Telephone survey (CATI) is a quantitative research method in which the interviewer asks questions to the respondent over the phone and records their answers in a special program on a computer. CATI stands for Computer Assisted Telephone Interview, that is, computerized telephone interview.
The telephone survey has a number of advantages over other data collection methods such as face-to-face interviews or online surveys. Among them:
- The ability to quickly and cheaply get a large sample of respondents from different regions and social groups
- Probabilistic selection of respondents by telephone numbers, ensuring the representativeness of the sample
- Automatic control of quotas, filters and transitions in the questionnaire, excluding interviewer errors
- Ability to listen to audio recordings of interviews to check data quality
A telephone survey is suitable for studying various aspects of public opinion and consumer behavior. For example, using a telephone survey, you can:
- Examine customer satisfaction and loyalty towards a product or service
- Identify the motives, preferences and expectations of consumers
- Assess the level of fame and image of a brand or company
- Research the competitive environment and pricing policy
- Check the integrity of business partners or dealers
To conduct a telephone survey, you must have:
- An agreed questionnaire with questions and answer options
- Base of phone numbers of the target audience
- Specialized software for CATI
- Call center with trained operators
The telephone survey consists of three stages:
- Preparatory stage: at this stage, the questionnaire, target audience criteria, fieldwork and quality control plan are agreed. The questionnaire is also piloted on a small sample to test its comprehensibility and performance.
- Field stage: at this stage, a direct telephone survey is carried out by interviewers who call the respondents on the basis of numbers and ask them questions of the questionnaire. Respondents’ answers are entered into the database through a software interface. Also at this stage, data quality control is carried out by listening to audio recordings of interviews and checking the correctness of filling out the questionnaires.
- Analytical stage: at this stage, the data is processed and analyzed using statistical methods. Based on the data obtained, a report or presentation is prepared based on the results of the study.
Thus, the telephone survey (CATI) is an effective and reliable method of quantitative research that provides up-to-date information about the opinion and behavior of the target audience on various topics.
Contact us and we will organize a telephone survey (CATI) among the residents of Dushanbe or the whole of Tajikistan!