Selecting the right report automation vendor is a critical decision for any market research company. The right partner goes beyond saving time for your business, they help improve productivity, accuracy and consistency across the reporting process, allowing you to stay ahead of the curve. Smart research companies look for automation that supports every stage of reporting, from data preparation to final delivery. When done well, it speeds up turnaround, reduces errors, and frees researchers to focus on insight and storytelling. The ultimate vendor is more than just a vendor, but a partner that essentially becomes an extension to your own team.
As specialists in the market research space, we’ve outlined the key traits to look for in an automation vendor that delivers lasting impact:
1. Report Automation Vendor Reputation
When choosing a report automation vendor, prioritise one with a strong track record in the market research industry. Look for client testimonials, case studies, and reviews that reflect reliability, innovation, and long-term client commitment. We have been trusted leaders in report automation for over 30 years and recipients of many different awards. Some examples are, The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation, Multiple MRS/ASC Awards for Technology Innovation and Effectiveness and The MRS Operations Award for Best Support Services. We hold a global reputation, working with research companies of all sizes across the world, such as IPSOS, Kantar and small ones around the globe.
Our solutions are is purpose-built for the market research industry, with features tailored to your needs such as statistical testing, low-base indication/suppression and conditional formatting. Backed by decades of industry expertise, we understand the unique challenges and priorities researchers face. More than just a technology provider, we position ourselves as a long-term partner, committed to helping you streamline reporting processes, reduce manual effort, and deliver impactful insights at scale.
“After implementation of E-Tabs we can confirm that the rewards far outweigh the initial outlay. These are a few examples of how we’ve recovered our investment in E-Tabs again, and again, and again.”
Director,
Data Delivery, Ipsos Mori
2. Provide A Range Of Automation Solutions
A strong report automation vendor should offer high levels of customisation and flexibility to meet the unique needs of your business. Their solutions should support on-demand and ad hoc reporting, scale effortlessly as your needs grow, and integrate seamlessly into your existing workflows.
At E-Tabs, we provide exactly that through a comprehensive range of automation solutions. From our flagship Enterprise platform, built to automate any repetitive study, to our intuitive PowerPoint charting tools Graphique and SlideCraft, we streamline reporting at every level. For interactive storytelling, our dynamic data visualisation solution Vizualz brings your insights to life. In addition, with our advanced option to operate on the Cloud, reporting is faster and easier than ever.
Our tools enable users to create fully customisable, presentation-ready reports with complete control over chart types, data formatting, conditional styling, and more. From one-off projects to global reporting rollouts, E-Tabs helps teams deliver high-impact reports quickly, consistently without manual effort – no matter the scale.
“With E-Tabs, we’ve really been able to unlock true automation; nimble, flexible, and efficient automation that can adapt to whatever our strategic work requires.”
Shannan Gabe,
Co-Founder, Element Market Research
3. Report Automation Vendor Scalability
As your business grows, so too will your reporting needs. Scaling up your reporting means being able to facilitate additional reporting projects, manage larger datasets, produce more variations, and meet tighter deadlines, all while maintaining accuracy, consistency, and speed. An effective automation solution should adapt to these evolving demands without added pressure for your team.
E-Tabs enables this by automating the production of high-volume, multi-segment, and even multi-language reports, while ensuring brand and formatting consistency across all outputs. Its flexible approach to using the client original templates can easily adapt as your data structures evolve, allowing for standardised or highly customised reporting with minimal manual intervention with every detail automated. With cloud-based infrastructure and scalable workflows, E-Tabs supports increasing workloads without compromising performance. This frees up valuable time and resources, so your team can focus on delivering insights, not formatting details on slides!
When choosing a report automation partner, it’s not just about the technology. The right vendor should also provide the consultancy and expertise needed to help you scale effectively. At E-Tabs, our experienced team offers tailored guidance to ensure smooth implementation and long-term success. For added flexibility, our Bureau Service acts as an extension of your team, managing the entire reporting process, no matter the scale on your behalf.
“E-Tabs Bureau helped bring our ideas to life, developing automations that continue to meet needs. This was only possible due to their expertise and can-do-attitude, and as the requirements evolve, E-Tabs Bureau are flexible in helping us deliver .”
Tobin Sparrow
Research Director, Market Measures
4. Vendor’s Security and Compliance
As more reporting workflows move to the cloud, the threat of cyber risk grows – making robust security essential to prevent unauthorised access, data breaches, or potential financial and reputational damage. At E-Tabs, security is a top priority across all our solutions. Our applications never receive or store any client identifiable data, ensuring complete peace of mind.
For those using our bureau reporting services, we operate under strict NDA’s and follow rigorous security protocols to safeguard sensitive information at every step. In addition, our cloud-based automation products are all data is hosted on Microsoft Azure Cloud Services with enterprise-grade protection, GDPR compliance, 24/7 accessibility, and 99.9% uptime. Each client has their own dedicated workspace to maintain confidentiality.
5. Data Integration In Vendors Automation
A strong report automation vendor should offer seamless integration with your existing data structures, whether you’re using Excel, SPSS, SQL databases, or cloud platforms. Market Research suppliers tend to receive their data from a variety of data collection vendors. The ideal report automation solution should be able to accommodate for these different data formats in one automation process. With E-Tabs, you don’t need to have your data templated in a regimented structure, our product can adapt to you.
As long as the data is organized consistently, the report automation vendor should be able to generate a report from varied data sheets. The more adaptable the integration, the smoother and more scalable your reporting workflow becomes.
“You can basically just give them what you have and they’ll work with that to automate the entire process.”
Paul Carney,
Director, ClearCut Insights
Final Thoughts:
To ensure a successful vendor selection, it is essential to follow best practices such as developing a clear vendor selection checklist. By taking a careful and structured approach, you can identify a vendor that not only meets your business needs but also contributes to your long-term success.
At E-Tabs, we understand our partners’ needs and are relentless in driving innovation across automated reporting. Through our Bureau service and consultancy support, we take the burden off your shoulders. Do it yourself with our simple automation or hand over your data and we will deliver accurate, timely and beautifully organised reports. Backed by a global support team, we ensure your reporting needs, queries and deadlines are always met. With E-Tabs, you gain more than a vendor. You gain a trusted partner in automation success.
“We’re happy that there is something like E-Tabs that we can use to make our lives better, our work better and satisfy our clients.”
Tillmann Faber
Research Director, SKOPOS
