Pulse Train

About the company
Pulse Train is an international provider of specialist software and services to the marketing, market research and media research industries. Since our foundation in 1976, we have been at the forefront of supplying comprehensive and innovative software solutions for survey research applications to over 150 organisations across 35+ countries. Our products and services cover the entire research process from survey design, data collection and data processing to analysis and online reporting software. Our tools cater for all data-collection methods, including telephone (CATI), personal (CAPI) and internet-based interviewing (CAWI), as well as scanning solutions for paper questionnaires. Mixed-mode interviewing is fully supported.

Survey facilitation/analysis
Our bureau provides a comprehensive set of services built around our software – from questionnaire design, to web-based data collection (CAWI), scanning (of paper questionnaires) and delivery of results via innovative desktop and web-based systems. We support the widest range of data formats in the industry, via the SPSS data model.

Other services
We have industry-leading domain expertise and are able to offer a highly tailored, bespoke development service to those requiring software customisation to meet particular business requirements.

Distinctive features
The company truly embraces open standards and believes that by offering full interoperation with a wide variety of popular platforms (for example, SPSS, E-Tabs, Rosetta Studio), end-users are able to maximise their return on investment in technology by choosing components best suited to the task at hand.

Track record
Pulse Train is the longest-established European-headquartered provider of specialist software and services to the market research industry. We work with most of the top MR agencies and provide solutions that cater to the most demanding requirements.

Coverage
We have 150+ clients in 35+ countries and have representation in the UK, Russia, Spain, Italy, the US and Chile.

Major research elements supported
Questionnaire design The Visual QSL system allows the construction of simple or complex questionnaires for all data-collection modes (paper, phone, web).

Real-time analysis Pulsar® Web is the leading online analytics program in widespread use with a number of blue-chip companies. It is capable of delivering real-time data from our data-collection products.

Graphing/tabulation Pulsar (desktop) and Pulsar Web (web-based) deliver high-end interactive and graphics capabilities, working on a wide range of data sources. STAR provides traditional bulk-tabulation facilities.

Multi-language/languages supported All major languages supported, including doublebyte languages (Asian character sets). Datacollection tools support the use of up to 16 simultaneous languages for international projects.

Range of analysis tools STAR (bulk offline tabulation); Pulsar (desktop interactive tabulation); Pulsar Web (web-based interactive analytics).

Security HTTPs supported for secure Web transactions.

Offline methods supported Bellview® Scan is a leading paper questionnaire scanning system; Pulsar is an offline (PC-based) analysis system.

Ability for clients to access/manipulate data online? Yes.

Others Via a table format called XtabML, we are able to integrate tables generated in our software directly with products from partners who specialise in table browsing (E-Tabs) and the bulk generation of PowerPoint charts (Rosetta Studio), for example.

Training and technical support
A full range of beginner, intermediate and advanced training courses are available to be delivered either at client premises, our premises or over the web. Consultancy services are available to support all client activities and to cover workload peaks.

Client information
Size: 150+
Scale: International, 35+ countries
Specialist targets: Customers include many of the world’s leading research companies, including TNS, GfK, Ipsos and Research International.

Further information
We are the proud recipients of the 2005 Joint MRS/ASC Technology Effectiveness Award for our mixed-mode data-collection system, Bellview Fusion, which is currently being used by NORC in the US to execute one of the world’s largest and most complex social research projects, the National Immunization Survey (NIS), on behalf of the US Federal Government. We were also shortlisted for the same award in 2006 for our online analysis tool, Pulsar® Web.