insight community platform? Hoskins: Like all of our features, this is a part of our integrated platform, and these add-ons carry no additional cost for our clients. When licensing the My-Take platform, updates like these are automatically rolled in and integrated, as we strive to offer our clients continual platform innovation and improvement. When will this new activity type be available? Hoskins: We have just launched this with our current customers and have been successfully running maiden voyages of the feature with great results! So, it is available now. If you would like a platform demo or would like to learn more about My-Take’s Experiences: Online UX Tool, contact us today! # Understanding CXM and Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/understanding-cxm-and-insight-communities Published: May 20, 2021 By: My Take > What is CXM? In this article we discuss customer experience management and dive into its new emerging role in insight communities. In this article we discuss customer experience management and dive into its new emerging role in insight communities. ## What is CXM? To begin, customer experience (CX) is the totality of the consumption process, meaning the overall impression a customer experiences with a product or service including pre and post purchase. Customer experience management (CXM) represents the process of managing and optimizing the customer experience at each of the critical steps in the buyer’s overall journey. The aim of implementing CXM processes is to increase the customer’s overall satisfaction with your product, as well as providing information and actionable feedback that allows customers to feel confident about your brand. CXM involves focusing on customer needs, creating brand experiences that delight the customer, developing solutions that meet customer’s expectations, and optimizing and managing the customer journey to a successful outcome. Customer experience management is a strategy that is being adopted by many brands and retailers due to the changing customer purchase journey. Analyzing customer feedback and developing processes to enhance the overall customer experience by utilizing VoC data can lead to better business results, in fact 73% of buyers point to a great customer experience as their underlying purchasing decision ## What is CXM’s role in insight communities? Communities are a perfect tool for organizations and brands looking to improve their CX. Communities are ongoing, agile, and allow for a continuous deep understanding of all the steps in the customer purchase process, rather than on an annual or infrequent basis. Communities allow brands to take a bigger picture view of the customers’ journey and to get continuous feedback that they would not normally be able to get from research. This continuous feedback gives brands the insights needed to stay up to date with the consumer and enhance the customer experience using in the moment findings. This means not only can researchers understand the current state of customer impressions, but they can also quickly and easily test new approaches ## Benefits of CXM One needs to invest in understanding the customer experience and extracting key insights to improve organizational experience on an ongoing basis. The following are the benefits of a CXM approach to your company: ### More time to focus on building products that truly satisfy customers Most products today are changing and evolving each day. ### More focus on the customer experience By focusing on the customer experience, organizations can receive an engaged customer to buy their product in the future and customers may be more likely to try out a company’s product over the competition. ### Better chances to convert more customers Companies that have a product with higher satisfaction ratings are more likely to convert their customers and lead to business growth. Click here to schedule a demo and learn how to improve CX by integrating VOC through online insight communities. # Understanding Market Research Panels and Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/the-difference-between-market-research-panels-and-insight-communities Published: April 8, 2021 By: My Take > For many years the terms panel and online insight community have long been confused. Learn descriptions for each and common applications. For many years the terms panel and online insight community have long been confused. My-Take has offered online insight communities to organizations looking to be more customer-centric for over 10 years now, and in this post, we clear up any mix-ups by discussing what each is and core applications for both. ## Panels or Insight Communities? ### What are Market Research Panels? A panel is a group of customers or members who have opted in to participate in research-related activities for an organization. A panel is usually larger in size, and engagement is not necessarily frequent. Sometimes 'panel' is used to describe sample firms, some of these organizations can offer over up to 100M+ million consumer profiles that can be used to recruit from on an ad-hoc basis for a-la-carte research projects. The incentive structure for panels is typically organized differently than communities, as the consumers participating in them don’t have a relationship with the brand or organization conducting the research. ### What are Insight Communities? Online insight communities are made up of a targeted group of stakeholders, who are recruited into a private online community environment, to interact with a brand and provide continuous feedback on an ongoing basis through different research activities. Running one can ensure that your customer experience (CX) is optimized and built to perfectly suit your audience’s needs. Communities handle a variety of uses and provide a way for organizations to reach a deeper consumer understanding, conduct new product and service development, access the customer journey, and enhance marketing initiatives. In addition, in recent years, communities have been getting larger as more quantitative capabilities are added in. Online insight community tools also work well in the mobile environment and with video. Insight communities allow for deep dive research as they have advanced capabilities and can cover both qualitative and quantitative research needs and foster a stronger relationship and commitment with consumers by creating an environment where members can turn to and regularly share their opinions. Communities are also efficient at answering the “why” when conducting research by generating key actionable insights that drive strategic decision making. ### Commonalities Panels and insight communities are both made up of individuals who are interested in participating in an organization’s research-related activities. These consumers are key stakeholders in your organization’s brand or product/service experience. They can ensure that your customer experience (CX) is optimized and built to perfectly suit your audience's needs. ### Differences The key differences between communities and panels lie in the purpose, the frequency, and depth of interaction. In a panel, participants are much less likely to interact with one another and form a connection that brings them back. The community element yields more conclusive results as they are run over an extended period of time, making them more iterative in nature. This can be invaluable when it comes to answering the “why” when conducting research, as the insight community environment allows for continuous flow of actionable insights. Communities help organizations maintain a constant customer relationship and focus which can allow them to observe how member behaviors changes over time. In addition, an insight community typically has a dedicated community manager that actively works alongside brands to make a connection and engage with the members. The community manager is the glue that holds the community together and builds a space where the customer feels valued and heard. All in all, when deciding which methodology to use, some questions to consider would be: - What is the purpose of the research? - How frequently will participants be engaged? - How long will the study be running for? My-Take is a greater Boston based consumer insight technology and analytics company that offers an advanced community platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for clients. Contact our team today to learn more about how our platform can connect your brand with your consumers! # PRESS RELEASE: My-Take Communities Offer Online UX Insights Feature with New Release Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/press-release-my-take-communities-offer-online-ux-insights-feature-with-new-release Published: March 9, 2021 By: My Take > “My-Take Experiences” Online UX Activity Adds a Powerful New Capability for Companies to Evaluate Their Customers Online Behavior and Opinions Contact: (508) 366 8400 ext: 1014 ## “My-Take Experiences” Online UX Activity Adds a Powerful New Capability for Companies to Evaluate Their Customers Online Behavior and Opinions" Westborough, MA, USA –March 9th, 2021 – My-Take LLC, a greater Boston based insight technology and analysis company, has just launched a new platform update, called My-Take Experiences: Online UX Tool, that will allow organizations to test and analyze desktop user experiences. This innovative feature gives organizations the opportunity to see how users evaluate websites and applications, mock-shop, and navigate the purchase journey. The user experience is analyzed by following the participant along as they navigate through a series of online tasks. Experiences provide insights teams the data and customer feedback needed to enhance user experiences by recording participants’ desktops and prompting them with instructions and questions along the way. “With this new launch, My-Take continues to add capabilities to our platform through technological innovation. Experiences will give organizations the ability to understand the purchase path that customers take when navigating a product or category, along with a variety of other use cases that can inform decision-makers with the insights needed to improve desktop UX and CX.” – Rich Armstrong, My-Take Co-founder Some of the features included in Experiences are: Screen and Audio Recording - Receive a screen recording video with audio of the user's desktop experience as well as a written transcription. Understand their navigation journey in detail through gained insights. Time on Task - This reporting feature allows researchers to see how long a user spends on a given task with the “Time on Task” Chart. Video Clip Editor – Create highlight reels using Screen Recording footage in the Video Clip Editor Suite. Add Queries - Insert tasks with multiple optional qualitative and quantitative questions into an Experiences activity to engage and guide users. “The Experiences Online UX feature offers yet another capability for our customers in capturing the voice-of-the-customer. We will continue to innovate within this space to include qual and quant capabilities that help our customers make faster and better decisions through integrating customer insights.” - Todd Hoskins, My-Take Co-founder My-Take is excited to offer this new release to all existing clients and also invites those interested in learning more about insight communities to demo their leading-edge platform and experience “Experiences”. About My-Take: My-Take, one of GreenBook GRIT's 2020 Most Innovative Market Research Suppliers, is a greater Boston based consumer insight technology and analytics company that offers an advanced insight community platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for our clients. For more information, visit: https://www.my-take.com/ # How do UX, CX, and Market Research Work Together? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/how-ux-cx-and-market-research-work-together Published: January 25, 2021 By: Liza Armstrong > How will user experience (UX) and customer experience (CX) work together to shape the future of market research? Learn how UX, CX, and market research all work together in our latest blog post. CX and UX both play integral parts in your company’s reputation, but many don’t know how the two differ. By taking a closer look into what they are, their relationship to each other, and how to best measure and improve on them, your company can better serve your market than your competitors. ## UX and CX: Their Roles in Market Research ### What are CX, UX, and the relationship between them? Customer experience (CX) is the overall relationship that a customer has with your company. CX in action can look like a brick and mortar sale, a sales consultation, or even customer support. Whereas user experience (UX) focuses on the user’s perceptions and feelings towards your product or service. A customer feeling angry while using a company’s website due to the server crashing or their belief that a juice company is healthy are all parts of UX. While it may not seem like it, these two are interrelated as almost every aspect of UX goes back into CX. In other words, the way that your company’s products and services are perceived by your customers factor back into their overall relationship with the company. If they have negative interactions, feelings, or perceptions, it will hurt your CX, an important aspect of customer retention and recommendation to others ### What is market research and how does it play a role in improving CX? At its core, market research is the continuous process of gathering information on your target market to better understand what are their wants and needs. This sort of research is extremely useful in making smart decisions about CX as it allows your company to gain insights into how customers feel about your product, their overall behaviors (which encompasses user research), and perceptions of your own brand More than ever, these insights are important as life, and therefore customers, continue to change during the COVID-19 pandemic. Market research is also a great fit for life right now as the field is becoming more and more technology-driven, allowing for research to be done remotely with many different demographics all at once. ### How can an insight community accomplish improving all three? An insight community can help you improve both your UX and CX by allowing you to continuously collect data on your target market, which is extremely important in a constantly changing world. They also allow you to research how your target market behaves with your product in addition to its features. My-Take can guide you through the process of creating an insight community that meets all your UX, CX, and market research needs. Click here for a free consultation. # Eight Factors to Consider When Selecting a Market Research Online Community Platform Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/choosing-a-market-research-online-community-mroc Published: December 7, 2020 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Market research online communities allow researchers to reach deeper insights faster. These insights propel organizations toward better decisions and more market success. When deciding on the right community supplier, the following are some critical factors to consider. The market research industry, and the community category in particular, is constantly evolving to provide additional capabilities that allow organizations to fully understand their customers and make better and faster decisions. Market research online communities allow researchers to reach deeper insights faster. These insights propel organizations toward better decisions and more market success. When deciding on the right community supplier, the following are some critical factors to consider. ## What to Consider When Choosing an MROC Supplier ### 1. Community Platform Capabilities When choosing a market research online community supplier, it is important to prioritize the platform’s technological capabilities. The spread between what various community platforms (software) can deliver in the way of research tools can be quite large. A fundamental element is the scalability of the platform. Many researchers are now looking to run larger communities for either an increased use of quantitative techniques or being able to have a reasonable number of respondents when segmenting the overall community. Community suppliers that don't have their own community platform may find it difficult to deliver higher-level activities, functions, and capabilities. Some examples include: online focus groups, dial-testing, advanced filtering, statistical tools, UX online evaluations and more. With an increased emphasis on advanced features, scale, data security, and flexibility, it is critical to understand community supplier platform capabilities. ### 2. Insight Delivery Team Capabilities & Mindset When choosing an online community supplier, the people supporting the community and delivering the insights matter as much or more than the platform. Having a truly committed team with specific community experience is a critical factor in success. Community managers should be equipped with expertise and knowledge in qualitative research, quantitative research, project management skills, and analysis, and they should possess a natural intellectual curiosity. In addition, your community manager should be passionate about the client’s community and their goals. ### 3. Community Design and Launch Designing a community architecture to fit the needs of the client is a critical starting point. Important decisions to make include determining the number of members in the community and whether to include multiple brands within one community or separating them. The appearance and name of the community are also important. Will the community carry the client organization’s brand(s) or be unbranded and carry a description around the category? Does the supplier have experience with branding and segmentation? Has it had other clients with multiple brands housed within one community? How many communities does the supplier suggest? A quality supplier will have experience handling similar projects and be able to develop a plan that meets the needs of the organization. It is also important to know what type of project experience the supplier possesses. Some examples of project types include: product concept evaluation, exploring the customer purchase journey, developing buyer “personas”, evaluating the usability of a website, and much more! ### 4. Community Engagement Plans Learn what the supplier has in terms of plans for maintaining engagement among community members. Look for a supplier that understands, and has an overall respect and appreciation for, the members of the community. Respecting and appreciating your members can maintain the relationship even more than the hard incentives associated with the community. Some ways to show appreciation for your members can be through platform features such as participation points and badges. Frequency and consistency of communication and activities are also key when planning for high engagement levels. An experienced insights team is an important factor in overall engagement success. The team’s interactions with members keeps participants excited and willing to engage on an ongoing basis. An experienced team also knows how to close the engagement loop by thanking members for their participation and sharing back study results when dealing with non-confidential information. ### 5. Reporting Speed & Timing Knowing the general timeline in which reports are given is also of great importance when selecting a supplier. Communities allow for continuous feedback and there is a legitimate expectation of speed, so it is helpful to understand what information is available in real-time and what capabilities the vendor has when it comes to delivering a final report. Also, it is a good idea to gain an understanding of what information format types are available (e.g. PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, SPSS). The community supplier should be able to provide a very specific answer to these questions. ### 6. Contract & Operational Flexibility Learn the degree of flexibility available within the contract; some suppliers are strict and don’t allow for additional activities without an added cost, making for incremental and unfortunate surprises. Ask the supplier how they have handled variation in the number of activities in a given month or projects that require an expedited timeline. ### 7. Differentiating Features With disruptive technologies such as AI, there is a lot of competition to differentiate platform technologies and overall service. More advanced community suppliers will be able to discuss their differentiation and positioning. For instance, a supplier may use technology to deliver insights with more speed when compared to competitors based on automation. Having a conversation along these lines can give context about which supplier culture and capabilities best fit your organization’s needs. ### 8. Overall Cost Some of the variables that can impact community cost include the number of activities running per month, the number of members in the community, recruiting, and incentives. Also, understand the details and costs behind data analysis and reporting. For example, will the supplier code and analyze the open-ended responses? What specific information will be included in the final reports? Although the contract holds the basic parameters of the community, it's important to understand if there are additional charges if more activities run through the community than originally projected, or if there are charges for more specialized tasks. An elite supplier will greatly limit or eliminate unexpected incremental costs through good upfront definition and flexibility. Interested in a market research online community? My-Take has helped organizations make smarter decisions and market more effectively through powerful market research online communities and panels for 10 years!Contact our team today to learn more about how our market research online community platform can connect your brand with your consumers. # COVID-19 Online Shopping: Changed Forever, or For Now? (Infographic) Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/covid-19-online-shopping-changed-forever-or-for-now Published: October 23, 2020 By: Kait Hanerfeld > The pandemic has altered the buyer’s journey in a multitude of ways. Many are reducing time spent shopping in-stores and opting for online methods. Seven months later, and the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the buyer’s journey for consumers in some ways that may continue well into the future. With expert recommendations to distance and stay home, many consumers are reducing the amount of time they spend shopping in-store and replacing this time with online methods. ## Online Shopping Trends During COVID-19 ### Buying More Online The challenging aspects of the pandemic have forced many to be mostly confined to their homes. It is no surprise that for many an immediate concern was to secure staples, however people also had more free time to devote to themselves and initiatives they don’t typically have time to address. When surveyed, 65% of respondents indicated an increase in their online shopping. ### Purchasing Safety + Staples+ Home/Life Improvements What have people transitioned to purchasing online the most? During the pandemic, there have been a few different priorities on people’s minds: 1. Buying products to protect themselves (masks, sanitizers, etc.) 2. Buying products needed (staples of life like food to survive in their homes 3. Buying products to improve quality of life at home (entertainment, home improvement & work from home items) 4. Buying product to for personal improvement/development (personal care/beauty, apparel, work out equipment) When asked over the last few months which product categories were purchased more/less/or the same as last year, Apparel has seen a 29% increase, Personal care and beauty items have seen a 24% increase from the same time last year to now, Electronic shopping 19%, Workout equipment has increased by 12%, and Grocery shopping online has increased 11. These increases are the result of many factors: more have had time and want to stay busy and healthy while at home through working out and taking care of themselves. Some have also had to purchase work-from-home setups to replace their offices, and have even opted to grocery shop online for delivery or pickup to be on the cautious side. When asked about essential and non-essential purchase changes in the last few months, 38% of respondents reported spending more on essential items than usual and 14% reported spending more on non-essential items than normal. When asked about unusual and out of the ordinary purchases made throughout the last few months the items most frequently cited included: Items to Protect Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)/sanitation items Items Needed (The Staples) Groceries/food Toiletries Items Bought Due to More Time at Home Home improvement supplies Personal care and beauty products Activewear/exercise accessories Non-perishable food Gardening/outdoors/livestock Video games Books/puzzles/board games Kitchen supplies Arts and crafts ### More Time to Research One of the many benefits of purchasing items online, is the ability to research first. These days, there are many channels in which consumers can seek product reviews from, compare brands, as well as search for the best deal. For products in industries such as Apparel, Personal Care/Beauty, Workout Equipment and Technology, many customers research online versus in-store. In fact, the proportion of individuals who indicated researching these items in the last few months has increased by 17% on average in total when compared to last year. This could point to the idea that with less hours to spend browsing in-stores, consumers are switching to online channels to make up lost time. ### Mission: Get in and Out of the Store These days, when consumers enter a store in-person they have one mission on their mind: “Get what I need, and get out”. Many customers are avoiding frequent in-person shopping by purchasing products in bulk, which reduces the number of store trips or online orders needed to get essential items. Some are also choosing to utilize curbside pickup, app/online service, and/or delivery options to decrease the risk of in-person shopping. When asked about personal shopping habits in the last few months, 34% of those surveyed indicated that they have been buying more items in bulk, 33% are using apps/online services more to shop, and 29% are doing more curbside pickup. Customers are choosing these methods of purchasing to overall lessen the amount of time spent in-stores. Following stay at home orders, consumers feel more secure and safe by having a stockpile of items they need and the ability to go pick something up at a moment’s notice or have it delivered without leaving the comfort and safety of their vehicle or homes. These options lessen the uncertainty in a customer’s mind of when they may be able to get their hands on a product they need or want, safely. ## What Will Stick? All in all, many consumers believe some of these new shopping habits will stick after the end of the pandemic. The majority of respondents (72.9%<) say that some of the new habits will stick after the pandemic. The most popular shopping method people believe will stick are online shopping, social distancing, disinfecting, and wearing masks. ### Implications + Recommendations With all of these data points in mind, here are some recommendations for organizations trying to help customers improve their experience and ease their transition. ### Adapt: Have an overall awareness that things may not go back to normal soon and realize that adjustments to strategy, if not the business model, may need to be made. ### Enhance Online Channels: Customers have new expectations and need for options when it comes to an organization’s digital abilities. Some ways of enhancing the online shopping experience include: adding high quality product images, showing user-reviews, displaying product or service specifications and cross-brand comparisons, as well as having fast shipping, curbside pickup and/or takeout options available. Through these optimizations, consumers are able to feel safe and confident in their purchase, even if they’ve never seen the product in person. ### More Research & Better Analytics/AI: For customer-first organizations, cutting-edge analytics and AI are needed more than ever to be able to understand changing consumer habits and preferences. The feedback loop and decision making process need to faster and more efficient to be able to adapt to what consumers need during these times and going forward. Integrating VoC feedback through communities can unlock actionable insights. ### Purchase Path Focus & Understanding: Conduct more research on customers to understand their path to purchase in greater detail. With the amount of change taking place it is critical that organizations understand their consumers’ path to purchase. This type of research can lead to an understanding of how a customer begins their journey to their overall user experience (UX), and can also uncover any pain points they might encounter along the way. One way organizations can conduct purchase path research is to run studies analyzing the UX of their websites. ### Optimize Experience Based on Shifting Preferences and Needs: Offering items in bulk, for curbside pickup, takeout, or creating products with sanitization and safety in mind just a few ways brands can appeal to changing consumer preferences and safety needs. Trying to understand changing consumer shopping habits? My-Take has helped organizations make smarter decisions through powerful market research online communities and panels for 10 years now! Contact our team today to learn more about how our market research online community platform can connect your brand with your consumers and unlock actionable insights. # How Many Members Should be in a Market Research Online Community? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/mroc-how-many-members-should-be-in-a-market-research-online-community Published: October 22, 2020 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Market research online community member counts can vary depending on a few variables. Learn the different factors to consider when deciding community size. Organizations that are customer-first make it a priority to add value for their customers through a thorough understanding of their needs, wants, and experiences. With market research online communities (MROC), companies can interact with their customer base directly and gather valuable feedback through a number of tools such as surveys, discussion forums, polls, video chats, and home use tests to name just a few. Communities can spark actionable insights that aid daily decision making, from testing product concepts to evaluating user experiences. Communities are a multi-use tool that just about every organization can benefit from utilizing. When forming a market research online community, one of the first questions that needs to be addressed logistically is “How many members should be in a community to achieve the level of insights needed?”. ## How Many Members Are Needed? ### Bigger is Better or Less is More? How many members are needed in order to gather actionable data that can drive internal decisions? Answer: It depends on a few different factors Historically, market research online communities have consisted of around 500-600 members but now they typically have around 500-2,000 members. Some communities can even have upwards of hundreds of thousands of members. To achieve a fair number of responses and create an environment where customers feel as though their opinions are valued, it’s good to aim for the 500-2,000 member range. ## Community Size Determining Factors ### The Purpose: Understanding the overall purpose of the information and how you’re going to use it is key to understanding how many members your community needs. ### The Data’s Role: If the data is going to play a larger role in critical decisions, you may want to scale your community to be on the larger side. However, if your end goal is directional information, you may want to move to the smaller end of our suggested range. ### Target Group: Occasionally, finding specific targeted groups of members can be more challenging to recruit and participate. In this instance, the best choice might be to maintain a lower member count and put a great emphasis on overall engagement and correctly incentivizing to maximize participation. ### Budget: When deciding how many members to recruit, budget can also play a role. More responses, more data analysis, and higher incentives can require a larger investment. ### Response Rate & Engagement Goals On average, even within an engaged community, response rates on individual activities can often range between 25%-60% (although, some can even get to 90%+ depending on community structure and the incentives.) The size of a community has to reflect not only the total number of members, but those that are actively participating on a regular basis. Maintaining communication with the members in your online community allows members to stay engaged and active. A great way to begin communicating with community members is to create a welcome email when they join and provide plenty of opportunities for them to provide their feedback on a regular basis through a variety of activities! Providing recognition to members for their efforts through gamification (points, badges, etc.) can also aid overall engagement. Additionally, providing feedback to members on how their opinions have been helpful to your organization can enhance the member experience overall. ## Use as Needed “How many members should be in an MROC?” While data is objective, the right amount of data that you need is subjective and circumstantial. My-Take can guide you through the process of determining how many members are right for you based on your objectives, comfort with various response levels, importance of segments, and, to some degree, budget. Click here for a free consultation! # How Do Market Research Online Communities Generate Actionable Insights? