Why Wonderlust Collective Trusts Discuss to Deliver Qual Insights 90% Faster for Their Clients

Discover how this insight consulting agency is addressing the time-consuming and complex nature of qualitative research

Wonderlust Collective is a women-owned insight consulting agency that ideates, co-creates, and facilitates smarter thinking rooted in authentic consumer insights, leading their clients to untapped opportunities. 

Challenge:

Wonderlust relies heavily on the technology they use to conduct their online focus groups and in-depth interviews (IDIs). They maintain the highest standards for their clients, carefully vetting every technology to ensure they use only the very best.

As Wonderlust navigated the search for the perfect online qual platform, they sought a solution to address the time-consuming and complex nature of qualitative research:

1. Setting up research projects takes too long.

Wonderlust needed a solution that allowed them to launch projects quickly, enabling them to exceed client expectations with timely, high-quality deliverables. Slow is simply not an option as delays not only impact client satisfaction but also limit the agency’s ability to take on additional projects. Katie Shaw, VP of Operations at Wonderlust mentions how they need a partner that gives them the ability to easily set up and launch their own projects, noting the inefficiencies with previous technologies they’ve tried.

“When we’ve had to email back and forth about project specs—like the number of groups, length, and respondent details—depending on how busy the vendor was, it could take days before I could even access the project and start adding respondents. When we’re running 15-20 projects at a time, that was a huge inefficiency.”
– Katie Shaw, VP of Operations at Wonderlust

2. Without purpose-built tools, clients can’t easily engage in the research.

For Wonderlust, providing a seamless experience is crucial to building and maintaining trust and rapport with their clients. They’ve tried numerous platforms but discovered that most were not built for qualitative research and added unnecessary complexity for their clients. For example, many required clients to have a specific login for the platform rather than allowing them to easily observe a live session by simply clicking a link. They also lacked the crucial collaboration tools that would allow their clients to interact and have conversations with one another or the moderator in a private backroom.

3. Lack of support and reliability disrupts projects and affects client relationships.

Wonderlust regularly manages 15 to 20 projects at a time, so they need a platform they can trust to run smoothly every time. With clients depending on high-quality insights, it’s crucial for Wonderlust to have access to a reliable platform that offers key services like live tech support to ensure respondents’ internet and audio connections are functioning properly and to troubleshoot any issues that arise mid-session. On previous platforms, Wonderlust’s moderators had to juggle both moderating the interview and handling tech support, resolving issues on the spot while trying to keep the session engaging and on track.

“We’ve kissed a lot of frogs. I laugh when I tell clients that we’ve literally tried everyone, which is how we can very confidently say we use the best and we have the best technology with Discuss.”  
– Katie Shaw, VP of Operations at Wonderlust

Solution:

After evaluating multiple platforms, Wonderlust chose Discuss as their go-to solution for online qual. Since 2021, they have exclusively relied on Discuss, utilizing the platform’s live and asynchronous research elements, as well as any needed support services, including live tech support. 

Asynchronous Research
With Discuss’ asynchronous research capabilities, Wonderlust can conduct video feedback for their clients through in-store shop-alongs, in-home usage testing, unboxing, unmoderated usability testing, video open-ends, and more.  

Live Research
Wonderlust leverages Discuss’ platform for live virtual qual (IDIs, focus groups, etc.) with smart features that make it easy to collaborate with their clients and address multiple use cases, including a dedicated observer suite, interactive stimuli sharing, real-time ‘Save Moment’ capabilities, and more.

Research Repository
Discuss serves as a comprehensive research repository for Wonderlust, consolidating all of their online interviews and insights into one centralized platform. Whether interviews are conducted live or asynchronously on the platform, or Wonderlust’s team wants to upload previously recorded research files, Discuss provides a unified hub for organizing and accessing their insights.

Results

1. Project timelines have sped up and client results are being delivered 90% faster.

With Discuss, Wonderlust eliminates the administrative hassle of coordinating with vendors on their project specs by taking a DIY approach. They can independently set up their research projects and get them up and running in just a few hours, compared to the previous 2-3 day process. This efficiency has led to faster delivery of client results – a win-win for both Wonderlust and their clients. It has also increased the agency’s capacity to take on more projects, giving Wonderlust greater revenue potential.

“There’s loads of time efficiency in us being able to set up our own projects. I know some agencies would rather have someone else do all of that, but for us, we love the DIY-ness of it because we can set it up and have a focus group happen the next day, which I think is huge.” 
– Katie Shaw, VP of Operations at Wonderlust

Additionally, Discuss is making research accessible for Wonderlust’s clients who cannot or do not want to travel to in-person research. Wonderlust can easily run online research projects in a matter of just a few days, bypassing the time-consuming steps and logistical challenges of securing physical space, coordinating in-person attendance for respondents, and arranging travel details.

2. Wonderlust consistently provides a reliable and seamless research experience, even for last minute projects.

Discuss’ easy-to-use platform improves access, communication, and reliability for Wonderlust’s clients, boosting engagement, retention, and participation.

Wonderlust’s clients love how Discuss makes observing sessions a breeze, lets them instantly capture key moments with a click, and gives them a front-row seat to the research. With features like a private backroom and chat, clients are empowered to actively engage in the research and can even ask moderators to probe deeper into areas of interest in real-time. Plus, Discuss handles all of the respondents’ tech checks prior to sessions and will troubleshoot any issues like connectivity or respondent drop outs if they arise during the sessions so Wonderlust can focus on what matters most, delivering insights that drive smarter decisions for their clients.

“Discuss always makes us feel extremely confident that when we sign on, things happen as they should and tech support is there. If a tech issue does occur, it’s fixed almost immediately. I think this provides everyone, including clients, with an extra layer of comfort and familiarity because they know everything will go as planned, every time.”
– Katie Shaw, VP of Operations at Wonderlust

3. Cost savings and increased client satisfaction with an all-in-one, innovation-focused platform.

For Wonderlust, having a platform that not only meets their current needs but also evolves with them is essential. Discuss’ commitment to listening to and incorporating Wonderlust’s feedback into its product innovations ensures that the platform remains a true all-in-one solution for their online qual needs. This continual customer-centric innovation means Wonderlust can rely on Discuss for all of their use cases, eliminating the need to invest in multiple tools or platforms. By consolidating their research tools into one platform, Wonderlust not only saves on the costs of additional software but also provides their clients with a high-quality research solution that evolves with their needs, ultimately enhancing satisfaction and delivering greater value.

“That’s another thing we love about Discuss. We bring up ideas or suggest improvements, and it feels like 90% of the time, they magically appear on the platform. This really shows how much you care about your customers and it positively impacts us because we are the ones using the platform for all these different use cases.”
– Katie Shaw, VP of Operations at Wonderlust

Conclusion 

Wonderlust’s partnership with Discuss has been instrumental in streamlining their qualitative research process and enhancing their service delivery. By using Discuss’ purpose-built platform, Wonderlust is reducing project timelines, increasing client satisfaction and delivering high-quality insights. This collaboration not only strengthens Wonderlust’s ability to serve their clients but also positions them for greater scalability and future success.