Employees as Research Data Source

Market research is one of the most valuable tools for finding out the direction your company or products need to take. The problem is, however, that far too often the results of market research aren’t actionable – that is, they are unable to provide you with any data that you can use to make knowledgeable decisions. While market research is extremely valuable for your company, it is only valuable if you are finding useful information with it, otherwise it is simply a cost that isn’t leading to any return on investment.

Often this is the fault of the survey itself not asking the right questions or using language that causes useless answers. But it may also be due to your sample. Researchers assume that customers always have insight into the best course of action for the company, but often that depends on the products themselves, and the knowledge of the community.

Products that are highly technical may not be well understood by standard panels. Furthermore, generic samples may not know enough about your company or industry to provide you with reliable data. While most companies will still benefit from using potential customers and the general population as their sample, some companies may find that their best sample is already working for them directly – the employees at the company.

Presumably the employees have a deeper understanding and knowledge of the product than most customers – especially B2B companies that may not have enough customers or knowledge to get any valuable insight. By polling employees rather than customers, you can potentially gain great insight into the customer mind from a perspective that understands your product thoroughly, and has their own ideas of the best way for your company to move forward.

The goal of market research is to gain insight so that your company can have the competitive edge. Sometimes that requires you to find the best sample possible. Customers and the general public don’t always have the knowledge necessary to provide you with information on how to move forward as a company.

But your employees might. Depending on your research and the data you’re trying to collect, it may be in your best interests to use your employees (those that don’t have direct knowledge of your ideas) about what your company should do to move forward, rather than using a traditional sample.