Please hold, your reputation is important to us.

We’re going to hold your hand when we say this, but fieldwork isn’t just about getting the numbers. Although we are nerds for a tidy spreadsheet. It’s about people, and not just the people paying for the research, but the people actually taking part in it.

Here’s the bit that you might forget. Every research session, every single survey, every “just one last question” is a brand interaction. Which means, that your fieldwork is working two jobs, it’s data collection as well as a PR exercise. Crazy, huh?

You’re not just collecting data. You’re creating an impression.

When participants walk away thinking “that was alright actually” it’s a win win. The first win is for the quality of the data (we’ll talk about that more in a sec), and the other is for the halo effect around your brand. Because people talk. Whether it’s on WhatsApp to their friends or TikTok to the whole wide world, it all adds up, and it all matters.

If someone is bored to tears or feels ignored during your study, they’re not going to give you thoughtful answers, they’ll rush, guess and mentally check out. And that’s not just bad news for your data, it’s bad news for the people trying to make sense of it later!

But on the flipside, when participants have a great time and feel valued and the process is almost enjoyable(!) they engage with the study. They open up and tell you what they really think, and that’s the gold dust.

Most of the time fieldwork is the first time someone will engage with your brand in a meaningful way. So why should it be treated as a formality? It’s like turning up to your first date late, in yesterday’s joggers, and then forgetting their name.

When we take on projects, we treat our participants like they’re the client, because then that participant walks away feeling seen, heard and maybe even a bit flattered, and that good feeling reflects right back on you.

At Acumen, we treat every project like the participant is the client. Because if we do our job right, that participant walks away feeling seen, heard, and maybe even a little bit flattered. And that good feeling? It reflects right back on you.

So what does the Acumen experience look like?

Funnily enough, it all starts with being human. Communicating in a way that participants know what they’re signing up for, and most importantly why! We don’t send robotic emails, or cryptic invites, we’re straight forward and straight talking. Must be the Northerners in us!

We always remember that participants are the ones doing us a favour, not the other way round. So we make sure that we keep things snappy. We don’t want our participants to feel like they’ve gone back to school and are in a slow, boring exam.

Another thing we try to make sure of during any study is that the tech works seamlessly. Noone wants to be downloading 18 plugins, restart their laptop 4 times, go through 7 different authenticators then get stuck in waiting room purgatory.

We bang on about the next thing a lot, but one of the key elements to our success is our team. Skilled moderators make people feel comfortable, not like lab rats. It’s about real warmth, curiosity and knowing when to dig deeper without making it weird. We give them bonus points for humour and knowing how to use Gen-Z slang. What does “rizz” even mean anyway?

When people think incentives, they just think of the cash. Although that definitely helps, there’s also a peace of work to do around clarity, speed and fairness. Participants should never have to release their inner Liam Neeson to chase down a voucher.

The takeaway from all the above, is that participants remember how you made them feel, were they listened to? Were they treated with care? Importantly, did they leave thinking “Yep, I’d definitely do that again.” When we get this right, we build goodwill, which in turn builds good PR, and that’s powerful stuff.

Let’s wrap it up.

Fieldwork isn’t just research, it’s PR wrapped in a lab coat. Every interaction with participants are brushstrokes in the bigger picture of how your brand is thought of. Whether it’s the slick sign up, or the warm conversation, or at it’s most transactional, the quick payment with zero fuss, it all adds up. People remember how you made them feel, and it sticks,

Great fieldwork means great data, that’s a given. But it also means people walk away thinking “I like this brand” and in today’s noisy, cynical consumer-led world that kind of impression is worth its weight in gold.

So if you want your research to feel as good as it functions, you know who to call. Acumen’s fieldwork is designed to make participants smile, and make your brand look quietly brilliant whilst we’re at it.

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