|
|
Providing value is essential to continuing association success and what is most valuable to members can change with the economy, the regulatory environment, technological advances, and with new sources of competition. Member research helps associations stay current with member needs and, thus, maximize their value to members. It allows associations to:
Until recently, the cost of professional research made it prohibitive and, in some cases, research findings could not be obtained quickly enough to be useful. Today, most association members use the internet to communicate and keep up to date. This has made it possible to conduct research over the internet, which can be both more cost effective and timely than traditional information gathering techniques.
Why should you consider professional research? Internet services are now available that allow anyone to conduct a survey with little or no expense, providing a wonderful tool to quickly obtain member input on issues. It is important to remember, however, that this is a only a data collection tool. Professional researchers provide information that decision-makers can rely on when “getting it right” is critical. The most important tasks in “getting it right” are survey design, reaching a representative sample of the target population, and statistical analysis of survey results to determine what is meaningful and significant. A few of the questions professionals help clients answer are: · Are you really asking the right questions to address critical issues? · Are you asking the respondents something they are able to answer? · Are you wording the question in a way that solicits an unbiased response? · Are your assumptions about what members think and how they behave causing you to misinterpret responses and events? Simple subtleties in the way questions are phrased can make big differences in results. For example, an ISR study found a 15% difference in how people responded to a question based on the use of the word “prohibit” vs. “ban”. Understanding what questions to ask can prevent research that shows a demand for a new service that, when introduced, nobody buys. New Coke was introduced because research showed that, in blind taste tests, respondents thought it tasted better than original Coke or Pepsi. The research, however, didn’t address the feelings people had developed about Coca Cola. As behavioral scientists who have been working in a business environment for twenty years, we have the training to address these issues, to design studies that will provide clear answers, and to use statistical analysis to assure confidence that the results can be relied upon. We can work with your existing data collection tools or provide you with data collection services using telephone, mail, and Internet surveys to help you meet your needs and your budget. A major association asked us to conduct a study of its membership to determine member satisfaction and to understand how the association could provide greater value to its members. One area we addressed in the survey was communication between the association and its members. Our client was surprised to find that members felt they were being so bombarded with communications they did not have time to read all of them and separate the important from the unimportant. By limiting communications to those areas that members felt were most critical, our client was able to increase their value to members. We recently completed a similar membership survey for the Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE), the largest independent association for public school educators in the nation, with nearly 100,000 members. The project included focus groups and an extensive telephone survey that resulted in a detailed report that gave the organization insight into how to better direct their recruiting efforts for new members and better satisfy current ones. Association of Texas Professional Educators Independent Insurance Agents of Texas Texas Horse Racing Association Texas Dental Association The Brick Institute
|
