Saros' History

Now in our 10th year, Saros Research has seen some dramatic changes in the qualitative research recruitment landscape over that time.

Back in 1999 everyone was telling us 'databases were illegal', clipboards were forever, and anyway that email and internet stuff is never going to catch on...

Since then a great deal has changed, and we have changed too.  Looking back its hard to believe how much we invested in 2000 in the latest paper form scanning technology, to capture all those application forms - in fact, we did that before we got around to doing the website! 

Of course, we do still get the occasional application on paper and we are open to all, and the postal address 'Freepost Saros' still reaches our door, but the world has changed more than any of us ever expected.

Saros started VERY small, for the first year and a half consisting essentially of one woman with a phone and a laptop, trying to create some buzz about this new idea.  We knew our new way of approaching the task - recruit people to a database first, then screen them into suitable projects - was the logical way to go about it, following extensive research in other markets, but we still had a 'chicken and egg' situation - why would anyone join a database to take part in research events that didn't yet exist for a company with no clients?  A lot of persuasion and different ways of reaching out to people were needed, before we could go looking for work recruiting for researchers.

As the database and administration exploded, Saros grew in turn, adding new team members who could deliver the same passion and commitment to quality without compromise.

Over the past decade we have reached the point of employing 8 full time staff, dozens of interviewers and contractors, and a database of over 200,000 potential participants...  We've grown carefully, strategically, and responsively, holding true to our founding values, and now have a fantastic team delivering a great service across a range of specialisms.