Earlier this year, we released an in-depth white paper “Transforming data collection without paralysing your insights business,” which covered critical considerations for successful insights automation. Authored by our EVP of Enterprise Solutions, Greg Dunbar, the paper dives into the complexities and challenges surrounding automation, especially when it comes to the data collection process. This week, Greg wrote a short piece summarizing some of the concepts outlined in his paper in an article for Greenbook called “Understanding the scope and pitfalls of end-to-end insights automation.”
He writes about how increased digitalization in all sectors is pushing the need for even faster consumer insights, which requires smart automation implementation to eliminate time-consuming manual tasks. In the market research space, much progress has been made automating the “start and end of the process, such as scripting, reporting and analytics. But the delivery process, the sample ‘bidding’ and fieldwork, remains by far the biggest bottleneck to really feeling the benefit of automation.”
When companies attempt to address this missing piece internally, they can often find themselves drowning in technical debt and becoming sidetracked from their primary corporate mission and goals. To remove this kind of internal resource strain, and foster an innovative environment, business leaders must consider some key questions before embarking on an automation journey.
In the article, Greg suggests the following questions be part of the planning process, and goes into detail on each one:
- Is the path I’m taking adaptable?
- Is configurability part of the equation?
- Am I properly leveraging outside expertise?
- Does this path support my goals?
He says that the pace of change is accelerating and opportunities will continue to rise for those in the market research and insights space. Properly addressing the speed and efficiency of the data collection process will be key to future-proofing businesses.
Greg concludes the article with:
“As both suppliers and buyers shift their identities to fit the changing competitive landscape, there is no doubt that automation and technology will have a big role to play in differentiating levels of service and the ability to meet current – and future – demands.”
Read the complete piece here.
