A new mobile phone app aimed at gathering the opinions of the public has been launched thanks to support from Superfast Business Cornwall.

What Cornwall Thinks has been created by PFA Research to enable local businesses to access the power of market research at a fraction of the cost of traditional services.

The mobile app, which supports a new digital research website, has been developed with grant funding and support from Superfast Business Cornwall and the anticipated growth of the business should increase turnover and create new jobs.

Robert Salvoni, Chairman of What Cornwall Thinks, said: “We needed to move our business into a more digital space and working with Superfast Business Cornwall helped us to realise how we could best utilise technology, understand it and adopt it to boost our own business and launch an exciting new venture for the organisation.

“We’re really excited about launching the new website and app. I would really like What Cornwall Thinks to become the go-to-place for businesses, not-for-profit organisations and local government to understand the views and opinions of local people. And the support from Superfast Business Cornwall will help to put us in an unassailable position to showcase a vision for Cornwall by people living here.”

PFA, a leading research and evaluation organisation, became involved with Superfast Business Cornwall last October with the hope of harnessing the power of Big Data – the analysis of a large amount of complex information.

By using superfast broadband with the What Cornwall Thinks app and website, PFA hopes to be ahead of its competitors when it comes to tapping in to emerging research markets. Currently, the majority of its income is generated from supporting Cornish businesses with 19% of revenue coming from outside of the county.

Robert added: “This is the basis for the future growth of What Cornwall Thinks and we hope that we will be able to expand the range of the mobile app and possibly roll it out across the country while networking with other organisations and increasing our own workforce.”

The trailblazing technology allows businesses to pay for short question sets to be posed to a panel of several thousand Cornish residents. Using an ‘omnibus’ approach to combine survey questions via the digital tool allows even small businesses to use the service.

The app is designed to work on both Android and Apple phones with panellists receiving alerts every time a new survey is available for them to take part in.

“Companies will be able to ask a question and get an almost instant response. It is really exciting and there is real potential for it to grow and grow,” Robert continued.

“The project will create technology and a data asset wholly owned by PFA and develop an opportunity to generate a new consistent revenue stream through the use of a mobile interface.”

He added: “Working with Superfast Business Cornwall gave us focus. It can sometimes be difficult to keep all the plates spinning when running a business and trying to launch a new product but the support we received helped us to understand what our goals were and how we could best achieve them.   The funding application and support process was straightforward and quick with payments being made as milestones were reached.  All of this flexibility helped us to move the project forward.”

To visit the Superfast Business Cornwall website for more information and other examples of how they have made a difference to businesses click here.