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/how-do-market-research-online-communities-generate-actionable-insights Published: September 23, 2020 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Find out the different ways that market research online communities, also known as insight communities, generate actionable insights. As the marketplace becomes faster paced and consumers become more and more informed,market researchers need to find ways to make insights readily available and easily digestible todecision makers to help companies hit the mark with today’s and tomorrow’s consumers. In thisblog post, we discuss 3 ways that companies can utilize market research online communities togather actionable insights and win in the marketplace ## 3 Ways MROCs Generate Actionable Insights ### 1. Real-Time Results & Immediate Feedback Access to real-time results and immediate customer feedback can be invaluable when making daily decisions. Through live reporting and dashboards, stakeholders can view results as they happen. These can also be used as a means to see a quick overview of the results of a study and conduct additional analysis immediately. These tools allow organizations to be informed quicker and stay in the know with their consumers. Communities also allow for immediate feedback through continuous access to members. In a community environment there is no need to source your sample elsewhere or use a mailing list and hope for the best results! Whether you are in the midst of the product development cycle and are trying to test ideas and gather feedback on why a product is or isn’t resonating with consumers or are getting ready to launch a marketing campaign, market research online communities (MROCs) are the ideal environment for staying current with the ever-changing marketplace. ### 2. See & Hear Customers Online focus groups and individual interviews enable researchers to hear and see customers directly. Integrated reporting tools also allow researchers to produce and share highlight reels of videos submitted by participants during online video focus groups or in depth interview. These can be used to showcase direct consumer insights to stakeholders. ### 3. Visualized Storytelling Deciphering research findings, numbers, and trends can be difficult to digest without visualization. Infographics can be a very impactful way of showcasing insights visually. These can be utilized to highlight key takeaways and data points of note. This can allow researchers to communicate results of study in an easy-to-understand format. All in all, market research online communities help organizations understand their customers and generate insights needed to drive daily decision-making. To learn more about how an insight community can help keep you on track, contact the My-Take team. # COVID-19: Qualitative Market Research Tools Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/how-to-conduct-qualitative-market-research-during-covid-19 Published: September 9, 2020 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Market Research during COVID-19: How to Continue Qualitative Research By: My-Take, Leading-Edge Market Research Online Communities During this period of disruption, organizations and marketers are doing everything they can to adapt to the changing consumer. The coronavirus pandemic will continue to alter the way customers will behave and shop for the time being, and for the foreseeable future. Now more than ever, organizations need to establish steady frameworks to continue their market research and transition to a secure, digital environment. Market leading companies conduct market research on their customers for a variety of purposes, lately many have been doing so to understand the changing customer journey and buying process, as well as enhance the overall adapted customer experience (CX). ## Using Communities for Qualitative Research When thinking of traditional qualitative market research methods the most likely ones to come to mind would be in-person focus groups and in depth interviews. In today’s environment, some of these methods may not be readily available. Today, many companies have transitioned to using digital methods such as market research online communities for a variety of reasons, some being that communities are cost-effective, efficient, and are always accessible. Budget-wise, when compared to tools such as focus groups, for example, communities have a lower cost per engagement because the panel is already recruited, and travel isn’t a concern. Market research communities allow researchers to collect information, gather feedback, and interact daily with customers in a number of formats. For example, researchers can send out a survey to community members, and then contact the same set of participants with a follow-up survey. This seamless follow-up approach can be extremely difficult to implement successfully with traditional market research tools. Communities also allow researchers to collect a much higher number of responses, which means more feedback, in less time. As we’ve learned during these times, fast feedback can be priceless towards how consumers view an organization. Supporting customers and understanding them emotionally is currently absolutely essential to be able to best help and guide them. Market research online communities also offer more accessibility to participants as well as advanced capabilities. The leading-edge technology that powers communities makes participation simple for customers because they can use any of their devices anywhere to access tools including surveys, quick polls, discussions, collages, and more. When using communities, researchers have the opportunity to easily access and interact with thousands of consumers. In addition, it is much easier to analyze data and generate actionable insights that can drive daily decision making while using a community platform due to the wide range of online reporting tools available.Also some communities suppliers have expanded capabilities that include online focus groups and personal interviews through video chat. In today’s environment especially, video chat is changing the way that researchers are able to communicate and connect with consumers through these times. ### Some Projects May Require Additional Tools When it comes deciding what data collection method to use, certain projects may have needs extending beyond a community toolset, however, a community can be a primary market research tool. Communities are a flexible, versatile, and innovative method that can handle the majority of research needs as more and more organizations adapt to online. My-Take is a greater Boston based consumer insight technology and analytics company that offers an advanced market research online community (MROC) platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for clients. Looking to transition your research to be online based? We can help you determine what best fits your needs. Contact us today for a free consultation. # Interview: Market Research Intern, Georgia Taylor Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/interview-market-research-intern-georgia-taylor Published: September 1, 2020 By: My Take > In this article, we interview Georgia Taylor on her experience being a Market Research Intern at My-Take. The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Intern Analyst, Georgia Taylor. Georgia is a rising junior at The University of Massachusetts, Amherst majoring in Operations and Information Management with a secondary major in Art History and a minor in IT. In this Q & A we will discuss with Georgia her experience interning at My-Take. ## A Market Research Internship Experience What sparked your interest in interning at My-Take? Taylor: I had been looking for opportunities in market research and data analytics and found My-Take. I developed an interest in online insight communities and thought it was an interesting way to conduct market research that focused on enhancing the customer experience (CX). How did COVID-19 impact your internship? Did you have any initial thoughts going in? Taylor: I was pretty nervous that my internship was going to get cancelled since I had friends who had gotten theirs canceled, but thankfully it didn't and I felt very lucky. In terms of impacting my internship, while I am sure being completely remote made it more difficult to communicate with people than under normal circumstances, it was still a great experience that was made easier by My-Take being very technology oriented. What are your 3 biggest takeaways from interning at My-Take? Taylor: ### Different can be Good Prior to COVID-19, I was expecting to be in an office setting during this internship, and that environment was something I wanted experience in. However, despite being remote it has been a very enjoyable experience and I have learned a lot of skills that I didn’t expect to learn. It has taught me not to rely too much on my initial expectations. ### Perspective This internship has given me first-hand experience in the market research industry and this perspective will help me decide if this is a path I want to continue to pursue in the future. Being able to see the ins and outs of working in market research has allowed me to evaluate my long-term career goals with confidence. ### Confidence I have gained a lot more confidence in learning by doing, and that comes through gained experience. This position has put my skills to the test and has shown me what I am capable of. ## What was the best piece of advice you got while working here? Taylor: I was about to start a new project and I had emailed my team leads asking for tips while working on this more large-scale assignment. They advised me to create a timeline in which I broke down the large project pieces into smaller bits and asked for feedback intermittently. This was a very effective method that I hadn’t originally thought to apply in this environment. ## What have you found most rewarding from your internship at My-Take? Taylor: I have been working on a demo community to show prospects who are interested in seeing how the software works. With this project I have exercised some creative liberty in building the content and managing what the demo community looks like. This has allowed me to show my skills while working on a very fun and rewarding project. ## Are there any skills or lessons you’ve learned that could be applicable outside of market research online communities? Taylor: The biggest skill I have been working on is probably communication both externally and internally with colleagues. I have had to monitor community discussion posts and answer support tickets, as well as keep in constant contact with coworkers and talk on the phone, which was a more difficult task for me in the past. Additionally, I have improved my graphic design skills while working on communities and newsletters. ## What has been unique about working at My-Take? Taylor: While I have nothing to compare this experience to since I have not worked in a business environment before, the culture is what seems most unique to me. The My-Take culture is great because there is a focus on collaboration and asking questions. Also, the amount of hands-on work I have been able to do has been surprising. I always have an opportunity to complete work that adds value. Interested in interning at My-Take? Email hr@my-take.com # What is a Market Research Online Community? [Guide] Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/what-is-a-market-research-online-community-mroc Published: August 31, 2020 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Market research online communities are used to secure actionable insights from VoC feedback and ideas in order to enhance customer experience. (CX) The term for this type of research hasn’t always been ‘market research online communities’. The name has evolved over time and many descriptors are still used interchangeably. Market research online communities (or MROCs) have also been referred to as insight communities, or simply online communities in the research industry. ## What are Market Research Online Communities? Market research online communities typically consists of a targeted group of stakeholders, for example a brand’s customers, who are recruited into a private online community environment to participate in an organization’s research-related activities on an ongoing basis. Organizations use communities to secure actionable insights from customer feedback and ideas in order to drive daily decision making to best enhance the customer experience. (CX) ## Components of Market Research Online Communities ### A Targeted Group of Customers Communities typically consist of a group of 500 to 600 customers , although it could be in the thousands. It is incredibly critical for organizations to carefully consider the purpose of the insight community and then screen in the corresponding members. ### Private Digital Environment These environments have become powerful insight suites with varied and sophisticated capabilities. Market research online communities are private and secure which allows research such as, new product testing, to be conducted within the platform before the information is made publicly available. ### Research Focused Activities In many organizations, market research online communities are the go-to method for online based research. Communities are robust and can handle a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative uses such as general voice of customer (VOC) work, customer journey mapping, optimizing the customer experience, and more. More advanced community tools allow for mobile and video focused research as well. ### Ongoing Nature Communities are conducted on an ongoing basis compared to other research methods such as a one-off focus group. Being able to directly tap into VoC on an ongoing basis can be invaluable to organizations looking to connect more with customers. Actionable insights generate quickly, and follow-up in communities is made simple with the ability to reach back out on an iterative schedule. ### Actionable Insights The fundamental purpose of most research is to provide actionable insights. Insights that cause action provide far more value than ones that simply answer a research query - for example the insights that require reimagining things and cause a change in direction. Actionable insights go beyond a restating of the results toward information that can be acted upon by decision makers by providing further context and implications. Communities provide a vast set of tools to allow researchers to dig deeper into the “why” behind insights with reporting capabilities. ### Daily Decision Making The fundamental purpose of most research is to provide actionable insights. Insights that cause action provide far more value than ones that simply answer a research query - for example the insights that require reimagining things and cause a change in direction. Actionable insights go beyond a restating of the results toward information that can be acted upon by decision makers by providing further context and implications. Communities provide a vast set of tools to allow researchers to dig deeper into the “why” behind insights with reporting capabilities. My-Take has helped organizations make smarter decisions and market more effectively through powerful market research online communities and panels for 10 years now! Contact our team today to learn more about how our market research online community platform can connect your brand with your consumers. # Interview: Market Research Intern, Alexis Almy Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/interview-market-research-intern-alexis-almy Published: August 24, 2020 By: My Take > In this article, we interview Alexis Almy on her experience being a market research Intern Analyst at My-Take. The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Intern Analyst, Alexis Almy. Alexis is a rising junior at Wesleyan University majoring in Psychology with minors in Computer Science and Data Analytics. In this Q & A we will discuss with Alexis her experience interning at My-Take. ## Summer Intern Insights What sparked your interest in interning at My-Take? Almy: I was most interested in this internship because it was a good opportunity to gain experience in marketing and market research. There were not many classes at Wesleyan that focused on these areas and I wanted to explore them. I also liked that My-Take had a smaller intern pool so I could learn and contribute more. How did COVID-19 impact your internship? Did you have any initial thoughts going in? Almy: Going in I was very nervous about it being fully online and learning everything through video and email, but it was definitely something that moved smoothly. While I have no past internships to compare it to, the communication worked really well. I always felt I could communicate with someone and find answers. What are your 3 biggest takeaways from interning at My-Take? Almy: ### Relationships and Connections with Team Members I have gotten close with my teammates and team leads which has been great. They have been very approachable and I get the sense I could reach out in the future beyond this internship. ### New Skills I have had the opportunity to develop new skills in market research and marketing in general. It has been valuable to understand how everything works through first hand experience. ### Career Direction This experience has given me more confidence in my career direction and has brought clarity that this is something I could want to do in the future. Market research was always something I was interested in, but not something I had gotten to try until now. What was the best piece of advice you got while working here? Almy: There was a big emphasis on collaboration and culture at My-Take. So the advice of being able to reach out and ask for help really rang true. It has been great culture to be a part of and something I will be looking for in future companies. What have you found most rewarding from your internship at My-Take? Almy: It has been great to work with the other 3 interns on a project exploring the effects of COVID-19 and BLM on purchasing habits. This project has been the most worthwhile for me. We were also able to use new tools such as the new video chat feature to interview individuals which was really rewarding. Are there any skills or lessons you’ve learned that could be applicable outside of online insight communities? Almy: I have definitely learned a lot about the importance of good communication. A lot of emphasis is put on making sure community members and clients are happy and engaged. So I have developed a lot of skills in keeping people both happy and engaged. Additionally, the value of keeping clients front of mind by making sure companies are getting everything they want out of the service. What has been unique about working at My-Take? Almy: The culture at My-Take has been a great thing to be a part of and it has been interesting seeing exactly the elements that contribute to this culture. I have been able to build relationships with teammates and have never felt awkward asking for help or advice. Everyone works hard to keep each other engaged and get to know each other. This is shown through day to day interactions and through fun little things like the weekly Spotify playlists and lunch break battles. Interested in interning at My-Take? Email: hr@my-take.com # Interview: Marketing Intern, Anna Hoskins Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/anna-hoskins-marketing-intern Published: August 14, 2020 By: My Take > In this article, we interview Anna Hoskins on her experience being a Marketing Intern at My-Take. The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Intern Marketer, Anna Hoskins. Anna is a Sophomore at William & Mary who plans on majoring in Marketing and minoring in Entrepreneurship & Innovation. In this Q & A we will discuss with Anna her experience interning at My-Take. ## The Intern Experience What sparked your interest in market research? Hoskins: As a Marketing intern, an integral part of learning to market the My-Take Platform was that it required an understanding and knowledge of market research as whole. Since market research online communities directly tap into VoC, to be able to fully promote them, there must first be an understanding of the consumer and their needs. Market research plays a key role in enabling businesses and organizations to make informed decisions and generate actionable insights that communities can unlock. This internship allowed me to learn more about marketing a more abstract product, such as research technology and software, as well as taught me the key differences between marketing a B2B vs B2C product. How did COVID-19 impact your internship? Did you have any initial thoughts going in? Hoskins: I had the opportunity to intern in-person as well over winter break. So, I initially thought the transition might be more difficult than it actually turned out to be. I definitely did miss seeing everyone in person, but all in all the transition was pretty seamless since My-Take is a technology-oriented company. All of my coworkers went above and beyond to stay in contact and keep constant communication to ensure that there was never any confusion. The assistance was just as effective as they were in-person. What are your 3 biggest takeaways from your internship experience? Hoskins: ### Stay Client Focused I’ve learned that with smaller pieces of content such as blog articles, focusing on a very specific topics or questions is key toward providing valuable information to help guide those looking to learn more on your subject matter. While knowledge leadership is just one element in the much bigger picture of positioning a company, it’s important to ensure you not only explain your point well, but also understand and focus on what is actually useful for the client. ### Importance of Communication It’s vital to keep in mind that a lot of other people may be relying on you to complete certain tasks and keep things running smoothly. With that, being effective in communicating and making sure that everyone is on the same page is just part of being a good team member! ### Solution-Focused Brainstorming As an intern, you don’t know how to initially do everything going in, and you aren’t expected to. However, it is still important to ensure that you try to visualize and brainstorm solutions to abstract assignments before outright asking questions like “What do you want me to do?”. Looking into resources where you can research more and understand further allows you to have a more educated point of view going into a project or assignment which can in turn, makes for a much better end product. What piece of advice would you give other students interested in market research? Hoskins: When training for a market research position, on top of your basic job functions, strive to push yourself one step further. For example, if your boss asks a question during a meeting where you are unsure of the answer, you can respond with an educated guess and later follow up with additional self-guided research. This will show that you can go above and beyond what is asked of you. What skills have you been able to develop/focus on the most during your internship? Hoskins: A great thing about this internship in general is that I’ve been able to develop a lot of skills that I didn’t necessarily expect to learn going into it. The two biggest skills I’ve focused on during my internship have been design and effective writing skills. I’ve been able to design many individual pieces , while focusing on minute details of how things will end up appearing visually. In addition, I’ve experienced writing in an effective business format versus writing an academic piece. I have also been able to learn more about other marketing aspects from implementing SEO strategies to discussing bigger strategic topics such as positioning. Has this internship taught you anything unexpected? Hoskins: This internship has made me realize the amount of work that goes into an end product or project and that there can be many iterations of something before it finally passes the finish line. You begin with a rough draft, and then you edit and develop many times before your project is complete, and more often than not, the end product can be very different from your original expectations. Through multiple iterations and continual improvement, you can reach an end piece you are proud of that you worked hard to develop. Interested in interning at My-Take? Email: hr@my-take.com # Interview: Market Research Intern, Brendan Rocco Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/interview-market-research-intern-brendan-rocco Published: July 30, 2020 By: My Take > In this article, we interview Brendan Rocco on his experience being a Market Research Intern at My-Take. The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Intern Analyst, Brendan Rocco. Brendan is a rising junior at Providence College exploring a Marketing or Finance major. In this Q & A we will discuss with him his experience interning at My-Take. ## A Summer of Market Research What sparked your interest in interning at My-Take? Rocco: My interest was really sparked when I was interviewing for My-Take and researching the company. Market Research Online Communities were new to me and My-Take was a unique organization with innovative features on the front end of market research. Additionally, from speaking with the team during the interview process it was clear that this was a high energy supportive environment which spoke to what I wanted in a future job. How did Covid-19 impact your internship? Did you have any initial thoughts going in? Rocco: A lot of large and small businesses summer intern programs were canceled. I would say 90% of my friends' internships were unfortunately canceled, so I didn't expect My-Take to continue their program. But I remember Todd mentioning that when My-Take makes a commitment to something they follow through. It showed they really cared about all of their employees, even interns. In terms of how it affected the internship I have had no problems adjusting to the changes brought by Covid-19. My team lead has also been super available with no hesitation to jump on a call and teach when need What are your 3 biggest takeaways from interning at My-Take? Rocco: ### Thought Leadership Through market research I have learned the importance of businesses such as My-Take establishing themselves as thought leaders by providing valuable insights. This also applies to establishing yourself as a professional and wanting others to perceive you as a thought leader and innovator. ### Focus on Client Goals I have been encouraged to deliver insights that not only help organizations flourish, but also stay true to their objectives. This, along with doing other little things that go one step above what was asked, are what separate My-Take in terms of service leadership. ### Understand the Why A team lead also took us through the importance of justifying and validating our decisions. Not only looking at customers’ answers, but also understanding why they are saying what they are saying. This leads to more actionable insight that not only presents what is found, but what the responses actually mean. What was the best piece of advice you got while working here? Rocco: The first and best piece of advice I received was to not be afraid to ask questions. My colleagues have shown that they want me to fully understand the platform, and will stop what they are doing to hop on a call and explain anything I have questions about. They have also been very upfront on making sure we feel involved by showing what our work means for the bigger picture. What have you found most rewarding from your internship at My-Take? Rocco: The interns have been working on a project exploring the effects of Covid-19 on consumer purchasing. Together with the help of other colleagues we have been taught how to use a wide range of tools on the platform ourselves and think critically about the implications of Covid-19. It has been great to dive into the MROC platform and will be really satisfying to get a deliverable post-summer. Are there any skills or lessons you’ve learned that could be applicable outside of market research online insight communities? Rocco: I’ve learned it's okay to not know the answer all the time, but it is important to know where to find information for eventual answers. This internship has trained my brain to think about the best steps I can take when I don’t know the answers. ## What has been unique about working at My-Take? Rocco: The people. I felt even during the interview process that the people here truly care about their work while creating a fun and supportive workplace environment. Additionally, employees seem to care about everyone's opinions and have been open to my thoughts on new features and improvements. Interested in interning at My-Take? Email hr@my-take.com # Interview: My-Take Co-Founder on GRIT Innovative Supplier List Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/interview-my-take-co-founder-on-grit-2020-innovative-market-research-supplier-list Published: July 15, 2020 By: Kait Hanerfeld > In this interview, we sit down with co-founder, Todd Hoskins, and discuss My-Take has being named one of GreenBook's Top 50 Market Research Suppliers! The following represents a Q & A interview with My-Take Co-Founder, Todd Hoskins, in response to My-Take being named one of GreenBook's 50 Most Innovative Suppliers in market research. What is the GreenBook GRIT Top 50 Innovative Suppliers List? Hoskins: GreenBook is one of, if not the most significant resource in the market research space. GreenBook's directory and reports serve as both a first stop for companies looking for a research provider and also do a great job covering the industry with experts like Lenny Murphy. The 50 Most Innovative Suppliers List is one in which suppliers want to appear and companies take stock. So what was your overall reaction to My-Take debuting on the GRIT Top 50 list? Hoskins: Well we were extremely proud to make the list, especially when we found out that we debuted as number 24 on the overall list, and number 8 in the technology category. It also felt good to see our continual advances in our community platform being acknowledged by the larger industry. We’ve built our company on providing leading technology and providing remarkable service. We've been fortunate to enjoy exceptional growth with this philosophy. Even though we’ve received extremely positive feedback from our customers, it’s very rewarding to be acknowledged within the industry. What makes My-Take's online community software platform innovative? Hoskins: I believe some of those on the list appear through specializing in a very narrow niche and bringing something completely new to the industry. In our case, we are extremely focused on online communities but we've delivered a multitude of new capabilities on an ongoing basis. Some of the important capabilities we've added over time include: cloud hosting, scaling the platform to handle 200K+ members, advanced security and encryption, advanced segmenting and filtering, built-in statistical analysis, multi-language, and banner tables. More recent innovations include our integrated infographic tool and our VoC video chat tool which allows for online focus groups and personal consumer interviews. Probably the innovation we are most proud of is our TextCoderAI text analytics platform. This innovation greatly accelerates the speed of coding open-ended questions while delivering research level accuracy. These capabilities strengthen the core functions of an insight community and expand clients ideas of what kind of projects can be executed through the platform. What is the source of My-Take's innovation in market research online communities? Hoskins: We have a great culture that is all about continual improvement and listening to our customers. And since a good part of our business is full service we have feedback continually flowing back to the development team. Our development team is outstanding and extremely efficient. We’ve worked hard to create an environment devoid of bureaucracy in which we can quickly agree on a direction and move toward implementation. What’s next for My-Take? Hoskins: We never really stop working on making the platform better. You can look for us to continue to leverage focus on AI development, visual impact, video, and mobile. You can also expect more remarkable service from our team whether it is training and support for our SaaS customers or full service insight delivery. # PRESS RELEASE: My-Take Named GreenBook GRIT Top 50 Innovative Market Research Supplier Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-named-greenbook-grit-top-50-innovative-market-research-supplier Published: July 14, 2020 By: My Take > My-Take is named one of GreenBook's GRIT 50 Most Innovative Market Research Suppliers. Placing #24 on the overall list and #8 for Technology, My-Take's leading edge market research online community (MROC) platform continually innovates to offer an advanced qualitative and quantitative toolset. Full Press Release: My-Take Named GreenBook GRIT Top 50 Innovative Market Research Supplier Appearing #24 for Innovative Suppliers and #8 for Technology Providers Contact: (508) 366 8400 ext: 1014 Westborough, MA, USA –July 14th, 2020 – My-Take LLC, a greater Boston based insight technology and analysis company, has been named one of the Most Innovative Suppliers in Market Research in GreenBook’s annual GRIT ‘Top 50 Most Innovative Suppliers’ List. We were extremely proud to make the list, especially when we found out that we debuted as number 24 on the overall list, and number 8 in the technology category. It also felt good to see our continual advances in our community platform being acknowledged by the larger industry. Our team’s primary efforts on the go-to-market side have been around building the best technology and delivering remarkable service so our clients can secure the insights that will help their organizations flourish.” – Todd Hoskins, My-Take Co-founder Some of My-Take’s technology advancements include: Patent-pending AI capability in text analytics Professional level VoC video chat Video-editing features Multi-lingual capabilities Advanced segmenting, banner tables, and statistics Integrated infographics “There are several reasons why we are able to deliver the volume and quality of innovation in the marketplace. First, we have an extremely talented and efficient development team. Second, because we span SaaS to Full Service, we receive direct feedback from platform users every day. Third, we've built a culture based on continual improvement and listening to our customers. If we see an opportunity to add a capability that will make a big difference to users, we make it happen. And because the technology is our own we can efficiently make additions as needed and we can better train users and ensure the performance of all of our platform components. But our innovation extends beyond the platform to our team’s great work in analysis and insight delivery. We have a great culture and some really strong processes to ensure we deliver powerful insights as efficiently as possible.” - Todd Hoskins My-Take is excited to be recognized as a leader in innovation and is eager to continue to build leading edge insight technology to power the voice of the customer (VoC) for a wide range of organizations. About My-Take: My-Take is a greater Boston based consumer insight technology and analytics company that offers an advanced market research online community (MROC) platform and a team of professional researchers to deliver actionable insights for clients. For more information, visit: https://www.my-take.com/ # Interview: My-Take Director of Insights Discusses New Online Focus Group Tool Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/interview-my-take-director-of-insights-discusses-new-online-focus-group-tool Published: May 27, 2020 By: Rebecca Strott > In this Q&A, Rebecca Strott discusses My-Take’s latest advancement, VoC Video Chat: Online Focus Groups and Interviews. The following represents a Q & A with My-Take’s Director of Insights, Rebecca Strott. Rebecca oversees several communities and works directly with clients to create activities to meet their research objectives and ensure quality insights. She also manages a team of community managers and analysts. In this Q & A we will discuss My-Take’s latest advancement, VoC Video Chat: Online Focus Groups and Interviews. Have you seen an increased demand for online communities and focus groups during the COVID19 crisis? Strott: Absolutely yes, to both, but especially online focus groups. We’ve had twice the number of inquiries as the same time last year. I think that people are looking for a way to continue to connect with their consumers, and our tools being online focused, really help them do that in a few different ways depending on their overall goal. Online focus groups have been on the rise because people are having to adjust their in-person research needs. Our tool works really well to capture something many surely would have had to do in a in-person focus group or individual interview setting. Communities have traditionally been My-Take’s focus. How did you get into online focus groups? Strott: My-Take is known for innovating in the community space and expanding our platform features, so we have added this capability which we call VoC Video Chat to our platform. We’ve worked hard to make this feature very powerful and it is available as part of the platform and/or independently. We found that a lot of our clients were doing these external focus groups for research and they really wanted a way to be able to connect to their consumers on the community platform. As someone who's done focus groups in the past, I can say that our tool lends itself really well. It makes the process simpler. You have all of these reporting tools at the tips of your fingers, so you're able to really look at each individual response to each individual question and really drill down to what people were saying. So, we’ve seen the rise of video conferencing tools, how does this fit in, or how is it different? Strott: This is a professional tool developed specifically for market research. It is made for focus groups and individual interviews. It's not a conference tool that's trying to work as a research method. So there are features such as the ability to have observers watch the interviews or focus groups and not be seen. There are moderator tools that really allow for total control over the group. And then, that reporting capability that I discussed that really does lend itself well to these research methods. This tool is also much more secure than other video conferencing tools, all data is stored in a secure location which is only accessible with permissions. Can you tell us a little more about the moderator tools? Strott: There is the moderator chat, which enables moderators to chat with any observers in a private text chat-box that is invisible to participants. There is also the ability to queue up questions for participants in advance and also add more during the session on the fly. Screen-sharing is another one of the tools available. This gives moderators the chance to showcase content such as an image or silent video to chat session participants. Other than the moderator tools, we in-addition have advanced reporting capabilities. There is the video clip editor which allows data to be examined in greater detail resulting in higher-level insights. Having chat sessions recorded allows researchers to enhance reports. High level features such as this allow researchers to edit the footage from their focus group session to include the notable participant responses. Transcriptions are available for better understanding of the responses to questions. A transcription is a written account of the audio in the video, they are available for individual responses or for the recap video. In the recap video the words are shown in the order spoken. All video clips from chat sessions are formatted into one session recap video using various layouts depending on the number of participants. There is the option to have AI or Human generated transcriptions. To learn more about My-Take's VoC Video Chats for online focus groups and interviews contact us today! # Online Focus Groups: More and More Focus Groups Are Moving Online Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/online-focus-groups-covid19 Published: May 26, 2020 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Online focus groups have changed the way market researchers can conduct exploratory or qualitative research, overall helping them connect with consumers. ## What is an Online Focus Group? An online focus group is a focus group that has been converted to be digital either through video or text methods. Online focus groups have revolutionized the way that market researchers are able to conduct exploratory or qualitative research, making it faster than ever before to connect with consumers. ## How Online Video Focus Groups are Changing Market Research As we become more technology and internationally driven, market researchers need to access voice of customer feedback even if physically coming together in person is not an option. Video focus groups conducted online have opened up new opportunities for researchers. Here are some leading-edge advantages that VoC online focus group software platforms provide market researchers with: ### Easier Planning: Online focus group software options have enabled researchers to create and execute a study on a moment’s notice. The online nature of the studies allows for faster agile planning of study specifics. ### Online Recruiting: The recruiting process is digitized when utilizing online platforms. By digitizing your focus group, you open up your market of participants to a wide range of consumers, fit to meet any study requirements across the globe. ### Faster From Start to Finish: Online studies are faster to execute due to the fact that all steps of the process can be conducted from just about anywhere in the world at any given time with the right software platform. Automatic transcriptions expedite the reporting process by allowing researchers to directly access what was said during a session and utilize it. ### Cost Savings: In-person focus groups can be costly to organize and conduct in terms of both money and time lost. Online focus groups eliminate the need for travel as well. The savings to be found from moving your study online using video chat methods can be worth thousands of dollars. ### Client-Side Participation: On the client-side, participating in the study is still available with online software as well. With video and chat capabilities, people from your team can moderate, observe, and collaborate on the study without ever having to meet up in person. ## How My-Take Utilizes Online Focus Groups My-Take’s advanced platform offers video chat sessions to clients as well as those interested in SaaS ad-hoc studies. Our expert researchers are available for additional services as well. Contact us todayto find out how we can bring your study to life online! # Gen Z Still Prefers Brick & Mortar Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/gen-z--still-prefers-brick-mortar Published: March 26, 2020 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Will online storefronts will replace traditional brick & mortar? Find out what Gen Z thinks in this blog article! Although eCommerce has transformed the purchasing process with conveniences such as speedy delivery, Gen Z shoppers still prefer the brick and mortar shopping experience. In the age of digital transformation, many