Third party sample: create and configure a sample

Introduction

This article explains how to create a Third party sample using the Third party sample wizard in Survalyzer.

The wizard guides you step by step through setting up an external recruitment project: defining how many respondents you need, how quotas work, and how respondents are redirected back to the panel provider. Each step of the wizard controls a specific part of the respondent flow.

Use this guide when you are ready to configure external panel recruitment in the Distribute tab.

Before you start

Please note:

• Before you can create a Third party sample, the survey must be activated.
• All questions relevant for quota control must be placed in the first (Screener) section of the survey.
  Questions from other sections cannot be used for quota filters.

Make sure your survey structure is finalized before starting the Third party sample wizard.

Step 1: Name the Third party sample and define the target size

(Third party sample wizard – Step 1: Name)

This screen shows the first stage for creating a new third party sample.

On this screen you can define the name of the sampling project and the target size of the project (e.g. a total of 40 participants must complete an interview). After this you can click the Next button at the bottom right to navigate to the Quota cells screen.

Step 2: Set up quotas

(Third party sample wizard – Step 2: Quotas)

Overview

This screen shows the second stage for creating a new Third party sample. Here you can use quota cells to define the size of the different target groups. Data that are often used for a target group definition are, for example, Age and Gender.

Note: the sum of all quota cells within a quota group must be equal to the target size of the project which you have defined in the previous stage, e.g. 40.

Quota groups and quota cells

Each quota cell belongs to a quota group. All quota cells in a quota group must add up to the target size of the project. Thus, each participant may be assigned to a maximum of one quota cell per quota group. If you want to create your quotas completely linked (i.e. cross-quoted), you only need one quota group. Cross-quoted age and gender could have these four quota cells: young female, old female, young male and old male. If, on the other hand, you want to create your quotas unconnected, then you need several quota groups, e.g. one for age with the quota cells young and old, and another quota group for gender with the quota cells female and male.

How to set up quotas

In order to set a quota for a survey, please proceed as follows:

• Click the green Add group button (1).
• Specify the name of the quota group in the indicated field (2). By default, this field is filled with the Group 1 description.
• Click the blue Add quota cell button (3) for a window to appear in which you can enter the information and filter conditions of the first quota cell.

Defining a quota cell

At the top, you specify a unique quota name that is as self-explanatory as possible and the maximum number of participants (=quota) (under Number of responses). For example, if a certain answer combination in two different questions has been selected 10 times by the previous participants and a quota of 10 has been set for this answer combination, then this quota cell receives the status Quotafull. Depending on the choice you have made in the Quotafull behavior field at the Re-directs stage (see below), the 11th, 12th, etc. participant who meets the conditions for this quota cell will be re-directed to the URL specified in the Quotafull URL field.

Number of responses and percentages

The percentage after the Number of responses (e.g. 25%) indicates the ratio to the target size of the project (=100%). If you were to enter 40 for the number of responses in this example, the percentage would not be 25%, but 100%. You can also enter the percentage values the other way round and the number of participants will be calculated automatically.

Defining quota conditions

Subsequently, you can specify the conditions for the quota cell in the window, e.g.

• IF – QUESTION – Q1 – OPTION 2 – SELECTED
• AND – QUESTION – Q2 – OPTION 1 – SELECTED

Note: if you want to include questions from the survey to set up quotas, you can exclusively use questions from the first section.

Saving quota cells and quota validation

When all settings for the first quota cell are specified, click on the green button Save changes.

After you have added one quota cell, a message appears in a yellow frame indicating that the size of all quota cells in one quota group must be equal to the target size. Based on the example above, you have several options at your disposal. For example, the Number of responses can be increased from 10 to 40. Additionally, you can opt to add one or more quota cells (in the same manner as described above). A second quota cell could be something like this:

Completed quota group

When, for example, you have defined all quota cells of a quota group and its total size is identical to the target size of the project, the screen will approximately be like this:

At the bottom right, you will see 40/40 (100%), which indicates that the quota group is now set up correctly.

Next steps

In order to set-up another quota group, you may repeat the procedure described above. If not, you can click the Next button at the bottom right to proceed to the Re-directs when interview is finished screen.

Step 3: Define redirect links and quota behavior

(Third party sample wizard – Step 3: Re-directs)

This screen shows the third stage for creating a new Third party sample.

Define redirect URLs provided by the panel provider: in the first three fields, you enter the URLs you have received from the panel provider.

Completed URL

Completed URL: this is the URL to which the participant will be redirected, if he/she has completed the survey.

Screenout URL

Screenout URL: this is the URL to which the participant will be redirected, if he/she has provided an answer to a certain question that is not considered relevant for the survey. This participant will then be excluded from further participation.

When does a respondent become Screenout in a Third party sample?

Respondent can become “Screenout” in 3rd party sample distribution set-up (meaning they will be directed to screenout url from panel provider) when:

• Based on respondent answers in screening section, respondent doesn’t fall to any defined quotacell.
• OR forwarding element is used in survey, with custom defined filter and “screenout” option selected.

Bad Quality status

Respondent can become “Bad Quality” status only when Survalyzer survey setting “interview quality” is used. Currently there is no other scenario when respondent / interview can be marked as Bad Quality.

Quotafull URL

Quotafull URL: this is the URL to which the participant will be redirected, if one of the quota cells from a quota group, whose stipulated conditions apply to him/her, is full OR if all quota cells from a quota group, whose stipulated conditions apply to him/her, are full.

Example: if 10 women aged from 18 to 46 have completed a survey and there is a quota of 10 for this category, then the 11th woman in this age category will be assigned the quotafull status when she fills out the survey.

Quotafull behavior

At Quotafull behavior you can choose one of the following 3 options:

If any appropriate quota cell is full

The participant will be assigned the quotafull status on completion of the survey, if he/she fulfils the conditions of a certain quota cell for which the set quota has already been reached.

If all appropriate quota cells are full

The participant will be assigned the quotafull status on completion of the survey, if he/she fulfils the conditions of all quota cells that apply to him/her and the set quotas are all reached, e.g.

– Quota cell 1: Employees over 55 – Quota 15
– Quota cell 2: Function: Support employee – Quota 15

Employee ABC who is both over 55 and a support employee, will only be awarded the quotafull status, if in the organisation NOT ONLY at least 15 employees have indicated in the survey that they are over 55 years of age BUT ALSO 15 employees have indicated that they are appointed as support employees.

Quota overflow

The participant will not be assigned the quotafull status, because the quotas set in the quota cells will be ignored.

After this, you can click the Next button at the bottom right to go to the Summary screen.

Step 4: Review setup and share the survey link

(Third party sample wizard – Step 4: Summary)

This screen shows the fourth stage for creating a new Third party sample. This screen presents some data which can be checked before creating the new sampling project permanently.

This screen displays the name of the corresponding survey. At Survey link for panel provider you find the link you have to submit to the panel provider. Under Re-direct links from panel provider you will find the URL links you have received from the panel provider.

After you have checked the data on the screen, you can click the Launch button at the bottom right of the screen for a distributor with the sampling project to be created on the distribution overview.

What happens next

Once the Third party sample is created:

• prepare and review redirect links with the panel provider, if this has not been done yet
  → Third party sample: set up redirect URLs
• test the setup before launch to make sure links and participant IDs work as expected
  → Third party sample: test your setup
• allow the panel provider to start recruitment and monitor completes and quotas during fieldwork
  → Third party sample: monitor fieldwork and quotas