Oh, the humble tracker study. Perhaps it is the bane of your existence or maybe it’s your bread and butter. Either way, tracker studies are important and can take a lot of effort!
We conduct lots of tracker studies, and while we can do them in our sleep, there are actually a few tips that can help your tracker studies go a bit smoother (so they don’t keep you awake at night!):
Know the List
Or, make sure your panel partner knows the list. Your panel partner should understand where the list came from, which HCPs are on there, and what the goal of using the list is. They should also be able to manage the list appropriately, so recent participants are excluded if appropriate and/or new recruits are being brought in regularly.
Think about Relationships
Tracker studies depend on relationships with the healthcare professionals. Make sure your panel partner has proactive, positive relationships, so HCPs are engaged and responsive. This is especially critical if your market is highly targeted.
Mix it Up
Asking the same questions over and over in a tracker study can be – let’s face it – boring for the HCPs. If you have the opportunity, throw in an engaging question or use emotional open-ends with imagery. Additionally, ensure that your programming partner makes the questionnaire visually appealing, which can also help with engagement.
Minimize the Touchpoints
HCPs are busy. Sending multiple invites for the same study or sending invites for studies that they simply won’t qualify for does not work to your advantage. Like the boy who cried wolf, it desensitizes them from responding. Be sure your panel partner is focusing their survey invites, so responses are maximized.
The Bottom Line
Tracker studies don’t have to keep you up at night. Think of them a bit like a garden – a little planning and some TLC go a long way to producing results.