expect that online storefronts will replace traditional brick and mortar. However the data indicates that assumption is greatly overstated. In fact 81% of Gen Z still prefers to shop in stores. Another key statistic to note, 73% of them like to discover new products in stores. ## Why Gen Z Consumers Prefer Brick & Mortar While both Millennials and Gen Zers grew up surrounded by different forms of technology, it isn’t safe to simply assume these cohorts are spending the majority of their income at online retailers. Especially Gen Z, who shop more in-store than Millennials. In some instances, online stores act as a digital showroom, while physical stores are a main point of purchase for them,47% of United States Gen Z consumers like to research items on their mobile devices while shopping and purchasing at brick-and-mortar Although eCommerce has radically altered the buying process, many Gen Zers are still choosing to shop in stores for a variety of reasons. In our report on Gen Z “Catching the Z’s” the data showed that 53% of Gen Z chooses to shop in-store for specifically the see, feel, and try-on experience when making a purchase. Brick and mortar stores have opportunity to further strengthen their appeal by connecting with the new generation where they spend the most time, on their devices. This can be accomplished by utilizing digital marketing strategies. Some examples include: encouraging consumers to share their in-store purchases on social media, sending an email update with coupons to drive in-store purchases, having a user-friendly website, and more. My-Take can help brick and mortar businesses make smarter decisions and market products and solutions more effectively based on feedback, and interpretation of that feedback, from powerful online insight communities and panels. Contact us to learn more and find out how we can help your organization connect with Generation Z through customer-informed decision making. # Interview: My-Take Co-Founder on Innovation in Community Platform Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/interview-my-take-co-founder-on-innovation-in-their-online-community-platform Published: March 20, 2020 By: Kait Hanerfeld > This interview with our Co-Founder, Todd Hoskins, discusses many of the innovations My-Take's market research online community platform has achieved! The following represents a Q & A with co-founder of My-Take, Todd Hoskins. In this article, we discuss the insight online community space in terms of changes and innovation taking place in this important category of research. ## Q&A On My-Take's Online Community Platform Innovations First, a lot of different descriptions are used for this category, is that a result of them evolving into something new? Hoskins: I would say to some degree that is true, but there has always been some confusion in this category. This type of research has been described as market research online communities, online communities, insight communities, and panels. So, many discussions with prospective clients begin with what their objectives are for the research, so we can make sure everyone is on the same page. What has really changed is the proliferation of communities and the broadening of their use cases. A big enabler to this has been the introduction of new features and innovation among some of the platforms. What were the customer needs driving the need for innovation within the online communities’ category? Hoskins: There have been some pretty fundamental changes we have seen over our ten years in this space. The key needs, and resulting innovations, have been around: scalability of the platform, faster insights, enhanced data security, flexibility, and expanded tools including those outside of qual. How does My-Take approach innovation, and what are your sources of inspiration? Hoskins: First and foremost we listen to our customers. One of the advantages of a company our size and culture is that we can act on client needs quickly. Further, our executive team is very experienced in leading product development efforts with very large companies. So we feel we have all the experience and process capability without the bureaucracy. We also have a client’s perspective since we had been on the other side of the table for many years. We know the challenge companies have with integrating VoC in their plans, so we just naturally have a very high bar in terms of what we deliver from our community platform. So how has My-Take tackled these client needs? Hoskins: We've taken a different approach than many in this space. Our technology is My-Take developed. Instead of working with other companies to add features we choose to develop our own, so we have a very integrated system and one in which we truly understand all the technology deployed. Also because the technology is ours we have the ability to enact any changes needed. The other important aspect is cultural. When we hear an idea from a prospective or existing client that would be beneficial for the platform we go about building it. We aren't waiting for a bi-annual release date. So what are some of the more behind the scenes innovations, that might not be as visible to customers? Hoskins: Scalability and security come to mind as advancements that might not be as visible to companies evaluating community platforms. We saw the trend toward larger communities and more segmentation and refined our platform accordingly. Analysis tools are also a part of this customer need. We’ve integrated: cross tabs, banner tables, and statistics. From a security perspective, we’ve been busy as well. All data is end-to-end encrypted, we have multi-factor authentication, permission-based client roles, and privacy shield certification. Another factor that might not be as visible is flexibility in service options. We’ve seen a trend of prospective clients looking for flexibility in service. Some companies may just want SaaS (DIY) engagements, while others may want the community supplier to provide all services including moderation, activity creation, programming, analysis and reporting. Others may wish to do several of those internally, and others may wish to start with all services provided by the community supplier, and them ultimately move to SaaS (DIY). My-Take makes it easy to for companies to operate in any service mode. Hoskins: Several features stand out. The first innovation I want to cover is in Artificial Intelligence. My-Take has always taken the position of automating as much of the community work as possible so that insights can be delivered faster and more reliably. This allows our Insights Managers to focus on higher level insight analysis. Our early work in this area yielded innovations such as our Smart Summary. However, our most recent innovation is TextCoder AI which is technology we created to address the trend toward larger communities with a tool that allows for a fast but accurate means to code a large number of open-end responses. Our technology is especially designed for a community environment and our algorithm can learn from previous studies. The second innovation is a series of innovations around video management. We know from our independent research that video is widely used and will only continue to grow especially with the two younger generations - Millennials and Generation Z. Therefore, we put in place tools that make it easy for community members to post their videos from both their PC and mobile devices. At the same time, we’ve make it easy to deploy video for securing feedback among members. We also have tools that help to analyze video through our dial testing application. Another nice tool we deploy is our video editing suite which helps users turn raw video into something that is more digestible and impactful for the audience. These video tools can really bring a research study to life and persuade an audience in a way that is not always possible with just charts and graphs. We also deploy another tool for helping to create more powerful stories. We’ve integrated Infographic tools within our platform. The Infographic tool is a series of widget, icons, and templates that allow the user to create a more visually impactful story. This tool has been used extensively by our customers. Some of the top uses have been as a visual tool to share a story in a less detailed but more powerful way to important stakeholders in the organization. Another typical use is to create a share-back of information to members of the community as a means to strengthen engagement. So what's next for My-Take? Hoskins: As always we will listen very closely to our existing and prospective clients. In addition, we have a robust roadmap of new features we will be deploying over the next 12 months. Follow My-Take to make sure you stay up to date on the latest innovations. # Innovations in Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/innovation-in-market-research-focus-on-market-research-insight-communities Published: March 19, 2020 By: My Take > As market research online communities continue to innovate, many wonder what's next in consumer insights? In this article, we discuss areas for growth. ## Insight Community Innovations There is a tremendous amount of interesting work being done in the market research space. Two examples include the work being done in AI and improvements of the management and analysis of video content. But rather than tackle all of market research and talk about specific companies, we thought it would be useful to touch upon some of the innovations - some flashy, some more subtle - that make market research online communities (MROC) a powerful tool for organizations. Many organizations have found great success with online insight communities. As with anything that is working well, organizations tend to want more from that resource. Some of the areas in the community space in which organizations are looking for more have included: Ability to accommodate more members (customers) and easily segment them Stronger data security Faster turnaround of insights More flexibility in service options (DIY versus full service) More research tools beyond qual More video capabilities Tools that help tell the story or provide more impact for stakeholders Some of the specific innovations being deployed by the more advanced online community platforms include: ### Scalability Requests for communities to accommodate member (customer) totals in the thousands and tens of thousands are on the rise. This requires structural changes to the software platforms that allow all integrated components of the system to handle the volume without any significant loss in speed or capability. ### Powerful Filtering The primary reason companies want larger online communities is to ensure they have enough members in their various customer segments to get a good read through the activities. The more advanced platforms make it easy to segment members for particular activities, and/or filter on the backend of the system with analysis tools tied into reporting. ### Enhanced Security This is probably the area that has had the biggest short-term impact on communities. Progressive community platform providers have raced to upgrade systems to ensure data protection through functionality, such as multi-factor authentication, permission-based roles systems, end-to-end encryption and a multitude of certifications. ### Speed While communities are lightning fast compared to traditional market research methods, companies are always looking for even faster results. To address this need, we are seeing more automation features, including AI, that allow the community provider to turn around insights much more quickly. ### SaaS/Hybrid/Full Service Although it may seem like most market research online community providers are either extremely software oriented or heavy on the consultative side, some providers are now allowing their customers to pick and choose which services they execute themselves, and which services they enlist the help of a partner. The more forward-thinking providers have platforms that allow for adaptation of all scenarios and the training and tools to help the customer have success in any scenario. Flexibility is key. ### More Research Tools Companies often deploy a wide range of tools in their businesses and often want these same tools as options in their community toolbox. Examples of tools available in some platforms include banner tables, stats testing, maxdiff, mobile ethnography, vision mark-up tools, and co-creation. ### Video It is critical to have a platform that is strong in video handling, both from a community member’s perspective and a customer’s perspective. Members need to be able to easily post video content, while customers and or providers need to be able to serve video content, conduct analysis, and share the results in a powerful manner. ### Storytelling & Impact Platforms are now playing a bigger role in not only providing accurate data, but also providing this data in a more powerful format that can help the researcher create a story from the data. Some tools that help achieve this include the integration of visuals, such as infographics and more creative uses of images and videos. This article touches on some of the main areas of innovation within the online community category. To learn more about the latest online community innovations, contact My-Take. # Market Research Online Community Use Cases [Guide] Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/market-research-online-community-use-cases Published: February 20, 2020 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Market research online communities (MROC) have a wide variety of uses. In this post, we walk through 17 different ways you can use your online insight community. Market research online communities (MROC) can be utilized for a wide variety of different research initiatives. Adding them to your strategic plan can accelerate many processes as well as offer you deeper insight into the “why”. Communities also form a direct connection with your most valued asset, your audience. Having an ongoing community will lead to more research being conducted, and at a much faster pace. In this article we will go through some of the different uses of a market research online community. Here are the different ways that an MROC can help you connect with consumers. ## 17 Use Cases for Insight Communities ### Deeper Consumer Understanding 1. Customer and User Experience (CX/UX) Measuring the customer experience is essential when working on any consumer product or service. An online community offers tools to provide ongoing feedback on their experience in everything from product usage to interaction on a website. Journaling and focused discussion boards offer great tools to understand the customer experience. User experience is very broad so one of most helpful aspects is to having standing community to tap into customers on a moment’s notice. 2. Tracking Usage Communities unlock and explore the different rituals and usage habits with consumers. In addition, they provide visual documentation of the research process through photo and video upload. ### New Product and Service Development 3. Concept Testing and Exploration Online insight communities can answer many questions that arise during concept testing for a product. Again, the ongoing nature of communities allows for interaction throughout the entire product development process. 4. Ideas – Co-Creation: Communities are able to utilize co-creation so that consumers can help craft the products to be the specifications they desire and need. This insight is invaluable during the product development process. This is also helpful for creating entirely new products as well as understanding pain points a consumer currently has. 5. Pricing Evaluation: Utilizing different activity types, online insight communities have the ability to help establish pricing. Knowing this information before hitting the market will help optimize profits. 6. Product/Service Need: Understanding consumer needs, problems and preferences are first steps in the market research process when planning a product or service launch 7. Home Use Testing: Home use tests give organizations the opportunity to test out products in their native home environment. Online communities have ready to go participants and a platform to efficiently execute the entire study. ### Assessing The Customer Journey 8. Key Influences: Understanding the key influences for individuals in their purchase process is instrumental in planning and executing effective marketing. 9. Social Media Habits: Social media also plays a key role in the buyer’s journey. Online communities allow researchers to better understand consumers’ social media habits. 10. Competitor Assessment: Online communities allow for better understanding of and direct comparison with competitors. Customer’s views of competitors are often quite different than that of the organization trying to position itself successfully in the marketplace. 11. Purchase Process Deep Dive: Engaging with consumers during the purchasing process leads to more meaningful insights and takeaways. The actual purchase process may be much more nuanced than imagined by the organization. By understanding the key milestones, organizations can better serve their customers and layer in marketing in the right places and in the right context. 12. In-Store Evaluation: Capturing customers behaviors and perceptions in-store can be very useful and eye opening. Mobile applications enable this type of research in a way that is seamless to the customer/community member. ### Enhancing Marketing Initiatives13. Positioning: When planning a go-to-market strategy, positioning is an essential component to guide product development and marketing efforts. Knowing how to best position a brand compared to competition can be a make or break factor in its market success. Communities can help develop positioning through hot-spot, heat-map and highlighting tools. 14. Messaging Refinement: A brand’s voice plays a major role in consumer’s perception of its products and services. Refining messaging in a marketing strategy is possible through multiple tools within an online community. 15. Advertising evaluation: Being able to test ads prior to launching can help optimize campaigns and budget spend. It is important to make sure your online community supplier has sophisticated tools to not only manage all mediums such as video but also execute higher end functions like dial testing. 16. Website & App evaluation: Creating user-friendly technology is a priority in today’s digital age. Communities give organizations the opportunity to test their website, landing pages, and mobile applications for usability, appeal, and many more factors. 17. Promotion evaluation: Testing different promotion strategies can help strengthen marketing initiatives by creating campaigns that attract consumers’ interest. Communities offer an effective means to test promotional ideas early in the process. My-Take has helped organizations make smarter decisions and market more effectively through powerful online communities and panels for 10 years now! Contact our team today to learn more about how our online community platform can connect your brand with your consumers. # PRESS RELEASE: Screen Engine/ASI Partners for Communities Offer Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/press-release-screen-engine-asi-partners-for-communities-offer Published: February 4, 2020 By: My Take > Screen Engine/ASI (SE/ASI) has announced a strategic partnership with market research online community company My-Take. Century City, CA-based TV, film and video research firm Screen Engine/ASI (SE/ASI) has announced a strategic partnership with insight community company My-Take, to offer clients recruitment of fans and customers into private advisory or VIP consumer panels of 1,000 to 100,000 members.Community platform provider My-Take was founded in 2010 and is located outside Boston, employing some 30 associates. The partners promise advanced qual and quant community applications and services for the media, entertainment and ad tech industries.Chief Product and Innovation Officer Bruce Friend said 'Screen Engine/ASI is thrilled to be working with My-Take and their industry leading platform to enable our clients to engage with their fan communities with what we believe to be the best integrated Insight community solution in the market, featuring innovative, unique, feature-rich tools and capabilities, all rolled into one powerful yet simple platform'.My-Take co-founder Todd Hoskins says his team were 'immediately impressed with [SE/ASI's] capabilities, energy and talent' and realized the combination would create 'a winning solution for powering agile insight capabilities for the media and entertainment sector'. # Market Research Online Communities: How Many Should I Run? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/running-market-research-online-communities Published: January 9, 2020 By: Anna Hoskins > In this post we discuss the many different ways of calculating your organization's market research online community needs. Online insight communities are demonstrating clear success as shown by their market penetration. More than half of researchers sampled in GreenBook’s GRIT report using insight communities with an additional 21% considering their use in the future. The prevalence of online communities as a research method stems from their benefits including: speed, depth integration, flexibility, and value. ## Reasons You Might Need More Than One Community Organizations choose to add additional communities for a multitude of reasons. Some of the top reasons include: 1. Separate Brands or Products For companies with multiple brands or product lines, multiple communities allow them to reach the target market for each of their brands or product lines and cultivate specific content for each 2. Branded and Unbranded Some companies benefit from having a branded community to engage with consumers transparently on new products or marketing concepts as well as an unbranded community to learn about consumers in the broader market. 3. Specific Market Segments If more information is necessary on a specific or niche group developing a separate community would provide the most discerning data. 4. Specific Geographic Markets If diverse marketing tactics or even products are distributed to different geographic markets based on the culture, or language of the given area creating different online communities would be beneficial. ### Important Factors to Consider Sometimes the decision to add an additional community is very straightforward, other times the decision is less clear. Working together with a trusted community supplier to understand the tradeoffs can help you reach the best decision for your situation. Some of the important factors to consider include: Content Relevancy Having multiple online communities can bring increased customer engagement because each community maintains focus on the consumers involved. Additionally, market research efforts can benefit from the most focused data, and a substantial amount would be ensured on the specific area. While segmenting and filtering information is possible, if there is little overlap in relevant content for the given audiences it might be beneficial to create separate communities. Scale One option to consider is to simply add more consumers within a given group to a pre-existing online community when more research is required. This can be a solution when online communities are not already extremely large, however, if there are too many people in an online community it risks becoming less engaging. This would result in less attention for each individual consumer and could cause consumers to feel as though they aren't being heard. Visibility There are also scenarios where the risk is too great if visibility were to be accidentally given to the wrong audience. For example, if end consumers were able to see the content meant for retailers. It would also be strategically important for parent companies that have multiple brands not linked from the perspective of the consumer to have different online communities. Budget While online communities have proven valuable, when adding additional communities it is important to consider how many make sense within your organization’s overall budget. ## Benefits of Running Insight Communities with My-Take My-Take is a greater Boston based insight technology and analysis company that can successfully run your online insight communities. We use online communities to help your company make smarter decisions and market more effectively. The My-Take team’s dedication ensures effective customer communication true to your company's goals as well as key insights from professional researchers. There are also a variety of flexible service options to fit your company’s needs. Contact us to find out how we can help your organization through customer-informed decision making. # Best Practices When In-Home-Use-Testing Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/best-practices-when-in-home-use-testing-ihut Published: December 13, 2019 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Wondering what an In-Home-Use-Test is? Learn everything you need to know about IHUTs and the best practices for conducting one in this post! In this post, we will walk you through steps to take to successfully conduct an IHUT study, while utilizing your online community. These best practices will guide you towards getting the most of your next in-home-use-test study. ## What is a In-Home-Use-Test (IHUT)? In-Home-Use-Testing is a popular way to evaluate new products, enhance current products, and achieve other important milestones! IHUTs focus on the performance, as well as the different uses for a product over an extended period- specifically in a user’s natural environment (home). Organizations can optimize the customer experience in the long run by testing products in consumers’ homes, as it allows for more organic insights to be drawn. This in turn gives a company a clear path on areas to improve before a product goes to market or additional developments on a preexisting design are made. ## Have a game plan for your study: You wouldn't step on to the field during a big game without determining which plays would take down your opponent, would you? The same consideration should be taken in market research before a product launches to consumers. Set Achievable Goals: Setting clear objectives for your overall goal and ensuring the product is ready for testing are crucial in conducting a successful IHUT. For example, some of the potential goals could be to increase consumer purchases by a certain percentage, fix a bug with the product that's leading to consumer frustration, etc. All in all, having clear objectives is critical towards establishing KPIs (key performance indicators) to measure. Screening Before you can begin research, you need to know who your target audience is (age group, gender, employment status, education level, etc). Once understood, then you can send out the screener to those who they think would qualify as an additional way for them to identify the correct people. You need to ensure that you recruit the correct amount of people for these tests as some may drop out over time and there needs to be enough people for the study. In addition to a standard screening qualifier, always re-confirm study expectations with consumers within 24 hours of them completing a screener. Participants’ physical agreement to the study’s terms and conditions holds them accountable throughout the testing process. In an effort to prove a tester’s reliability and responsiveness, add articulation questions, encouraging the consumer to elaborate on a certain topic at hand. Even if these questions are not part of the initial screener, this practice can be a useful tool to determine the quality of feedback you will receive from a potential tester. Set a Clear Timeline Allow the proper amount of time for testers to thoroughly use all of the features of your product. Be sure to outline a schedule for when they will receive any check-ins, whether that’s in the form of a survey or an interview with your organization. Set your own personal milestones for the completion of various project tasks to ensure you are able to report back to your professional network regarding any necessary product changes. Not only will a timeline allows you to manage the success of the study, but it will promote alignment of expectations across all involved parties. My-Take’s software allows you to manage the steps involved in the IHUT process with the convenience of using a single online platform. From recruiting and planning to the final report, incentives, and follow up, we can handle all points in the process. The platform also has secure authority and control over all of the data and members of the insight community. In addition, our platform offers flexibility and can adapt to any study! Contact us to learn more. # Delivering the Best Member Experience in an Insight Community Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/mroc-market-research-online-communities-member-experience Published: November 14, 2019 By: Rebecca Strott > Here are some best practices to guide you when interacting with your market research online insight community members! Managing a community can be an extremely rewarding and valuable experience for any organization. Although it can be easy to get caught up in day-to-day community management, it is important to keep in mind that members are the backbone of the community. These individuals are the driving force behind your brand and can be the difference between community success and failure. So, it is vital to maintain a respectful relationship with them and to be considerate towards their needs and overall experience. Here are some best practices to guide you when interacting with your community members. ## Best Practices for Community Management ### Respecting their Time: Online community members are everyday people with busy personal lives of their own. Being conscious of timing in the community setting helps members feel respected and heightens retention. Here are time-sensitive strategies to implement to elevate the customer experience (CX) in your community. Time of Day: Making sure activities and communications are going out at reasonable times of day is key towards optimizing engagement levels. Keep in mind time zones for any live activities or screeners to ensure everyone has a chance to participate. Day of the Week: It is a best practice to try to keep community related processes occurring during the work week of Monday to Friday. These days often have the best outcomes in terms of quality of interactions. It is also best to avoid launching activities during holidays when planning, as members are typically busy or traveling during those times. Notification Timing: Reminder notifications are best sent out a few days after an activity is launched. Always make sure to schedule them a few days out to give members an adequate span of time to participate and submit their responses, without feeling pressured or rushed. Limiting Communication: Sending out too many communications can overwhelm members. It is best to space out posting to occur once or twice a week. Keeping track and forming a schedule for activity/communication launch times is a great way of navigating this. Incentives: Incentivizing members fairly for their time is crucial for maintaining community well-being. Keeping incentives consistent community-wide per activity as well as making sure incentive amounts are proportionate to the activity, are both important elements to keep in mind. Meaningful Content: Avoid filler content and publish impactful pieces instead that are meaningful to members. Their time is valuable and should not be wasted. ### Respecting their Privacy: Protecting members’ personal information and right to privacy are essential towards running a secure community where members want to contribute. My-Take prioritizes the security of our clients’ data, and that of members. Elements of the My-Take approach include: All data stored encrypted in the database All data encrypted in transit Company data handling policy All members must login with username and password Other ways you can respect community members’ privacy is by: Asking the right questions: When collecting data via activities, make sure to ask appropriate questions based on what the study is about. Asking too personal of questions, or ones that are not applicable to the study can alienate members and make them wary of participating further. Securing data: When collecting sensitive information, it is vital to safe-keep the data within an activity and not export it to other sources. This type of information needs to be located within a secured database. It is vital to keep these types of answers within activities and not a discussion board setting where other members can view responses. Community Permissions: In every community there is the ability to set limits on who has access to member data. It is always good to set this up correctly to maintain a secure environment. ### Respecting Other Members: Every member needs to have the same opportunity to foster an equal playing field and collaborative environment where they feel respected. Utilizing badges can help. For example creating a badge that awards helpfulness between members. You create other badges to ensure that you are fostering a community environment where members feel proud about their achievements. Moderating discussions is also a great step to take for maintaining a comfortable setting for community members. Having a moderator go in and make sure that everyone participating is being respectful is necessary. ### How My-Take Respects Community Members: My-Take takes many steps towards fostering a safe environment where members feel respected. During our initial interactions and member on-boarding we make sure to get everyone up to speed with community basics such when to log in, the activity schedule, and more. We provide all members with the information they need to be an engaged member of the community. In addition, we set-up discussion FAQ’s to make sure members can understand the uses of the board and use it as a reference. The My-Take system utilizes smart reminders for activities that are typically scheduled to 2-3 days after an activity launches. These go out to members who haven’t had a chance to participate so they don’t miss out. We always make sure to notify participants in a timely manner of additional activities (1-on-1 chat, missions shopping trip, etc.) well in advance to give them time to schedule their lives around these community activities. The My-Take team is also here to give suggestions when needed centered around community optimization. We always make sure that anyone utilizing the platform keeps the members in mind. Contact us to find out how we can help your organization through customer informed decision making. # Best Practices When Launching an Insight Community Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/best-practices-when-launching-an-insight-community-launch Published: October 31, 2019 By: Heather Hallock > Launching a market research online community? Here is your go-to guide for success during launch-time. Launching an online insight community is an exciting time for any organization! Follow our guide below to ensure your launch is a success. What is the number-one success factor for a good launch? The number-one factor for success when launching an online insight community would be ensuring that the vision for the community is clearly outlined and understood in advance. You can ensure this understanding by asking the right questions during the kick-off meeting with your insight community provider. The community vision consists of who the members of the community will be, as well as what the research objectives for the community are. Research objectives can vary from evaluating product concepts to conducting IHUTs (In-Home Use Testing ), optimizing CX (customer experience), and more. ## Steps When Launching a Community: There are three major decisions to make when launching a community: Community Positioning: An important factor to consider when launching an online community is whether you want the community to be branded or unbranded. This will determine how members view the community overall. Sample Criteria: Knowing who you want in your community as well as having your screener questions, and profile fields ready to go and planned are necessary steps to take prior to launching. Population Sources: Have a plan of action on how you will recruit your sample. Whether it is from customer lists, social media audiences, or panel partners, recognize what source you would like your sample population to be obtained from. ### Identify key players within a company that need to be involved in an insight community launch There needs to be at least one point of contact in an organization to work alongside the insight community provider when launching. The point of contact is typically a key stakeholder or member of the organization’s research, product, or marketing team. The individual tends to then become responsible for the community management on the client side throughout the duration of the community. This person acts as the key player in briefing the provider on what the community vision is and planning community specifics. The organization’s internal legal team is also usually involved when drafting the terms and conditions for the community. The design team is also involved if the community is branded. Design can enhance the look and feel of the community by creating special elements (banners, welcome images, etc.) to display to members within. ### Look for potential pitfalls Screening Quotas: Having too strict of screening quotas can hold an organization back from success when initially recruiting for their community. It increases the difficulty when obtaining the sample. There is no need to focus too much on tight demographic percentages as they can vary from activity to activity. However, it is important to make sure your sample is representative . Not Planning Objectives: Objectives are key towards an efficient community launch. If they are not outlined in the beginning, a lot of time and effort can go to waste and you may have to start from square one. A helpful method when planning is to create a content calendar for your community prior to launching. ### Does My-Take do anything to ensure success when launching an online community? My-Take takes many steps to ensure success when launching a new online community. Communication of community specifics is a priority when working alongside our clients. Also, the My-Take team always makes an effort to optimize engagement levels within the community right off the bat. My-Take's success goes beyond the sale of a given community. Our success and the success of community is driven by our managers being well versed in our client's company, industry, and overall research objectives, which ultimately helps our team drive engagement and create a fruitful environment. Our platform is equipped with many features to get members comfortable with the community site, from the FAQ page to the site tour and welcome messages. By capturing members in the beginning, we are able to retain them and nurture the relationship. Also, when a new community goes up, we already have activities launched that members can participate in immediately. Which overall, sets the pace for engagement and familiarizes them with the different types of activities. The My-Take platform is also incredibly flexible which allows for community customization. Our scalable platform can fit any organization’s needs for community specifics. Contact us to learn more. # What Drives Success in an Insight Community? