Star Data Systems has formed a strategic partnership with CMS Research in Toledo, Ohio to offer IVR surveys to Star Data clients. In turn, CMS will offer near real-time tabs and online dashboard capabilities for IVR data collection studies it offers to its consulting and retail clients.

The new arrangement provides for IVR data and voice files to be automatically transferred to Star Data's online dashboard so that CMS clients can log on and see tabulations of their data and listen to recorded comments made by respondents. For its part, Star Data Systems will now offer IVR surveys alongside traditional CATI projects, online surveys and paper questionnaires as tools for data collection.

Hank Copeland, president of Star Data says, "Having IVR capabilities presents a great opportunity for us to offer true mixed-mode capabilities for customer satisfaction studies. I am really excited and enthusiastic about this new partnership."

Jim Cummins, founder and president of CMS adds, "The opportunities associated with combining our IVR data collection with Star Data's dashboard presentations will create a powerful combination for our clients. For the past 10 years we have really promoted ourselves as being support for the full service market research suppliers. More recently we have seen our business with large suppliers decline, primarily because those suppliers have become more focused on Internet Panels, and because end users who have a need for our type of data collection don't want to pay the high price associated with the large suppliers and are willing to do more things hands on. Our intent this coming year is to focus on clients where we can, in partnership with Star Data Systems provide them with the complete product. Let's plan to make 2009 a great year
for all of us."

CMS and Star Data have partnered on specific projects in the past, but this venture is the first time it has been offered as a product on a regular basis.