How a research agency improved accuracy and respondent engagement

A national research agency saved time and improved survey engagement by partnering with Greens for an end-to-end print, mail, and data capture workflow.

"A lot of suppliers can handle one part of a survey programme. We chose Greens because they could cover the whole workflow, whatever methodology mix a project needed."

Research Director, A national social research agency

The challenge

The agency's survey design followed a push-to-web approach. An invitation letter asked respondents to scan a QR code and complete the survey online (CAWI), with a paper version offered to anyone who didn't respond. This kind of mixed-mode approach is common in research aiming for broad, representative response rates.

In-house though, the paper side was still handled manually. This was time-consuming, prone to data entry error, and made it hard to keep the online and paper response tracking in sync. They needed a partner who could manage the entire print, mail, scan and data workflow.

The solution

Greens managed the full print, mail, and data capture workflow for the programme:

  • Printed and posted personalised invitation and reminder letters carrying unique references and QR codes/PURLs for the online (CAWI) survey
  • Management of the paper fallback survey for non-respondents, including a pre-paid return envelope
  • Scanning of all returned paper questionnaires using high-volume OCR data capture, then cleaning, validating and deduplicating the data
  • Merge the paper dataset with the client's live CAWI data into a single structured export (matched to their SPSS format), removing the need for manual re-keying
  • Gave the agency's project team visibility over the whole process through GreensVista, our client portal

The results

The partnership has enabled the agency to:

  • Reduce time spent on manual data entry and reconciliation
  • Improve overall response rate following the paper fallback and reminder cycle
  • Remove data entry errors following the move to OCR-based data capture
  • Gain a full audit trail across the mailing, tracking and scanning process, supporting the agency's own compliance reporting to its public sector clients

About our market research work

This project reflects Greens' broader approach to market research: treating printing, mailing, scanning, and reporting as one connected process. Learn more about our market research services here.

Similar Post