Moderating the Chat

Things to remember and to be aware of when moderating your chat interview.

• Once you “Accept” a respondent into the chat session, your respondent will show up immediately in the chat session.

• You should provide the respondent with a greeting or introductory question to get the ball rolling, and to warm up the respondent.

• We provide updates in the bottom of the Interview area which will let you now what the respondent is doing.
  • “Composing” means they are typing.
  • “Paused” means they are likely thinking about the question you just asked.
  • “Inactive” means they have not typed anything for 1 minute. It is not uncommon for this to happen as it may take time for a respondent to compose their thoughts. However, it is ok to ask if they are still there if this comes up numerous times during the chat session.

• Not every respondent will shower you with provocative insights. This is a bit like a cocktail party where you will not be wowed by every conversation you enter into. Some respondents will provide a steady and robust stream of thoughts and ideas; a small portion may provide you with snippets; and most will be in between. If you are not satisfied with your respondent, you will have the ability to abort the interview within the first 5 minutes by hitting the “End Chat” button. You will then be given the option of “Discard the Transcript” or “Save the Transcript”. If you pick to discard the interview, you will not be charged.

• When a Research Participant Exits the Chat Interivew
  All research participants that are recruited for your GutCheck® chat interview are advised that to receive compensation for participating in your project, they must remain and participate until you end the chat session. While we make every effort to recruit an interested research participant, they may elect to leave the interview for their own reasons.
  • If the research participant leaves at any point prior to the chat interview completion,
    • You have the option of saving your chat interview transcript and the GutCheck fee will apply

    OR

    • You have the option of discarding the chat interview transcript and no charge will apply.

• Content matters in the interview. For example, you will likely have an easier time interviewing someone about their favorite TV show or beverage versus their thoughts on life insurance plan design.

• Patience is very important with this and other qualitative methodologies. It will likely be the first time the respondent has thought about the idea, message, concept or product you are testing. Like anyone else, it may take them a little time to come up with their feedback.

• When using media, remember the following:
  • Viewing and reacting to media takes time. Again, patience is key. You want there to be some pregnant pauses while the respondent is thinking about their response.
  • Avoid showing any type of media until you have fostered a healthy dialogue with the respondent.
  • Provide simple and concise instructions regarding the media you want to use:
    • Moderator: I am now going to show you an image on the left side of your screen.  Please let me know when you see it.
    • Guest: OK. I see it.
    • Moderator: Great. Now, please take a moment and review the image. Once you have, I’d like to know what the first thing that caught your eye was.

• It is ok to do ad hoc questioning which is not in your guide. One of the great values with this methodology is its flexibility. If your respondent presents you with an opportunity to pursue a different line of questioning, go for it. You can come back to your guide at any time.