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Estimated reading time: 5 min 23 s

Médiamétrie's two survey sites are its base for conducting media research over the telephone and online. Featuring robust and innovative survey equipment, these centres can count on loyal interviewers who receive training on a continuous basis. Their swift response to the public health crisis involved setting up remote working so that quality collection of audience data could be continued.

Qualified survey teams

To collect data for its research, Médiamétrie operates two survey sites 365 days a year: the Amiens site has been in operation since 2000, and the second site at Petit-Quevilly in the Rouen area has been open since 2006. Stéphanie Ingot, Surveys & Panels Production Director at Médiamétrie commented: "Near to Paris, these sites are open to our customers who visit regularly. We opt for transparency and share our methods with them."

On these two sites, Médiamétrie possesses an efficient and reactive production facility for audience surveys (EAR, MÉTRIDOM, etc.) and for the different research studies entrusted to Médiamétrie by customers from a wide variety of other sectors.

The average age of those working at these survey sites is 31 years old. There are interviewers, supervisors, controllers, production managers, survey production managers, survey schedulers and panellist relationship managers, etc. They are responsible for studies, starting with the preparation and upstream planning stages through to administering the survey, monitoring quotas and quality control, and right up to results delivery.

Marine Bigard, People Relations Manager, described recruitment: "Our campaigns aim to recruit part-time temporary and/or permanent telephone interviewers, both men and women. We look for good interpersonal skills and know-how: applicants need to be rigorous, dynamic, and cheerful, so that it comes across on each call. They need to be at ease socially, skilled with computers and ready to deal with objections during calls."

Marie-Hélène Leroux, Head of Internal Relations at the Survey Sites summed up the qualities of a good interviewer: "At ease on the telephone, cheerful, a team player who can achieve daily targets and show empathy. Also, they should be meticulous because the methodology and quality are paramount. Media literacy is a bonus.”

In total over the two sites, there are 359 employees, more than three-quarters of whom are on permanent contracts. They remain loyal to the company – the average length of service is almost 6 years. Employees on fixed-term or temporary contracts are recruited during seasonal production peaks.

Stéphanie Ingot stressed: "Team loyalty is one of our strengths, particularly thanks to the permanent job contracts on offer. Interviewers are selected and coached according to our quality criteria. We benefit from broad profiles from juniors to seniors with different career paths.”

Training is essential at Médiamétrie to guarantee high quality studies. So, each year, the teams receive about 15,000 hours of training, a field in which the company has tremendous expertise.

Both survey sites hold ISO 9001 LRQA certification, which gives Médiamétrie a guarantee of the quality and security of their output. Teams from the CESP (French Centre for the Study of Advertising Media) regularly audit questionnaire administration; they are mandated by Médiamétrie's customers, whether in face-to-face or remote modes.

Innovative survey technologies

Both survey sites have the technology in place to conduct telephone interviews – CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) and online interviews – CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing). Some surveys even mix the two systems: "Thanks to a CATI / CAWI mix, an interviewee may choose, for example, to start the survey by telephone and finish it online, which facilitates collection," reported Stéphanie Ingot.

Surveys are structured so as to meet the demands for quality, rigour and speed, based on telephony/IT convergence principles (call prediction and interactive voice servers). "We benefit from efficient survey tools with the most up to date software packages," Stéphanie Ingot rejoiced.

Telephone surveys rely on the Média'Compo system, which was developed by Médiamétrie. It is based on an innovative algorithm that can instantly identify which person(s) to interview according to daily quotas. In 2016, Média'Compo won the Trophée Argent (Silver Trophy) in the "Innovation in Data Collection" category.

In 2020, Médiamétrie carried out close on one million interviews of which 330,000 were conducted online. Stéphanie Ingot added: "We're observing an increase and acceleration in mobile use in households. The challenge is to find and interview the "right" household to meet the quotas of interviewees.”

The survey sites also manage all of the panellists who participate in Médiamétrie's audience measurement. Panel managers and expert panel interviewers coordinate all the data and relationships with the 60,000 panellists.

Setting up remote working for surveys

When the pandemic struck, Médiamétrie had to quickly switch its interviewers to remote working. These changes required the Médiamétrie teams to be responsive whether they worked in production or in the support units. During the first lockdown in 2020, up to 170 interviewers worked remotely.

As in many professions, remote working has been partially retained and a charter has been drawn up to divide working hours between the office and working from home. Today, more than 80 interviewers work remotely for 75% of their hours. They are supported by a dedicated coordinator, who organises and manages their daily workload and provides a connection to the survey sites.

Interviewers always commence working on site and can switch to remote working later. Each request to work remotely is considered to ensure that the activity carried will ensure the quality of the surveys; a quiet space and good internet connection are required. Médiamétrie and the interviewer agree a charter which sets out how the activity is expected to be carried out. Interviewers only use equipment provided by Médiamétrie.

The process for survey follow-up is the same whether the interviewers are working remotely or in the office. Quality control, remote listening and training are all conducted as normal.

Beyond simply carrying out the surveys, it is essential to maintain the bonds that unite the teams, which are very strong at Médiamétrie. We run weekly get-togethers which focus on the news and results of Médiamétrie's studies, as well as on the media more generally. Marie-Hélène Leroux said: "Production challenges and activities are run throughout the year."

Rick Lefèvre, Médiamétrie interviewer in Amiens, permanent contract

What do you like about your job as an interviewer at Médiamétrie?

I like being able to work and study at the same time; I can fit my studies around my work hours. It's nice to be able to do both.

Before I started working for Médiamétrie, I didn't even know what audience measurement was. I had to learn from scratch. Working at Médiamétrie helps me to stay connected with new technologies and keep abreast of changes in the media.

How did the transition to remote working go? Did it suit you?

At first, it was a bit confusing – being at home and not having work colleagues around, missing the office buzz. Logistically, I had to learn to get online using different means.

I discovered a new way of working from home while staying in touch with the team and our contacts. The support is great, even remotely, and I find it easy to combine remote working and working in the office. This way of working suits me perfectly.

Laure Osmanian Molinero