Research is not a cost but it is an investment & solution

Word from the Founder

2010 was a tough year for ROI Team, as it was for many small businesses in the UK – but we ended the year a stronger company than we began it, with a broader client base, a stronger profile in the marketplace, and more research tools in our bag.

Like WB Yeats’ falconer, In the maelstrom we cling to a few constants:

A good research company will always know as much about its client’s business as it does about its own research projects. For our clients research is one of many tools to support strategy planning and decision making. It‘s not an end in itself.

Clients’ investment in research must stand the test of Return on Investment applied to every other form of business spend – we just ask clients to assess the whole cost/benefit spectrum, not just the £££’s.

We add value for our clients by the quality of our interpretation and report back – our ability to create a cogent business story based on granular data. That’s why at ROI Team clients have the same point person throughout their project – from briefing, through project management and analysis, and right up to reporting and presentation.

For 2011 our new developments include:

Social Media Tracking
A new service to provide clients with evaluation of online media comment on their brands and business.

What do Shoppers Say?
We are working with the publishers of Shopping Centre Magazine to enable real shoppers to comment on the retail issues of the month. The initiative will be launched at the Shopping Centre Conference on March 22nd.

Conversion to Academy Consultation
We see a need for schools considering the government’s invitation to convert to academy status to ensure polling of stakeholder views and effective consultation. Our recent work in schools and colleges on behalf of The Life Channel Learning was well reviewed and we hope this initiative will enable us to enhance the quality of decision-making in a sector so influential on the nation’s future.

No doubt 2011 will be another ‘interesting’ year. With a government determined to push forward at pace to place important and costly decisions in the hands of ‘practitioners’ (GP’s, headteachers, charities) the role of independent research to support good decision-making and strategy-building has never been more important. Let’s hope the practitioners have the wisdom to see the need.

With best wishes to all the clients, friends, and associates whose support makes our work rewarding and enjoyable.

Andrew McCall
MD and Co-founder
ROI Team