Phone Surveys

Technology from Database Systems Corp. lets you develop IVR survey applications using our interactive voice response IVR solutions. Surveys can be initiated by outbound phone calls or can be a response to callers. Using our PACER and WIZARD phone systems with the Smart Message Dialer and survey software, we can call your survey prospects and play a highly focused and custom greeting. We then can give your survey audience the option to take your survey or even talk with a representative, leave a voice message, hear additional information, or simply decline to participate in the survey. The survey can accept touchphone response or can record each question response for later analysis. To view more information regarding our automated phone applications, please visit our Automatic Phone Survey solution web page.

The following is an article relating to call survey techniques and products and services in our business.

When Mail Works Best

There are good reasons for the popularity of mail surveys. Doing a survey by mail works best when:

• Sample size is large enough
• Respondents are geographically dispersed, especially if some are outside the U.S.
• Time is not an issue (phone surveys generally work best when a quick turn-around is required)
• The survey solicits sensitive information; respondents are often reluctant to tell a live interviewer how much they earn, or their opinion on a controversial issue such as abortion.
• You are seeking thoughtful, considered opinions. The mail survey gives respondents time to think through their answers
• Survey respondents are busy people who resent interruptions; they can answer a mail survey when it's convenient for them

Indications for Phone/Personal Surveys

Phone surveys are very useful when a fast turnaround is imperative. The field work can be completed in just a few days (versus weeks for a mail survey). Sometimes, however, extra speed is more expensive, so you'll have to decide if the accelerated results are worth the cost premium. For a telephone survey to work, it must target individuals who can be reached by telephone. There must be many potential survey respondents; probably at least one in three of the relevant population. Otherwise, it will be necessary to do too many screening interviews, raising the cost and reducing the advantage of speed.

The subject of the survey must be non-sensitive enough that respondents are willing to discuss it in an environment (e.g., an office cubicle) where others might overhear. A survey that requires extensive explanations or follow-up questions ("probing") works better by phone or personal interview than by mail, although success depends on well-trained interviewers who do not bias the results.

The phone technique has the advantage of facilitating screening for appropriate participants: for instance, finding the organization's buyer for specific types of products or services. Job titles are not always consistent within your survey sample. Maybe a mail survey questionnaire would be routed to the appropriate person. A phone survey almost guarantees that the appropriate person will be interviewed.

Although personal interviews tend to be more expensive than mail or phone surveys, they work well when the survey requires exhibits or props. This method is also helpful when very complex questions have to be clarified.

Checklist for Choice

Bearing all that in mind, these are some factors in choosing the method for conducting your survey:

• Do you have time for a mail survey?
• Is your sample large or small?
• How long is the survey?
• Does it involve complex or sensitive questions?
• Do respondents have to refer to outside materials, such as payroll data, costs, or customer information to answer the questions?