Transitioning into market research and modernizing insights for non-profits with Alysse Henkel

In this episode of Now That’s Significant, host Michael Howard, Head of Marketing at Infotools, is joined by Alysse Henkel, Vice President of Research at The Vision Counsel. Henkel discusses her transition from program evaluation to market research, highlighting the similarities and differences between the two fields.  Henkel shares her experience overhauling outdated data systems at The Vision Counsel, emphasizing the importance of data quality, security, and accessibility. She discusses the challenges of updating a 20-year-old tracker survey while maintaining historical data for trend analysis. Henkel also provides insights into the unique nature of market research at a trade association, explaining how The Vision Counsel conducts both economic and consumer research to benefit its members across the optical industry. Henkel reveals that The Vision Counsel is increasingly incorporating qualitative research and leveraging big data sets for economic analysis. She also discusses the importance of partnering with research providers who prioritize data quality, integration capabilities, and high-quality data visualization. Here are seven key takeaways from the episode: + Transitioning from program evaluation to market research in a non-profit environment involves learning new terminology and adapting to different reporting styles. + Leading with research results and providing methodological details as supplementary information is crucial in the commercial sector. + Program evaluators can learn from market researchers about effective communication and packaging of research insights. + Market researchers can benefit from program evaluators' focus on participant-centered research and culturally sensitive language. + Modernizing data systems and processes is essential for ensuring data quality, security, and accessibility. + Updating outdated research instruments requires careful consideration of historical data and effective change management strategies. + Trade associations play a unique role in market research, providing both economic and consumer insights to benefit their members. Tune in to future episodes of Now That’s Significant for more insightful discussions on the latest trends in market research.  *** Infotools Harmoni is a fit-for-purpose market research analysis, visualization, and reporting platform that gives the world’s leading brands the tools they need to better understand their consumers, customers, organization, and market. www.infotools.com Established in 1990, we work with some of the world’s top brands around the world, including Coca-Cola, Orange, Samsung, and Mondelēz. Our powerful cloud-based platform, Harmoni, is purpose-built for market research. From data processing to investigation, dashboards to collaboration, Harmoni is a true "data-to-decision-making" solution for in-house corporate insights teams and agencies. While we don't facilitate market research surveys, we make it easy for to find and share compelling insights that go over-and-above what stakeholders want, inspiring them to act decisively. One of the most powerful features of Harmoni is Discover, a time-tested, time-saving, and investigative approach to data analysis. Using automated analyses to reveal patterns and trends, Discover minimizes potential research bias by removing the need for requesting and manually analyzing scores of cumbersome crosstabs – often seeing what you can’t.