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/what-drives-success-in-an-online-community Published: October 17, 2019 By: Rebecca Strott > Interested in running a market research online insight community? In this article we discuss the best practices for success. Optimizing user-experience (UX) and customer-experience (CX) are no longer optionable in 2019, they are musts to stay relevant and at the top-of consumer’s minds. Online communities are an extremely agile method of market research compared to traditional methods, and with the right tools paired alongside they enable organizations to make faster, data-driven, consumer-centric decisions. By utilizing online communities you can enable and encourage your organization to adopt a customer-first perspective and become market leaders. In this post we will discuss the 5 elements that drive online community success. ## What are the factors for success in a market research online community? The factors for reaching peak levels of success in your online insight community are: Understanding the value: Fully grasping the vast capabilities behind the fast and flexible research methods is part of the process. Communities are a newer type of research, and understanding that there is value in that as well as traditional means is ultimately imperative. There are many beneficial key elements behind running a community as well. Making sure there is content: Having regular activities to keep community members engaged is an essential element towards a community’s success levels. Building an editorial community calendar can be a helpful method for keeping track of content flow. Thinking through community management: Knowing what you want to get out of your community, and tailoring your number and targeting of members and activities to ensure that you meet your goals. Leveraging your community provider: Understanding the partnership between you and your provider. Make sure you select a provider that is a partner that values your success as much as you do. Your provider can be the difference between community success and failure, so depending on them is a key factor for success. For example, your provider should be able to adjust to the speed of your organization’s business processes. Respecting community members: Closing the loop by explaining to members how their feedback is helpful is part of the journey to community success. When members get to see the results of their feedback, for example, seeing a product they home-use-tested finally on shelves, or receiving a small gift card, they feel very thankful to have been part of the process. Letting members know that their opinions are valued and make a difference can have a positive impact on the community overall. ### How does My-Take ensure success in an online insight community A kick-off meeting is one of the first steps taken to ensure success. This meeting allows organizations to become familiar with the in’s and out’s of a typical My-Take community as well as learn valuable information on the provider and share this knowledge with key stakeholders. Frequent communication between your provider and you will help align goals. The dedicated teams here at My-Take help ensure success no matter the account, SaaS, Hybrid, or Full-Service. Our team will learn your business grow with you, and be there to answer any questions along the way. Having a set team that you can rely on will streamline operations division-wide. Our innovative and agile processes are focused on continuous improvement platform wide. Our flexible service options are also built to meet any organization's needs. Contact us to find out how we can help your organization through customer informed decision making. # In-Home-Use-Testing in Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/in-home-use-testing-in-insight-communinities-huts Published: September 27, 2019 By: Kait Hanerfeld > An in-home-use-test (IHUT) consists of a company testing its product/services in a consumer’s environment, such as in his or her car, office, or household. The IHUT concept differs from focus groups, as IHUTs promote a more natural testing environment as opposed to a focus group, which takes place in an artificial test environment. An in-home-use-test (IHUT) consists of a company testing its product/services in a consumer’s environment, such as in his or her car, office, or household. The IHUT concept differs from focus groups, as IHUTs promote a more natural testing environment as opposed to a focus group, which takes place in an artificial test environment. ## What is an In-Home-Use-Test? ### How common are these tests? IHUTs are a typical practice for organizations who market products and services to specific consumer bases. The IHUT methodology allows companies to understand consumer reactions and real-time feedback for new product lines, product changes, or products that are already on the market. In-home testing can be utilized at any point during the product launch cycle, but ideally, it is primarily used shortly before products or services are ready for launch to the mass market. ### What is the benefit of conducting an IHUT? IHUTs provide companies with the ability to measure customer experience (CX) without all the flash of the in-store experience interrupting the consumer’s interaction with a product or service. Testers are able to review the various offerings of a product or service and provide feedback in their own environment- ultimately reducing the effects and risks of extraneous variables, while promoting honest insights. In-home testing also shows the entire customer interaction with a product or service , which allows greater knowledge of what works and what needs to be changed prior to the product or service going live on the market. Additionally, testing a product or service via survey methods isn’t always as effective or accurate at garnering feedback as an IHUT. In surveys, consumers typically are unable to fully conceptualize the benefits of the product through the answering of multiple questions. Therefore, respondents may say that they are “likely” to buy a product in a survey, but when it comes time, the sales data may show otherwise. As a result, in-home testing is a preferred method to use in this case, because when a consumer uses a product in a real-life scenario, he or she is able to better understand the product’s capabilities. While the costs of in-home sessions are greater than surveys, the value of the feedback received in IHUTs far outweighs this fact due to a company’s ability to further appreciate a user’s organic interaction with the product or service. ### Do IHUTS only work for certain products or services? All in all, many different companies and products can take advantage of the IHUT methodology. Companies should keep in mind that the product/service being tested should fit inside a house or the environment in which it’s tested , the product should also adhere to local shipping regulations and be ideally be valued under $1,000. Companies should also consider testing a product or service that consumers will interact with on a consistent basis. If it is a product or service that a consumer would only use a few times a year, IHUTS tend to be less applicable. For example, if a product is seasonal, such as a space heater, it should only be tested when use would be typical (wintertime in this case). Lastly, the test item or service should be a something that a consumer would use organically. There is sometimes pressure on companies to make the user participate in multiple activities and milestones that most likely wouldn’t occur organically just to get feedback. However, this is ineffective at accurately conducting an IHUT can negate the purpose of the test. The product or service offered needs to be something that consumers will use on their own. ### How does My-Take help with IHUTS? The hardest part of an IHUT, or any recontact study, is the retention of users. Since My-Take is set up with its all-in-one agile platform, we can manage everything involved in the IHUT process efficiently, unlike other providers who tend to outsource tasks. We take your study from start to finish, beginning with recruiting and planning to the final report, incentives, and follow up. Since the IHUT process is done within the My-Take system, our team has secure authority and control over all of the data and members of the insight community. We also remain flexible and have the ability to cater to any company’s needs. Our system keeps members engaged and allows researchers to follow up quickly after an IHUT. We require a double-opt-in when recruiting, which leads us to higher response rates, since we verify our lines of communication. We can also launch multiple activities to test recruits prior to an IHUT to ensure sure members actively participate. My-Take’s insight communities allow for moderated member interactions through user-generated discussions or comments, giving a sense of community to the study. We retain these recruits following the IHUT by continuing to engage them. For example, if an IHUT ends and questions remain, we have the ability to send communications to consumers in order to gain additional insights. Typically, users may feel alone in these types of tests, but an insight community allows them to reach out to others in the study, discuss and/or troubleshoot any concerns they may face. Our platform promotes friendly competition with our leaderboard feature that assigns points to users for activities they complete. The point system encourages member engagement, as well, through gamification of studies. The My-Take platform allows users to stay active in-between activities, boosting the relationships among testers. These organic interactions are invaluable. Interested in conducting an IHUT study? At My-Take, our team of professional researchers delivers insights that drive smarter decision making and helps companies market more effectively. Contact us to find out how we can help your organization through customer-informed decision making. # New Platform Feature: Community Layout Design Enhancements Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/new-platform-feature-community-layout-design-enhancements Published: September 11, 2019 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Everything you need to know about our latest update which involved community layout design enhancements. We are thrilled to announce our new customizable layout design feature that is available for use in My-Take communities starting today! In this Q&A interview with our co-founder, Todd Hoskins, we will be discussing the key takeaways on the background behind this feature, its core benefits to the end-user, and how it functions overall. What prompted its creation? Hoskins: Two factors drove the creation. First, widescreen is a pleasing experience for the user. With the rise in HD content, the aspect ratio of advanced monitors with higher resolution began to change from 4:3 to 16:9. Additionally, the wider format is a more immersive experience. One that probably resonates due to theatre and home movie experiences. Second, some of our clients have expressed interest in greater customization in the layout and design of their communities. UX is of great importance to many of our clients so they may be seeking to match an existing experience across multiple applications, or simply trying to optimize the brand experience for their customers. When will this feature be available to everyone? Hoskins: The enhanced feature layout capability has just been released and is available to existing and prospective clients. Are there any specific features or benefits of note? Hoskins: The widescreen look will certainly add a lot of visual impact on the community designs. Also, companies will have the option to change over 15 variables to drive the design that best fits their community functionality and brand goals. For example, a client may choose a format that highlights a featured activity relative to the others. What can you tell us about using this new capability? How easy is it for the user to create the community? Hoskins: We like to think we take the drama out of the community launch by making the layout and other set up functions as easy as possible. While there are a lot of options, we've also made the interface very intuitive, including a lot of drag and drop functionalities. Also, whether the client is full service or SaaS, we have responsible team members who guide the process, if not execute it entirely. Also for existing clients, we offer the ability to easily adapt their current design to a wide format without any changes if so desired. What future updates can we expect? Hoskins: At My-Take we have the mindset of continual improvement, so we will always have great new features rolling out. Specifically for the Layout Design enhancements, I would say that as more custom layouts are built we will begin to see which particular layouts are more effective and/or preferred. So we will be able to share that with the clients as they make design decisions for their communities. # What is on the Horizon for Market Research Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/what-is-on-the-horizon-for-market-research Published: August 29, 2019 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Wondering what's next in market research? Read this post to find out what trends to be on the lookout for in coming years. Market research is advancing at a steady rate and will continue to do so in the coming years. Insights gained through MR efforts spark innovation and transform the way that we live and create. Technological innovations are accelerating processes for research departments and are innovating solutions to solve some of the most prevalent issues that researchers are currently facing. Some major challenges being lack of time as well as insufficient manpower and data availability. In this post, we are going to walk through the trends that we believe are on the horizon for market researchers based on multiple Greenbook reports. ## Market Research Trends for 2020 ### Artificial Intelligence as The New Norm Taking advantage of leading-edge technologies, such as AI, automation, and machine learning, are methods that many researchers are turning to in 2019. These solutions address common issues faced by market researchers and also optimize operations organization-wide overall. As time goes on, the adoption of AI is rapidly becoming an industry norm that will continue to disrupt the space. Text analysis done through natural language processing qualitative tools, like our very own TextCoderAI, will continue to mine data for high-level findings. Insights found through innovations like these remove uncertainty and answer not just “what” but also “why”, which is ultimately invaluable for any organization. This improvement of understanding drives the creation of value through data analysis. ### Advanced Insights will Revolutionize the In-Store Experience Real-time advanced insights found from online community surveying platforms and geolocation features from applications will continue to make their mark on in-store locations. These findings allow marketers to drive real-time feedback from consumers and build an experience to best suit shopper’s needs. Data gathered from these methods provides market researchers with the knowledge to guide sound strategic decision making. Insights found through digital channels introduce a well-rounded understanding of the behavioral aspects of the consumer journey, through multiple formats such as video, voice, images, and emojis. Being able to engage a customer in research activities while they are still on-site and in front of a product allows for a more accurate analysis of their feedback. This timely absorption of information is priceless for brands when marketing their products in stores. ### The Human Touch will Remain Making sense and processing this influx of data will remain a very human function. Optimism is overall very high for artificial intelligence technologies. Out of all of the buzz topics listed in GreenBook’s 2019 Business & Innovation GRIT report, respondents noted they were most optimistic about AI’s role in business research. Many marketers are searching for solutions that involve more human cognition. Building a story based on data remains the number one priority when piecing together actionable insights, which for the time being only a human touch can provide. At My-Take, our team of professional researchers delivers insights that drive smarter decision making and help companies market more effectively. Contact us to find out how we can help your organization through customer informed decision making. # Insight Communities: How Many Organizations Use Them? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/insight-communities-how-many-organizations-use-them-mroc Published: August 1, 2019 By: Kait Hanerfeld > Wondering how many organizations utilize market research online insight communities? In this blog post we explain just how prevalent they have become. ## Insight Community Usage In today’s dynamic business environment, obtaining quality feedback from key stakeholders is ultimately essential to making crucial strategic decisions. Online insight communities make a world of a difference by reducing the risk for marketing professionals and heightening the return on investment of every effort made in the product development cycle and different campaigns. They are both an effective and a low-cost method for conducting market research. In fact, a study conducted in 2016 by Leader Networks found that 86 percent of marketers believe that having a branded online community benefits core business operations. This statistic alone shows the power of community building for brands. Online insight communities are growing at an ever-increasing rate due to their invaluable contributions towards innovation. For example, 23 percent of marketers who have online communities have noted the fact that the size of their communities has at least doubled in the past years. According to Greenbook’s 2018 Q3-4 report, 59% of organizations are already making use of insight communities, 21% are considering using them, resulting in an overall 80% that have an interest in them. Online insight communities allow businesses to gather a vast amount of information in a very short amount of time compared to traditional market research methods. As a result, many organizations are taking advantage of them and are reaping the benefits of doing so. For example, when it comes to making customer centric decisions, insight communities are the way to go. In a study done by Sector Intelligence, 86% of Fortune 500 companies report communities provide richer insights into customer needs. Traditional research just does not have the capability or capacity to offer the same experience that insight communities do. Insights can be used to examine exactly what consumers need as well as want. These findings are invaluable towards making strategic decisions that optimize earnings. Insight communities also increase efficiency by reducing the costs of running multiple initiatives. In Sector Intelligence’s study, it was noted that “43 percent report they use fewer focus groups as a direct result of engaging in collaboration via the private online community while 36 percent report conducting fewer surveys”. When companies integrate the consumer’s perspective, the product development cycle is accelerated and products and services better match consumer’s needs. The result is increased customer satisfaction and success in the marketplace. Contact the My-Take team to learn how our platform can connect your brand with your consumers. # What Is Coding In Market Research? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/what-is-coding-in-market-research Published: July 9, 2019 By: Taylor Stott > Coding open-ended responses is a vital part of analytic procedures in market research. These responses are an exceptional way of gaining consumer insight.  Open-ended questions are ubiquitous in qualitative research; they allow respondents to express their thoughts without the confines of scales and answer lists. Open ends facilitate an understanding of details that could easily be overlooked through strictly closed-ended questioning by helping researchers understand not just ‘what’ but ‘why’ ## Market Research Coding 101 Coding is the process of grouping together open-ended responses based on similar words, sentiments, or ideas. Coding enables researchers to quantify data obtained from open-ended questions and identify top themes. ### The Different Types Of Coding in Market Research Researchers can utilize a variety of coding concepts to make sense of open-ended data. Coding concepts are the filters through which a researcher assigns codes. Two common concepts include: In Vivo Coding: Uses direct words or phrases quoted from participants to create codes. These codes are rooted in the voice of the participant. Descriptive Coding: Uses the basic topic or summary of responses to create codes. These codes are rooted in top-level themes. Other coding concepts include process coding (“-ing” words), versus coding (binary terms) and many, many more. Regardless of the concept used, it’s important to note that coding is subjective; codes will naturally vary based on the researcher’s interpretation of a response. ### How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Will Impact Coding Coding has historically been a manual process; humans read the data, create the codes, and combine responses to produce top themes. As artificial intelligence infiltrates more and more of the modern world, researchers may be left wondering - how will AI impact coding? AI, in short, will speed up the coding process. It can read responses and apply codes in a fraction of the time taken by traditional methods. With the help of market researchers, AI will learn which words or phrases trigger each code and apply those learnings to future studies. Written expression is complex, and as such there will always be a place for humans in the coding process. Humans will continue to captain code creation and steer code composition while AI accelerates the process. To learn more about the power of AI in coding check out this link describing My-Take’s new coding technology. # Interview with My-Take Founders on New Text Analytics Technology – TextCoderAI Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/interview-with-my-take-founders-on-new-text-analytics-technology-textcoderai Published: July 9, 2019 By: Kait Hanerfeld > In this Q&A interview, we walk through our founders, Todd Hoskins and Rich Armstrong's, thoughts on My-Take’s latest innovation TextCoderAI. In this Q&A interview we discuss My-Take’s latest innovation TextCoderAI, with our founders, Todd Hoskins and Rich Armstrong. TextCoderAI is an artificial intelligence based solution that is simplifying the coding and reporting process of insight community analytics. It utilizes natural language processing, historical data, and statistical tools to analyze community member comments with lightning speed. In turn, greatly optimizing the coding process overall. What prompted its creation? Hoskins: With research as a whole and insight communities in particular, most professionals would agree that understanding the ‘why’ can be as important as the ‘what’. To that end, open-ended questions are extremely helpful for companies trying to make business decisions. However, coding these responses is incredibly time intensive and demands skill, discipline, and a bit of art. So, if you combine the importance of open-end coding with the time demands - it presents a big opportunity for innovation. Why not use technology already available? Armstrong: We started My-Take almost nine years ago, so we have a large body of experience when it comes to data analysis and coding. We found the solutions available in the marketplace weren’t suited for the demands of insight communities and our customers’ needs. So, going back more than three years ago we began experimenting with different approaches that would provide automation, but also maintain a high level of accuracy. When did TextCoderAI launch? Hoskins: We filed a provisional patent in 2018 and began utilizing it in the marketplace in the back half of the same year. The performance of the technology has exceeded our expectations. How do the My-Take text analytics function? Armstrong: One of the important aspects of our approach is that it is multi-faceted. We utilize natural language processing, historical information within the respective community, and a pilot set of human coded data. We also have a statistical tool to help validate the results. The two greatest aspects of the technology are: the researcher experiences a subset of member comments directly through the pilot without having to individually code all responses, and it also is a system that is continually improving as more studies are completed within a community. What can a researcher expect in actual use? Hoskins: There will be big differences in speed. Studies with 400 responses are coded in less than half the time. The impact increases even more with larger sized communities. Secondly, you can expect accuracy. We understand that there is a high bar in terms of client expectations in the analysis of their data. We’ve built that accuracy into the system and provide a means to check the AI results. Who is most likely to benefit from this technology? Armstrong: Any My-Take customer will benefit at some level. Clients utilizing us for full service will continue to benefit from our overall solution which is an excellent value, as we seek to automate many components of the process. There is also a benefit for clients of receiving even better reporting as our team will be able to focus on completing more high-end analysis as well as delivering more compelling stories and visuals around the data. SaaS, or DIY, customers will see all the speed and accuracy benefits that our team enjoys on the full-service side. With some quick up front training clients will be able to master this technology in short order. What's next? Armstrong: Our innovation team never stops. First, we will continue to enhance TextCoderAI. In addition, we have a lot of amazing technology in development which will continue to expand the definition of an insight community and help make our client researchers more and more valuable within their organizations. # Insight Community: Should I Go with SaaS or Full Service? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/insight-community-service Published: May 22, 2019 By: Todd Hoskins > Find out which service level best fits your needs when using online insight communities! With a 59% market penetration rate and another 21% of the market considering the method, insight communities are truly a mainstream type of research. In fact, the capabilities of insight community are expanding which is likely to yield even greater usage. However, a question many companies ponder is: should I be doing this myself through software as a service (SaaS) or do I need a full-service model? ## Key Responsibilities in Managing an Online Insight Community In order to make a decision on the desired service level, it is helpful to understand the basic responsibilities of an insight community. Thinking through your organization’s expertise and capacity in these areas serves as a starting point. Community design/setup Recruiting/screening members Communication with members Moderation/administration to drive member engagement Activity selection and creation Activity programming into the platform Coding, analysis, and reporting ## Key Variables to Consider Below are some questions you and your company should consider when evaluating the proper level of service: Do we have the expertise within the company? As outlined above, an insight community has several important aspects that will determine success. Sometimes organizations will have the expertise within the company to successfully execute all functions required. However, some organizations may be lacking in certain areas and need to include some or all of the professional services from the insight community provider. For example, an organization with no dedicated research professionals would be much more likely to go with full-service option. Does our company have the resources to successfully manage the community?Sometimes an organization has the expertise but not the resources to execute some or all of the responsibilities. A small staff at a very large organization may not have time to focus on the community or the needed analysis and reporting. The staff may be working on multiple research initiatives simultaneously. Would our company prefer or need an outside perspective on the insights? Often the expertise exists within the company, but there is a recognition that an outside perspective could bring additional value or be more likely to affect change by introducing a new, or more objective, voice. Would we be able to maintain consistent focus on the community? Any insight community is not extremely high maintenance, but consistency in interaction and introduction of activities is central to maintaining optimal community member engagement. Organizations may have ongoing urgent needs that pull the internal researcher away from the community. What can we afford? Obviously, the budget plays a key role as well. Having the insight community provider’s expertise and additional capacity is great, but it might not be possible for some companies, at least in the short term. ## Hybrid or Transition There are also a couple of other options. First, an organization could deploy a Hybrid model (company chooses select services). For example some organizations prefer to do their own activity creation, analysis, and reporting, but prefer the insight community provider to moderate the community and program the activities. Second, an organization might want to start with a full-service model to help ensure a strong foundation and learn some of the nuances of managing a community, but then later transition to SaaS model. Likewise some organizations transition from SaaS to full service. Reasons for the change could include an increase in their budget or the need for more resource. ## Final Thoughts The decision to establish an insight community is exciting and should yield a great return through speed, volume, and depth of insights. If you are working with a strong provider who has both a powerful platform and a great team for professional services, you really can’t lose. It is also helpful if you are working with an insight community provider who is flexible and looking to help you find the model that fits your needs best. If you have questions on which model might be best for your organization, please reach out to us. Click here to contact us. # The Basics of Concept Testing in an Insight Community Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/the-basics-of-concept-testing-in-an-insight-community Published: April 30, 2019 By: Rebecca Strott > You can find hundreds of statistics that support the fact that most products fail once they enter the marketplace. There are many factors that can influence a product’s failure. Some consumers don’t have a need for that specific product. Others may not want to pay a premium price point for something they do not need. Sometimes the name is confusing or the product is too complicated. Other times, they just simply don’t know about the product or it’s not available at the right location. Something that can combat most of these problems is concept testing. Concept testing can help explore if a product or service is viable, who would likely purchase it, the expected price range, key benefits of the product, situations they would use it, and where they would expect to purchase it. You can find hundreds of statistics that support the fact that most products fail once they enter the marketplace. There are many factors that can influence a product’s failure. Some consumers don’t have a need for that specific product. Others may not want to pay a premium price point for something they do not need. Sometimes the name is confusing or the product is too complicated. Other times, they just simply don’t know about the product or it’s not available at the right location. Something that can combat most of these problems is concept testing. Concept testing can help explore if a product or service is viable, who would likely purchase it, the expected price range, key benefits of the product, situations they would use it, and where they would expect to purchase it. ## Concept Testing in an Insight Community I was recently on a call with a colleague who described concept testing as “the easiest type of research to do.” While I believe she may have oversimplified the matter, in essence she was correct. As long as you have the fundamental skills, concept testing is a standard market research study. Most concept tests involve a set of similar questions and most market research practitioners set up the survey in a similar fashion. At My-Take, we understand the importance of concept testing studies for our clients. We have run thousands of concept test studies to date. Common types of concept testing are monadic (single concept) and sequential design (multiple concepts). Furthermore, concept tests can be focused on simple concept evaluation or comparative in nature, where respondents ultimately select their preferred concept. Like all survey designs, the best one depends on the overall objectives. Concept studies, like all others should contain survey best practices such as proper question wording, use of randomization, and solid survey flow. When thinking about the questions to include in a concept study, consistency is key. Concept tests should contain a standard set of questions. This way concepts can be compared within the same study or be benchmarked against concepts in other concept test surveys. Some common questions to include in a concept study are: Overall appeal of the concept Likes and dislikes about the concept Uniqueness, believability, and purchase intent Other questions focusing on pricing, use cases, or the preferred concept may be added into the study, depending on the overall objectives. Conducting concept testing in a community environment allows for feedback throughout the design process. Primary concept research can be expensive, and if you are conducting your concept studies too early or too late, you might miss key learnings. The iterative nature of the community allows you to understand the evolution of the concept’s appeal and can help you before you make a fatal mistake. Whether you are running a monadic or sequential design or testing a concept idea or final product, My-Take is here to help! Click here to contact us. # How to Market to Gen Z: A Quick Guide Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/how-to-market-to-gen-z-the-ultimate-guide Published: April 18, 2019 By: Rebecca Dubovsky > Here are four helpful tactics that will allow your company to market to Gen Z! Generation Z, the generation that grew up with it all -- technologically speaking -- consists of anyone born between the years of 1996 and 2010. Gen Zers are the customers and soon-to-be leaders. Understanding how to market to this generation is crucial for almost any company, if not now, then certainly in the future. Here are four helpful tactics that will allow your company to connect with Gen Z: ## Marketing to Generation Z Up Your Media Game According to an article posted by Forbes, the average attention span for Gen Z is 8 seconds. Gen Z’s ability to bounce back and forth between screens is much quicker than Millennials. When marketing towards Gen Z, it's important to engage the consumer. Simply, you must up your media game and by media game - we mean videos and infographics. Videos and infographics serve as a fast-paced mechanism for processing information. Gen Z does not want to be marketed towards, moreover they want to feel like a part of something greater. Generation Z seeks authentic content that is personalized, relatable, and organic. This does not mean that your company needs to share everything that is going on within your organization, but it does mean that communications and interactions should be authentic. Testimonials from actual people, reviews from actual people, pictures, and videos are helpful. These items also add to the credibility of your company. According to article posted by CNBC, "a buzzword with Generation Z is 'authenticity' with 67 percent of those surveyed agreeing that 'being true to their values and beliefs makes a person cool." Micro-influencer Marketing Another way to connect on a deeper level with Gen Z is to utilize influencers. As Gen Z craves authenticity, influencers serve as "relatable" people. As mentioned in the same CNBC article, "someone like Selena Gomez has a team of people polishing her image" whereas online personalities are likely to be more candid. Supporting YouTube influencers and average consumers of your product or service will make your brand seem more personal to Generation Z. They want the person marketing to them to be more like their next-door neighbor than a high-class celebrity. Optimize Your Mobile Website ExperienceThe last tip for marketing to Generation Z is to make sure that your website is optimized to work on mobile devices. According to a survey by IBM, 75 percent of Generation Z selected their mobile phone as their device that is most used. Further, the majority of Gen Z use their phone to make online purchases. Simplifying your website, including making it easier to access essential content, will make the experience for Generation Z much more efficient. Generation Z is the next generation to create impact for businesses. It's important to note these four marketing tactics when considering how to market to this generation. Uploading interactive videos or infographics, sharing authentic content, utilizing influencers, and optimizing your mobile experience are excellent ways to connect on a deeper level with Gen Z. My-Take is a greater Boston based insight and marketing technology company that can help your company make smarter decisions and market your products and solutions more effectively based on feedback, and interpretation of that feedback, from powerful online insight communities and panels. If you’d like to see how your company could benefit from exceptional key insights, or if you have general questions about insight communities and how they can help your company deliver more value to your customers, click here to request a free consultation. # What Makes Great Key Insights? