At Explorer, we understand our clients are busy. They don’t have time to pour over lengthy reports to find the insight they’re looking for. That’s why we provide shortcuts to relevant information with key insights identified upfront. We bring the insights to life through video and illustrating recommendations and actions going forward.
We try to keep these four guidelines in mind when developing our reports:
Stay grounded in the Research Objectives: During the analysis stage, there are usually lots of different insights that emerge from the data. Staying grounded in the Research Objectives ensures that the team does not get sidetracked. Always answer the specific questions that are part of the research objectives. The entire report should be designed around the objectives to answer the business question at hand. All other insights can be included in the back of the report.
Ensure Effective Storytelling is Utilized: Storytelling has been around for centuries because people love stories. We utilize storytelling techniques when developing our reports. We create a flow to the story to keep the team engaged. Good stories use transitions effectively and have a focus. We extensively use video in our presentations to bring the insights to life in our storytelling.
Bring Your Recommendations to Life: Our clients are answering a business question and want to move quickly on the research recommendations. At Explorer, we often utilize our in-house design department to illustrate recommendations whether it is in-store merchandising solutions, packaging or innovations. The objective of illustrating solutions is to enable our clients to move faster with implementation.
Engage with the Total Client Team: Where possible, we like to engage with a broader team in the research process. This allows for team alignment and functional needs to arise along the way. We will often hold client workshops so they can action the insights going forward. Also, we encourage research clients to bring cross functional team and agency partners to research.
These days everyone is pressed for time and our clients want to move quickly. We have found utilizing the following principles of team involvement, storytelling and delivering concise recommendations for our client objectives enhances our client experience.
Anne Stephenson
Chief Growth Officer, Explorer Research
