Are you satisfied with the quality of your respondents? That depends on three things: Your recruiters, your screener and your expectations. Your screener -- or more precisely, a screener designed for respondent recruiters -- is the most important component of the three.

To get the respondents you're expecting for your qualitative market research, here's what you need to know about respondent recruiters:

Many researchers wrongly believe that respondent recruiters are interviewers. They're not. And many researchers treat screening questionnaires as discussion guides. They're not. An effective screener meets three criteria. It must be clear, consise and complete.

Recruiters see the questions on your screener in black and white. "Yes or no?" "How many?" "When was the last time?" And the recruiter instructions on your screener tell them what their next step should be, and what not to do. Since your screener is the link between your research objectives and a pool of potential respondents, what you want from your recruiters and your respondents must be CLEARLY spelled out.

Another common misunderstanding is that recruiters have casual conversations with respondents to determine their eligibility. They don't. Recruiters and respondents do not engage in informal dialog. Recruiters ask the questions on your screener. Respondents reply with their answers. Think of your screener as a screenplay. Every move is described in detail. Every line is expertly crafted. A screener is not merely an outline of topics to be discussed.

If a piece of information is worth knowing, it belongs in a question on your screener. Recruiters and respondents cannot be expected to "know what you mean." Neither can recruiters be expected to delve into respondents answers, looking for deeper meanings. Recruiters do not understand the nuances of your project or how to interview respondents. That's not what they're trained or paid to do.

To get the right respondents for your qualitative research, you must compose a comprehensive screener that also takes into account the limitations of respondent recruiters. If you want respondents to be interviewed, then hire a professional interviewer who has been briefed on your research goals and objectives and understands what you're looking for.

Mark Goodin is president of Aaron-Abrams Field Support Services, the respondent recruiting and fieldwork management specialists for qualitative market researchers. Subscribe to "Field Smarts," the monthly e-newsletter that helps you improve your qualitative fieldwork. Receive a free report when you sign up at http://www.aaronabrams.com/newsletter

Source: www.a1articles.com