We were happy to be recognized as the fastest-growing user experience research firm for the second year in a row by Inc. magazine. Clients often ask the reason for our growth. We see three primary reasons. Based on our research of the industry’s needs and our follow-up surveys with clients, we’ve seen that clients value a research company that is:
- Responsive. Our research shows that next to “quality of research” (which is expected as a given) clients most value a research firm’s responsiveness. Responsiveness to us means answering clients’ questions quickly, providing timely project updates, being flexible in the face of changing needs, moving quickly when development deadlines are tight and really just caring about a client’s goals as much as they do.
- A trusted advisor. We’re not beholden to a specific research method or technology which means we can truly allow the client’s business needs drive our planning and recommendations. Many companies in our industry sell specific point solutions, for example just ethnography or just usability or just satisfaction monitoring. While there is definitely a market need for these solutions, we think it’s tougher for a single-solution company to become a true trusted advisor.
- Strong on execution. Our tagline is Excellence in User Experience Research. To us, the excellence refers to our execution. We attract and hire researchers who are strong project managers. Clients don’t need to worry about their research projects since they know we have every detail is covered. They know when it’s time to present the results to their boss and their boss’ boss that they have the data and insights to back them up.
When clients see that we’re responsive, a trusted advisor and strong on execution, they refer us to others in their company and to other companies. Clients that leave one company will often call us when they land at their next job. We can take on this increased demand for our services because we’ve spent years building a strong internal infrastructure of systems and best practices that allow us to scale while delivering high quality work. We find this to be fascinating work and we love working with clients that are developing unique and cutting-edge products. We continue to make investments today so that we are prepared to deliver at an even higher level in 2011.
Tags: answerlab, best practices, inc 5000