Escalent is a leading research, data analytics and advisory firm that helps clients understand human and market behaviours to navigate disruption.
We recently connected with Susan Collicott, Information Designer at Escalent, to explore how they have streamlined their reporting process and achieved faster turnaround times through report automation.
Escalent’s Reporting Issues
Escalent used to manually create charts and tables in Excel, and then link them to their PowerPoint reports. Their reports relied heavily on Excel macros for data entry and conditional formatting. These macros would perform statistical testing to highlight significant differences between data points and dynamically update brand icons, logos, and other visual elements.
Excel macros are not flexible, once you have set up your automation it is fixed. When Escalent faced reporting variance such as changes to number of brands/competitors in the tables, the macro does not automatically adapt to accommodate the new data. Therefore, these macros were constantly rewritten to accommodate small changes. This process was not only slow but prone to human error, which further increased their workload by multiple days.
“Even once the reports had been completed, the research team would have to quality check them individually due to potential errors when manually inputting the data.“
Escalent’s team was using this process for over 300 reports!!! It became apparent that a more efficient solution was needed.
The Solution … E-Tabs Enterprise!
Escalent came across E-Tabs Enterprise back in 2010 when working on a large automotive tracking study. Since then, Escalent has embedded Enterprise into their workflow to streamline all their repetitive reports, making them more accurate and ensuring a speedy turnaround.
“E-Tabs made it possible to turn around reports quicker than ever. Researchers no longer had to scrutinise 300 reports for errors. They verified a couple, and once automation was set, minimal oversight was needed!”
Susan Collicott,
Information Designer, Escalent
Susan highlighted a few key features of E-Tabs Enterprise that were vital for Escalent’s reporting.
Modelling
Template ‘modelling’ and ‘looping’ is when you create an initial core template, which can be automated to create multiple outputs, such as multi-country, syndicated and segmentation reports.
Through E-Tabs’ Template Modelling, from just 2 template slides, Escalent were able to mass produce 100’s of slides, rather than manually creating each slide by hand. This has been particularly useful for their automotive multi-segment reports.
Significance Testing & Conditional Formatting
Escalent also apply conditional formatting, using symbols and colouring to highlight significant differences between data points. With E-Tabs Enterprise, these symbols can be fully automated, ensuring the conditional formatting is precisely applied to each report.
With Enterprise, you can seamlessly adjust report formatting to reflect data fluctuations in every output. Brand logos, flags, indicators, and other visual elements can be automatically positioned within charts and tables. Text updates can be dynamically generated based on values, incorporating standard analysis. This allows for both consistency and customization in every update.
Flexibility
Enterprise has provided Escalent with ultimate flexibility. E-Tabs Enterprise automatically handles the variation between data files for you. For example, if there are changes to the number of competitor brands between each required report, the charts will automatically adjust to accommodate your changes. This feature was game-changing for Escalent since their reports varied frequently and they were unable to keep up with manually updating the macros.
Beyond adapting to structural changes, Enterprise isn’t restricted to fixed data locations. It intelligently locates information based on text, variables, and ranges, ensuring seamless updates even when brand names change between waves or markets. Whether dealing with different brand names, fluctuating numbers of brands, or changing data structures, Enterprise takes it all in stride, automating adjustments effortlessly and keeping every report accurate and up to date.
Evolving and Improving
Escalent are constantly looking for the best way forward, and through their partnership with E-Tabs (over the past 14 years) their reporting process is simpler than ever.
At E-Tabs, we are committed to delivering exceptional products and services. To ensure our partners get the most out of our solutions, we regularly conduct beta testing programs, provide ongoing support, and offer in-depth training to make your reporting experience as good as it can be.
Your feedback is invaluable, as it helps us refine our offerings and continue evolving to meet your needs. We’re always striving to evolve and improve, and your insights play a vital role in our journey.
“E-Tabs is constantly evolving. It’s an evolving piece of software, and with that, things improve.”
Susan Collicott,
information Designer, Escalent
Watch Susan Collicott’s Quirk’s Chicago video presentation where she details how E-Tab’s report automation has radically improves how Escalent produce reports:
Click here to learn more about E-Tabs Enterprise.