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/what-makes-great-key-insights Published: January 18, 2019 By: Nicole Gilbody > Insights are not observations, they're interpretations of the observations. Here's how to uncover great key insights from your community. Perhaps the most commonly sought-after element of market research, the importance of great key insights cannot be overstated. They are the compelling notions that tie everything together, that explore all measured data, combining percentages and verbatims and themes to create a story that you could get lost in. The saying among bookworms, “I couldn’t put it down,” - that’s the emotion one should aspire to deliver with key insights - an emotion so beyond what one could feel from page after page of charts and graphs. ### Insights are the why They explain why something is the way it is and how it came to be. Insights are not observations. Observations come directly from the information available from the results. Observations are raw and untouched. Insights, in contrast, are developed by interpretations of the observations. Insights should be actionable, supported by data, and should deliver value and texture beyond regurgitation of the data. Insights are developed by making connections, discovering patterns, and uncovering gaps between the way something is and the way it should be. Key insights first require an understanding of internal opinions on the topic – what are the client’s objectives? What viewpoints already exist? Any current assumptions or bias may influence your understanding of how to frame the presentation of those results. Furthermore, different clients have different preferences when consuming key insights; some may want you to take more of a reach than others. Understanding your audience is essential in making your insights most impactful. The first step in uncovering great insights from your community is to ask the right questions. The activity and the questions included need to be asked in a way that will facilitate insightful analysis. Frame questions in a way that will unearth astute and strong responses. One of the best ways to support a theory is in the form of validation from a member’s verbatim response. Use thought provoking language in your surveys and discussions to excavate this type of feedback. The creation of insights should begin even before the activity is launched. After ensuring that questions are being framed properly, begin thinking about what results you expect. Allow different perspectives to feed your hypotheses – for example, do you expect one product to significantly outperform another? Why or why not? Make note of your initial assumptions to refer to as responses begin to flow in. After the activity has been completed, there are a few things to consider when thinking about key insights, depending on the subject matter: Compare the results to your initial expectations; do the results differ from what you and the client originally anticipated? Is there one group of respondents that answered significantly differently than another? For example, if millennials answered very differently from Gen X and baby boomers, why would that be the case? How can you explain those differences? Are there any open ends that may not show up in top themes, because they weren’t mentioned often, but they provide support and color to the results? If you have a respondent with a strong opinion or a lot of knowledge about a topic, they may help explore something you may have not considered otherwise. Could multiple themes be combined under an umbrella? Individual themes may not shine dramatically, but if you analyze them, you may realize that they’re all related to a single message. When looking at likes/dislikes, what do people who dislike the product say? Is there an opportunity to improve a high performer even more through rectifying a dislike? If comparing A vs. B and A wins, what did people like about B? Could those elements be implemented in A to drive that option to even further success? What concerns are identified? What could be done to alleviate those concerns? More education, increased awareness, a slight adjustment, etc.? Is there an unmet need or potential gap in the category? Is there an opportunity to fill the gap between what’s currently in the market and what consumers want? Always make sure that you can back up your insights. Be able to cite support for your hypothesis or recommendation. While key insights can have an element of subjectivity, there should always be a strong foundation built by data, topic history, external sources, and member contributions. My-Take is a greater Boston based insight and marketing technology company that can help your company make smarter decisions and market your products and solutions more effectively based on feedback, and interpretation of that feedback, from powerful online insight communities and panels. If you’d like to see how your company could benefit from exceptional key insights, or if you have general questions about insight communities and how they can help your company deliver more value to your customers, click here to request a free consultation. # What Makes a Great Insight Community Manager? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/what-makes-a-great-insight-community-manager Published: November 12, 2018 By: My Take > The community insights manager manages everything from recruiting, designing research activities, moderating, and reporting. Here's what makes a great one! When a company has decided to move forward with an insight community to help them engage more with their customers, a critical role to fill is that of the community insights manager. The community insights manager is responsible for everything from recruiting and onboarding, designing research activities, moderating and administering activities, and completing the analysis and reporting. Essentially, the community insights manager is the person who becomes the glue for keeping the insight community together. When working with a full-service insight community provider, you have the benefit of their experienced and savvy community insights manager, although this function can also reside with an independent researcher on your behalf, or with someone within your company if you are operating on a software as a service (SaaS) basis. ## What Makes a Great Insight Community Manager? There are many different skills and traits that make up a great community insights manager. We’ve found that these 10 elements are what make our community insights managers top-notch. ### 1. Passion A great community insights manager is passionate about insight communities as a research tool, but more importantly they are passionate about seeing their clients succeed in the marketplace through better and faster decisions enabled by the voice of the customer. ### 2. Responsiveness to client In the past, traditional research moved slower than the needs of the client. When you need to make an important internal decision, you need information to support it. With insight communities, we seek to move faster than the speed of business, and a great community insights manager is needed to make that happen. The goal is not only to be incredibly fast in responding to requests, but to actually anticipate clients’ needs in advance. ### 3. Intellectual curiosity Individuals that are naturally curious and have a desire to learn bring higher quality insights to the table. This is equally important when it comes to designing and analyzing different research activities. ### 4. Research skills/training Having a background in marketing or market research is certainly beneficial to this role. As the uses and capabilities of insight communities expand, the community insights manager needs experience in both qualitative and quantitative research. Specific experience with community research is of vital importance, as is exposure to the newest research tools and techniques. ### 5. Agility Clients want to move fast and need technology that makes that possible. Of equal, if not more, importance is that the mindset and actions of the community insights manager are agile, iterative, and flexible. ### 6. People/community skills The community insights manager is the interface between the community supplier, the client, and the community members. That is a lot of communication! The ability to maintain engagement within the community members is particularly important. ### 7. Project management/organization As an ongoing enterprise, it is important to establish a good foundation through the onboarding process as well as to maintain timely execution and consistency. ### 8. Analysis skills Being able to use analysis tools and interpret information is absolutely critical to delivering great insights. Experience with analytic tools and critical thinking abilities also play roles in delivering compelling insights. ### 9. Writing skills Like most professional positions today, writing is an essential skill to be able to accurately and powerfully express ideas and information. ### 10. Insights delivery At the end of the day, clients are looking for actionable insights that will propel their decision making and company results. A great community insights manager should be an individual who has a knack for finding the meaning behind the raw information, understanding the implications, and ultimately providing strong customer inspired recommendations. At My-Take we believe our insights community platform is second to none. However for many clients, we know our insights delivery team is what matters most. For that reason, we invest a lot in recruiting the right individuals, including specialized testing, as well as continual learning. If you want to learn more about our community insights managers, or if you have general questions about insight communities and how they can help your company deliver more value to your customers, click here to request a free consultation. # 4 Tips for the Best Survey Experience Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/4-tips-for-the-best-survey-experience Published: June 25, 2018 By: Connor Rocco > Learn how to structure and execute your survey research so that you can obtain the most insight and actionable information from each survey activity! Imagine you have started creating a survey to better understand your consumers. You have questions, but you’re unsure of how to get the insights you need. Surveys are not only a powerful market research tool, but they can provide a rewarding experience for consumers when used correctly. However, it has become a challenge to keep consumers focused and engaged. According to the GRIT CPR Report 2017, “Over half of respondents admitted that the design of a survey impacts their willingness to complete it.” To keep your respondents active, a seamless survey experience must be created. Below are 4 tips for making sure your survey experience is beneficial for both you and your respondents. ## Enhancing the Survey Experience ### 1.Start with the Basics Your questions need to be clear and easy to understand for respondents. 22% of respondents desire a change in the format of surveys in insight communities, including duration, number of questions, and the length of the survey. While you may find yourself writing with specific industry terms, stop and make sure respondents are familiar with your terminology as well. Miscommunication and lack of understanding can negatively affect your results. Write with familiar wording, and your respondents will have a smoother survey taking experience, allowing you to get the answers you need. ### 2.Inspire your Respondents Incentives such as rewards and prizes are the main reason respondents participate in research. However, there are more ways to appease your respondents than simply financial motivations. Altruism, the satisfaction of demonstrating interest and participation in decision making, is very important to consumers. It is a close second to financial, and includes respondents enjoying surveys because their opinions are being valued. Keep self-gratification alive, and make your surveys fun so respondents want to come back for more. ### 3.Stay Interactive Switching back and forth from single and multiple choice questions to ratings can become tedious for your respondent. Give respondents a new motive to stay engaged by using unique question types, such as hot spots and heat maps. Hot spots, commonly used in product concept testing, allow respondents to select a particular region of an image they like or dislike. Such results are quantitative, as they are expressed through percentages for each region. Heat maps on the other hand, provide a more accurate understanding of respondents for they are not restricted by regions. Respondents are free to select any area on the image allowing for full freedom. ### 4.Go Mobile Go to where your respondents are: their cellular device. Mobile market research is a great opportunity for respondents because of its convenience factor. Respondents can take surveys on-the-go, and researchers capture an 'in the moment' experience through multi-media capabilities such as uploading pictures, videos, or audio recordings right to their survey. To learn more about how proper survey design and development can benefit both your brand and audience, contact the My-Take team. # 3 Things Your Business Can Learn From Neuroscience Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/3-things-your-business-can-learn-from-neuroscience Published: June 6, 2018 By: Kait Hanerfeld > What does neuroscience have to do with the way consumers interpret brands? Learn about some of the ways in which the human mind analyzes a brand's products and services. Today's businesses can learn a lot from neuroscientist and Nobel Prize winner, Eric Kandel. His text, The Age of Insight, analyzes the intersections between psychology, neuroscience, and art and how these fields played a pivotal role in each other's development. Kandel analyzes theories such as Alois Reigal’s “beholder’s involvement.” This important theory insists that art is incomplete without the perceptual and emotional involvement of the viewer. In the modern commercial age, this sentiment translates into the manner consumers interpret a brand’s products and services. Kandel’s The Age of Insight is centered upon the human mind and its relationship to art. For businesses, it is also a brilliant medium to understand how consumers interact with various products and services. # How Can Businesses Benefit From Utilizing Neuroscience? ## To summarize a few of Kandel's thoughts: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When an individual creates art, the work is inherently ambiguous. The artist’s creation reflects their own life and experiences. Similarly, the viewer observes the art in their own point of view. The interpreter re-creates the art in their individual brain. People interpret what they see based on past experiences. The perception of the art is constructed by an individual's cognition. Since different people have different cognitive processes, the same image can be interpreted multiple ways. Memory establishes the contextual information. The brain relies upon it to interpret the art. Memory serves as the glue that binds one mental life together and is fundamental to the way the brain decodes information. For brands today, the “art” Kandel speaks of may be likened to products and services. Brand images are directly connected by the products and services that the companies produce. Kandel’s analysis regarding the “beholder’s involvement” can help brands better understand their consumers. ## Based on Kandel’s analysis, it is important for businesses to consider: Products and services should be designed with the consumer in mind. The purpose of new products can be unclear to consumers at first. Businesses often fail to recognize that consumers observe the product through their own perspective, which is unique. Consumers may not necessarily react to a brand’s product in the way the businesses expect. Perception is constructed by the cognition of the individual. Therefore, consumers interpret products and services based on their own individual tendencies. One message may resonate with one consumer, but the same message may be unclear or even offend another. The perception of a business is constructed by cognition – and every consumer’s is different. Business must recognize the significance of a consumer’s memory. The business’ historic values and actions play a critical role in the perception of any new product or service. The long-term implications of actions must be considered. People don’t forget things that happen to them. In fact, the consumer imposes their own personal memories on the product – good or bad. ### Your brand it a work of art – treat it like one. Contact the My-Take team to learn how an insight community can connect your brand with your consumers. # Points, Badges, and Leaderboards: Gamification in Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/gamification-and-online-engagement-in-insight-communities Published: May 17, 2018 By: Rebecca Strott > Many companies are using gamification promote engagement. Discover how badges can keep members engaed in market research online communities. Online community badges are an interesting engagement tool. Even when these badges do not have monetary value attached, members are keenly interested in learning how they can achieve them, and ultimately, how they can earn as many as possible. Why does this occur? Many psychologists and researchers credit this phenomenon to the fact that competitive pressure increases cognitive effort. When community members are up against others in a “race” to earn more badges, they are more likely to exert more effort to get those badges. ## Gamification in Insight Communities "Gamifying,”as some people call this process of adding game components, helps strengthen the community and member loyalty. Badges are just one part of this puzzle, but it seems to be catching on. Companies as such the Huffington Post are starting to add badges to keep its readers engaged. My-Take has also begun to use badges in our online communities. Badges add a level of engagement, and even some friendly competition among members, which has increased the level of insight we receive in our .In order to use competition to positively affect engagement, it is important that the badge metrics clearly match the goals of the community. Badges are customizable based on client objectives. For example, for clients who want more rapid member engagement, badges can be awarded to those who are the first to participate in an activity. Alternatively, a “Photographer” badge can commend members who uploaded a photo to a survey. These badges allow community members to be publicly thanked for their contribution, an idea that many members appreciate. Customizable profiles on the My-Take platform allow members to keep track of their points, badges, and engagement, and leaderboards are conspicuously posted on the community dashboard, allowing all members to see how they stack up. Based on early results, the badges have had a positive impact on engagement, and members certainly seem to be acutely interested. Where does your company stand on this form of social engagement? # My-Take Attends the 2018 Quirk's Event Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-attends-quirks-event Published: March 19, 2018 By: My Take > Learn about what capabilities attracted companies to My-Take's insight communities at the 2018 Quirk's Event. The My-Take team was excited to attend the 2018 Quirk's Event in Brooklyn, NY for the second consecutive year. We met with My-Take co-founder, Todd Hoskins to discuss the key takeaways from this year's event. With this being My-Take's second year attending the Quirk's Event, what was the main objective or theme for the event? Hoskins: From our perspective we were looking to increase the awareness of the My-Take brand among prospective clients. We’ve enjoyed exceptional growth based on expansion within client organizations and through referrals. However, events like these offer an opportunity to broaden our reach. Our approach was very similar to the prior year in terms of making new connections and demonstrating the power of our insight community platform. Greenbook's latest GRIT report cites that 60% if companies have insight communities and another 22% are considering them. Did you notice this high demand for insight communities at the event? Hoskins: Insight Communities have become less of an emerging category, and more of a must have for organizations. There were also at least a couple of the education sessions that were focused on communities. The conversation has truly changed from ‘should we deploy an insight community’ to ‘which community provider will offer us with the most capabilities and support’. Why do you believe that the demand for insight communities is growing so rapidly? What do you think is the most attractive part about insight communities for companies? Hoskins: At the most fundamental level an insight community integrates customer research into everyday decision making. There is an obvious advantage in the cost per engagement compared to traditional research, but I believe the speed and flexibility are the components that really get researchers and organizations excited. Further, in response to clients needs and opportunities, insight community providers have continued to raise the bar in terms of research capabilities. What was once a very formulaic one size fits all approach has changed to larger communities serving various customer segments with many different research methodologies being deployed. What particular aspects of My-Take's offering did you find that companies were most interested in and excited about? Hoskins: Since we have built our company largely on referrals, we find that a lot of prospective clients are surprised at the capability of our platform. This particularly holds true when we are able to provide a live demonstration. The areas that seemed to get prospective clients most excited were: Powerful segmenting and grouping capabilities - both in the activity served and analysis on the back end Automation - allows the basics of reporting to be generated by the system, so Analysts can focus on finding and delivering deeper insights Mobile capability - with a responsive design and a complementary native app for mobile missions Infographic tool - an easy to use integrated tool set to create infographics for communicating to a broader audience Topics - a qualitative mode within the platform to deep dive with customers on a key topic. Video chat - allows online video interviews, with tools on the back end for easy analysis # What is an Insight Community? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/what-is-an-insight-community Published: December 8, 2017 By: My Take > An insight community is generally made up of a targeted group of stakeholders, usually customers, who are recruited into a private online environment to participate in a company’s or brand’s research-related activities on an ongoing basis. The purpose of insight communities are to secure actionable insights from customer feedback and ideas in order to drive business decisions. ## What are Insight Communities? It’s been roughly two decades since the creation of what is now referred to as online insight communities. Since then, insight communities have become a mainstream research tool which continue to grow because of continual increases in capabilities. In a recent GreenBook GRIT, they show that more than half of all researchers sampled use insight communities with another 29% considering their use. ## Not Just Called Insight Communities The term for this type of research hasn’t always been ‘insight communities’. The name has evolved over time and many descriptors are still used interchangeably. Insight communities have been called market research online communities (or MROCs), or simply online communities (as GreenBook and other research directories list them). My-Take and many market-leading companies prefer to use the term ‘insight’ because it implies more useful and actionable information that enables better business decisions. ## Definition of an Insight Community An insight community is generally made up of a targeted group of stakeholders, usually customers, who are recruited into a private online environment to participate in a company’s or brand’s research-related activities on an ongoing basis. The purpose of an insight community is to secure actionable insights from customer feedback and ideas in order to drive business decisions. ## Key Elements of an Insight Community To better understand insight communities, a breakdown of the key elements follows: ### Targeted group Insight communities usually include a group of 500 to 600 (although it could be in the thousands) customers or consumers. It is of vital importance for companies to carefully think about the purpose of the insight community and then screen in the corresponding members. ### Private online environment These environments started out quite basic and have evolved into, in some cases, powerful insight suites with varied and sophisticated capabilities. These environments are private and secure which allows products and campaigns to be evaluated within the community prior to revealing them to the general public. ### Research related activities For many companies, insight communities have become the most used research tool because of their versatility. While online surveys and polls are still valuable tools, insight communities can now handle a variety of qualitative and quantitative use such as general voice of customer (VOC) work, customer journey, concept testing, new product development, and home use testing. The better insight community tools also work well in the mobile environment and with video applications. ### Ongoing basis A insight community can change how research is viewed and executed. The ability to tap into customer opinions and ideas on an ongoing basis is a huge asset to an organization. Insights come fast, and follow-up is easy with the ability to reach back out on an iterative basis. ### Actionable insights The fundamental purpose of most research is to provide actionable insights. Actionable insights go beyond a simple regurgitation of the results toward information that can be acted upon by decision makers by providing further color, context, and implications. Moving reporting of results to inference and implications. ### Business decision making Insight communities can feed decision making at every step of any project. Because communities are so agile, companies can also get to those decisions faster and with more data, all done in a much more efficient and cost-effective manner. Companies that inform their decisions with customer feedback tend to win in the marketplace. My-Take is a greater Boston based insight technology and analysis company that can help your company make smarter decisions and market your products and solutions more effectively based on feedback from powerful online communities. If you have questions about building an insight community for your company, or if you have general questions about insight communities and how they can help your company deliver more value to your customers, click here to request a free consultation. # 12 Questions to Ask When Looking for the Best Insight Community Company Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/12-questions-to-ask-when-looking-for-the-best-insight-community-company Published: December 5, 2017 By: My Take > Check out these 12 questions for companies to ask prospective insight community providers in order to find the provider that best fits their organization. Insight communities have seen tremendous growth and enjoy a very high penetration rate within the market research world. In fact, a Q3/Q4 Greenbook Study shows that 59% of companies have insight communities, with another 23% considering adding one. So, while there are a significant number of companies making their first community decision, there are certainly many of the 59% who continue to evaluate what is available to make sure they have the best solution possible. We’ve covered the bigger picture issues to look for in our previous article How to Choose an Online Insight Community Provider. This article takes it a step further by providing specific questions for companies to ask prospective insight community providers in order to find the provider that best fits their organization. ## Questions to Ask Community Suppliers: 1. Is your community platform your own, or do you license or use open source tools? Often, traditional research firms try to move into the insight community segment of research by deploying another company’s software as a solution application or an open source platform. This is not necessarily an issue if the provider is using one of the more advanced software platforms, but this isn’t always the case. Companies that don't have their own insight community platform may find it difficult to execute more complicated activities in a timely manner. Examples could include advanced survey logic, randomization, proper display of concept images, or missing advanced tools such as hot spots and heat mapping. In addition, if any special applications are needed, it will be difficult for the provider to react successfully. 2. Who from your team will be working on my account, and who will be my direct contact? What experience does my direct contact possess? Just as important as the community platform is the team behind it. As conversations deepen, it is reasonable to ask who specifically will be managing the community on an ongoing basis. Community work is complex, and having a manager who has managed multiple communities is a big positive. Qualities to look for in community managers include expertise in qualitative and quantitative research, organization and project management skills, energy, and intellectual curiosity. You want a community manager who becomes passionate about your business and its products and services. Communities also have other team members working on an account such as associate community managers and analysts. They are also important members of the team as they work to help with moderation, member emails, and coding open ended responses. (A good bonus question to ask a provider is, 'do you code every single open end response?") A conduit to technical support is also important, especially in the front end of the process. A subtler indicator of the quality of a provider can be how they behave in the ‘courting process’. Good questions, strong communication, and a high level of responsiveness can be good indicators of a strong provider. However, make sure the individuals involved in the courting process are part of the ongoing service team. 3. How would you configure the community to handle my brands and segments? This will provide you with an idea of how the provider approaches a community project. Do they have a clear understanding of brands and segmentation? Have they dealt with clients who have multiple brands? Does the provider recommend one community or multiple? There is no one right answer, but a good provider will have members of their team who have experience dealing with similar issues, who can communicate the range of options. 4. How do you keep community members engaged? Keeping members engaged is a fundamental part of being an insight community provider. After all, to leverage the recruiting investment over time, a good portion of the community members need to be retained. There are a wide range of tactics that work. Perhaps the biggest factor is an overall respect and appreciation for the members of the community. This respect and appreciation can be even more valuable than the hard incentives associated with the community. Also, look for platform features such as participation points and badges. Frequency and consistency of interaction are big drivers as well. Another important aspect is closing the loop, including thanking members for their participation and sharing information pertaining to the results of activities. It's important that community members understand they are an important part of the company’s decision making. Finally, an experienced insights team is an important factor in overall success. Their interaction with members can keep participants excited and willing to engage on an ongoing basis. 5. What are the major cost parameters, and what additional charges are possible? There are several variables that can impact the cost of an insight community. Some of these include the number of activities running per month, the number of members in the community, recruiting, and incentives. It's also important to understand the particulars of the data analysis. For example, does the provider code (analyze) all of the open-ended responses? What specific information will be included in the final reports? While the contract will govern the basic parameters of the community, it's very important to understand if there are additional charges if more activities run through the community than originally projected, or if there are charges for more specialized tasks such as online chats, idea sessions, and home use test. What you're trying to avoid is significant and unexpected incremental costs. A good provider will be able to greatly limit this through good upfront definition and some flexibility. 6. What sort of segmenting, filtering, and cross tabulation capabilities do you have? Single segment insight communities typically have 500 to 600 members. However, what if there are multiple segments of importance to the company? This will necessitate a larger overall community with the ability to segment activities based on the groups. A system that can easily manage this dynamic is a big plus. Likewise, it's important that data can be filtered on the backend as part of the reporting function. You may want to send an activity to all groups, but look at the responses by segment as well. You may also want to filter by a specific demographic such as income or gender. Finally, although cross tabs are typically thought of as a tool in quantitative studies, it's also helpful at times to view certain cross tabs in a community environment, keeping in mind the data group might be smaller than for a traditional quantitative study. 7. Describe how you would execute against project types Examples of project types include: feedback on six early stage product/service concepts, exploration of the consumer purchase process, help in establishing buyer personas, evaluation of a new website, and execution of a home use test. These types of questions will give you a feel for the experience level of the community provider’s team, and their process or formula for handling some important, but typical, activity types. More importantly, you’ll probably be able to determine whether or not they have executed these particular activities in number. 8. How long does it take to get my final report after an activity has launched? Establishing an acceptable timeline for reporting is typically a top priority for the community client. If you know the CMO is always looking for immediate feedback, you'll need to understand what information is available in real time as well, and what capability the provider has in terms of delivering reports within days versus weeks of the activity closing. Some community providers allow members a week to respond and then take another week to complete the report. It's also helpful to gain an understanding of what format types are available for the final reporting. 9. How much time do I (as the client) have to invest to get good results from the community? What sort of commitment is required within my organization? These are great questions that are seldom asked. Companies are so focused on vetting the community provider that they fail to ask what a good client does to help ensure success of their community. The community provider should have a strong onboarding plan that encompasses client permissions, a schedule for weekly activities, and a two to three-month rough calendar of activities. The community provider can do a lot of the heavy lifting on each of those issues. However, it is critical that the client plays an active role in establishing the member composition of the community. Additionally, it's critical that the client provides research objectives for the community, with as much company/customer background as possible. Next, the community provider and client need to establish a communication protocol. This might be emails as needed, or a weekly call on a specific day, and larger and more complex projects will probably require even more interaction. A good community provider will be able to take a limited amount of information and turn it around into strong activities. Beyond this interaction, a certain amount of advocacy within the client company is needed so that the organization becomes conditioned to use the community on an ongoing basis. 10. What happens if I have a need to run more activities than outlined in the contract? Some community providers are very strict in adhering to an activity level consistent with the contract. This means that additional expenses can occur relatively easy. Seeking a more flexible contract is reasonable. Everyone wins if the community is used extensively and delivering great insight to the client. Of course, if the community runs at an activity rate twice what was outlined in the contract, a provider is going to look for an adjustment. But being totally inflexible is not the basis for a long-standing relationship. Asking the community provider how they have specifically handled variation in the number of activities will be very helpful in both evaluating providers and preventing a misunderstanding. 11. How long does it take to get a community up and running? What are the key steps? In order to launch a community, the client will need to gain consensus on and execute some key elements of a community such as desired community composition, terms and conditions, member screening, and site design. A good provider plays a key role in making this process run smoothly and efficiently. The actual mechanics of the community build can happen in less than a week. However, gaining consensus on the before mentioned components usually means a community will take approximately 30-45 days to launch. 