CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS PLANNING (COOP) AND GALLOWAY RESEARCH’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19

Galloway Research considers the health and safety of its clients, teammates and participants to be of the utmost importance.

We also recognize the importance of our client’s work, and the need to have a reliable partner in their qualitative research, ready to adapt and rapidly respond to the ever-changing environment we face.

Below is our response to COVID-19, and the steps we have taken to ensure our business is ready to respond, to this or any other crisis, that could impact the conduct of your research.

BACKGROUND:  CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

Coronavirus Information is available through the CDC or World Health Organization and local government health departments and agencies. Galloway Research’s leadership team has been monitoring this outbreak, and meets regularly to discuss actions to be taken to ensure the safety of everyone that engages with us.  We are constantly monitoring the markets impacted, and how that will impact our clients, our community, and our teammates.

WHAT PRECAUTIONARY ACTION IS GALLOWAY RESEARCH TAKING?

The company is taking extra precautions to enhance everyone’s safety.  Leadership has laid out an emergency preparedness plan in the event that an office is closed. They include:

  1. Travel Restrictions. Galloway Research employee business travel is restricted to essential business trips only.
  2. In-Person Respondent & Client Screening Precautions.  At client request, screening questions can be added to screeners for in-person/in-facility projects. Any respondent who has recently traveled to an impacted area or has come into contact with someone who has been exposed to the Coronavirus will be disqualified for in-person research.
  3. Any client who has traveled to an impacted area will be asked to monitor the research online and not visit the office.

Galloway Research Focus Group Facility Precautions include:

  1. Galloway Research’s facility is stocked with additional soap, hand sanitizer, and disinfected wipes (to the best of our ability as some locations have limited access to these supplies).
  2. Individual meals will be encouraged versus platters and will be served as delivered unless plating is requested.
  3. Extra care is being taken when serving or sharing any food within the office or facility.
  4. Everyone entering the office will be encouraged to exercise good health practices.   This includes keeping a 6 foot space difference between individuals.

PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS COMMUNICATED TO OUR TEAM

Galloway Research is able to shift our entire operations, including all of our recruiting, project management and management team to be able to work remotely via secure VPN access.  Continuity of operations is undisturbed by this recent outbreak, as it relates the vast majority of our operations.  And through the array of online technology partners that we engage daily for mobile and web-based research, we are able to seamlessly transition your in-person research to any of these solutions, should you determine that you wish to shift away from in-person research.

For studies that clients elect to continue in-person (where applicable), we are encouraging precautions to help prevent the spread, including frequent washing of hands with disinfectant soap, use of hand sanitizers (made available throughout all of our facilities free to clients as travel aids), good cleaning procedures with the proper biologic disinfectants, and when able…stay home!  To reduce the need of clients to travel for their in-person research, we are also offering our proprietary streaming solution for free during this outbreak, to aid clients while supporting best practices to reduce possible spread of infection.

BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN

Galloway Research was the first, and still the only, qualitative market research company that built out its own technology to run virtually our entire business.  Moving to cloud computing technology in 2005 (currently hosted on Amazon Web Services, or AWS), our entire project operations are virtual, enabling our project management, recruiting and leadership teams to work from home.  Teammates have been cross-trained by department, and by client, to ensure operational continuity.

If our San Antonio office needed to be closed due to emergency procedures, the only affected portion of our business would be our in-person research conducted there. Procedures are in place in the event that our office is required to close; however, the only element impacted would be the in-person research at that  location.  Recruitment, project management, support services and onsite management at other locations would see zero impact.

For clients seeking alternative solutions to in-person research, Galloway Research offers a variety of technologies and methodologies: telephone interviews; online focus groups; webcam interviews; mobile ethnographies; bulletin boards…these are just a sample of the solutions we can provide.  Our experience with these technologies and managing the research process, as well as helping clients with design and methodology choice, is extensive and spans several years of experience.  To learn more, please speak with your Account Manager, or contact us at 1-210-734-4346 or info@gallowayresearch.com

For clients seeking CANCELLATIONS AND POSTPONEMENTS

Part of our core values are “Do the right thing” and “Build positive relationships.” We want to assure you that when it comes to your project, we are not just thinking about today. We are also thinking about tomorrow and the relationship we work hard to establish with you long term. Cancellations and postponements will be reviewed with you directly by your Account Manager; our teams will work with you to help overcome project challenges relating to Coronavirus (or any future emergency that may require such actions, like weather or other uncontrollable acts). Please review our Terms and Conditions in advance of booking your study, and talk to your Account Manager about your project and how we will work with you should your research be disrupted.

CLOSE

We are here to help in the planning and execution of your important research. If you would like to discuss this topic as it relates to your project, please contact your Account Manager to discuss further.  For broader/business scope related items, feel free to reach out to David Galloway (President) at 210-734-4346:  this line is monitored for our clients 9am – 9 pm CST Monday – Friday.