MarketTools Blog

More and more panel providers are using Facebook as part of their panel management process – we need to be where current and potential panelists hang out in order to recruit and retain great panelists to respond to our customers’ surveys. 

But at ZoomPanel we want to do more than just use Facebook to broadcast announcements or as a channel for one-off surveys, as many panel suppliers do. The ZoomPanel Facebook application provides a complete panel experience within Facebook, allowing respondents to take surveys, answer polls, and check their reward status without leaving the Facebook environment.  Facebook’s interactive capabilities also allow us to interact with panelists and deepen panelist engagement – which in turn helps build longer-term relationships with them and fosters loyalty. 

An example: when ZoomPanel recently launched a new rewards program, we wanted to get real-time feedback from panelists to refine the program during the initial launch phase.  Our Facebook community provided the perfect medium to get real-time feedback from our most vocal user base to refine the program during the initial launch phase. 

Asking panelists to say whatever they want in a public forum about the panel for all to see is risky to say the least – but we decided to explore this avenue to gather constructive feedback to refine the new rewards program into a program panelists wanted.  ZoomPanel directly asked panelists to provide their feedback on the newly-launched incentive program on Facebook. This opened up the opportunity to collect real-time candid comments from panelists who were actively accessing and using the new program.  As soon as the program launched, we instantly found out what was working, and what wasn’t, from the panelist perspective. This quick feedback allowed us to fix bugs and issues in the short term, and make a positive impact on rewards and service for the long term. The instant feedback allowed us to offer rewards better suited to what panelists want, which in turn motivates them to take surveys.

Allowing panelists to speak their mind openly can be a big plus if you manage it correctly or a downfall if you don’t.  ZoomPanel was prepared for the inflow of comments by beefing up and training the support staff on how to add their own comments and avoid vague communication to panelists.  While the positive comments are nice to read and let you know what you’re doing right, the negative comments are very useful and can help guide next steps.  We listened to panelists, made changes and found common ground.  Being proactive, candid, admitting faults and addressing issues right away turned negative attitudes and angry panelists into positive and loyal panelists.  

Using Facebook as an open-book customer service tool allowed ZoomPanel to be reactive and proactive in providing a rewards program suited for our panelists. One of the best things that came out of allowing panelists to speak their mind? ZoomPanelists have become ‘experts’ and now answer each other’s questions, providing a new source of customer support for ZoomPanel!