About Us
Symphony Research is a new company in name only. It was previously the Research International CATI unit which has been in existence since 1999. It still retains the existing Management team and Call Centre Team Leaders. In October 2012 OCIS NZ merged with Symphony Research. This has positioned Symphony Research as the largest and arguably most experienced data collection agency in New Zealand. The collective management team has overseen several hundred thousand computer assisted telephone interviews, contributing to a wealth of knowledge and expertise.
We strive for the highest quality professional service for clients, and Symphony Research prides itself on offering the highest research standards. We have full in-house data processing capabilities.
As detailed below, the members of this Team possess unsurpassed levels of knowledge and experience. The key members of the team individually have over 50 years of hands on experience – something which we challenge any other organisation to get close to, let alone exceed. Normally this level of experience is tied up in management, who are client facing, yet do very little of the day-to-day, hands on work. This is typically undertaken by junior staff who rarely are mentioned or are permitted to be client facing. Management are often too expensive to really be involved with a project.
With our team, the senior people are involved in all aspects of the project – we immerse ourselves in our work. So what does this mean for you? We know everything that is going on, and are on top of challenges before they become problems. We live and breathe the data and information so we can bring a greater level of understanding to each and every project.
Our cost structure is such that you get outstanding value for money. We don’t carry large corporate overheads and we don’t have any management fees to provide to an overseas owner. We aren’t limited by internal structures that focus on policies and guidelines – we focus on our work and exceeding the expectations of those we work with. We do have state of the art equipment, as well as tried and proven processes.
And we are passionate about the work that we do. We are selective about who we work for and work with, as we seek true partnerships, rather than short term ad hoc supplier arrangements. We are the best organisation for you. We are confident that we offer a compelling value proposition in terms of experience and cost.
Symphony Research is a member of AMRO (Association of Market Research Organisations). In addition Symphony Research are members of both AMSRO and AMSRS, the affiliated Australian Market Research Associations.
Key Personnel
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Donna Willis,
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Market Research Director |
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With over 30 years Market Research industry experience, Donna offers a wealth of research acumen and expertise. Her career has spanned roles as a Call Centre Manager, General Manager (TNS Operations, New Zealand) encompassing 20 years’ service for TNS and MR Director of OCIS NZ for 5 years. Her expertise covers all areas of Operational Management covering all industries and she has a key interest in B2B and Customer Satisfaction Studies.
Donna is a working partner in Symphony Research and services clients in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Memberships:
- Full member of AMSRS
- Full member of AMRO
- Qualified internal ISO auditor
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| donna@symphony-research.co.nz |
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Raewyn Toloa,
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Research and Operations Director |
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Raewyn has been in market research for over 15 years. She started her career initially in an operations role, as a data analyst moving through the ranks to lead a team of data analysts as the Information Services manager, responsible for many tracking and adhoc projects, which required managing New Zealand and global projects for the wider company network.
At Research International Raewyn made the move to client services in 2007 and has five years’ work experience in client services in which she moved up to the position of Account Director where she was responsible for a large government project and large scale projects for renowned New Zealand businesses and industry.
In her career Raewyn has worked for Research International and TNS.
At Symphony Research, Raewyn heads up the team of Project Managers and DP Analysts who work closely with clients, tailoring all scripting, sampling and output requirements to ensure the research objective is met. They add value by applying their expertise and collaborating with clients to produce insightful, flexible and cost effective reporting solutions – from standard table sets and data files to dashboard reports and customised project or client specific reporting solutions. |
| raewyn@symphony-research.co.nz |
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Grant Innes,
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Operations Manager |
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Grant also joined Symphony Research from Research International where he worked as International Project Co-coordinator, managing all third party projects coming through the TNS network.
In the Operations Manager role, Grant is able to combine over a decade of experience in the industry to ensure the smooth running of the Symphony team. Having previously spent more than five years in project management, Grant understands the needs of the client and works to ensure that at all times the Symphony team finds solutions to fulfil our client’s requirements to the highest standard.
Currently running a team of over 100 Interviewers, Team Leaders, Supervisors and Coordinators, Grant is an expert identifying issues or challenges at any stage and is adept in taking appropriate action to avoid or negate risk.
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| grant@symphony-research.co.nz |
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Emma Gannaway,
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Project Manager |
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Project Manager Emma has over 10 years’ experience in the Market Research industry. Emma has held many positions within the industry, starting off as an Interviewer with AC Nielsen and progressing through various roles such as Supervisor for OCIS NZ to become CATI Co-ordinator with Symphony. Promoted to the position of Project Manager in 2015, she has brought a high level of organisation and experience to the role.
Her role covers the entire research process from, briefings/training, questionnaire changes to following up/cleaning raw data to sending out updates to liaising with clients on final data outputs. Emma is experienced in all fieldwork methodologies and particularly enjoys finding solutions outside the box to make sure all client needs are met.
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| emma@symphony-research.co.nz |
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