FAQ

In terms of technological equipment, Zins Beauchesne and Associates has access to 55 computer-assisted interviewing stations (CATI), providing real-time data entries and ongoing monitoring and eavesdropping of surveys in progress to control the quality of our survey results.

Our offices are also equipped with rooms for conducting focus groups, with an observation room and a recording system.

Our surveys can be conducted in person, over the phone, by mail, via the Internet, or by intercept (in a shopping centre, for instance). Often, different means are combined to get the best possible results for a study. Depending on the survey, the sampling methods are probabilistic or non-probabilistic.

Of course, there’s no standard study, so there’s no standard time to conduct a study. Everything depends on the scope (size of the market under study, geographic areas in question, number of respondents targeted, etc.).
Nonetheless, in general, a survey can go on for two to six weeks, a market study takes four to eight weeks, and a marketing plan requires six to twelve weeks.

As with the length of an assignment, the cost will depend on many factors, such as:

• The number of activities included in the assignment (survey, focus group, interviews with experts, secondary data searches, recommendations, etc.)
• The number of respondents
• The questionnaire length
• The incidence rate (population % that meets the survey criteria)

The partners of Zins Beauchesne and Associates personally take part in each study and they all have extensive training and consulting experience.

Our President, Michel Zins, Ph.D., has been working as a consultant for 30 years, as have Renée Dubé, M.Sc., who has been a partner for 25 years.

All our client agreements contain a confidentiality clause stipulating that Zins Beauchesne and Associates will keep confidential all information collected as a result of our work for a client. At the client’s request, specific confidentiality agreements can be signed by all the consultants who work on the assignment.

Yes, when requested, Zins Beauchesne and Associates can assist the client in implementing a strategic plan or plan of action and in conducting follow-ups on the study results and recommendations.

In many cases, our consultants will sit on management committees to ensure there is continuity between the study, the planning, and the implementation stages.

When a study requires it, the services of Zins Beauchesne and Associates may be extended to operational aspects, notably through our network of suppliers and partners.

Zins Beauchesne and Associates carries out many assignments throughout Canada, across North America, and around the world. We have our own information and contact networks and benefit from the support of international partners. However, our professionals plan, coordinate, supervise, and analyze results for every mandate.

Zins Beauchesne and Associates has worked with clients in the following countries.

• North America
  • Canada
  • Mexico
  • United States
• Europe
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Czech Republic
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • The Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • United Kingdom
• Asia and Pacific
  • Australia
  • China
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Japan
  • Laos
  • Philippines
  • South Korea
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Vietnam
• Latin America and West Indies
  • Brazil
  • Jamaica
  • Panama
• North Africa
  • Algeria
  • Morocco
  • Tunisia
• Middle East
  • Lebanon
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Turkey

Zins Beauchesne and Associates has built an enviable reputation for competence, professional rigour, confidentiality, and customized service. We’re also known for:

• Comprehensive marketing services that provide a continuum of assistance from research to planning
• Our avant-garde expertise in many economic sectors
• Our flexibility and rapid response

“Socio-styles” is a market segmentation tool specific to Québec that Zins Beauchesne and Associates has used since 1996. It provides a classificatory framework for Québec social habits, based on a 1995 survey of 4,200 respondents and another one in year 2000 survey of 3,034 respondents. It deals with subjects as diverse and exhaustive as consumer trends, points of interest, the media, political views on major problems, social life, private life (family, hobbies), as well as ideas and objectives. This classificatory framework breaks the population down by lifestyle, as well as on the basis of traditional socio-demographic data. It’s a highly novel and comprehensive tool for understanding the social habits of Quebec men and women.