We provide coding of verbatim responses to open ended questions collected in market research surveys. These are the unstructured questions in which the possible answers are not suggested or given hint. Respondents are offered freedom to answer it in his or her own words. Such  questions generally begins with a how,what,when,where and why. Open-ended questions are ones that require more than one word answers. The answers could come in the form of a list, a few sentences or something longer such as a speech, paragraph or essay.

Open ended questions are an integral part of qualitative market research and they allow you to find out the depth of information and meaningful insights.

Types of Coding:

Our open end coding experts are capable of coding all type of open ended responses or data,including

  1. Open ended responses from CAPI,Paper Surveys etc.
  2. Open ended answers to phone Surveys (CATI)
  3. Text from online surveys
  4. Social Media Text
  5. Voice recordings/IVR
  6. Text from CRM systems/Customer feedback systems
  7. Images

Coding expertise:

Alpha Analytics have a decade of experience in providing open end coding services to the giant market research companies who are gathering data for industry sectors including Healthcare and Pharma,Retail,CPG,Financial services,Automobile and so on Moving forward with this experience, we have developed a specialized  team of coders having voluminous hands on experience of coding. We have delivered the significant amount of projects successfully for overseas clients.

Steps involved in coding process:

We are thorough in coding all type of open ended responses like pure open end verbatims, Other specify answers and brand coding. We adhere to the standards required for coding as per client’s requirements.

  • Firstly,we receive raw data file of open end responses for coding from client.
  • We seggregate the files with relevant questions,responses with Respondent IDs.
  • We design the codeframe/codebook by reading each and every response,understanding the emotions of data and catching unique ideas. They are categorized by developing Nets and Subnets and assigned numeric codes.
  • Once a codeframe/codebook is approved, we start assigning the numeric codes to the raw open end responses received.
  • We perform Frequency and percentage analysis for applied codes.
  • Final outputs is sent to the client.
  • In case editing or reassignment is required, the same can be done correctly and effortlessly.

Creation of Code frames:

At Alpha, we have developed very reliable systems and processes to ensure quality coding. The 10-13 hour time gap between India and our North American clients ensures almost 24X7 operation. Codebook approvals based on actual coding can be concluded seamlessly, ensuring quality and reliability within time and budgets.

Assigning respondents to particular categories:

This important activity is often considered the weak link in the coding process. Our coding team uses proprietary systems and processes to keep track of every combination/assignment made. In case editing or reassignment is required, the same can be done correctly and effortlessly. Maintaining consistency and validity of the data is our biggest consideration.

We can code the open ends in your survey using AscribeTM or any other software package, if required.