Orchidea Research offers research, consulting and online panel services to its clients globally and is working to transform the research industry along with the realm of authentic data collection in a constructive fashion by adhering to morals and ethics by way of fulfilling its social responsibilities as well. The company is best known to make research projects run faster, better, and smoother. The company is known for holding its customers in reverence and awe and is thus striving to become synonymous to authenticity in the industry. This implies the outstanding progression since their rudimentary stage - driving successful miles to be capable enough to assist clients in making wise decisions.

Ventured as a pen and paper research enterprise over two decades ago, Orchidea is mostly involved in fieldwork by sending agents to sites for gathering responses. Once the reach of telephones is significant, the company began to evolve with the growing technology.“For a decade, we engaged in organic growth of our panel with interviewing platform changing to CATI. In 2009 with the penetration of internet done on a mass & affordable scale, we expanded our online base with the launch of the online panel recruitment websites and different regions of the world,” informs Nitin Sharma, AVP, Orchidea Research.

He further adds, “Since the launch in the online space, our panel recruitment has grown from a small panel base to over 2 million member base spread across the globe. On an average, we have recruitment of over 350 panellists per day. With the high traffic that is generated with this scale panel, we have moved to cloud based technology in 2014 and our servers are secured with industry best standards”.

The Breaking of the Shell
Though technology is advancing at a high pace helping researchers to carry out data collection and facilitate effective marketing strategies using modern social media platforms, low response rate from early rounds of interview requests and difficulty in reaching a certain persona was a hidden hurdle in the initial days when Orchidea sought to build its foundation. Moreover, winning over the clients was another major challenge which had to be conquered by engaging in a more open dialogue and integration with them, explaining and taking them through the process in entirety which gave them the confidence in our ability to deliver quality respondents.

“With lofty expectations, achievable goals and an unclouded vision, the data collection methodology, judiciously utilising the initial valuable and limited funds were still vague ideas and required to be decided upon. Despite the uncertainties, we tried to reach out and made persistent efforts with its never say attitude, its indomitable courage and persistent endeavours,” explains Nitin.

Needless to say, Orchidea took up the task, gathered its adept technology team, prolific and proficient project managers and polished data experts to come up with a permanent solution that can help its client in the long run. Today, the company delivers quality services to the clients and respondents by building technologically advanced products and services that not only meet their present needs but enables future mile stoning.

Innovative Services. Gratified Clients.
The products and services that Orchidea offer are by far the most innovative, exploring and meticulous, thus ensuring gratified and pleased clients. Also, they bring about the best client practices, keeping the clients’ data and requirements secured and confidential.

With teams of highly motivated and professional people working with a common goal of providing utmost satisfaction to clients and respondents, Orchidea ensures data quality as per client specified standards and measures. The company follows a unique approach called N.E.A.T Approach - (Nurturing, Enthusiastic, Attentive, and Trained employees) to heighten its work manner seamlessly.

To make use of the detailed profiling available to the panellists, Orchidea has developed the most advanced Panel Management System (PMS) which helps them in identifying the right

mix of respondents for a study and help them view the real-time response rate of the panellists across different demographics. Not only this, the team has also inculcated an idea of working as an addition of the client’s team and not as an external service provider to the clients. Orchidea’s Collaborative Efforts in the workplace leads to advance methodologies for projects, novel processes to accomplish key tasks and shared ideas on mixed responsibilities.

With teams of highly motivated and professional people working with a common goal, orchidea ensures data quality as per client specified standards and measures

“We ensure a healthy client relationship and with our consultative approach, we leave no stone unturned to help clients make regular surveys more interesting. To remain at parity with changing technology trends, we have honed and established our tools to safeguard and ensure that the data is secured and more accessible manner as and when needed,” he mentions. The company encourages the usage digital fingerprinting in their project management portal to avoid duplication in all projects and further has developed Geo-IP checks in its portal.

A Team of Experts behind the Success
Deriving strength from people and their panel, Orchidea Research works on the principle that the most important customers are their revered Employees. The panellist group is said to have acquired robust experience, competence and expertise across segments for they are diligent towards their work and responsibilities which is primarily to collect authentic data, rather than fill-up surveys with crude and gibberish responses for absorbing incentives for each survey conducted. The panel is not driven and persuaded to work with a money-grubbing attitude, rather qualitative and not quantitative data collection and survey conduct is what is emphasised and imbibed in the organisation. The management can be accredited for imparting value based business operations and endorsing candid and even-handed operations.

“Our online panellist platform gives our respondents a very engaging experience. We don’t believe in spamming our respondents with multiple invites each day there is a strict policy against that. With high incentives offered to the respondents for their time we get a high response rate which helps in completing the client projects faster,” he adds. With good incentives structure, the respondents do not rush through survey they give quality responses due to the client has to do less cleaning of data and make running projects faster and smoother.

Charting the Growth Path
Orchidea has faith in professionalism and they have set ethical standards to enhance its business. They are motivated by the acclaims that their clients receive when their insights are put to action and appreciated. With the challenges of each industry increasing exponentially each year, a better, smarter and efficient working engagement is sorted by all its clients.

There are many multilayer processes driven initiates that Orchidea has executed in the recent years which have helped to create an easy flow cycle that their client's find engaging and relaxed to engage with. The company has seen the revenue rise YoY since the full-fledged operation in 2013. “We have crossed our last year revenue target in Q317 and Q4 revenue is looking strong. Attracting new talent is always our top priority in the last 1 quarter we have hired 3 new PM to our team which are current under training and start sharing the workload in the next 1 month. We have hired one resource to support the client service management which will further help in giving more dedicated service to our existing and expanding client base. We currently have 3 office US, AU and India the coverage from these distinct location helps us in giving round the clock support to our client, the physical office expansion is not in the near future but we will be growing the employee base in these centres to better support our clients,” smiles Nitin.

Ideas that Enriches Orchidea’s Performance

• Never stop learning and integrating innovative technologies to keep updated with contemporary trends in the research industry. This keeps them doing well to become the world leaders as technology based research providers
• Keep updating and evolving project managers in technology and Research methodologies. To make them more effective brigade in combating daily and long-term goals of Orchidea
• Developing a holistic approach in operations of the company for both internal and external stakeholders
• To develop an environment to pair employee’s expertise with a technological advantage

Key Management
Nitin Sharma, AVP of Global Research Solutions, Orchidea Research Group

Nitin saw the research industry transform from physical data collection to online data collection and initiated his career at the bottom of the ladder at work as a sampling executive.

As a keen observer and learner, Nitin learned all operational aspects of sampling and project management in an abbreviated period and then sought more challenging part of approaching and handling clients. Now with 10+ years of experience under his belt and serving as AVP of Global Research Solutions at Orchidea Research, Nitin manages client side of the operation. In his spare time, he loves to travel and being a foodie adds to his traveling adventures.

Vaibhav Kushwaha, AVP-Technology and Global Acquisitions, Orchidea Research Group
Vaibhav’s proficiency and adeptness to understand the Research industry well can be attributed to his experience in the industry and his quest to strive for his passions!

With his perseverance, adroitness and diligence, Vaibhav has developed Orchidea since its rudimentary stage. He is working in the development and running of the company’s complete IT infrastructure along with recruiting new panellists for its sample tool. Vaibhav ensures that the systems are continuously running thus providing optimal panel experience to online panellists who have joined the panel portal.