Reasons Why Clients Choose Discuss Over Microsoft Teams

Companies that want to scale their consumer conversations and qualitative research need to look beyond generic platforms like Microsoft Teams. It is true that Teams, Zoom and Webex have video conferencing and chat, but there is so much more that needs to be tied together before, during and after the consumer interviews (Focus Groups, Diads, Triads, IDI’s, etc.).

Instead of spending time and money to stitch together spreadsheets, documents, calendar appointments, disparate discussion guides, translation services, etc. – an All-in-One, purpose-built platform like Discuss.io streamlines the process while giving you more capabilities that will save you time, frustration, money while giving you the ability to truly scale consumer conversations and make more informed decisions.

Top Reasons Why Clients Choose Discuss.io Over Microsoft Teams

1. Save time. Discuss.io is the only smart video platform built from the ground up for online qualitative market research. The integrated features mean you spend more time talking to consumers and less time pulling together the project and insights.
2. Multiple tools in one! Discuss.io built the functionality of multiple tools into one integrated platform which means training, adoption and usage is more seamless and efficient.
3. Automation and efficiency:  Automating essential tasks in Discuss.io means your online qualitative program can scale rapidly with fewer resources.
4. Incredibly intuitive and easy to use. Originally built to make online interviews easy, we keep a tight connection between clients, our services team, and the product team to improve usability and features on a weekly basis.
5. Versatility & Services available. Discuss.io provides a full suite of services ad hoc to help you where you need it. Recruitment, discussion guide development, moderation, project management, human translation and more. Go from DIY to full service in one request.
6. Scale up with ease. Central storage of documents, discussion guides and recruiting across many sessions within a single project make doing one or one hundred interviews seamless
   

   Capability	Microsoft Teams	Discuss.io	Notes
   Pre-Session
   Quoting/Cost Estimator	Enterprise, Education, Personal Plans Offered Enterprise Tiers:Free: No Administration or SupportBasic: $60/ user/yr Standard: $150/ user/yrE3: $240/ user/yr	Interactive Quoting / Cost Estimator. Get an accurate quote immediately based on # of interviews, locations, services needed (recruitment, moderation, translation, etc.).	Discuss.io pricing reflects the need of the client for the project at hand. Whether Ad Hoc or Subscription based pricing, we have a range of technologies and services to meet clients where they are.
   Install	Requires app download and install to get full set of chat and slack like features	Browser based – no installation required.	Easier for respondents, observers & team members to participate without app download
   Security	Secure, compatible for Market Research needs	Built with security and privacy  in mind from the ground up.	See our security web page or two-pager (PDF).
   Compliance	GDPR, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, SSAE18 SOC1 and SOC2, and more	GDPR, ISO 27001 and Advance Privacy Features like respondent anonymization, for markets like Germany.	See our compliance page or two-pager (PDF).
   White Label	Not directly offered. Some 3rd party software needed for white labeling	Supported. Custom color and logo.	Impress clients by creating a branded experience. Read our one-pager (PDF)
   Project management	Do not support project management services or specific role in sessions	Integrated as both, a service provided AND as specific features and roles in the platform	Plan all aspects of your interviews in one place, from recruiting and calendaring to discussion guides and project storage.
   Panel Recruiting	Not supported	Integrated. Upload your own list (“BYO”) or recruit from our Network.	We’re also global, recruiting in over 100 countries. discuss.io/platform/recruit/
   MR Incentive management	Not supported	Integrated and automated	Incentive management is built into the quoting tool and is sent on your behalf when interviews successfully completed.
   Scheduling	Integrated with Outlook	Internal scheduler and integrated with standard calendars	Save significant time with our automated scheduling and interview management.
   Pre-load stimuli	Upload ahead of time	Upload ahead of time or realtime during the session.	Save time and avoid issues by uploading your stimuli before the session.
   Stimuli Annotations	Annotations not supported on stimuli	Fully supported. Includes private annotations. All are automatically saved and included with recordings.	Microsoft Teams supports annotations on stimuli on the education plan only – on NOT business or enterprise plans, which are limited to blank whiteboards.
   Whiteboard	Microsoft Whiteboard and Invision Freehand supported	Full featured whiteboard integrated into the platform.	Sketch and draw during the conversation. Whiteboards & Stimuli included with video recordings.
   Tech check	Not supported	Integrated. Peace of mind. During recruitment + background check at the start of each session.	Tech checks rate participants internet speeds, giving them a tech check score. Low scoring recruits can be rejected.
   During Session
   Observers	Not hidden, All participants are visible to everyone.	Observer role is hidden from respondents but can communicate amongst themselves and the moderator.	Critical capability for insights professionals. Read more about observer role here. <link to https://support.discuss.io/en/articles/638750-observing-interviews
   Back room/ private chat	Private chat supported, not backroom chat	Integrated and automatically configured based on roles.	Public, back room, and private chats are saved along with the project. Allows backroom to chat with moderators during the session.
   Translation	Not supported	Automatic translation included and translator role during session included.	DIY or we’ll supply a translator. Built with respondent, moderator and observer’s experience in mind. (Translator is off-screen)
   Telephone fail-over	Supported– Dial-in & dial out available	Dial in or dial out. We call respondents.	If a respondent is lost due to poor internet, we can call them, so that the process is seamless.
   Moderation	Not supported, capped at DIY capabilities	Moderator and co-moderator roles present in the platform. Can also provide moderation through the marketplace if needed.	We can moderate sessions for you if needed. Moderation is a skill. Read our moderator guide ebook, or our article on why it may be worth hiring an experienced professional.
   Support	Support is not directly integrated into the Teams app.	Both project and technical support available via one click or as an assigned role in session.	When you need support right away, the Discuss.io team is either on the call with you (if you requested it) or one click away from inside the platform.
   Video save moment	Not featured	Flagged in timeline, 30 second clip automatically created (adjustable length)	Automatically integrates into clip editing and creates bookmarks in transcriptions for easy searching of video for key terms.
   Post-Session
   Editing, clip and highlight reel creation	Not featured	Integrated, browser based, extremely quick, simple.	Our browser-based clip and highlight reel creation tool is simple to use, & stores all online with other project elements.
   Video archive	Recorded sessions can be saved & viewable + shareable post-session	Raw video + clips + highlight reels.	Store everything in one place..
   Transcription archive	Not supported	Included as standard. Includes full text search across all saved transcripts in account, and integrates with our video editing process – highlight text to create a video clip.

Would you like to learn more? Book a demo with one of our sales team today. You can also download this comparison as a PDF as well.