What Dialsmith does

Dialsmith is a privately-held Oregon corporation that develops, sells, and services the Perception Analyzer dial testing system — a proprietary moment-to-moment audience response technology originally introduced in 1985 and continuously iterated (current version is Model V). The platform captures continuous, second-by-second emotional responses from participants using handheld wireless dials (in-person) or on-screen sliders (online), eliminating recall bias and groupthink inherent in traditional qualitative research. The technology is used across focus groups, in-depth interviews, surveys, live events, and sports scoring, supporting group sizes from 10 to 500 participants.

The company's product portfolio spans hardware (Perception Analyzer dial kits, console, software), subscription/usage-based online tools (Perception Analyzer Online launched 2014, Slidermetrix for public-facing testing), the ISX Scoring system for live sports scoring, and a professional services layer that handles technical production, respondent management, and consulting for client research projects. All online research runs on ZoomGov (GovCloud), providing FedRAMP Moderate, HIPAA, and DoD SRG-compliant infrastructure. Dialsmith monetizes through hardware sales, recurring SaaS subscriptions, ongoing support contracts, and full-service consulting engagements, and distributes through direct enterprise sales plus a partner network that includes research consultancies (GQR, Engagious, The Optimization Group), European focus group facilities (i-view London, Premier Viewing Facilities Europe), and trial consultants.

Customer concentration is diversified across enterprise verticals including broadcast media (CNN, NBC, CBS, Food Network), market research platforms (Qualtrics, Nielsen, Vision Critical, MediaLab), entertainment (TED, Activision, Broadway productions), political research (CNN/SMU), healthcare (Advent Health), litigation (multiple trial consultants), and CPG (NEST, Lay's). Dialsmith has no disclosed venture or private equity funding, operates offices in Portland and London, and reports technology usage in 45+ countries.

Name

Dialsmith

Legal name

Dialsmith, Inc.

Website

https://dialsmith.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dialsmith develops and operates the Perception Analyzer, a proprietary dial testing platform that captures second-by-second audience responses for focus groups, online surveys, media testing, litigation research, and live event scoring, serving enterprise clients across media, market research, political, and entertainment verticals globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Technology

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

akta.pro primary industry

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social & Digital Insights (Social Listening, Online Community Research) (MPAAALAK), Telemarketing & Survey/Market Research Calling (BPAAADAD)

Keywords

• Dial testing technology
• Market research tools
• Audience response systems
• Focus group analytics
• Real-time feedback software

Headquarters

HQ city

Beaverton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Perception Analyzer Hardware Sales: Sale of the Perception Analyzer dial testing system for in-person focus groups and live events. The system includes dials, console, and software. Model V is the current version.
2. Perception Analyzer Online (SaaS): Subscription or usage-based online dial testing platform for surveys, virtual focus groups, and communities to gather continuous feedback on recorded media.
3. Research Services & Consulting: Full-service online qual services including technical consulting, technical director services, and project management for dial testing research. Handles all technical heavy lifting for clients.
4. Support Contracts & Training: Ongoing support contracts, training, hardware repairs, software and driver updates, and regulatory information for Perception Analyzer system owners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dialsmith develops, sells, and services the Perception Analyzer dial testing system that captures second-by-second audience feedback during in-person focus groups, live events, and online research studies. The company complements its hardware platform with Perception Analyzer Online (a ZoomGov-secured online dial testing tool), Slidermetrix, ISX Scoring for live events, and full-service research and consulting engagements.

Product overview

Dialsmith offers a portfolio of dial testing and moment-to-moment research solutions centered on its Perception Analyzer technology platform. The core offerings include Perception Analyzer (hardware-based in-person dial testing for focus groups and live events with 10-500 respondents), Perception Analyzer Online (web-based online dial testing using on-screen sliders), and Slidermetrix (a public-facing online dial testing tool). Supporting services include full-service consulting, technical production support, and ISX Scoring for sports and live event real-time scoring. The products enable researchers to capture second-by-second emotional responses to video, audio, presentations, speeches, ads, and other stimuli in both synchronous and asynchronous formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Perception Analyzer: The gold-standard dial testing system for focus groups and other live research sessions, capturing opinions individually and in the moment.
• Perception Analyzer Online
• Slidermetrix
• ISX Scoring

