Top Polling Company MORI Looks to Motion Tablet PCs as a “Future-Proof”
Alternative for Door-to-Door Surveys
The Background: Tracking the Opinions of the People
As the largest independently owned market research company in the United Kingdom, MORI (Market and Opinion Research International), helps hundreds of public and private organisations keep their finger on the pulse of the nation. The company’s clients include most departments of the British government and half of the companies in the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) Top100.
MORI’s social research helps to shape public policy in vital areas including housing, education, health and regeneration. Also, its work with private-sector clients involves corporate reputation, brand awareness, customer satisfaction, new product development and employee opinion. Since its founding in 1969, MORI has become a well-known, trusted authority among more than its clients: The media also regularly call upon on MORI to provide insight on public opinion and trends.
MORI offers a broad range of ongoing and defined-term research, which it conducts via telephone, online or door-to-door. A large portion of MORI surveys are done face-to-face at people’s homes by about 800 field researchers. After capturing responses on paper for more than two decades, the researchers began using portable computing devices in 1996. More than half now use Tablet PCs equipped with Microsoft Windows-based CAPI (computer assisted personal interviewing) software, which allows the researcher to automatically control the flow of complex interviews. The interviewer simply reads out what is on the screen.
The Challenge: Other Tablet PCs Too Expensive, Easily Broken
The biggest challenge to market research agencies in this modern world of busy people is to keep finding respondents who are willing to be interviewed. A 45-minute survey can require considerable persuasion by the well trained interviewer.
Respondents are also increasingly reluctant to let strangers into their homes, requiring researchers to conduct the surveys while standing in the doorway or in the person’s front yard. Traditional keyboard-operated laptop computers are impractical for this task, while handheld computers lack the screen size to easily input answers.
Ultra-portable Tablet PCs, which can be held like a clipboard or slate, are ideal for collecting information when the crook of their arm is the closest thing the researchers have to desk. Researchers capture responses by tapping or writing on the screen with a pen-like stylus, and can electronically transmit survey results directly to MORI via a telephone modem.
However, the cost of outfitting hundreds of researchers with Tablet PCs was high. In the past MORI opted for refurbished models from a large Asian technology manufacturer, but these devices have become increasingly unreliable, said AJ Johnson, head of data collection at MORI. The company has had to replace about 40 of these Tablet PCs – roughly 5 per cent of its total supply – each year because researchers inadvertently break the screens or other serious failures occur.
The Solution: Motion Dedicated to Tablet PC
In May 2004, MORI adopted the Motion Computing Tablet PC as its model of choice. “A company with our reputation needed a reputable, reliable source for our hardware,” Johnson said.
The devices feature a bright, 12.1-inch screen, integrated wireless capabilities and pen-based input, made possible by Microsoft’s Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system. The 1.1 gigahertz Intel Celeron processor can handle tasks similar to a desktop PC, while also offering ultra-low power consumption.
MORI’s decision to switch from another manufacturer was sealed by a major factor — Motion Computing’s dedication to the Tablet PC.
“We wanted to go with a hardware manufacturer that specialises in Tablet PCs — a manufacturer that doesn’t view the Tablet as a sideline technology,” Johnson said. “Our Motion Computing Tablet PCs not only offer us greater stability today; they are also future proof. We know that Motion will be around to support our hardware and is spending the time and resources to continue developing its products.”
The Results: More Reliable, More Professional Technology
MORI has purchased more than 200 Motion Tablet PCs and plans to buy more to gradually replace the remaining devices supplied by the other computer hardware manufacturer. Robustness is an all important feature of the Motion Tablet PCs when MORI’s researchers are using these out in the field; notably, the protective guards on the Motion Computing Tablet PCs have helped prevent any broken screens, which is a malfunction experienced with Tablet PC devices from other manufacturers.
The Motion Computing Tablet PCs have proved so intuitive that MORI hasn’t had to offer researchers any special training to use them. The company has simply revised the training manual it provides the researchers. Those who are starting with little or no computer experience take the same half-day training course offered in the past.
The sleek, metallic exterior of Motion Tablet PCs helps MORI researchers appear more professional, which is particularly important when they are called on to interview government officials. In fact, the researchers consider it a commendation when they get one of the Motion Tablet PCs assigned to them. “They feel they are special, as if they are being rewarded,” Johnson said.
The CAPI software uses only a fraction of the computing power and storage of the Motion Tablet PCs. If MORI eventually adopts surveys that require more intensive computing, the company knows one thing won’t need to change: “We won’t have to replace our hardware,” Johnson said.
