Whilst our approach to marketing (or lack thereof) could be classed as a little bit silly, there’s something that we’re serious about at Omnisis (besides Manchester bands, of course) – and that’s upholding the highest possible standards when it comes to data quality.

It’s no secret that bad data is one of the biggest threats to the market research industry, requiring companies to spend an ever-increasing amount of post-survey time cleaning and re-fielding results. It’s why we created Sheep Dip, a process that pre-cleans your data to remove improper respondents before they even start.

After all – as a business, we are nothing without the quality and integrity of our data. And we stand by it. Our post-survey kick-out rate averages under 5%, vs the industry norm, which is closer to 30%. This is because our loyalty is to our clients and the quality of their data – not to panel companies trying to keep numbers looking tidy.

So when we were given the opportunity to sign up for the GDQ Data Quality Excellence Pledge, it was an easy “hell yes”. Just like a warm summer’s day and The Buzzcocks “Ever Fallen In Love?”, it was a partnership that, to us, just made sense. The only problem has just been how long it’s taken us to sign it – that damned “to do” list.

The commitments in the pledge mean that we have faithfully promised to…

Uphold Rigorous Data Quality Standards

• Implement documented processes to verify participant consent and identity.
• Maintain strong technology and operational procedures.
• Secure every research instrument from start to finish.
  

Provide Transparency

• Clearly disclose sample types, data quality metrics, and methodologies or standards used (such as ISO or internal SOPs).
• Use consistent, industry-approved terminology around data quality.
  

Protect Participant Experience and Rights

• Comply with ethical codes and privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR).
• Follow best practices in questionnaire design to protect participant rights.
  

Enable Education and Collaboration

• Regularly review and improve standards.
• Train employees and partners in data quality best practices.
• Contribute to broader industry knowledge and improvement.
  

Participate Actively in GDQ Initiatives

• Maintain membership in at least one recognised industry association.
• Support data quality-related activities and adopt consistent language and practices.

Now don’t get us wrong – these are all things that we have already been doing quietly behind the scenes for over 20 years. But as the demand for cheap data creates a breeding ground for low-quality and obfuscation of sample sources, it’s more important than ever for us to publicly pledge our commitment to upholding the quality and integrity of ours.

Brian Cooper, Managing Director at Omnisis, said “Bad data wastes time, money, and, ultimately, trust. Our industry is going through a difficult enough time as it is without that trust being eroded further by avalanches of bad data. As I often tell clients and prospective clients, our loyalty lies with them – delivering data they can trust means we’ve done our job. The GDQ Quality Data Pledge reflects what we’ve been doing for years: putting quality first, protecting participant experience, and holding ourselves to standards that actually mean something.”

You can read all about the GDQ Data Quality Excellence Pledge here.