Products and services

• Perception Analyzer

Quantifiable outcome

• Captures feedback every second from each participant
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research (GQR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and strategy firm partnered with Dialsmith on financial services client brand and message testing projects. Dialsmith handpicked GQR for their expertise and fluency with the Perception Analyzer technology.
• i-view LondoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState-of-the-art five-studio focus group facility in the heart of London offering Perception Analyzer dial testing exclusively through Dialsmith. Part of Premier Viewing Facilities Europe network with partner studios in Germany and Spain.
• Premier Viewing Facilities EuropecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuropean network of focus group facilities offering Perception Analyzer technology at partner studios in London, Germany, and Spain.
• EngagiouscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch consulting firm that partners with Dialsmith for dial testing services. Gina Derickson, Research Director at Engagious, serves as a client reference praising Dialsmith's ability to handle technical details.
• The Optimization GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch firm where Renee Cameron, Founder & Chief Strategist, is a client advocate for Perception Analyzer in focus group research.
• Dr. Laurie KuslanskycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExpert jury consultant with 32 years of litigation experience who has conducted 500+ mock trials using Dialsmith's Perception Analyzer. Partners with Dialsmith technical consulting services for dial testing in mock jury studies.
• Dr. Lara Giese (Advanced Trial Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeteran trial consultant and licensed psychologist who has worked on hundreds of high-profile court cases using Dialsmith's dial testing for litigation research.
• ZoomGovcoreTechnology or IntegrationHigh-security video conferencing platform (GovCloud) used as Dialsmith's core platform for all online focus groups. Provides Pentagon-level encryption, FedRAMP compliance, HIPAA compliance, and DoD security guidelines compliance.
• Southern Methodist University (SMU) - Dr. Rita Kirk & Dr. Dan SchillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolitical research consultants from SMU who serve as CNN's dial testing researchers for presidential debates and elections. Published academic research using Perception Analyzer technology.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FocusVision (now Forsta): One of the closest direct competitors to Dialsmith's online qual offering. Forsta (formed from FocusVision's merger with Confirmit and other research tech firms) provides online focus group platforms, video IDIs, and qualitative research tools used by enterprises and research firms that could otherwise buy Dialsmith's PA Online and managed online qual services.
• Discuss.io: Direct peer in online qualitative research — Discuss.io provides a live video focus group and IDI platform targeted at enterprise market research teams, competing head-to-head with Dialsmith's Online Qual service line for the same customer profile (brand researchers and research agencies).
• Remesh: Direct competitor for asynchronous qualitative and moment-by-moment research. Remesh's AI-augmented platform uses participant polling and NLP to extract themes from open-ended responses, addressing the same 'real-time feedback' pain point Dialsmith solves via sliders, often for the same enterprise research buyers.
• Schlesinger Group: Global qualitative research facilities provider that frequently competes with Dialsmith for in-person focus group engagements. Schlesinger Group operates the partner networks (i-view London, etc.) that resell Dialsmith's Perception Analyzer, making them both an adjacent competitor and channel partner.
• Toluna: Direct peer in online market research panels and consumer insights. Toluna provides panel-based survey and qualitative research tools serving brand and agency clients who are also core users of Dialsmith's Perception Analyzer, creating overlapping buyer relationships.
• Vision Critical (now Alida): Direct peer in market research online communities and a named Dialsmith integration partner. Alida (formerly Vision Critical) competes in the customer insights / community research layer that dial testing often complements, making them both a partner and a comparable solution for community-based research buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Qualtrics: Broad incumbent in market research technology and a current Dialsmith integration partner. Qualtrics' survey platform handles much of the qualitative and quantitative research workflow upstream of dial testing; pairings with PA Online show they coexist as a stack rather than head-to-head, but Qualtrics could encroach into continuous-feedback features over time.
• Nielsen: Broad incumbent in media ratings and a listed Dialsmith end user. Nielsen's media research portfolio is anchored by large-scale panels rather than moment-to-moment testing, positioning it as the same buyer for broadcast media research but a much larger ecosystem that could bundle comparable capabilities over time.
• IBM SPSS (Market Research offerings): Broad incumbent in survey design, tabulation, and statistical analysis for market research. SPSS serves a different layer (analysis) than Dialsmith (data capture), but buyers evaluating end-to-end research platforms often weigh SPSS-style tools alongside qualitative specialists like Dialsmith.

Emerging players

• CivicScience: Emerging player in real-time consumer polling and market intelligence. CivicScience's methodology delivers fast, survey-based market signals that overlap with the speed-and-scale promise of Dialsmith's PA Online, appealing to a similar enterprise insights buyer profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dialsmith

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dialsmith