We put our reputation on every recruit
Recruitment is the core of what we do. A great discussion guide can’t rescue the wrong respondents, so we find the right ones, check every one, and replace any who fall short.
Our own network, built since 2011
We use our own recruiters and teams wherever possible, for maximum control. Outside our own reach, we work with partners we have tested over years and track on every job. Recruiters who don’t meet our standards are dropped. With well over a thousand small fieldwork companies operating across China, knowing which ones to trust is half the job.
Getting the spec right first
Many recruitment problems start before a single call is made: a criterion nobody has defined, or a mix of criteria too rare to fill. So before recruiting starts, we check your spec for feasibility and agree the definitions with you. For a global study that asked for “tech-savvy” consumers, we and the client defined them as people already using products such as drones and robot cleaners, so every recruiter was looking for the same person. If a spec can’t be filled as written, we say so at the start and suggest an alternative.
Hard-to-reach audiences
Personal networks matter in China, and ours reach people that panels and cold calls can’t.
- Our own database, vetted and graded since 2011
- Referrals and personal networks, introductions from people candidates already trust
- Industry associations, a route to specialists and decision-makers
- Industry events, through conference and meeting organisers
- High-end clubs: luxury car, golf and yacht
- C-suite and senior executives
- Government officials, legislators and opinion leaders
- Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals
- R&D and technical specialists
- IT and procurement decision-makers
- SME owners
- Key opinion leaders and influencers
- Affluent and high-net-worth consumers
- Media professionals
Recruitment in practice
- Hospital staff. Three categories of hospital staff for a surgical device maker, reached through our hospital networks and then referrals, for twelve in-depth interviews across three cities. Read the case study
- Senior IT buyers. 30 IT managers and decision-makers at large multinationals in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen, for a telecoms company preparing to enter China. Read the case study
- Business class flyers. Regular business class travellers, including people loyal to competing airlines, found through our own database and travel agent networks, with the groups scheduled around their travel. Read the case study
Checked, and replaced if they fall short
Senior staff call every candidate and run the full screener, including questions recruiters never see. We ask for proof of identity and eligibility, and check ID and key answers again on the day. Any recruit who fails a check is replaced, and the recruiter retrained before continuing. We over-recruit for groups, so a no-show doesn’t cost you a session.
The full sequence of checks is on our qualitative quality control page.
Standards
We work to ESOMAR standards, and every recruiter knows the consequences of not meeting them.