The methodology you choose will largely depend on your questions, audience, budget and timings. You might even need to use more than one method to reach all of your audience. Below are the main advantages and disadvantages of each methodology. Each has its place and will continue to be used for the foreseeable future.
Face to face
✓ Build a rapport/ gain trust
✓ Can test products/ concepts
✓ Trained interviewer guides through process
✓ High-quality data
✓ Accurate screening of participants
x Higher cost per interview
x Limit to number of interviews achieved in 1 day
x Can be time consuming
Telephone
✓ Build a rapport/ gain trust
✓ Quick turnaround
✓ Trained interviewer guides through process
✓ High-quality data
✓ Can easily cover wide geographical area
x Higher cost per interview
x Questions need to be less complex than in face to face
x Perception that it’s a sales call / spam
Postal
✓ Able to reach most segments of population
✓ Easy to conduct
✓ No interviewer bias
✓ Good way to get feedback from less satisfied audiences
x Slow turnaround
x High postal charges
x Lower response rate
x No control over quality of data
Online
✓ Inexpensive
✓ Can DIY
✓ Quick turnaround
x Unpredictable response rates
x Easier for respondents to lie
x Will still exclude certain groups of population
x Need to source sample to complete
If you are thinking of conducting research and are unsure which methodology would best suit your audience then give me a call, I’d be happy to talk through your options with you. Or, if you want the research taken off your hands completely, then I can do that for you too.
