Surveys are crucial research tools. The results can significantly impact your company’s business plan or even the outcome of your PhD. dissertation.
When so much depends on your data, obtaining high-quality survey results is essential. It can make the difference between gaining successful, accurate insights and encountering unreliable noise.
One of the most common questions we hear is how our survey-makers can find qualified survey-takers.
For some projects, the most effective way to get the responses you need is to use a panel company.
What is a Panel?
Panel companies collect and manage groups of people who are interested in taking surveys and participating in studies.
These companies track the demographic data of their respondents. This allows them to work with you to define the best audience for your survey. Then, they are able to serve it directly to that audience.
Panel companies often reward the individuals they recruit for completing surveys, offering cash incentives or other rewards. Panel respondents tend to be very motivated to complete surveys because they receive rewards for their time.
Costs for accessing these audiences vary depending on the specificity of your audience and the length of the survey.
The best panel companies review and test your survey before sending it to their audience. This ensures that both you and the respondents have a positive experience.
Why Would I Want to Use a Panel?
There are a number of really good reasons to turn to panels to find respondents for your survey. These are just our top three most common reasons:
- You get responses to your survey! Panel companies have large databases of people who are willing and motivated to answer your surveys. This is especially helpful when you have a very specific audience in mind. For example, parents who homeschool their children. You don’t have to go out looking for respondents; they come to you.
- Access to highly specific populations. Panel respondents tend to be very motivated to complete surveys because they receive rewards for their time. However niche your target demographic, there is a panel company who has access to that group.
- Fast turnaround time. Because panel companies have a database of confirmed survey takers, they are able to field respondents much more quickly than any other distribution method.
- There is a lot of variation in panel companies. Many try to create a representative audience, which means their respondents will reflect the demographics of the larger population.
Others seek to specialize in particular niches.
Do your research on the panel companies you are considering. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a project manager at the company for more information. They will often help you to identify your target niche and ensure that they will be able to fulfill your needs.
Are Panel Companies Trustworthy?
Again, do your research. Many panel companies have a vetting process where they verify their respondents’ information.
Some panels that specialize in B2B will check their respondents’ credentials against LinkedIn. Others, as is the case for professionals like doctors, will check certifications with the state. Still others may require only a US bank account number for distributing rewards.
Because there is so much variety, ask your panel provider how they verify their respondents. Any reputable company will explain their process to you.
What Challenges Come with Using Panels?
While there are many good reasons to choose panels, there are potential challenges that you should be aware of.
- Survey cost. Prices will vary depending on the panel company you use and how niche your target demographic is. Your panel company should provide a quote based on the per-respondent cost. However, last-minute changes to your target demographics may affect the price.
- Data collection time. Panel companies can generally field responses faster than most other distribution methods. However, for highly specialized niches, obtaining the data you need may still take time. Allow extra time between publishing your survey and receiving final results to account for potential delays.
- Data quality. Even if you’ve established your target demographic with your panel company, not every respondent may fit your criteria. Some may not align perfectly with your ideal audience. Include Disqualify Logic early in your survey and follow best practices for cleaning your data after collecting responses.
What Questions Should I Ask My Panel Company?
Open communication is an important part of making sure you get the most out of your experience with a panel company. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about their panelists, vetting process, and service support. In fact, the market research organization ESOMAR has 28 questions prepared for you.
The first four questions we always ask when working with panels are:
- Do you have more than one panel?
- Is it difficult to fill my target audience quota? Do you partner with other panels if your panel alone can’t reach my quota?
- What are your quality control measures?
- Reviewing responses midway through the project is an important part of maintaining open communication with your panel company. This allows you to ensure you’re on track and make adjustments if needed.
When reviewing the data, check if you are receiving the right types of respondents. Also, assess whether the data quality meets your expectations.
You’ll be able to pivot if you need to make changes in your target demographics. This will save you valuable time and money over the lifetime of your project.
After collecting your survey data, close the feedback loop. Provide the panel company with a list of poor-quality response IDs. Include the reasons for rejecting each response.
This helps the panel company assess panelist quality. It also allows them to improve their service. By flagging or removing subpar respondents, they can ensure better quality in the future.
How Big Should My Survey Sample Size Be?
The specificity of your target audience largely determines the cost of contracting a panel. Additionally, the number of responses you purchase plays a significant role in the pricing. To keep your project in budget, it’s important to know how many responses you need to get the data you want.
Fortunately, there is a simple calculation for determining sample size.
Keep in mind:
- Population. What is the size of the entire population that you want to survey?
- Margin of error. What margin of error are you comfortable with? For most survey projects, a margin of error of 5% is acceptable.
- Confidence. How sure are you that the sample of the population that responds to the survey reflects the larger population? The most commonly accepted confidence level is 95%.
If you are unsure of the size of the total population, a good sample to work with is 400 respondents. We also recommend using this handy calculator from Relevant Insights.
For a full guide to determining the best sample size for your survey project, see our Guide to Survey Sample Size.
Survey Design When You’re Working with Panels
We recommend additional guidelines for survey creators using panel companies, along with best practices for great survey design.
Set up Disqualify Logic early in your survey. This ensures that the respondents who take your survey are the ones you intend to reach. Ensuring you only pay for completed surveys will save you money and result in cleaner, more pertinent data.
Also, if you need demographic data about your respondents, ask for it in the survey. Some panel companies can share demographic data with you after collecting your survey results. However, they usually do not provide this information. It may incur an extra fee, or the panel company may not be able to provide the information.
In addition, every year we notice that more and more panelists choose to take surveys on the go. A large percentage of respondents will take your survey on mobile devices or tablets. Be sure to test your survey on a mobile device before publishing.
Let Alchemer Help Make Your Panel Survey a Success
Our panel ordering and management services help you get the most from your panel respondents.
Alchemer’s panel specialists will assist you in setting up Disqualify Logic within your survey to meet your criteria. They will also help establish quotas and work directly with our vetted panel providers.
Once the survey is complete, the specialist will clean your data to ensure the highest quality responses.
To find out more about using panels and working with our panel specialists, read our expert tips for Getting Great Survey Data from Panel Respondents.