Experts in communication,
brand and reputation research

Quality Assurance Statement

As Expert Witnesses on image and reputation, our rigorous standards and objectivity are recognised as the highest in the industry.  As founders of AMEC, the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communications, we are committed to the Barcelona Principles for effective, high quality measurement of public relations and communications.

Echo’s core quality principles:

  1. The highest standards of quality are embedded in our organisation’s culture and led from the top by our founder and CEO
  2. We have established procedures for core processes and quality control 
  3. We have an ongoing commitment to continuous improvement 
  4. Our quality standards ensure data quality and that final products fully meet our clients’ requirements and specifications.

All staff and analysts complete a training program with focus on quality and continuous improvement. Management is fully committed to our quality control processes.

We rigorously conduct research in accordance with the Market Research Society and ESOMAR Codes of Conduct and have quality control systems in place to ensure the consistent quality of all research, data entry and outputs, to detect and rectify any issues immediately.

We comply with the eight principles of the Data Protection Act which ensure that personal information is safe guarded however it is collected, recorded and used whether on paper, in a computer file or database or recorded on other material.

Key elements of Echo’s quality assurance process:

1. Project set up and briefing

  • Dedicated client contact team to ensure consistency in the client / Echo relationship.
  • Detailed scope of work agreed at the outset to ensure no ambiguity or unforeseen cost implications.
  • Project schedule outlining agreed delivery dates, milestones, deliverables, key actions and responsibilities.
  • Client sign-off on all research materials such as questionnaires, topic guides, coding frameworks and keywords.

2. Ongoing quality control

  • In-depth briefings of staff, analysts and fieldwork teams.
  • Rigorous checking of programming (survey, translations, coding framework, keywords) and ongoing quality control of sample, data entry and outputs by account team.
  • Regular quality control feedback to staff, analysts and fieldwork teams.
  • All outputs produced according to pre-agreed specifications and second-checked.

3. Final product and review

  • Reports subject to a two-stage editing process to check for actionable insight, relevance of content and accuracy of data, spelling, grammar and punctuation by senior editors.
  • Feedback from clients sought and welcomed at any stage of the project process through a clear lines of communication mechanism.
  • Client debrief and quality review meetings following final product delivery.
  • Annual client reviews conducted by Echo’s Group CEO to ensure full service satisfaction.

4.   Continuous improvement

  • Regular review of any quality issues at a management team level to identify, share and implement rectifiable actions for continuous improvement.

Echo will keep under review its policies and procedures to ensure that these remain appropriate and effective.

This statement is approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by:

 

 

 

Sandra Macleod, CEO, Echo Group Limited

May 2021