Received a Call?
If you have received a call from National Field Services inviting you to participate in a market research project, here's some information that may address your concerns:
Why should you answer the questions?
Your participation and opinion are valuable in shaping decisions made by businesses and government agencies. Market research helps identify issues, understand community needs, and implement measures to address them effectively. By participating, you contribute to the improvement of products, services, and policies.
What's in it for you?
Your input can directly influence decisions that may impact you. Additionally, some research projects offer incentives as a token of appreciation for your time and input. The details of any incentives, such as prize draws or other rewards, would be communicated to you upfront by the National Field Services team.
Do Not Call Register and privacy concerns:
The Do Not Call Register is primarily intended for telemarketers trying to sell products or services. Market research calls are not considered telemarketing as they focus on collecting opinions and do not involve sales. Telephone numbers are chosen at random, and participants' opinions remain anonymous. Privacy is protected under the Australian Privacy Principles and the Market and Social Research Privacy Code (2014), which ensure that your personal information is treated confidentially and used only for research purposes.
Leaving messages:
As a market research company, National Field Services mainly uses random sampling when dialing Australian households and businesses. If you are unavailable when called, they may move on to another number to minimize disruption. While they may call you back to increase the likelihood of your participation, they generally do not leave messages to ensure prompt contact during the active phase of the project.
Silent numbers:
National Field Services may obtain telephone numbers randomly or from existing databases to ensure a broad representation of participants. This may include silent numbers, particularly for studies that require input from diverse groups, including those who may be vulnerable.
Privacy protection:
National Field Services, as an AMSRO accredited market research organization, adheres to the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and the Market and Social Research Privacy Code (2014). These regulations govern the collection, retention, use, and disclosure of personal information in market and social research. The Code imposes additional requirements to guarantee confidentiality and privacy for research participants. The team at National Field Services operates under the AMSRS Code of Professional Behaviour, which further ensures ethical conduct, data confidentiality, and privacy in research activities.