While stakeholder focus groups are usually seen as the best formal method of researching stakeholder needs and expectations, there are other methods for learning more about what stakeholders want.

Written (or email) surveys

Using simple, easy to understand survey forms, containing questions that will give you the information you want

Telephone surveys

Where stakeholders are called by phone to give answers to simple, straightforward and brief questions

Walkup interviews

Where stakeholders are interviewed when they visit your area, using a structured interview

Stakeholder interviews

Where meetings are planned with individual stakeholders to elicit answers to questions you have pre-planned

Joining stakeholders on their team or yours

Where you attend relevant meetings with your stakeholders–either on their territory or yours–so that you can follow their changing needs, receive regular communications and obtain continuing feedback

Intermediaries research 

Where research is conducted with intermediaries between your service area and the end-user of your services to help determine what end users really want and need

Meetings

Where representatives of your service area attend stakeholders' meetings, to learn of their problems and become familiar with their plans and goals

Employee feedback

Where you regularly probe your own employees' experience with stakeholders and ask them what services they think stakeholders want and how they want them delivered

Taking the stakeholders' place

Where you literally take the stakeholders' place and work your way through the kinds of processes they might go through in order to access your services

Stakeholder complaints 

Where the nature and frequency of complaints made by stakeholders is documented to provide a picture of the points at which your service falls short of their expectations 

Adapted from 2004 Monash University ABN 12 377 614 012  Last updated: 23 May 2005 – Maintained by cheq@adm.monash.edu.au