12. What separates your company from competitors? There are a lot of options in the research world and more companies are entering the insight community space. It's instructive to listen to how providers describe how they are different from the competition. A good provider should be able to describe what their strengths are and what differentiates them from the competition. Their answers to the previous eleven questions offer a good starting point. Further, the more sophisticated companies will be able to articulate a very specific positioning for their company. For example, one provider may use technology to deliver the customer information faster than the competitive set. Also, a conversation of this nature can sometimes give you a sense of which provider culture best fits your culture. Sometimes that will be aspirational on the part of the client. For example, the client might currently be a methodical company looking to become faster and more decisive in their decision making. If you want a fast, decisive culture then you may want a community provider that exudes that quality in the proposal process. Remember, nothing speaks louder than actions.For more information about insight community providers, please click here to contact us. # My-Take Launches Infographic Tool for Insight Communities Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-launches-infographic-tool-for-insight-communities Published: November 21, 2017 By: My Take > My-Take LLC announces the launch of a new community tool that allows for the creation of infographics to powerfully communicate key information. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE # My-Take Clients Now Have Access to Built-In Infographic Application for Communicating Select Insights to Their Stakeholders Westborough, MA, USA –November 21, 2017 – My-Take LLC, a greater Boston based insight technology and analysis company, today announced the launch of a powerful and efficient community tool that allows for the creation of compelling infographics to powerfully communicate key information to client stakeholders. Since its inception, My-Take has been highly regarded for its advanced proprietary insight community platform and team of agile researchers. Its powerful platform offers a suite of tools to support almost any consumer feedback need. That feedback is then used by companies in a number of ways, including to gain a deeper understanding of their customers, to test new product or service concepts, or to evaluate marketing initiatives. Robust reporting has always been an integral part of My-Take’s offerings; the new infographic tool puts power into the hands of the researchers who can now create visual representations of the data to communicate to a broader audience at a higher level, and in a more powerful way. Todd Hoskins, Co-founder of My-Take, says, “The early reaction from clients has been outstanding. Infographics are more likely to grab the attention of an audience, are easier to process, and are more likely to yield engagement. From a platform development point of view, it was important to us that we make the infographic tool as integrated, efficient, and easy to use as possible.” The visual content of infographics works better than written text alone because the brain processes visual content 60,000 times faster than it does text. My-Take’s infographic tool is integrated into each client community and includes templates, widgets, a library of pre-built content, and image upload capabilities. Researchers have the ability to insert and access specific report data for charts and to customize dimensions so the final infographic can be used and distributed in a variety of ways. For more information about My-Take and infographics, or to request a demo of how they work, please visit https://my-take.com/contact. About My-TakeMy-Take is a greater Boston based insight technology and analysis company that helps companies make smarter decisions and market products and solutions more effectively based on feedback from insight communities. Their advanced proprietary platform allows you to leverage technology so consumer feedback and ideas can be integrated into daily decisions, big and small. For more information about My-Take, visit www.my-take.com. For insights, inspiration, and best practices please visit our blog, and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook. # How Do I Keep Engagement in My Insight Community? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/how-do-i-keep-engagement-in-my-insight-community Published: November 14, 2017 By: My Take > Here are 5 tips to help maintain engagement in your online insight community! A fundamental strength of an online insight community is having a standing group of customers ready to provide feedback and ideas as needed. To ensure the quality of ongoing feedback from the insight community, it is critical to maintain strong member engagement. So, how do you keep engagement in your insight community to maintain participation at desired levels? ## 5 Steps to Maintain Insight Community Engagement ### 1. Screen in the right members The first step toward community engagement is selecting individuals who fit the purpose of the community. The best way to do this is to prepare a screener that reflects that purpose. This approach will yield content that is relevant and interesting to members, which is fundamental to their continued participation. ### 2. Clearly communicate the purpose and expectation Good upfront understanding of the goals of the insight community and expectations for the members are keys to a successful start. This is a great chance to communicate to members how important their feedback and ideas are to your company. It is also helpful to explain how the platform works, although, ideally, it should be extremely intuitive. In addition, important elements such as confidentiality are communicated through the terms of service. You also want to set expectations in terms of how often you will be reaching out to members and with what sort of activities. While incentives are not the major driver for member participation, providing a clear idea of incentives early on is a good idea. ### 3. Be human, establish a community Remember that the members of the insight community are customers and/or potential customers and should be treated as such. In fact, the relationship is special and should be one of transparency and respect. Don’t think of members as a research study, but as people. A good community manager will be visible and interact with members on a regular basis. As an example, one of the simplest gestures is to start with a ‘meet the moderator’ session. ### 4. Provide regular and meaningful content Perhaps the most important way to keep insight community members engaged is by putting forth meaningful activities. If the content of your research activities is not relevant or interesting, members won’t continue to participate in the community. Customers (members) love being a part of the innovation engine and want to feel involved in the company’s initiatives. The more that customers feel “in on” real company projects, the more important they will feel, and the more engaged they will be in the community. ### 5. Recognize An insight community is different from a focus group in that it is not necessary to compensate members for every action or study. However, it is important to members that they are valued and that their contributions are recognized. Letting community members know that they are appreciated can include a simple gesture such as a thank you email. Keeping members informed of new product launches that they were a part of is exciting and lets members know that their participation is valuable – maybe they even helped name the product! Some insight community platforms include tools such as influence points and leaderboards as well as badges to recognize contributions. Finally, incentives for participating can be large or small and may include anything from online badges or points, gift certificates, or even being able to keep home use products. My-Take is a greater Boston based insight technology company that can help your company make smarter decisions and market your products and solutions more effectively based on feedback from powerful online insight communities and panels. If you have questions about how to increase engagement in your online insight community, or if you have general questions about insight communities and how they can help your company deliver more value to your customers, click here to request a free consultation. # Should Insight Communities Be Branded or Unbranded? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/should-insight-communities-be-branded-or-unbranded Published: November 9, 2017 By: My Take > In this article we discuss the topic of branding communities. Find out whether or not your online insight community should be branded or not! Once you’ve determined that an insight community is a valuable piece of your research strategy that will either replace or complement your traditional market research, you need to determine the goals of the community, member composition, and how it will be branded (positioned to the members.) Some of the first decisions you’ll need to make are what your overall goals are for the community, where you’re going to recruit your community members, and if your insight community is going to be branded or unbranded. Ultimately, an insight community is going to be valuable whether it’s branded or unbranded, and the choice you make is dependent on your needs and objectives. ## Branded or Unbranded? A branded online insight community means that the members of your community – usually your customers – know to which company they are providing feedback. Your logo may be prominently displayed and the overall look and feel may match or emulate your brand. One reason to use a branded insight community is that the transparency allows you to show company concepts in their final form. You can present and even test for actual product names, packaging materials, and updates or improvements to existing products. You can also show marketing materials such as commercials, print ads, or banner ads and get actionable feedback on real campaign ideas and concepts. A reason to use an unbranded community (also called a blind community) is when a company’s primary objectives are to obtain feedback from the overall market and not just owners of a company’s brand. Another scenario is a parent company choosing an unbranded insight community when it is running research for multiple brands that aren’t necessarily linked in the eyes of consumers. Therefore, an advantage to creating an unbranded insight community is that it can provide a more market representative population. These will be members who use or have an interest in your products and solutions, but who may or may not already be happy and loyal customers of your company. This is an opportunity to get feedback from fresh eyes who aren’t familiar with your products and solutions. ## How to Decide Between a Branded or Unbranded Insight Community When it comes time to decide between a branded or unbranded insight community, start by determining the objectives of the community. Are you looking to crowdsource ideas from some of your company’s current customers? Do you want to get feedback from customers who are familiar with your brand and who use your products and solutions regularly? Before you start any research initiative you have to first know what you are going to do with the data that you gather. Who are your stakeholders who will be reviewing the reports and how will you characterize the results of the data to them? Another factor to consider is what kind of materials or information you will be showing the community members. If you are regularly showing concepts in which it is obvious to customers that it is your brand, then it probably makes sense to just be transparent and brand with the company identity. Finally, you may find that the option to have one of each – both a branded and an unbranded insight community – is the best fit for your needs. Some companies like the advantage of having a branded community to evaluate their new products and marketing concepts in a transparent way, while also having an unbranded community to explore consumer opinion with the broader market. ## The Final Decision: Branded or Unbranded Insight Community? The decision of whether to have a branded or unbranded insight community is an important one that should be entered into in a mindful manner. You can secure great insights with either approach. In addition, insight communities evolve just as companies’ objectives and priorities do. So, it is not uncommon to see companies change their approach in the longer term to fit their needs. My-Take is a greater Boston based insight and marketing technology company that can help your company make smarter decisions and market your products and solutions more effectively based on feedback from powerful online insight communities and panels. If you have questions about whether you should assemble a branded or unbranded insight community, or if you have general questions about insight communities and how they can help your company deliver more value to your customers, click here to request a free consultation. # Traditional Market Research or Insight Community? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/traditional-market-research-or-insight-community Published: November 6, 2017 By: My Take > Market research is a necessary tool for increasing market share, learn more about what type of market research is right for your company. Perhaps one of the most well-known examples of market research is the Nielsen ratings system that started in the 1920s as a way of measuring radio audiences to understand which programming content was most popular. Today, market leading companies use market research for everything from testing new ideas and products, determining new market opportunities, tracking brand awareness, and measuring customer satisfaction – and these are only a small example of all the uses of market research. ## Traditional Research or Communities? It’s not a question of whether market research is a necessary tool for increasing market share and growing an organization, it’s more a question of what type of market research is right for your company’s goals, timing, and budget. When we think of traditional market research we think of focus groups and quantitative studies. It wasn’t that long ago that offline research was considered the norm and that online research would be biased because such a small percentage of the population was using the internet. Of course, the tables have turned. Some people don’t give phone surveys the courtesy of a “no, thank you” and simply hang up; surveys in the mail are frequently discarded with barely a glance. Today, not including online users would almost certainly skew your results unless you were specifically researching users who don’t use the internet. ## Most Companies Are Using Online Insight Communities and There Are Good Reasons Why Most companies are using insight communities because they are cost-effective, efficient, accessible, and they represent the way that customers often want to interact with companies. Compared to tools such as focus groups, for example, insight communities have a lower cost per engagement since people are already recruited, and you don’t have to worry about travel which not only consumes more budget, but time as well. Online insight communities are an extremely efficient and fast way of gathering information, getting feedback, and interacting with customers in a number of formats. You can easily reach out to your community and get customers to participate in a survey, and then contact the same set of participants for a follow-up survey. This type of efficient follow-up is extremely difficult to do successfully with traditional market research tools. You’re also able to get a much higher number of responses, which means more feedback, quicker. An insight community also offers much more accessibility to participants and sophisticated capabilities. The advanced technology used within insight communities makes participation easy for customers since they can use their desktops, tablets, or smartphones to access tools including surveys, polls, discussions, collages, and others. And an insight community gives you the opportunity to easily access and interact with up to ten times as many customers as a typical focus group engagement. In addition, it is much easier to analyze data using a community platform than simply watching video or reading transcripts. Finally, because of the way that technology impacts consumers’ buying decisions today, from conducting research on company websites, reading customer reviews, and getting word-of-mouth recommendations on social media, to making the purchase itself, there’s a good chance that for most companies, an insight community – or market research online community (MROC) – makes sense. Having more sophisticated consumers requires a more sophisticated way of interacting with them, which is why approximately 60% of companies today are already using online communities as part of their research, and more than 20% are considering them. ## Some Projects May Require Additional Traditional Tools Beyond an Insight Community When it comes to traditional market research or an insight community, there’s no requirement to make a choice to exclusively use only one or the other method. There are certain types of research projects that do require specialty research tools. There is some subset of focus groups where an in-person hands-on experience is specifically desired to meet the goals of the research. For example, some research studies can benefit from moderators being able to see participants’ reactions and record their body language. But you can think of your online insight community as the hub for all your research efforts. If you do have a study that could benefit from a focus group, you can recruit right from your community. This would also allow for easy and more extensive follow-up research. An insight community can be your primary market research tool, but it doesn’t mean that other tools will never be used for some projects. Your community is a cost-effective, versatile, and flexible tool that can handle the majority of your research needs, as well as complement other efforts. My-Take is a greater Boston based insight and marketing technology company that helps companies make smarter decisions and market more effectively through powerful online communities and panels. If you have questions about how an insight community can benefit your research efforts and help your company deliver more value to your customers, click here below to contact us for a free consultation. # How Many Members (Customers) Should Be in an Insight Community? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/how-many-members-should-be-in-insight-community Published: October 31, 2017 By: Todd Hoskins > Learn the factors that determine the number of customers you need in your online insight community to get actionable data that drives internal decisions! The best customer-focused companies today are interested in generating more value for their customers by gaining a better understanding of their interests, needs, and desires. They do this by creating an Insight Community, also known as a Market Research Online Community (MROC) – a way of interacting with their customers and getting feedback through a number of tools including surveys, forums, polls, collages, and home use tests to name just a few. It’s a highly-effective way of improving your understanding of your customers and bringing to market products and solutions they want to buy. The first step in this process is creating your member (customer) community. ## How Many Members Should be in a Community? When it comes to the question of how many members should make up a Market Research Online Community, is it “bigger is better” or “less is more?” One of the first questions that many of our clients and prospective clients want to know is how many customers need to be in their online insight community in order to get actionable data that can drive internal decisions. And, of course, the best, most accurate answer that we can give is, it depends. Communities have historically consisted of 500-600 but now market research online communities typically contain around 500 -2,000 members. In fact, depending on the scale of research conducted, communities size can range to hundreds of thousands of members. The 500-2,000 -member range generally leads to a good number of responses while maintaining an environment in which the customer feels valued ### The factors determining how many members you should have in your MROC The next consideration when trying to determine the number of members you should have in your Insight Community is the purpose of the information and how you’re going to use it. If you’re looking for data that is going to play a large role in larger decisions within your organization, you may want to increase the community size. However, if your goal is to get information that will be directional, you may want to move to the smaller end of our range. Another impact on the size of your insight community is how common your target group is. Sometimes a group of members is more challenging to find and recruit to participate. In these cases, the choice might be to maintain a lower number of members but put more emphasis on engagement and incentives in order to maximize participation per member. Finally, budget can also play a role. More responses, more segments, more reports, and more incentives can mean a larger investment ### Response rates and level of engagement affect how many members you need in your MROC Keep in mind that even among qualified participants, response rates on an individual activity can often vary between 25-60%, on average (although some can get as high as 90% depending on the overall structure of the community and the specific incentives.) The size of your online insight community has to reflect not just a total number of participants, but those that are actively participating on a regular basis. If you’re not maintaining communication with the members in your online community, you’ll have less engaged members and fewer active participants. Be sure that you’re reaching everyone consistently with a welcome email when they join and providing plenty of opportunities for them to provide their feedback through a variety of activities such as surveys, polls, discussions, journal activities, home use tests, and online chats. It also helps member engagement to provide recognition of their contributions through gamification (points, badges, etc.), and by providing feedback to these members on how their opinions are helping the company. ### The “right” number of members you should have in your MROC is subjective Ultimately, there is not a precise right or wrong answer to “how many members should be in my MROC?” While data is objective, the right amount of data that you have to have can be subjective. When you partner with the right customer insight company, you’ll be guided through the process of determining how many members are right for you based on your objectives, comfort with various response levels, importance of segments, and, to some degree, budget. My-Take is a greater Boston based insight and marketing technology company that helps companies make smarter decisions and market more effectively through powerful online communities and panels. If you have questions about how many members should be in your Market Research Online Community, or if you have general questions about online insight communities and how they can help your company deliver more value to your customers, click here for a free consultation. # My-Take Co-founder Meets with Ole Miss CIE Board Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-co-founder-meets-with-ole-miss-cie-board Published: October 26, 2017 By: My Take > Todd Hoskins, Co-founder of My-Take, was invited to meet with the Ole Miss Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) board Todd Hoskins, Co-founder of My-Take, was invited to meet with the Ole Miss Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) board on Friday, October 22nd and answer some questions. So, what is your tie to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) CIE? Hoskins: I received my MBA from Ole Miss and was invited to attend the meeting based on my Entrepreneurial experience. As anyone who knows me can tell you, I have a strong attachment to the university, so I was eager to help in any way possible. How is Ole Miss demonstrating their commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship? Hoskins: The first step they’ve taken is to create a vision and culture that inspires and supports students who have entrepreneurial ambitions. Ole Miss is doing this through the academics, culture, and real-world experiences. Two of the biggest steps they’ve taken are to establish both a major and minor in Entrepreneurship. I’m very impressed with their commitment and progress. Are there any other unique aspects of the CIE program? Hoskins: The CIE has several great initiatives as part of the program. The Rebel Venture Capital Fund is an alumni-established, non-profit entity created to financially support student start-up businesses with seed money grants. It’s chartered as a 501c (3) and is separate from the university. Another great initiative is the LandShark Tank Pitch Competition that provides an opportunity for students to present their business concepts in front of a panel of judges. In addition to a chance to win, students also receive feedback from faculty and business people. How are alumni and friends of the university getting involved with CIE? Hoskins: Individuals can get involved in a variety of ways including judging competitions and providing feedback to students, the Entrepreneurship Speaker Series, hiring interns, mentoring, and gifts to the university. # 6 Ways MROCs Enhance and Measure Customer Experience Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/6-ways-market-research-online-communities-enhance-customer-experience Published: August 15, 2017 By: Connor Rocco > Improving customer experience (CX) is critical for businesses today. Using agile market research, MROCs capture VOC and drastically improve CX. According to Gartner, 89% of marketers expect customer experience (CX) to be their primary differentiatorin 2017. Many companies’ CX programs however, are not built to succeed. Gartner’s customer experience expert, Augie Ray warns that a company’s CX program may be unsuccessful without a “voice of the customer or customer feedback program.” Without voice of customer, or VoC research capabilities, brands miss out on opportunities to improve customer experience in “meaningful, valuable and measurable ways” according to Ray. ## How Communities Enhance CX This is where MROCs (market research online communities) can help. Successfully capturing VoC is essential for improving overall customer experience. The list below outlines how an insight community is the most effective way to capture today’s VoC, and thus improve overall customer experience. ### Agile Market Research Market research online communities are adaptable and flexible. Agile market research allows brands to swiftly launch, discontinue, or modify research activities. With MROCs, a brand’s community can be tailored to accommodate any specific need. Various agile research techniques allow businesses to capture and elevate their CX. ### Test and Perfect A distinguishing factor of insight communities is the ability to continuously launch research activities geared towards a specific goal. For example, MROCs may utilize an in-home use test (iHUT), which places products and services into the homes of consumers. Researchers can develop specific practices and techniques overtime as they become familiar with the community. ### Results in Real Time Unlike traditional research methods, a market research online community delivers insights in a matter of days, rather than months. A live report feature allows businesses to consider data in real time as the research activity is completed. This agile market research approach allows brands to explore, understand, and respond to their consumers' data faster and more accurately. ### Quality Insights Good market research online communities are filled with passionate, dedicated, and thoughtful consumer-respondents. The respondent’s willingness and desire to share their thoughts and opinions along with the incentivized encouragement of a gamified system consistently yields data from consumers that care about the brand and research study. ### Real Voices An insight community presents consumer's responses as more than data points. Advanced logic, respondent verbatim, and careful community moderation deliver brands precise and authentic feedback about how their consumers are interacting with their products and services. ### Mobile Technology Innovative MROCs have the ability to capture the responses of community members where they are spending their time – on their phone. Mobile ethnography techniques allow brands to research consumers in an intimate, yet unobtrusive manner. Unique research methods such as location check-in, emoji response, and audio and video upload allow brands to capture, gauge, and further enhance their CX with clear VoC feedback. The powerful benefits provided by market research online communities deliver valuable VoC data and can help any brand improve their CX. Insight communities provide brands with actionable results that allow them to understand exactly how and why consumers are interacting with their products and services. Consistent use of MROCs allow brands to measure, compare, and analyze their CX goals. Is your brand a part of the 89% expecting customer experience to be their primary differentiator? Exceed your CX and VoC goals with an insight community. Contact the My-Take team to learn how these features, among others can help your brand. # MROC's Secret Weapon: The Moderator Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/mrocs-secret-weapon-the-moderator Published: August 1, 2017 By: Michelle Monti > Discussion boards provide up-to-date feedback from respondents. Learn how moderators facilitate agile research in insight communities. Discussion boards are a great way to receive feedback as well as promote conversation between participants about a specific topic or issue. Offering discussion boards in online qual provides the ability to foster and generate insights from such communication – if done correctly In order to keep track of the conversations that go on in discussion boards, communities should be assigned a moderator. They are able to probe questions at particular respondents, and control the forum through opening and closing conversation. The moderator does not just run discussion boards, but builds a community to produce even stronger results unlike any other customer feedback tool. ## How to Moderate a Community: ### Real Time Conversation Insight communities are known for providing immediate feedback to clients through live updates within the platform. Moderators are able to take such participation to the next level by further promoting discussion. If a new finding arises from one discussion post, a moderator can either ask respondents to expand upon their thoughts or transform that comment into its own thread. Through agile market research techniques such as this, discussions not only stay up-to-date but contain relevant findings deliberated by the respondents themselves. This gives the brand a wider range of insight and findings that other research techniques may not uncover. ### Participation Encouragement As humans, we desire attention and self-assurance. The moderator helps to fulfill these goals by providing a humanistic side behind the platform. By responding to posts and granting points and badges through a gamification system, the moderator offers positive feedback and recognition for good contributions. For brands, encouragement offered to the respondents increases the likelihood that they can continue to study the respondent in future activities. The happier and more satisfied a community member is, the more likely they will stay active. ### A Face to the Name Through moderator profiles, respondents are able to put a face to a name. Profiles include a picture of the moderator as well as a short description of themselves. Such personalization creates a new level of connection and relatability between the respondent and moderator. When respondents are able to read and see the voice behind a study, they feel as though their opinions are being heard and valued. Overall, the moderators make agile research possible by offering researchers an opportunity to gain deeper understanding of consumers while creating personal connections among respondents. Contact the My-Take team, to learn more about discussion boards and their influence on your brand. # Keeping Pace - How MROCs Deliver Actionable Insights Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/keeping-pace-how-mrocs-deliver-actionable-insights-fast Published: July 27, 2017 By: Taylor Inman > MROCs (market research online communities) deliver businesses actionable insights at high speeds. Discover how an insight community can help you keep pace. Not only has the marketplace become more fast paced due to constantly enhanced technologies and more informed consumers, but companies’ key decision makers have taken on additional responsibilities, leaving them with less time to review countless pages of research when making crucial, time-sensitive decisions. Market researchers must bridge this gap and find ways to make insights readily available and easily digestible to help companies hit the mark with today’s and tomorrow’s consumers. ## How MROCs Deliver Actionable Insights ### Immediate Access and Feedback Allowing access to real-time results and providing immediate feedback is essential. Having the ability to view responses to various activity types and questions as they are collected via live reports, dashboards, etc., gives clients the tools to be informed quicker and keep up to speed with their consumers. Market research online communities (MROCs) create a great environment for keeping up with the ever-changing marketplace. ### Storytelling Expecting clients to fluently decipher numerous pages of research findings, numbers, and trends is a thing of the past, or at least it should be. It’s time-consuming and cannot possibly deliver the ‘big picture’ clearly or concisely. Actionable insights can be better communicated utilizing a storytelling-like method, such as scaling back on the volume of statistical evidence at the forefront of a deliverable and instead focusing on the quality of insightand ‘big picture’. In this way, the story clearly emerges and can be communicated in a way that allows for faster analysis, understanding, and, ultimately, decision-making. Overall, the marketplace won’t be slowing down any time soon. Market researchers and companies alike must equip themselves with the tools to keep pace. To learn more about how an insight community can help keep you on track, contact the My-Take team. # 3 Great Applications for Mobile Research Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/3-great-applications-for-mobile-research-in-online-communities Published: July 10, 2017 By: Todd Hoskins > Discover a few of the great ways mobile research can complement activities within market research online communities. With the explosive growth of mobile usage among consumers, the market research industry continues to scramble to keep pace. The same is true with market research online communities (MROC's). So in the market research online community space, or insight communities as they are sometimes referred to, newer platforms are responsive in design – meaning the system will detect the type of device and respond with a format that matches. That is one major step in taking advantage of the growth in mobile usage. However, there is a further opportunity for researchers to consider certain kinds of research or activities that particularly lend themselves to mobile response in which researchers can provide an even better experience through a smartphone app. ## Different Applications of Mobile Market Research Certain types of research such as retail and in-home are examples of applications that lend themselves to a mobile oriented solution. This kind of 'in the moment' research favors the use of a native mobile app that is specifically designed for a smartphone. Mobile apps offer the advantage of being readily accessible through the one device that is always with consumers – their smartphone. Additionally, a well-designed mobile app will offer location check-in and easy image and video capture – all in a manner consumers are used to To learn more about the growth of this latest market research trend, check out What is Mobile Ethnography and Why Researchers Should Use it. These 'in the moment' mobile applications are an excellent complement to those activities typically executed in a market research online community. Some excellent applications for mobile research among communities include: Retail Sometimes things are going on in the market that don’t meet expectations, or just don’t make sense. Second and third hand information doesn’t always bring clarity to the issue. A mobile app provides a platform for consumers to provide direct feedback by taking a picture, shooting a video, or simply responding to questions in the moment. Many apps also offer the ability to check-in and provide the location. In-home-testing One of the powerful aspects within an online insight community is the execution of home use testing. This can be done at various milestones, including once the product or service has launched into the marketplace. A mobile component can add a powerful element to this kind of activity by capturing feedback as it happens. Some examples include videoing the out of box experience or documenting how the product fits into the home environment. Persona enhancement This is my personal favorite. Personas help visualize typical buyers of the product or service. What better way to bring personas to life than to have representative video or audio examples of each type?Video is extremely effective in bringing the story to life, especially if the information is being communicated to varied functions throughout the organization. In summary, the choice to go mobile or traditional in research is not binary. A mobile specific activity can complement other research by delivering a more ‘in the moment’ experience. A mobile app allows consumers to easily share video that brings research to life like no other medium. To learn how we can help your brand capture your own consumers’ ‘in the moment’ experiences and more, contact the My-Take team. # What is Mobile Ethnography and Why Researchers Should Use it Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/what-is-mobile-ethnography-and-why-researchers-should-use-it Published: June 30, 2017 By: Connor Rocco > Discover and learn the benefits of mobile ethnography and the techniques brands are using to analyze consumers. According to Bronislaw Malinowski, who is recognized as the founder of social anthropology, the successful ethnographer must attempt “to grasp the native’s point of view, his relation to life, to