SoftArchitect is a res-tech company that supports the processes of collecting, protecting, integrating and analyzing high-quality data from many sources. Focused on the issue of digital transformation of the insights industry, the company's The OnFly Pro™ and FlyBlog™ (BBS) are used by many large research agencies. SoftArchitect has also been designing and building online communities for more than eight years.
Pictured from the left to right: Grzegorz Kowalski, Business Development Director; Rafał Sobczak, CEO; Marek Malinowski, COO; Iwona Jurczyszyn, PO.
Of the services you offer, is there one in particular that is still emerging and you feel holds the most unfulfilled promise? If so, why and how do you see it evolving / helping your clients in the future?
Humanizing the world of research, listening to respondents, moving from a transaction to a relationship with the respondent, awareness of the benefits of using AI in research. All this will allow the research industry to design surveys adapted to modern times and the expectations of people participating in them. It will be possible to stop the outflow of respondents from research thanks to effective communication, the use of new technologies and the use of tools encouraging and motivating active participation in research panels. This listening to the needs of respondents, giving value and social significance to research will be crucial for building, understanding and engaging a new community of respondents in the era of digital revolution. This is also our mission, which we call Research 4.
For several years now research companies have realized they can’t simply deliver insights, but need to consult closely with clients to help them implement and communicate insights across their corporations to have a real impact. How are you going about this?
Our clients are research organizations and from our perspective there is a need to optimize the processes of conducting research and receiving data from many sources, i.e. implementing systems for coordination, communication and analysis of the research process through dedicated systems, increasingly likely with the support of AI.
How do you see the role of the research methods that you employ changing as data streams continue to proliferate and analytics becomes more sophisticated?
Since 2022, we have been guided by the slogan: "start listening to the motivation and needs of survey participants or die." Currently, the research industry promises a turn towards caring for the respondent, wants to rebuild relationships with them and regain their real involvement that was lost in digital methods. We will start not only inviting anonymous respondents to participate in research, but also treating them individually and providing valuable time. The condition for the success of sophisticated analytics must be obtaining reliable, credible and in-depth data at the source. This is what we want to regain for our clients through activities that humanize the world of science in the era of digital transformation 4.0.
If you had to identify a single obstacle to gaining better insights – what would it be?
We see dynamic social changes, as a result of which new generations of respondents have appeared on the market, brought up in the environment of new media and screen devices. The industry admits that it does not fully recognize all the needs, especially of young respondents, which may result in communication problems. Young respondents are reluctant to participate in market research and this can be a problem for gaining good insight and predicting their behavior.
What is your biggest pain point currently? How are you working to fix it?
Declining quality of data collected in a single survey. Most of the classic solutions and research tools are still stuck in the previous era, which makes surveys unattractive, boring and too long. This is a direct cause of the respondent's lack of involvement in answering, who often does it very carelessly and superficially. We're working to change that.
What is the number-one area of improvement your business is working on (e.g., speed to insights, DIY tools, improving data quality, etc.)?
We are working on data collection tools that are conversational, empathetic, mobile, fun and social. It is an adaptation to the modern lifestyle of the respondents. We call it research-4.0-solutions. Using these tools, we want to build an attractive offer that complements the time spent in social media. Such a tool is our OnFly EQ™ (OnFly Emphatic Questionnaire) conversational one, which establishes relationships with the respondent, and gives valuable time (mini social games) and at the same time has built-in innovative anti-fraud solutions.
What are the most common problems that brands bring to your door?
Concerns about data security and quality are growing. The reaction of the entire research industry is needed now to stop the outflow of respondents from marketing research in the future, and to maintain the trust of its customers on the other. Change is needed and we want to contribute to it.
What are your immediate (1 year) and long-term (5 years) goals for your company?
It is very likely that soon respondents, like consumers, will demand interactions on their terms, they will require easy, engaging and personalized contacts. We will all, as in the consumer world, see the growing trend towards instant feedback, instant and open access, personal service. To provide the respondent with a valuable journey through the world of research 4.0, a paradigm shift in the relationship between agencies and respondents will be needed. For the insights industry, this means the need to find and adapt new methods and tools. Starting from the channels of contact with respondents, through dynamic engagement analysis, managing valuable relationships, implementing new technologies, ending with the preparation of specialists. At SoftArchitect, we are preparing for this mission. We want partners and customers to be able to enter the time of such transformation easily and efficiently, gaining a new quality of data and efficiency of their own business activities. This is our long-term goal. Over the next year, our goal is to build systems for creating engaging research that motivates respondents, gives them valuable time, and at the same time obtains high-quality data.
What prompted you to join the Insights Association / What have been the most valued benefits of membership for you and your team thus far?
We joined the Insights Association because the organization has a strong focus on data quality issues. SoftArchitect is actively involved in building strategic partnerships across the insights industry, supporting the process of obtaining the highest quality data. Over the past year, our organization has been conducting its own R&D on the ideal survey process from the perspective of respondents and end customers.