Content newsletter May 2009:
NIPO Fieldwork System 1.10 Update release Nfield Code 1.0.1 release Nvision Script 1.2 release announcement NIPO CAPI System 5.05 release announcement Ipsos Markinor launches private sensitive mixed mode survey Nfield
On the 18th of May we released an update of the NIPO Fieldwork System 1.10. We solved a number of issues that were important to you. In addition we implemented some new features. We are pleased to have presented this update to you all. NIPO Software communicated earlier that the focus of our future development efforts will be on our new data collection suite Nfield. However, many NIPO Software users have urged the need for more development in the NIPO Fieldwork System. As a result, in September of this year we will release the NFS 1.11. This version will contain extended functionality in the Fieldwork Management System (FMS) and the Manager. In anticipation of the NFS 1.11 release, your organization will already benefit from upgrading to the NFS 1.10 Update as several inconveniences have been solved and some high demanded functionality is already added in this NFS 1.10 Update. Upon customer demand, we implemented a MRDCL export option in the NIPO Odin Developer. The MRDCL software package is used by several of our customers in the Asian Pacific and Latin American market. These customers can now automatically export data and Meta data into MRDCL for making tables and graphs. Next to this export option, some extended interviewer planning capabilities have been implemented in the NFS FMS.
The update is available as a complete package for the entire NFS from our website or as separate downloads for each module of the NFS. Please read the Release notes carefully for a complete instruction on how to update your system. The complete list of implementations of the NFS 1.10 update can be found in the Release notes [Top] Nfield Code 1.0.1 release In our latest newsletter we announced the release of Nfield Code 1.0 during March 2009. Nfield Code is our new coding module. Now we are glad to inform you that Nfield Code 1.0.1 has been released on 27 April last. NIPO Software is committed to fully support Nfield Code. For this reason we are pleased to present the first update shortly after the first release. Your organization will strongly benefit from Nfield Code because it allows you to deal with the handling of open answers in a highly efficient and intuitive way. Nfield Code will boost the productivity of your coding department significantly. Please note that NIPO Software will continue to support our Ascribe integration.
The update can be downloaded from the NIPO Software website. The update contains no major changes but you will find that working with the application will become easier and more pleasant to work with. Another release for Nfield Code is planned for the summer of 2009. [Top] Nvision Script 1.2 release announcement
Nvision Script is the successor of NIPO Diana. NIPO Diana is used for many years within research organizations around the world for tabulation and data manipulation. As the NIPO Diana product was becoming outdated, the time was ready for a ground up rebuilt. Nvision Script is making use of the latest Microsoft .Net capabilities, the styling is GUI driven. The general screen layout of the Nvision Script application consists of four different resizable panes which all satisfy different functionality: 1. pane for browsing network drives for easier access to files and folders; 2. an output browser; through this pane users can quickly browse to results; 3. a log pane, in which log lines are written. The log level can be set through the options menu; 4. a result pane/editor pane in which jobs are scripted and results are shown. Users are free to enable or disable the panes to their own liking. Only the editor pane is always enabled. Nvision Script 1.2 is targeted on improving usability and navigation. We slightly altered the layout of the application. A toolbar for easy access to the most often used functions is added. Nvision Script has close integration with all products of the Microsoft Office suite, PDF and HTML. All data collected through our data collection products can seamlessly be exported to Nvision Script. All users of NIPO Diana will be presented with a version of Nvision Script at the beginning of July 2009. More details will follow later. [Top] NIPO CAPI System 5.05 release announcement Over the past period, much attention was paid by NIPO Software in order to improve the NIPO CAPI System. Multiple new features are added and attention is given in order to make the system more robust. You may notice that we make a leap from version 5.02 directly to version 5.05 and this leap is reflected in the number of changes to the software. The NIPO CAPI System, and the CAPI Client in particular, are undergoing a complete overhaul. As a result, our customers will benefit from a more stable, more user friendly and more powerful system. For the NIPO CAPI System 5.05, we consider the most important changes to be: • Optimized address handling • Additional