realize his vision of his world.” Little did Malinowski know that ethnography would play a major role in market research. Beginning with strategies such as in-person interviews, focus groups, photographs, and more, the business world has attempted to collect insights ethnographically. ### The World Has Gone Mobile – And So Has Ethnography Now, with the growth of technology and mobile market research, exciting new opportunities have emerged. No longer does the researcher need to conduct an in-person interview, or intrude on the home of the consumer. A variety of mobile ethnography techniques allow brands to analyze the consumer in an intimate yet unobtrusive setting. From simply asking respondents to snap a picture using their smartphone, to leveraging location check-in services, the researcher can now gain deep consumer insights easier than ever. Both the researcher and consumer-respondent benefit from these mobile market research techniques. For the researcher, these practices provide a cost-effective way to gain deep and meaningful insights. These practices yield more honest, natural, and immediate feedback from consumers. The consumer-respondent feels more comfortable providing feedback without the external pressures of traditional ethnographic research methods. Since the early 1900s, to “grasp the native’s point of view”, has been the goal of ethnography. Mobile ethnography is today’s answer for market researchers. Interested in learning more about mobile ethnography? Contact the My-Take team and speak to one of our co-founders to understand how we can help your brand. # Five Tips for Conducting Mobile Market Research Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/five-tips-for-conducting-mobile-market-research Published: June 23, 2017 By: Jess Solomon > Start reaching your audience where they are spending their time: their mobile device. Tips for conducting mobile market research. Just in case you hadn’t noticed, the world has gone mobile. In fact, according to Smart Insights, 80% of internet users own a smartphone 89% of mobile media time is spent on apps But what does this mean for market research? It means you need to bite the bullet and start reaching your audience where they are spending their time: their mobile device. When you think about it, it’s a win-win. Respondents can take your survey when, where, and how they want to, and you get high quality information - fast. Interested in improving your mobile market research? -- Schedule a Demo. So, what are some best practices when conducting mobile market research? Here are some tips to help you get started: Use research software that is optimized for mobile This could mean having software that automatically detects the device the survey is being taken on and adjusts to fit the layout (responsive design). It could also mean using a mobile application (native app). Let respondents express themselves how they normally do Let’s talk about emojis as an example. Nowadays, an emoji speaks a thousand words. Providing emojis for your respondents allows them to answer your questions naturally and honestly, using familiar characters they use in their daily mobile conversations. Take advantage of multimedia capabilities Before mobile research methods were available, if you wanted to see and hear how respondents were reacting to a product during home use testing or a display when asking people to shop in-store, the process would require many steps using a PC. Respondents would have to take a photo (most likely with their mobile device), upload it to the computer, and then upload it again to their web browser. With mobile, respondents can take a picture, video, or audio recording, and upload it to your survey right then and there. Stay concise Survey fatigue can happen on any platform, but when your respondents are taking your survey on their phone, chances are they are doing it on the go. Do your best to limit the number of questions and ask only the important stuff. Make it funIf you are planning on surveying the same respondents again, perhaps in an online community format, you are going to want to keep them interested. Making your surveys fun for respondents by varying your content and questions types, or using a gamified system such as awarding points for survey completes will help ensure your research is regularly a part of your audience’s precious mobile screen time. Interested in improving your mobile market research? -- Schedule a Demo. # My-Take Goes to Quirk's Event Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-goes-to-quirks-event Published: April 7, 2017 By: My Take > The My-Take team was excited to attend this year’s Quirk’s Event in Brooklyn, New York. We sat down with Rich Armstrong, one of the founding members of My-Take The My-Take team was excited to attend this year’s Quirk’s Event in Brooklyn, New York. We sat down with Rich Armstrong, one half of the founding members of My-Take, LLC, to find out more about why My-Take attended this year as well as what he believes were some takeaways from the event. With this being My-Take’s first Quirk’s Event, was there an explicit or implicit theme for this event? Armstrong: For My-Take, it was all about networking. We had two main goals for the show: introduce our company and capability to clients and make partner connections. We were successful on both fronts, and we look forward to continuing to work with clients and partners that we met at the show. What are some of the more interesting things you saw at the event? Armstrong: I would say the two items that caught my eye were the use of AI [Artificial Intelligence] in qualitative analysis and the automation tools for analyzing photos and video content. While some believe that tasks like these can be fully automated, replacing the human, I see these tools as working alongside a researcher. We are still in the early days in AI, and this area is one that we keep our eye on. As a company, we want to be providing leading solutions to our clients. What were the key elements of My-Take that you wanted to get across to companies? Armstrong: For some at the show, this was their first contact with My-Take. We wanted to convey that we have not only a best in class platform but also a professional services team to manage projects and deliver actionable insight. At the same time, each client has unique needs and one of our core business qualities is flexibility. An important aspect is listening to potential clients to understand what is not working for them today, so we can suggest ways of tackling those challenges. Were there specific aspects of the My-Take offering that you felt particularly resonated with brands? Armstrong: On a platform level, the real-time reporting engine, our new mobile missions app for ethnography, and out of home studies generated a lot of conversation. In today’s business world, speed is a competitive advantage; being able to integrate VOC [Voice of the Customer] into that process allows our clients to make better decisions faster. Being able to capture end consumer feedback, including photos, video, and voice, and integrate that seamlessly into the community reporting engine allows our client to get a better feel for the viewpoint of the consumer. From a business relationship standpoint, being flexible to work anywhere in the range from a licensing model to a fully managed environment showcased an aspect of our flexibility. Being able to support all aspects of running a community, including recruiting, moderation, analysis, reporting and incentive fulfillment, helps clients meeting us for the first time understand that we are a full solution provider. # My-Take Goes to Bentley Networking Night Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-goes-to-bentley-networking-night Published: October 28, 2016 By: My Take > My-Take employees Rebecca Strott and Kelsey Regan attended a networking event for students at Bentley University. My-Take employees Rebecca Strott and Kelsey Regan attended a networking event for students at Bentley University. The event focuses on students in the Creative Engagement, Management, and Professional Sales fields. Both Rebecca and Kelsey attended Bentley and received their degrees in Marketing and were excited to be back on campus. Rebecca has attended these events to recruit students for the past three years and was excited to speak to students about My-Take. For Kelsey, who was previously hired at the event three years prior, described the event as "a great way to students to interact with companies in a less formal and more intimate setting". My-Take attended the event in hopes of finding interns for their Summer 2017 Internship program. # TMRE 2016 Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/tmre-2016 Published: October 16, 2016 By: My Take > My-Take is heading to The Market Research Event (TMRE) on October 17th-20th 2016 in Boca Raton, Florida! My-Take is heading to The Market Research Event (TMRE) on October 17th-20th 2016 in Boca Raton, Florida! As one of the largest market research conferences in the world, TMRE provides My-Take with a great opportunity to demonstrate our proprietary insight community platform and capabilities. We will also be debuting a new mobile missions app. We look forward to the event and if you happen to be attending, visit us at booth 418! # The Election: All About Branding Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/the-election-all-about-branding Published: August 17, 2016 By: Rebecca Strott > Whatever you think about this year's election, there is one thing that is undoubtly true: it's all about branding. ## The Election: All About Branding Whatever you think about this year's election, there is one thing that is undoubtly true: it's all about branding. We have seen countless advertisements by these individuals' supporters, watched numerous debates, and listened to countless speeches. Presidential campaigns in the United States are unique. Candidates have years to craft their message, campaign and gain voter support. Fundraising is another piece that sets the US campaigns apart. It's not surprisingly that branding is important. To make my point, let's focus on three candidate from this year's election: Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and Hillary Clinton. ### Feelin' the Bern Not only does Bernie Sanders have a catchy tagline, he has a brand. When you hear his name, it evokes thoughts and emotions. Things like Vermont, socialist views, and the working class are a few that come to mind. Bernie Sanders collected strong support from followers and even though he is no longer in that race, many stand behind him. ### Make American Great Again Yet again, a great tagline and a man with a brand. Donald Trump is already known for his businesses, money, and acting. He started the campaign as an underdog and an outsider but his message resonated with many Americans. He has strong views but they all fall within his brand and while it isn't for everyone, you cannot argue that it is not authentic. His brand is all about being a non-politician so he says what he wants and acts with emotion. This is certainly a new approach for American politics. ### I'm With Her Hillary is the first woman to run for this office. While Hillary being the first nominee is historic, her brand follows a more traditional approach. Hillary focuses on discussing the issues typical for a presidential candidate, including education, taxes, women's issues, etc. Regardless of your political views, branding during elections are important. This is an important decision and candidates need to evoke an emotional response from voters. They need to gain trust and voice their views. Sticking to brand guidelines keep your message consistent and build your credibility. # The Post Turtle Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/the-post-turtle Published: August 3, 2016 By: Todd Hoskins > Those of you from urban or even suburban environments may not be familiar with the expression ‘post turtle’. Those of you from urban or even suburban environments may not be familiar with the expression ‘post turtle’. Its origins go back to an old joke about a farmer and politics. In general terms a ‘post turtle’ refers to the following dynamic: ‘If you see a turtle sitting on top of a fence post, it didn’t get there by accident’. There are several ways to use the post turtle as metaphor. One example follows. The Natural: The Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton by Joe Klein quotes Clinton as saying: "If you see a turtle sitting on top of a fence post, it didn't get there by accident." According to Klein, this was Clinton's way of claiming partial responsibility for "the historic prosperity and the global peace that attended his time in office". I won’t argue for or against that claim, however the use of the post turtle in this context is a powerful and colorful way to make a point. I try to think of the post turtle when evaluating research results for our clients. Often times consumer preferences are clear when it comes to a product concept or an ad campaign. But in order to help our clients deliver the best for their consumers it is important to know ‘why’ or ‘how’. In other words, it is not enough just to know something ‘is’ as there is almost always an explanation ‘why’, and the ‘why’ is almost always instructive to the client. For example, a company may well know that customers prefer one product over the others. However, in order to optimize the product opportunity and deliver a sustainable success, they benefit greatly from understanding why consumers prefer the product and how they actually use it. It helps to know how or why the turtle is on the post. # Employee Engagement with LinkedIn: A Win-Win Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/employee-engagement-with-linkedin-a-win-win Published: July 20, 2016 By: Jess Solomon > This year, CNBC published an article warning readers that using social media at work could get them fired. This year, CNBC published an article warning readers that using social media at work could get them fired. They reported that “28% of employers have fired someone for using the Internet for non-work related activity.” This statistic doesn’t come as a surprise when you hear that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation estimates employees spend an hour on social media each day while they’re at work. So with all that being said, can encouraging your employees to use social media benefit your company? Forbes contributor William Arruda explains why employee engagement on LinkedIn can lead to a more successful company page. First, the more your employees interact with your company page, the more visibility your LinkedIn profile gets. Whether it’s listing your company as their employer, commenting on posts, or simply liking an update, employees are getting your company name in front of the eyes of their connections. Second, although many employers are worried about losing their talent, by showcasing your employees, you are strengthening your brand. It shows clients that highly skilled people are not only working for your company, but are also so proud to work for you that they are willing to post about it. Finally, employees will benefit from their engagement, too. Employees will feel more connected to the company and their coworkers. LinkedIn also provides a public platform to endorse skills and give recommendations, improving employee morale. While I’m not suggesting you allow employees to spend an hour a day on social media, maybe it’s a good idea to encourage them to use their LinkedIn. You and your employees could reap the benefits. # Internships - Who Really Benefits? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/internships-who-really-benefits Published: July 6, 2016 By: My Take > For undergraduate students, internships are a necessary course of action for gaining experience as well as having something to put on your resume. For undergraduate students, internships are a necessary course of action for gaining experience as well as having something to put on your resume. Interns gain a lot of experience, skills, and exposure to the business world through internships. Internships are in very high demand for business students and are a big step in networking for future plans. Now, what about for businesses? Do interns have any benefit on businesses in general? According to Forbes, there are five exclusive reasons as to why interns are great for businesses. To sum it up, interns provide new, fresh ideas as well as having more experience with the social world. Interns, particularly young adults, have a young mind filled with ideas and ambition, and partake in a social society filled with social media, entertainment, and various other aspects that are not very familiar to older employees. This can be extremely beneficial when keeping up to date with our innovative world. Another great reason for businesses to recruit a team of interns is to get some extra hands on a specific goal. The best way to gain from interns as well as giving them some experience is by setting specific and timely goals/projects. This allows for things to get done as well as having a new set of eyes on a project. Statistically, it has been proven through various studies that internships are necessary and extremely beneficial. Huffington Post contains an article with very interesting statistics on this. “Those who reported completing one internship during their time at Southwestern University were 13 percent more likely to find full-time employment over those that did not.” This demand for businesses to hire temporary interns continues to grow as results indicate faster employment after graduating. The article also states that those who have had multiple internships are proven to be happier with their outcome. This is due to employers creating timely goals and allowing students to experiment in the field. Overall, interns are very popular and high in demand for businesses. This experience allows students and businesses to benefit from each other as well as creating a relationship between different generations. # Is Social Media Relevant to B2B Companies? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/is-social-media-relevant-to-b2b-companies Published: June 21, 2016 By: Jess Solomon > Many of us follow a consumer brand on some form of social media. Maybe we want to learn more about their products or services, or maybe we just want to know... Many of us follow a consumer brand on some form of social media. Maybe we want to learn more about their products or services, or maybe we just want to know when the next big sale is occurring. Whatever the reason, social media has become a popular tool for B2C (business to consumer) companies. But is social media important for B2B (business to business) companies? Can they use social media to meet their goals? The answer is yes. According to Link Humans, a social and digital marketing agency, social media is important for B2B companies for a variety of reasons, including SEO (search engine optimization), lead creation, and educating people about their industry. So how can companies achieve these things? Matt Kapko, a senior writer for CIO.com, explains that in order for B2B companies to utilize social media effectively, they must “establish metrics for success.” Metrics could be number of visits to the company’s website, number of followers, and (hopefully) number of leads. These metrics should connect to the company’s existing goals (e.g. increase sales). If the company’s goal is just simply to have a social media presence, it will be difficult to justify the time and effort it takes to create and maintain the presence at all. Social media has become a part of our daily routines. Could it become a part of your company’s routine, too? # Big Data: Is More Always Better? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/big-data-is-more-always-better Published: August 25, 2015 By: Todd Hoskins > When it comes to data, is more always better? Well yes, and no. It is important to have the capability to access, analyze, and synthesize large amounts of data When it comes to data, is more always better? Well yes, and no. It is important to have the capability to access, analyze, and synthesize large amounts of data. But the data has to be the right data, meaning it answers important questions. The organization also has to know the data exists, and be able to easily access it. Bernard Marr eludes to some of these issues in his article Big Data: Too Many Answers, Not Enough Questions which appeared on Forbes.com. Marr stated: "You must focus on the things that matter most otherwise you'll drown in data. Data is a strategic asset but it's only valuable if it's used constructively and appropriately to deliver results." Marr goes on to say: "Every manager now has the opportunity to use data to support their decision-making with actual facts. However without the right questions, all those 'facts' can conceal the truth." ### The Market Research Online Community Perspective Much of the same is true with online insight communities. Understanding the objectives, and asking the right questions up front, are the keys to getting useful information on the backend. Clients have the ability to ask virtually an unlimited number of questions of their community, but if they go too far beyond the central issue they risk creating a lot of data that will make it difficult to flesh out the important information. Fortunately for clients the community model is iterative, offering up the ability to follow up for additional information once the initiate information is analyzed. # Will the flying car go mainstream? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/will-the-flying-car-go-mainstream Published: April 10, 2014 By: Todd Hoskins > As far back as the 1960s, there has been speculation as to when flying cars might become commonplace on the roads and airways. As far back as the 1960s, there has been speculation as to when flying cars might become commonplace on the roads and airways. As of late, there has been a flurry of discussion on a more realistic approach, including this recent CNN article. As the article points out, there are many issues that need to be addressed before the vehicles are pervasive, such as training for the operators of these vehicles and the overall issue of safety in the sky. A Boston based company, Terrafugia already has 100 orders for their Transition model, with sights set for future models with more mainstream capabilities like vertical takeoff and little to no pilot training requirements. Although the company concedes they are probably a decade or more away due to dependence on some infrastructure issues, the conversation begs the question - is the world ready for a product like this? One answer is for a company to dive in and learn by continuing to advance their product, increase their understanding of the marketplace and consumers, and in some cases create a short term more focused opportunity. Success, and learnings, in a niche market can pave the way to a more widespread opportunity. So perhaps we will see the flying car metro express service before we see a flying car in our neighbor's garage. # Can a 1-Star Customer Review Really Impact Sales? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/can-a-1-star-customer-review-really-impact-sales Published: December 23, 2013 By: Kelsey Regan > Having an e-commerce site is a necessity and can contribute to the brand image, provide another channel of revenue, and add convenience for the customer. It seems like you truly can buy almost anything online in today's market place. From the usual clothes and electronics, to the more peculiar items such as costumes for your dog, or UFO detectors, it can all be found online. For many companies, having an e-commerce site is a necessity and can contribute to the brand image, provide another channel of revenue, and add convenience for the customer. However, e-commerce sites pose an important question as to whether or not customer reviews should be included. In recent trends, brands are providing a means for customers to leave feedback about specific products. Although this is ideally a simple solution, it's important to keep in mind that this can pose problems. Personally, I have always read at least several customer reviews, if available, before purchasing a product online. In my opinion, customers feel more secure reading what their peers have to say about a product rather than simply reading the company’s description, which can leave out important details or even contain a slight bias. In a survey conducted by Dimensional Research, it was found that 90% of respondents who read positive reviews claimed that the review influenced their buying decision. Additionally, 86% of the respondents stated that negative online reviews also influenced their buying decisions. Clearly, opinions from other customers weigh heavily on the input of shoppers and are taken into consideration during the purchasing process. In a recent New York Times article, Dr. Simonson, a marketing professor and researcher at Stanford University, conducted a study in which participants were asked to determine which of three Canon cameras they would purchase. Participants were afforded the opportunity to read user reviews and other information about the cameras before making their decision. Simonson's findings contradicted a previous, well-accepted theory - known as the “the compromise effect”. This theory stated that consumers would gravitate towards the “middle” option (middle price, features etc.), if given three choices. Simonson's new study indicated that consumers who were more educated about the products they were purchasing would make decisions based on perceived value and in short, not consistent with the “compromise effect”. In fact, more participants chose the higher priced camera with more features over the “middle” option. This information is extremely interesting and useful for marketers, because it implies that consumers are becoming savvier, and traditional marketing strategies may no longer address all of the most important aspects of the purchase process. Customers are beginning to rely more on concrete information, and honest, un-biased reviews over a brand name or brand perception. The power of customer reviews is not something that companies should fear, but rather embrace. f you have a loyal customer base and quality products, then consumers won’t have any issues raving about the brand in their peer reviews or sharing their positive experience on social media. However, for those companies that are out of touch with their audience - this may pose a problem. The best way to ensure high reviews is to be in-tune with the individual's needs. As Bill Lee mentions in his article in the Harvard Business Review “Memo to the CEO: Customers are the Key to Growth”, many companies don’t know what their customers value in their companies’ products or services. Too many brands are focusing on big picture marketing strategies like social media and event campaigns. However, success lies in reaching out to the individual, knowing what they like and want out of the brand. By hearing the consumer and meeting their needs, companies can create loyal customers and advocates for the brand. These loyal consumers are then the ones who are willing to share their positive experience via Facebook, twitter, Tumblr, retail sites, or any other social media channel. By providing a “share” feature for reviews of a certain pre-determined caliber, companies create an environment in which customers can instantly share and recommend their favorite products or services with followers. This in turn will increase a brand’s social media presence organically, and at no additional cost. In conclusion, a few negative remarks online will not have an lasting effects on the sales of a product, however, multiple positive reviews can greatly increase sales and create customer loyalty. By finding out what it is that consumers want and reaching out to them on a more personal level, the target audience feels engaged and more connected to the brand. These loyal customers will provide highly rated, positive reviews to influence additional future consumers to click “Add to Cart”. # My-Take Recruits At Bentley Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-recruits-at-bentley Published: November 13, 2013 By: My Take > Two representatives from the MY-TAKE team recently visited Bentley University for the Marketing and Management Career Fair. Two representatives from the MY-TAKE team recently visited Bentley University for the Marketing and Management Career Fair. Co-Founder, Todd Hoskins, and Community and Insight Manager, Rebecca Pilloni, were both in attendance for the on-campus event. "It was a great event and a very nice turnout. We've had success in both working with Bentley and recruiting their students. Bentley does an excellent job of preparing their students and has a tremendous asset with their Center for Marketing Technology (CMT)," said Todd Hoskins. Rebecca Pilloni referenced her time spent at Bentley, "As an alum, I was excited to be on campus once again. It was fantastic to see a new generation of motivated student, eager to begin their careers." As a rapidly growing company, MY-TAKE has been very active in the recruitment at the top universities in the Greater Boston area. # Changing Your Logo Can Be Scary Business Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/changing-your-logo-can-be-scary-business Published: September 13, 2013 By: Todd Hoskins > Brands seeking to enhance their relevance, or just freshen their identity will sometimes contemplate a logo change. Brands seeking to enhance their relevance, or just freshen their identity will sometimes contemplate a logo change. Changing your logo, or even tweaking it, is not for the faint of heart. Reactions can be as varied as a rallying point for the organization to a full-on consumer protest. In John Madea article - 'Hooray for Yahoo', he points out the challenges of a logo change giving examples of the UC Berkeley and the Gap issues. Madea also discusses the approach Yahoo took in their recent logo change. So how does a marketer successfully implement a logo change in a manner that reduces risk? In addition to creating a brilliant design, here are some suggestions: Consider key stakeholdersMarketers need to understand they have several important stakeholder groups, which can include: consumers, direct customers, sales, and the rest of their company. A misstep with any of these groups can be problematic. Multi step research: Typical missteps include doing some quick internal polling only, or maybe some top line research, or going way down a path and hoping the research validates the design at the end of the process. These approaches might expedite the process, but often lead to a 'do-over'. In contrast, an insight community allows for many check-ins with consumer/customers, so the marketing team can fine-tune their design, and feel comfortable there won't be any surprise reactions at the end. A community also offers the opportunity to really understand perceptions on a deeper level - not just the 'whats' but also the 'whys'. Finally, the information obtained from the community can be very helpful in informing and selling-in concepts to the remainder of the stakeholders. On-going communication: The key is to communicate throughout the process. Get stakeholders to buy into the process upfront, and keep them informed. Following these steps can help mitigate some of the risk, and actually play a positive role in a successful launch of a new logo. # A Closer Look at Who Influences Our Purchase Decisions Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/a-closer-look-at-who-influences-our-purchase-decisions Published: May 16, 2013 By: Todd Hoskins > As outlined in a Harvard Business Review article, Amazon has acquired a website called GoodReads. As outlined in a Harvard Business Review article, Amazon has acquired a website called GoodReads. As the online players continue to gobble up smaller entities it is interesting to speculate on the strategies behind the acquisitions. In this case HBR does a good job of describing why Amazon may have acquired GoodReads. The article describes how Amazon consumers will now have access to advice, or opinions, from multiple perspectives. This is interesting because it touches on how we as consumers make our purchase decisions. Specifically, it speaks to a few different types of advice, or opinions, that consumers often consider. Many of us consider and value the opinions of the masses. Many sites such as Amazon or larger retailers allow and encourage consumers to provide ratings and comments. So it has become easy to get a feel for: overall demand or interest in the item (# of ratings), satisfaction (avg. star rating), 'likes' of the product, and 'dislikes' as indicated in the comments. Many consumers are also part of online communities that are centered around a particular area of interest or even a brand. This perspective allows consumers to seek out a deeper level of information from those individuals that may have special expertise concerning a product, or just have similar interests. These communities can be public or private, and exist for virtually any product category or service. Finally, consumers also consider feedback from another group of people - friends and family. With this group there are a lot of issues at play. To begin with many people like input from those whose opinions they respect or just people who know them best. Also consumers will often know someone who has the product or service and can give them first hand information. Also, there is another factor at play, I suspect some people want to test the reaction from people close to them on important purchases. What will the reaction be if I change from a BMW to a minivan? This type of information can easily be secured via social networks such as Facebook. From a consumers point of view the advantages of being able to tap into a multitude of opinions and feedback are obvious. From a brand perspecitive there are also great advantages for companies that make it easier for their consumer advocates to share their opinions among the various opinion channels. # Looking Beyond the Average - In Defense of the Outlier Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-average-in-defense-of-the-outlier Published: March 18, 2013 By: Todd Hoskins > Marketing guru Seth Godin, describes the need to understand which audience 'Ideal, average or outlier' you are using to make marketing decisions and why In a recent blog post, marketing guru Seth Godin, describes the need to understand which audience 'Ideal, average or outlier' you are using to make marketing decisions and why. A very good point. Some further thoughts on the subject: Focusing on the ideal consumer allows companies to zero in on the center ring of the bullseye. This allows companies to develop more focused: products, marketing campaigns, and service offerings. This greatly increases the chance of 'delighting' the ideal consumer, versus trying to accomodate all groups and not really delighting anyone. Focusing on the ideal consumer can be very valuable, but it's not the complete story. Focusing on the average consumer is a valuable perspective as well. This perspective provides an ease of understanding by simplifying to an 'average', while also considering all data points in the calculation. However, this method has its limitations too. Consider a simplistic example. If you have 200 consumers and 100 are 7' tall and 100 are 6' tall, does this dictate tailoring your product to a 6' 6" person? The 7' tall people might be angry when they keep bumping their heads in a car designed for the average. Finally, and perhaps the least considered group of the three, are the outliers. Often times companies ignore this group, citing too limited resources to reach them, or the fact that this select group isn't a part of the intended target market. In reality, there are many benefits to listening to the outlier, some of which include the following: Uncover a non-traditional use for a product Spark innovation by providing a different view point Reinforce who is not your target consumer and why Understand why the outlier is outside the target audience Today's outlier could be tomorrow's 'ideal' The bottom line is there are great benefits to considering all three perspectives: ideal, average, and outlier. If you are interested in a platform that allows you to regularly listen to and engage with all of these individuals, check us out at My-Take. # at&t and me Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/att-and-me Published: January 11, 2013 By: Todd Hoskins > I had been a long time AT&T mobile customer, but had experienced a fairly high rate of dropped calls when using my mobile phone in my home. Not surprisingly, people really care about their mobile phones and service. The mobile phone is such an integral part of our life that when benefits are added we notice. Likewise when we consistently drop calls it gets our attention. I had been a long time AT&T mobile customer, but had experienced a fairly high rate of dropped calls when using my mobile phone in my home. So with the prospect of adding an additional phone, for my giddy 11 year old daughter, I asked myself should I switch carriers? This kind of drama plays out daily for AT&T, and every brand to some extent, in its own way. Often the company/brand doesn't know it is potentially losing a customer, or why. They just know the result, and often only in aggregate. So during these pivotal events how do companies keep their customers from jumping ship, or at least understand why they do? Since I am in the consumer insight and marketing business, it felt only right to give them a shot or at least share why I was leaving. After registering my complaint of dropped calls I was bounced up a level. They did some quick testing on my phone and acknowledged the problem. One possible solution was a MircoCell to boost the signal. However, these devices are fairly expensive. To my surprise the representative issued me a credit for $250, and directed me to the AT&T store for the purchase. While I wasn't crazy about making a special trip, it seemed reasonable given the credit. At the store a helpful AT&T representative pulled a new MicroCell from stock. The product was actually only $200, less than my credit. He then proceeded to tell me there had been other customers who experienced the same problem and as a result he wanted to offer some wireless speakers and an iPhone case for my daughter - at no additional charge. I didn't want to take advantage of the situation given that I had already received a credit from the AT&T mother-ship. But even after explaining this to the AT&T representative, he still insisted I take the free products. He also set up my daughter's new phone to work with the speakers. So, AT&T was on the verge of losing my business, but instead they not only retained it, but greatly strengthened the relationship. No easy matter considering their industry. This brings up an