Telephone Interviewing

Methodology
Telephone interviews are conducted according to a survey developed in advance, the course of the interview is completely controlled by CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) – a computerized system of telephone interviews (a computerized telephone surveying technique in which the interviewer follows a script provided by a software application).

A survey is loaded on a main computer that then loads the survey, question after question, on computer screens of the twenty terminals of the call-center. The interviewer reads the questions posed on the computer screen and records the respondent’s answers directly into the computer. The software has built-in branching logic, which will skip questions that are not applicable, rotate questions and response options where necessary.

Advantages of telephone interviewing:

• human factor mistakes are minimized,
• all interviews are audio recorded,
• compliance with criteria of household selection and respondent selection is automatically controlled,
• level of respondent reach is higher compared to face-to-face interviewing,
• sample is geographically dispersed (limitations on the number of sampling points are removed),
• interviews are dispersed within a settlement (not limited to only a few routs),
• methodological experience is unified – one team of trained interviewers-operators (with similar experience and work style) conducts survey over all research territory,
• sample is automatically controlled according to given parameters,
• surveys with complex structure are administered,
• efficiency.

Sample

1. Population surveys

Households are randomly selected by a special computer system from a complete list of telephone numbers of individual subscribers to PBX residing in the area being surveyed. The program allows construction of samples for different territorial and administrative units.

For example, a representative sample for a large city will proportionally represent all administrative city units or electoral constituencies for elections of different levels to legislative government authorities. A representative sample can be constructed within any administrative unit or electoral constituency.

Methods of sample construction:

1) representative sample (model of a total population):

• stratified random probability sample (Kish grid),
• stratified probability sample with controlled parameters (quota method);

2) purposive sample (model of a population part – respondent’s belongingness to a target group is controlled according to given parameters):

• stratified purposive probability sample.

2. Establishment surveys

Organizations are selected randomly by a special computer program from a complete list of telephone numbers of entities – subscribers to PBX that belong to the target group and are registered in the area being surveyed. The program allows construction of samples according to the following criteria – territorial and industrial organization’s belongingness, form of ownership, year of establishment, number of employees.

Methods of sample construction:

• stratified purposive probability sample;
• snowball method.

Advantages of telephone interviewing

Prompt data collection and processing is the main advantage of telephone interviewing. Telephone interviewing is widely used in different kinds of research:

• electoral research – one of the most efficient and quick ways to evaluate a situation in a particular electoral constituency as well as a means to support candidates from single-seat electoral districts;
• sociological research – the study of different socio-economic and political issues;
• market research – the study of effectiveness of advertising events, awareness of trademarks, trademarks’ specific use, situations of their use, trademarks’ image, etc.

Telephone interviewing is not recommended in the following situations:

• when the survey to administer is very long;
• when it is necessary to conduct surveys in rural areas where telephone service is limited;
• when it is necessary to show cards or photos (for example, a container or logo);
• when it is necessary to survey exclusive segment of consumers.

Call center schedule and times of survey completion

Twenty – forty interviewers-operators work Monday through Sunday from 12 pm till 5 pm and from 5 pm till 10 pm (2 shifts). On average, during two shifts operators produce 300-500 completed interviews. The client has a chance to familiarize himself / herself with interim results within 1.5-2 hours after every shift’s end.

• Population survey – from 1 to 7 days.
• Establishment survey – from 1 to 2 weeks.

Geography of research:

• Leningrad region, 
• Saint-Petersburg,
• Russia (89 constituent entities of the Federation).