features on bitmap questions • New configuration options • New options for finding and resolving configuration errors • Increased support for use of Flash in questionnaires • Updated look and feel of the application With the launch of the NIPO CAPI System 5.05, NIPO Software is convinced to offer the leading product again for industrial electronic face to face interviewing. During August 2009 all NIPO CAPI users will receive the NIPO CAPI System 5.05. We would like to thank our Beta testing customers for their efforts and valuable feedback. [Top] Ipsos Markinor launches private sensitive mixed mode survey Ipsos Markinor recently launched a mixed mode survey for the local government of Cape Town. Ipsos Markinor is one of South Africa's leading market research agencies specialized in marketing, media, public opinion, advertising and loyalty survey research. Anneke Greyling, Client Service Director at Ipsos Markinor, comments: "This project is extremely complex to handle. Over 21,000 employees of the City of Cape Town are invited to participate in an employee satisfaction survey. This survey also deals with topics like fraud. Just more than 11,000 employees will have the opportunity to complete the online survey, while 10,000 will complete hard copies. Online research in South Africa is already challenging due to low levels of internet penetration and relatively low computer literacy, but due to the nature of these topics it is even more challenging." As not every employee has internet access and the City is keen that the data is collected in the most efficient way, Ipsos Markinor decided to propose a Mixed Mode approach. The majority of the staff is approached online; those who do not have internet access are approached with a paper questionnaire. Anneke Greyling continues: "NIPO Software was able to help us with this project. The online survey is conducted through the NIPO fieldwork System for Web interviewing and hosted on NIPO Software's infrastructure. NIPO Software was able to offer a solution that fully guarantees anonymity". Ipsos Markinor prepared the questionnaire in-house and supplied it to NIPO Software. The same questionnaire is also used for data entry in NIPO Software's data entry client. In this way, all efforts take place only once making sure that Ipsos Markinor will conduct this project in a competitive and highly cost efficient way. In this particular project, the respondents trust in the anonymity is crucial. Anneke Greyling states: "For that reason specific attention is paid to informing the respondent about how the anonymity is guaranteed. We are aiming at a 30% response rate for this project, which is really challenging". Both the NIPO Fieldwork System for CAWI and NIPO Software’s data entry client are being used in this project.
If you are also interested in sharing your experiences regarding the deployment of NIPO Software within your organization, please contact Meike Elskamp at m.elskamp@niposoftware.com [Top] Nfield In previous newsletters we have announced that NIPO Software is developing the next version of its data collection system. This new system -called Nfield- is targeted to replace the current NIPO Fieldwork system for CATI from 2010 onwards and the systems for Web and CAPI soon after. In this newsletter we want to describe why we are developing the Nfield system. At NIPO Software we believe that our core strength has always been our commitment to support and improve the operational process of our customers. Many of the now standard solutions in the Market Research landscape have been invented or pioneered by NIPO Software. Think for example about electronic panels, remote interviewing (CATI@home), switch mode interviewing, and virtual call centres. With our current platform we feel that we have reached a point in the product lifecycle that does not allow us anymore to remain in the frontline of innovation. And although we truly believe in the power of our current suites, and stand 100% behind the NIPO Fieldwork System, we feel the time has come for us to move on. To take a next step in the design of our software so we can answer the challenges you place upon. Nfield is that next step. Nfield will offer you a system that can grow with your operations; from a hosted environment to a global multi-mode solution. Nfield will offer you more flexibility, more control, and an overall better user experience. And due to our Dutch roots, it will also be a system that saves money by supporting and strengthening your operational processes. Our data collection software has one goal; to make your company more successful. With Nfield NIPO Software will release a new generation of data collection software that will not only allow you to collect data effectively and efficiently but it supports your complete data collection and delivery process; fully customisable and intuitive. In the coming months we will slowly lift the veil on Nfield and give you sneak previews of its functionality, starting with an overview of the possibilities for managing sample and sample distribution in Nfield. [Top]