interesting question - how do brands stay close enough to their customers to understand these critical 'stay or go' moments, and intervene at the right time and in the right way to retain them. Further, how can companies make these positive interventions prevalent throughout their organizations which are sometimes large and complex. A tough challenge, but AT&T got this one right, at least on the micro level. # MY-TAKE Co-Founder Rich Armstrong Speaks with Texas MBAs Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-co-founder-rich-armstrong-speaks-with-texas-mbas Published: November 15, 2012 By: My Take > My-Take co-founder Rich Armstrong was asked by the University of Texas McCombs School of Business to speak to a group of marketing students from the MBA program My-Take co-founder Rich Armstrong was asked by the University of Texas McCombs School of Business to speak to a group of marketing students from the MBA program. The following is a brief Q & A with Armstrong following his session: Q: So, what is your tie to the Texas program and what was the catalyst for your visit? Armstrong: I graduated from the Texas MBA program in ‘92. I used to recruit for them and always stayed in touch. I was recently visiting one of our clients in Austin and stopped in to touch base with a few of my former professors, which spurred the thought to speak to a class about my experiences. Q: Clearly we are in a tougher economic climate than when you graduated. What is the general outlook of the Texas students and what are their plans? Armstrong: All schools face a challenge of placing students in today’s job market. This program does a great job of keeping in touch with corporate contacts, which for students can be a beneficial experience if you want to be an entrepreneur. Schools recognize that it’s tough out there, so it’s important that kids have work experience. The key thing that most employers are looking for is that “real world” experience. That doesn’t mean they have to be somewhere for 15 years, but a couple of years experience can definitely help. It provides students with a context of what a company may need, not to mention it’s hard for a young entrepreneur to sell a product if they don’t understand how a business would apply that service. Q: Having worked at Fortune 500 companies, and now leading your own business, how did you advise students in terms of choosing between a corporate career versus entrepreneurial endeavors? Armstrong: Do what makes you happy. It’s not bad to have experience, but there are upfront challenges to both. From the corporate end – there are a lot of things that can be learned. We never could have started this business without our corporate experience and a lot of My-Take’s success came from the people Todd (Todd Hoskins, My-Take's co-founder) and I know. Plus you could have the best idea in the world, but there’s a whole process of selling it and the skills you need to be versed in to make the business happen. With an entrepreneurial path – I control my own destiny. It really comes down to what you want out of life. Q: What was your overall impression of the students you spoke with? Armstrong: Very energetic, inquisitive. All the students came from various backgrounds and it was a very diverse group. They seemed all hard working, optimistic and upbeat. Q: What is the one thing that you wanted to make sure you impressed upon the Texas MBAs? Armstrong: Stay positive in whatever you’re doing. Rarely is there a straight line that gets you there, but stay focused on your end goal. Q: How can students best prepare themselves to succeed in the current environment? Armstrong: Get some experience on the job, whether you do an internship or work full-time first. Network and don’t let opportunities pass you by. Be proactive with folks. Q: How about once these individuals are in their first job or at the beginning of their start-up – how can they get off to a fast start in their careers? Armstrong: For either case it’s about delivering results. The only thing that matters is sales and getting the job done. If you don’t have results and can’t translate your work to the bottom line, you’re not going to be around long. Deliver results on the objectives you’ve got; go above and beyond to be a team player. Q: Last question. What is the best question asked by a student in your session? Armstrong: The funniest question I was asked – Virginia Tech or Texas? I root for both teams but if the two were playing against each other I’d choose Virginia Tech (my undergrad). # Does Your Loyalty Program Deliver Customer Insight Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/does-your-loyalty-program-deliver-customer-insight Published: November 7, 2012 By: Todd Hoskins > Many strong brands have loyalty programs and place a great deal of emphasis on getting them right. Many strong brands have loyalty programs and place a great deal of emphasis on getting them right. However, one often over-looked aspect of loyalty programs is the insight that can be gathered through customer interaction. In a recent article author Don Peppers highlighted five important 'best practices' for loyalty programs. The first best practice mentioned was insight: 'never waste an opportunity to gain insight about a customer'. Peppers highlights direct survey-type opportunities, as well as insight uncovered from observing the customer selection process, particularly when program alternatives are available. Through our online communities we have found additional benefits to focusing on insight within brand programs. Customers value being asked to provide their opinions and ideas. They also like the feedback and recognition they receive within the brand community. The relationship can be further strengthened when brands communicate with consumers as to how the member feedback is utilized and implemented to deliver better products and services. Creating this kind of relationship can even eclipse more 'hard benefits' (such as goods or discounts) in terms of importance to the customer. # My-Take Founders Speak at Future-M Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-founders-speak-at-future-m Published: October 26, 2012 By: My Take > This week Boston was taken over by the world of marketing with FutureM. This week Boston was taken over by the world of marketing with FutureM. The Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange teamed up with top executives, agencies and corporations in the Greater Boston Area to highlight the ever-adapting industry. The 4 day long conference featured a variety of events on topics such as the impact of the Lady Gaga brand to predicting the future of marketing with Google. Key note speakers included Brian Halligan, CEO of Hubspot, and Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact. My-Take co-founders Todd Hoskins and Rich Armstrong were also asked to speak at FutureM. Hoskins and Armstrong were part of a panel of guest speakers which included Stephen Springfield, the Senior Director of Marketing Strategy & Analytics at PepsiCo/Frito-Lay, Julie Hall, the Executive Vice President of Schneider Associates, and Aaron Reid, the Founder and Chief Behavioral Scientist of Sentient Decision Science. The panel explored 'How Behavioral Research and Social Insights Deepen Customer Participation'. # Why is the red bull stratos mission so compelling? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/why-is-the-red-bull-stratos-mission-so-compelling Published: October 11, 2012 By: Todd Hoskins > Over 1 million people logged into YouTube to see the Red Bull Stratos mission launch on October 9th. Over 1 million people logged into YouTube to see the Red Bull Stratos mission launch on October 9th. The launch was ultimately postponed due to weather conditions. For those not familiar with the mission, it entails a stunt expert from Austria, Felix Baumgartner, ascending 120,000 feet in a stratospheric balloon and making a free-fall jump toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground. Baumgartner has the potential to break several records if successful including: furthest free fall, fastest speed attained (breaking the sound barrier), and longest free fall flight. Clearly he also is putting himself at great peril considering the complexity of the jump. From what I've observed, when people become aware of the project they are quickly entranced. As a sponsor of the project, Red Bull clearly sees the value in attaching their brand to this mission. But personally I feel this transcends the typical daredevil or extreme sport stunt. So, why are people so fascinated with the mission? Will people always line up to watch when an individual stares down death? Is it the scientific complexity that makes it interesting? Do we miss the space program? What do you think? I'll be waiting for the launch. # Apple Gets it Right with an Apology, But How About the Decision to Launch? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/apple-gets-it-right-with-an-apology-but-how-about-the-decision-to-launch Published: October 3, 2012 By: Todd Hoskins > Apple's new CEO Tim Cook did an excellent job with his public apology, as described in the Fast Company artcile Apple's new CEO Tim Cook did an excellent job with his public apology, as described in the Fast Company article. However, I believe there is room to question the decision on Apple's part to launch their Maps application with the release of their new phone. This app was clearly was not ready. Sometimes, a 'not quite ready' application can work out fine. For example if Siri does not deliver the right solution in every instance, the user does not suffer a major hardship. On the other hand, map applications are relied on to get people where they are going, often times in unfamiliar areas. Add some time pressure from an important appointment and you have a recipe for some very hard feelings directed towards the brand. # Have You Been Yelp(ed) Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/have-you-been-yelped Published: September 13, 2012 By: Rich Armstrong > Great article from VentureBeat on how Yelp gouges small business. Great article from VentureBeat on how Yelp gouges small business. Read the article. This got me thinking about how traditional research companies stick it to business everyday. Too many times I hear of $20K surveys and $50K trend studies. It makes me sick to see the money that businesses waste everyday to engage with consumers. Big data just promises more big prices. I know folks in businesses are busy. But, if they just stepped back and thought about it, engaging with your customer is really not that hard. Connecting in meaningful ways with consumers is getting easier everyday. Done in the right way, consumers actually enjoy the experience of a client listening to what they have to say. Do you feel traditional research is ripping you off. Send us a comment. # `SIRI`OUS FEATURE OR NOT Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/sirious-feature-or-not Published: July 17, 2012 By: Todd Hoskins > In a New York Times blog post Nick Bilton laments that his romance with the iPhone application - Siri has grown sour. In a New York Times blog post Nick Bilton laments that his romance with the iPhone application - Siri has grown sour. Bilton highlights some of the weaknesses of the Siri application including : frequently misunderstanding voice commands and sometimes being unavailable. These criticisms are largely valid, however the article points out that Siri is among the most popular features of the iPhone 4S. The blog post references a survey of 482 iPhone owners in which most people indicated they really like the service. So why do people rate the feature so high, despite the failings. I believe the answer lies in the combination of brand loyalty and expectations. First, Apple consumers are among the most loyal. Second, Siri was introduced as a Beta test. I would surmise that most people believe the idea of having a voice activated digital assistant is an exciting notion, and are prepared to be patient in the beginning. So while Google Voice Search might have an edge in terms of performance, I suspect that the Siri application will improve and enjoy the benefits of being attached to one of the most successful products of our generation. Apple customers are loyal, but they also have high expectations. Siri will need to significantly improve in the not too distant future. How would you rate the Siri application? # Are Your Employees Costing You Business Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/are-your-employees-costing-you-business Published: April 12, 2012 By: Rich Armstrong > We all know the value that companies assign to keeping customers happy. My experience has shown that most companies will bend over backwards... We all know the value that companies assign to keeping customers happy. My experience has shown that most companies will bend over backwards to keep a customer happy...even when the customer is wrong. Companies spend countless amounts of money on customer support teams, loyalty programs, swapping products, etc. They train their employees to handle customer interactions very carefully. All trying to avoid bad WOM or poor ratings. But there is a gaping hole that is hardly ever measured or addressed. How do your employees treat others that they interact with in the business word. Could be other business professionals or service industry workers while on travel. Without naming names, several former colleagues joke about a General Manager that just loved to yell at cab drivers and pretty much anyone that worked in a hotel. In his case, his position made it hard to call him on the carpet. Looking back, letting it go was a mistake. And don't forget about rude interaction and the sloppy way that some interact with other professional that are prospecting, etc. End of day, anyone you interact with could be a customer and the way you treat them could cost your company business. Just something to think about. We would love to hear any stories you have to share. # Will Your Business Go the Way of the Printed Encyclopedia? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/will-your-business-go-the-way-of-the-printed-encyclopedia Published: March 23, 2012 By: Todd Hoskins > Encyclopaedia Britannica announced that this year would be the last year of their printed encyclopedias. Encyclopaedia Britannica announced that this year would be the last year of their printed encyclopedias. I have to admit when I heard the news I felt a wave of nostalgia, and a bit of sadness as well. Growing up in a rural area the encyclopedias were an eye to a then less accessible world, and a means to continue ones education outside the classroom. Apparently the folks at Britannica are very comfortable with the transition, and are fully vested in their digital future. I'm not sure when Britannica started their digital initiatives, but Wikipedia certainly has carved out a strong position as the most popular reference destination. So what does it mean? Companies need to ask themselves the question: where is our current business model in its life-cycle? What will replace our current product/model? When do we need to pull the trigger? These are certainly heady questions not answered by one source, or at any one time. But those companies who are listening to their consumers everyday, versus every now and then, certainly will have a grasp of what working, what is frustrating, and what consumers are talking about in general. This may very well be the foundation for your new product or business model. # Girl Scout Cookies Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/girl-scout-cookies Published: March 1, 2012 By: Rich Armstrong > The Girls Scouts are celebrating 100 years of service this year. And guess what, they still run the cookie drive like 100 year ago. Probably not the best idea to write a blog post under the influence of cold medicine for a nasty head cold. Maybe I will have added creativity. Here goes. OK, my oldest daughter is a Junior now and my wife just came off duty of being the cookie mom for the recent drive. Now, I am a big fan of the cookies themselves. A couple of Samoas, a few Thin Mints and a Peanut Butter Pattie, not a bad meal. So the cookies are just fine and the Girls Scouts are celebrating 100 years of service this year. And guess what, they still run the cookie drive like 100 year ago. Set up at a location, pencil and paper order form and hope and pray that people are in a good mood when they walk by. Can we move the Girl Scout Cookie drive into the 21st century. This is the main fund raiser for each troop. The national organization could do a better job to help give back to the troops. I hate to say it, but the Girl Scouts use some practices that make Apple look good. Who else can get child labor to work for free to fill up their coffers. Yes, valuable lessons are learned, but like college football, it all comes down to money. So, here are my thoughts on improving the Girl Scout Cookie Drive: Let cookies be ordered year round. I am sure me and many others could binge year round. Keep track (electronically) of who ordered last year. Your best customer is one who is already with you. Send them an electronic reminder and order form. Use some technology - how about micro sites for each troop with an e-commerce engine to order. What relative could resist a little welcome video from the troop. Definitely need an app - not just to find but to order...HTML5 and native too please. Ship direct from the manufacturer to the cookie buyer - this would stop me from filling luggage with cookies on return trips home. Survey, measure and adjust- you may find out that after 8 weeks in the same grocery store that sentiment for the Girl Scouts has gone from positive to negative. Hey, on a $4 sale, can you give a little more than a 10% commission to the troop. Oh, yeah, there is a quota too. I am happy to keep doing my part of eating the cookies. Can some of my tech friends jump in and move the Girl Scouts from 1912 to 2012 on the cookie drive. Anyone with a daughter in the Girl Scouts, would love to hear your opinion. # Getting Onboard with Video, and Getting Video Right Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/getting-onboard-with-video-and-getting-video-right Published: February 27, 2012 By: Todd Hoskins > If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what is a video worth? I would have to guess, a lot. ## Video is Hot If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what is a video worth? I would have to guess, a lot. Increasingly, brands are using video to tell their story. A 2011 report by Social Media Examiner indicated 77% of marketers planned on increasing usage of YouTube and video marketing, making it the top area of investment. There are also many low cost and free avenues to market the video through social media. ## Getting it Right So the consumer demand is high and channels to reach consumers are efficient, but what about the quality of the content? How do brands know if they are getting it right? They may be asking themselves several questions before they launch their video: Will the spot appeal to my audience? Will the spot be memorable? Is the spot a good brand fit? Will the consumers be motivated to act (seek to learn more about the product, or even make a purchase)? All of these are good questions, and there are several other areas of exploration that can be used depending on the goals of the video. Traditional research methods would most likely fall short for marketers in terms of speed, cost, and amount of their time needed to work with the research partner to gain the insight. This is one of many types on insight needs that is ideal for an online advisory community. Having a pre-screened group of consumers ready to engage within a 'multi media ready' online community makes this type of initiative very straightforward and efficient to execute. We recently helped a client evaluate a dozen video concepts, all in a week. We've also helped clients with their direct response campaigns. Video offers a big opportunity for brands. But the channel is only one aspect. It is even more critical that the content delivers the desired response from target consumers. # 2012 Business Resolutions Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/2012-business-resolutions Published: January 27, 2012 By: Rich Armstrong > A recent NYT's article indicated that by the end of January, 36% of folks that make a New Year's resolution will have already lost their battle. A recent NYT's article indicated that by the end of January, 36% of folks that make a New Year's resolution will have already lost their battle. The article was really focused on personal objectives. Which got me thinking. How many people make business resolutions? And as we approach the end of January 2012, how are they tracking in the New Year? My guess is that more business objectives are jettisoned early. Before the New Year starts, you reflect upon the ups and downs and plan some strategies of change. However, as the waves of everyday tasks starts hitting, change slips away. I can tell you one area that business needs help in is consumer insight. I am not sure how many resolutions are made to improve this area. Much overlooked but highly important. Getting closer to the customer in our very dynamic world can only provide benefits in the longer term. Advertising and research have always been spends that are hard to evaluate on the back side. The spending scales are heavily tilted to the the former with insight/research getting the last allocation and the first cut. However, not incorporating Voice of Customer (VOC) into your business has devastating long term impact. Do yourself a favor and spend a few minutes evaluating how you incorporate VOC into your business. Look at your advertising to research spend ratio. Do you wish you had more consumer input on initiatives to help guide internal stakeholders? Let's face it, the world of traditional research providers has not kept up with the pace of change. Hold onto at least one business resolution this year- challenge your current practices and educate yourself on the evolving technologies. For VOC, you may just find that new methodologies can save you money and increase your insight and innovation. # How to Break the Decision Logjam on Your New Product or Program Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/how-to-break-the-decision-logjam-on-your-new-product-or-program Published: January 26, 2012 By: Todd Hoskins > I remember once finding myself in a tense conference room with several other managers. We were trying to make the decision on a package for a key new product. I remember once finding myself in a tense conference room with several other managers. We were trying to make the decision on a package for a key new product. We had VP's, Directors, Product Managers, Channel Managers, Sales, Engineering and a President in the room. Everyone had an opinion and of course the opinions differed. I'm sure many of you in marketing have found yourself in similar situation. Perhaps in these leaner times, with a few less people involved. This kind of situation is common and can occur at several stages of a product or program's development. The question is how do you break the logjam of opinions? The stakes are often high, and time is precious. There are several options. Go with the wishes of the senior member of the team. But perhaps they are the least informed on the issue, or they may be the least engaged. Another option is to compromise and take elements from all options. Of course this could result in a solution that lacks unity and direction. Another option is to fight to the bitter end based on your opinion. All of these alternatives have their limitations. Finally, someone might suggest getting some feedback from consumers. Unfortunately, in many instances, there might not be the time or the budget might not allow for a traditional research project. This is where an online advisory community, sometimes referred to as a market research community, can help. An insight community can help in two powerful ways: Bring the voice of the consumer to the table - Regardless of rank, almost all manager are willing to listen to the voice of the consumer. While consumer feedback is not the only consideration, I have found it to be invaluable in making more informed decisions and getting stakeholders on board. Avoid the decision logjam all together - Gaining consumer feedback much earlier in the process accelerates decision making and gives the organization the resolve to keep moving forward. Decisions are not pushed to the end of the project. An online advisory community has the benefit on being an on-going and virtually unlimited source for consumer feedback. Once in place companies can tap into this resource for almost any type of decision. If your organization could benefit from immediate and on-going consumer feedback you should definitely consider an online advisory community. While most activities run on a weekly cycle, we've helped clients get answers, like the above example, in as little as 24 hours. # Oops We Didn't Realize You Were Our Customer Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/oops-we-didnt-realize-you-were-our-customer Published: January 10, 2012 By: Todd Hoskins > A recent study by Parks Associates asked 2,000 consumers ages 18+ about their buying habits within the consumer tech space. You may be surprised by the results A recent study by Parks Associates asked 2,000 consumers ages 18 and older about their buying habits within the consumer tech space. Some people may be surprised by the results. The study suggests that women actually have a higher purchase intent than men for products like tablets, laptops, and smartphones. The study also shows that in 2010, women bought more consumer electronic products than men, averaging 4.7 products versus 4.2 for men. Would you have guessed that women purchase more technology products than men? It becomes very easy to operate on a false set of assumptions. Regularly gaining feedback from consumers can reduce the chance of surprises and keep an organization pointed in the right direction. Also, new findings about who buys your products and why can open up great new opportunties for your brand. What do you think? # In-Home Testing Growing Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/in-home-testing-growing Published: January 6, 2012 By: Todd Hoskins > Increasingly our clients are utilizing the 'Home Activity' or 'Home Use Test' component of our online insight communities. Increasingly our clients are utilizing the 'Home Activity' or 'Home Use Test' component of our online insight communities. The value of attaining the in-home feedback is clear to companies. Some clients and researchers claim in-home research is the most important research tool. However, the vast majority of companies simply don't have an on-going mechanism to gather in-home feedback concerning their products. Some of the benefits that can be derived from in-home research or testing include the following: Test pre-production products with real consumers Early feedback on important new product launches Help predict consumer acceptance of new products Evaluate products relative to the competition Evaluate the value of specific product features Part of continual improvement in quality Catalyst for new product ideas Develop or fine-tune marketing, positioning, and packaging Understand how consumers use and talk about the product The regular use of 'in-home testing' will deliver powerful insight that will strengthen companies' products and brands in the marketplace. # Justice Usually Prevails in a Community Environment Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/justice-usually-prevails-in-a-community-environment Published: December 16, 2011 By: Todd Hoskins > Brands are sometimes a little nervous watching tough discussions play out in an online community environment, even when it is private. Brands are sometimes a little nervous watching tough discussions play out in an online community environment, even when it is private. Every now and then, a community member will take an extreme or unreasonably negative position. Some manager's immediate response is to pull down the comment. However, we have found that the community members themselves will almost always address the situation immediately. If the post's author is being unreasonable or misrepresenting facts, community members quickly set the record straight. The result is often a great opportunity to see justice, and in some cases loyalty, to a brand or product play out right before your eyes. # Listening regularly to the bad and the good Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/listening-regularly-to-the-bad-and-the-good Published: October 24, 2011 By: Todd Hoskins > In some large organizations, marketers and executives don't interact with consumers unless a specific complaint or issue happens to rise up through the system. In some large organizations, marketers and executives don't interact with consumers unless a specific complaint or issue happens to rise up through the system. This clearly provides a limited and skewed view. Marketers would benefit from opening up channels for more regular feedback - good and bad. Learning how consumers use their products and what they like affords an opportunity to understand what is working and why. Additionally consumers will often surprise brands with descriptions of product usage that were either unknown or undervalued. As Starbucks learned, it wasn't 'just' about the coffee. Negative comments of course help brands as well. The sooner a company is aware of an issue the quicker they can solve it. # Say it isn't so Friendly's Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/say-it-isnt-so-friendlys Published: October 10, 2011 By: Todd Hoskins > Having lived in New England for more than a decade, I was certainly sad to learn that Friendly's would be filing for bankruptcy protection. Having lived in New England for more than a decade, I've become attached to certain icons such as Dunkin Donuts, Kelly's Roast Beef, Legal Sea Foods, and Friendly's. So I was certainly sad to learn that Friendly's would be filing for bankruptcy protection. So what happened? Successful enterprises typically have some strategic aspect that pulls in their clientele on a regular basis. Location can clearly play a role, but there needs to be a little something about the food or experience that resonates with the consumer. Friendly's has a lot going for it. They are not hard to find, reasonably priced and of course they have good ice cream. But apparently that's not enough for overall success. As the company reorganizes, it is great opportunity for them to really seek out answers. In the high performing locations what is it that consumers really like? What triggers a trip to Friendly's? Do consumer get the same experience as they visit different stores? Why do some people in the target demographic not try Friendly's? What was their last experience like? What could Friendly's change that would make people visit more frequently? I suspect one truth Friendly's might find is that parents love to make their kids happy. If they can consistently, across, all their stores, deliver a good and inexpensive experience for families they will have a good chance of success. Looking forward to a strong rebound from Friendly's. # Is Amazon on Target with the Kindle Fire? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/is-amazon-on-target-with-the-kindle-fire Published: October 3, 2011 By: Todd Hoskins > There is no doubt that the Apple iPad has led the way in an increasing tablet market. Several brands have jumped into the fray with limited success. Clearly entry alone does not guarantee success. There is no doubt that the Apple iPad has led the way in an increasing tablet market. Several brands have jumped into the fray with limited success. Clearly entry alone does not guarantee success. So, it is particularly interesting to watch Amazon jump into the mix with both feet. While other entrants did not seem to have a clear reason for being, Amazon has entered the market at an extremely aggressive price point - $199 with its Kindle Fire. So the question is, did Amazon enter the market with the right strategy, price point and array of features? Does it make sense for Amazon to launch the product for a selling price of $199, when their cost is reported to be $250. Will a smaller screen (7" vs. 9"), lesser internal storage capacity and no 3G capability hinder its success? These decisions are extremely difficult to get right. For those readers out there responsible for these kinds of decisions for their brands, a private online advisory community can be a great tool to get answers. My take is that Amazon will be extremely successful with the Kindle Fire. My guess is that the team at Amazon did their homework and know there are a large group of people that will be very excited to become tablet owners at the $199 price point. Their position is further strengthened by providing easy access to Amazon's content and cloud services. What's your take, did Amazon get this one right? # Beyond the Faster Horse Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/beyond-the-faster-horse Published: September 27, 2011 By: Todd Hoskins > Will listening to consumers contribute to exceptional new products? Most executives and marketing professionals would answer yes. Will listening to consumers contribute to exceptional new products? Most executives and marketing professionals would answer yes. However, a few companies take the position that true innovation can't come from asking the consumer what they want. Henry Ford supposedly said: "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses". However smart companies aren't really asking the consumer for the end product or solution. Instead, they regularly listen to their consumers and ask them about their needs, experiences, likes and frustrations. The insight companies gather through this ongoing process is the inspiration for breakthrough new products. # Would Your Business Make the Hall of Fame? Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/would-your-business-make-the-hall-of-fame Published: May 11, 2011 By: Rich Armstrong > Using some measures from baseball and football, would your success rate for new products or services be enough to get you on the ballot for the Hall of Fame. A simple question. Using some measures from baseball and football, would your success rate for new products or services be enough to get you on the ballot for the Hall of Fame. Surely, batting .300 for a tenured baseball career would earn you a place on the ballot. And batting .300 in the business world might be a great number if you are looking at close rate on prospects. But to have any chance on getting in for innovation, you better look to football. Quarterback completion percentage would seem logical. But guess what, Jim Kelly's lifetime completion percentage of 60.1% would probably find you out of business. Chad Pennington tops the completion rate list at 66%, which is probably still 'out of business' for new product introduction success. How about place kickers. Unfortunately, and much to my surprise, no player that only played as a place kicker has ever been elected to the football HOF. Does not seem logical to me given that championships are won and lost on these foots. There are 3 players that also played other positions that are in the HOF. I am hopeful a couple of true place kickers will find their way into the HOF. So, what is best in class for place kickers. Well, there are only 34 kickers in NFL history with an 80% or better field goal %. Two of the all time greats, Morten Andersen and Sebastian Janikowski come in at 79.69% and 79.62% respectively. At least I think you keep the doors open at this level - 4 out of 5 new products make it through the uprights. So maybe you are not making the HOF but is your hit rate on new products or services good enough to have a solid career as a business? And what are you doing to to improve your rate of success? We are firm believers that you need to incorporate the voice of your customer to help improve your success rate. Drop us a note, we would to hear how you have improved your new product success rate. # MY-TAKE Releases the 3rd Generation of its Online Community Platform Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-releases-the-3rd-generation-of-its-online-community-platform Published: March 30, 2011 By: My Take > The MY-TAKE team is pleased to announce the 3rd generation of its market research online community platform. The MY-TAKE team is pleased to announce the 3rd generation of its market research online community platform. The new version is being utilized within two new communities that are currently launching. The new platform boasts powerful new features that build on an already successful tool. New capabilities include: Client dashboard Mobile access to communities Activity & member live progress reporting Upgraded posting tools Upgraded/highly engaging poll types Response from our direct customers and end consumer community members has been excellent. The team is looking forward to rolling out these new capabilities and developing new ones. The MY-TAKE focus on technology is built around creating smarter connections between brands and consumers. We continually strive to provide deeper, faster and more cost effective insight to our customers. # Every Day is the Super Bowl Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/every-day-is-the-super-bowl Published: April 26, 2010 By: Todd Hoskins > We have an expression at my-take ⏤ Every Day is the Super Bowl. We have an expression at my-take - "Every Day is the Super Bowl". As an early stage company it is critical that we get early traction building great products/services and aligning with great clients and brands. The big opportunities occur quite frequently and are hard to predict. Our answer is to have a clear picture of our purpose - "Create Smarter Connections between Businesses and Consumers" - and bring an every day intensity to 'ship' today versus waiting for tomorrow. Click here to see a similar sentiment from marketing guru Seth Godin. # my-take Co-founder Speaks to Ole Miss MBAs Source: https://www.my-take.com/blog/my-take-co-founder-speaks-to-ole-miss-mbas Published: November 25, 2009 By: Todd Hoskins > my-take Co-founder Todd Hoskins was in Oxford Mississippi on Friday November 13th to deliver a speech as part of the Ole Miss Distinguished Speaker Series. my-take Co-founder Todd Hoskins was in Oxford Mississippi on Friday November 13th to deliver a speech as part of the Ole Miss Distinguished Speaker Series. Hoskins spoke on ‘Achieving Separation’ which focused on the steps an individual can take to separate themselves from the competitive set. The presentation included building blocks for establishing a solid career foundation as well as the concept of personal branding.” I was impressed with the quality of the students at Ole Miss” said Hoskins. "They seemed extremely focused and eager to add to their capabilities."