Panel Services Africa's answers to ESOMAR 26 Questions
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1. Is it an actively managed panel (nurtured community) or just a database?
All Panel Services Africa panels are actively managed panels, an online community where panellists are recruited with the only purpose of receiving online and mobile surveys via email or sms. In order to achieve this:
- Panellists are monitored in order to control their responses
- They receive incentives to maintain participation
Active recruitment allows: Double confirmation of the panellist Identity. Our Communities are exclusively dedicated to market research. Every one of our panellists is aware, has acknowledged, and accepted this.
In order to ensure the interest of our panellists, to maintain their participation and loyalty and guarantee a positive experience for them, PSA has created user-friendly web portals where every panellist can:
- Login and view their own market points
- Request information related to surveys
- Contact the panel manager
Examples of the panellists website: www.tellusaboutit.co.za
2. "Truthfully" how large is it?
Panel Services Africa has online panels in South Africa with a total panel count of 8454 panellists – 22% of which are 'A-Grade' panellists.
3. What is the percentage of "active" members and how are they defined?
We consider "active" panellists those who have received at least one survey in the last year and have answered it.
4. Where are the respondents sourced from and how are they recruited?
Recruitment campaings are ongoing and also depend on who we need to target. Recruitment methods are usually via online banners, newsletters, referrals, forums, newspapers advertising and client databases. Panellist are invited to visit the website and join the panel
5. Have members clearly opted-in? If so, was this double opt-in?
Every panellist on our panels has been double opted-in at the registration process. Participation is only possible once the personal address of every panellist has been confirmed.
6. What exactly have they been asked to opt-in to?
They opt in to part take in market research.
7. What do panel members get in return for participating?
Panel Services Africa offers cash rewards for every survey completed.
8. Is the panel used solely for market research?
Our communities are exclusively dedicated to market and opinion research.
9. Is there a Privacy Policy in place? If so, what does it state?
Our privacy policy states that we guarantee to protect the information provided by panellists.
10. What research industry standards are complied with?
ESOMAR standards, SAMRA, WASPA
11. Is the panel compliant with all regional, national and local laws with respect to privacy, data protection and children.
Panel Services Africa's panels all comply strictly to with all regulations.
12. What basic socio-demographic profile information, usership, interests data, etc, is kept on members?
More than 100 information variables are kept on members in order to profile and send invitations to specific targets. Personal information is not used for any other purpose. On average Panel Services Africa has basic demographic, financial information, lifestyles, household appliances, technological applications, attitudes, etc.
13. How often is data updated?
The main panel profile (socio-demographical data and address information) is updated on an annual basis.
14. In what other ways can users be profiled (eg source of data)?
Panel Services Africa collects monthly data from additional surveys.
15. What is the (minimum and typical) turnaround time from initial request to first deployment of the emails to activate a study?
On average we are able to start a study within 24 hours and to finish fieldwork within 1 to 7 days depending on the complexity of the sample required.
16. What are likely response rates and how is response rate calculated?
On average a survey with fieldwork timings of 5 to 7 days receive response rates of 45%. This means that from 100 emails sent, we would receive 45 completed surveys after 5- 7days. On our omnibus survey, Instant Insight, our response rate is 33%. This means that from 300 emails sent, we would receive 100 completed surveys after 1 day.
17. Are or can panel members who have recently participated in a survey on the same subject be excluded from a new sample?
Yes.
18. Is a response rate (over and above screening) guaranteed?
Panel Services Africa ensures extremely well controlled response rates and guarantees the sample requested.
19. How often are individual members contacted for market research or anything else in a given time period?
Panel Services Africa members are allowed to complete up to 2 surveys within 30 days.
20. How is the sample selection process undertaken for a particular survey?
Samples are drawn at random from members meeting the screening criteria for the required study, such as gender, age, province or social class. Once selected, email invitations are sent and panellists who respond within the fieldwork timing are rewarded with incentives.
21. Can samples be deployed as batches/replicates, by time zones, geography, etc? If so, how is this controlled?
Indeed! Samples can be deployed by any variable requested and invitations can be scheduled.
22. Is the sample randomised before deployment?
Sample draw is always randomised before any invitations are sent.
23. Can the time of sample deployment be controlled and, if so, how?
Panel Services Africa's system is able to control the number of invitations sent at any specific time.
24. Can panel members be directed to specific sites for the survey questionnaire to be undertaken?
Yes. Panel members can be directed via any links to any site.
25. What guarantees are there to guard against bad data, ie respondent cheating or not concentrating/caring in their responses (eg click happy)?
We have strict criteria to ensure the quality of the results provided:
- Controlled recruitment for research purposes only.
- Panel Services Africa panel management rules.
- A panellist can complete between 9 and 12 studies per year.
- Regular member contact which ensures panellist retention.
- Regular consistency checks of the answers provided (within a survey and among surveys) to purge persistent non-respondents, excessively quick responses to surveys or patterned responding.
- Open-question checks (to check that panellists respond to open questions accurately).
- Time consistency checks - timing of every completed questionnaire is tracked and panellists who are responding too fast are warned.
- Basic information is updated annually updated - panellists can update their own information in their personal panel area.
- Invalid or temporary inaccessible email addresses - every invalid address is double checked and Panel Services Africa makes attempts to contact the panellist by various means.
- Validate account details monthly.
- Personal communication with panellists - the Panel Services Africa team, maintain daily communication with panellists, responding to more than 200 queries per week via email and telephone.
26. What information do you provide to debrief your client after the project has finished?
Panel Services Africa provides a full post mortem report to the client after each project. This report contains compliance data, panel stats, back-checks/control over data, time to complete a survey, etc.
to view specific question to close specific question- Panellists are monitored in order to control their responses
- They receive incentives to maintain participation
- Login and view their own market points
- Request information related to surveys
- Contact the panel manager
- Controlled recruitment for research purposes only.
- Panel Services Africa panel management rules.
- A panellist can complete between 9 and 12 studies per year.
- Regular member contact which ensures panellist retention.
- Regular consistency checks of the answers provided (within a survey and among surveys) to purge persistent non-respondents, excessively quick responses to surveys or patterned responding.
- Open-question checks (to check that panellists respond to open questions accurately).
- Time consistency checks - timing of every completed questionnaire is tracked and panellists who are responding too fast are warned.
- Basic information is updated annually updated - panellists can update their own information in their personal panel area.
- Invalid or temporary inaccessible email addresses - every invalid address is double checked and Panel Services Africa makes attempts to contact the panellist by various means.
- Validate account details monthly.
- Personal communication with panellists - the Panel Services Africa team, maintain daily communication with panellists, responding to more than 200 queries per week via email and telephone.