Screen Engine/ASI is the leader of content research in the entertainment industry powered by one of the industry’s largest audience benchmark databases. They collaborate with studios, networks, and creators to engage real audiences at every stage of the movie and tv program creative process. This approach helps improve both viewing and financial performance through a unique mix of in-person methods and proprietary digital testing software. As one of the top 25 U.S. market research firms, Screen Engine interviews over 1 million respondents annually and has tested over 2,000 screenings.
The Challenge: In after 9 PM, Out by 5 AM.
Screen Engine’s movie and TV clients run screenings at 9 PM and request results by 5 AM the next business day. High-quality coding requires intimate knowledge of the movie/show storyline and manual coding. Before working with Ascribe, Screen Engine coders worked in-house overnight, coding open-end responses via Excel and creating the final report. Coding managers manually merged spreadsheets to track progress and adjust workloads among coders to ensure studies were completed on time.
When COVID hit, coders had to work remotely, and results suffered. Codrs no longer benefited from collaboration and timely feedback and coding managers lost visibility into the progress of the work. Delivering results on-time became an even greater challenge.
The Solution: Coder and the Support of The Ascribe Team
Screen Engine needed a new solution. While exploring several different platforms, they were immediately impressed by the Ascribe Team and their demo of Coder.
This Coder platform has been designed by coders for coders. I could see that the productivity results were going to be incredible.
Noelani Durfee • Associate Director of Data Processing • Screen Engine/ASI
Coder Provides Powerful Admin Tools which Ensure On-Time Delivery
Coder’s Time Accounting Admin tool provides constant visibility into the coding process. Features include:
- Constant visibility into each project to ensure proper staffing.
- Visibility of the progress and metrics of each coder.
- Ability to quickly edit codes during quality review.
Coding Managers can track Studies and Questions in progress. Coding can also be tracked by period, by study, and by question. Noelani says,
Coder makes the supervisor process more seamless. It is easy to set up the project, and you can see what is still in process and what’s completed. You can even use graphics to communicate project status more quickly. We have HUGE visibility now.
Coder’s Advanced Innovations Code Faster and More Accurately.
When appropriate to the project, Screen Engine uses the following Coder features:
- Coding Assistant suggests codes for responses based on the last response coded
- Duplicate List identifies duplicate codes in a codebook to be deleted
- Custom scripted outputs export the data in the way desired. Neolani explains,
Before, exporting the data was an hour-and-half process. I worked with the Ascribe team to create a custom script to export the data the way that we want it to look. Now, it only takes 5 minutes to export the data, a huge time savings for us. Subsequently, Ascribe created custom scripts for other projects that needed a different export.
Additional features used by Screen Engine include Regular Expressions to match patterns in text, an Inconsistency Report which identifies when identical responses are coded differently, and AI Coder which builds a theme-based codebook and can code the responses rapidly.
The Ascribe Team Provides Training and Support.
Screen Engine’s team appreciates the 24/7 Training and Support provided by the Ascribe team to ensure Coder supports their business needs and reflects the way they want to work. Noelani shares,
Ascribe did as many training sessions as needed to trail all our coders and the Screen Engine staff. Ascribe also put together custom manuals giving coders and supervisors step-by-step instructions on the process.
When I say 24/7 support, I can send them an email and they will return it quickly with what I need to do. If needed, they will meet with me to take me through the steps that need to be done.
Screen Engine’s Coders Love Coder.
Noelani reported,
Our coders adapted very quickly. Once they saw the process and how easy it was, they knew it was great. Using Coder has improved their job satisfaction. For those few projects we still have to do in Excel, everyone wishes they could use Coder.
And Screen Engine’s supervisors love Coder too. Noelani continued,
The ability to collaborate is a huge win. I can now have more than one coder on a question. I can put 5 coders, or more, on a question to get it done quickly.
The Results — Significant ROI.
Screen Engine experienced a significant return on investment with Coder by improving coding productivity dramatically. They are consistently delivering projects on-time and are able to take on more overnight projects. For example, by moving from Excel to Coder on a project with nine open ends and 271 respondents, Screen Engine reduced coding time from 31 hours to 10 hours, a savings of ~70%.
We are thrilled with the results from working with Ascribe. We have had a huge return on investment. We now are consistently delivering projects on-time and are able to take on more overnight projects. And, we have happy coders.
To watch a video of Noelani’s presentation at Quirk’s Chicago, click here.
Are you interested in the benefits of coding ROI through better coding management, time savings, and increased coder satisfaction? Contact Ascribe today!