+13236381128
+15199002991
+61480040096
Book a Demo
fr_FR French
fr_FR French
+13236381128
+15199002991
+61480040096
fr_FR French
iStock 1189302451 S cover

CATI in market research: Why it’s time to use Phone Surveys

Try a free Voxco Online sample survey!

Unlock your Sample Survey

SHARE THE ARTICLE ON

Market research and the process of gleaning insights is evolving. With AI and Automation becoming increasingly common in most verticals, it was only a matter of time before they started to play a major role in research as well. Phone survey software or CATI in market research can add a much-needed dimension to the research process.

What is CATI?

CATI stands for Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing. It can be considered the replacement for traditional telephone interviews. It is a survey/interview process in which interviewers (or agents) ask questions according to a script and record answers. CATI survey software allows agents to make notes. CATI software manages complex survey logic on its own, leaving the agent free to concentrate on the respondent.

CATI in market research 06

See Voxco in action

Try a Free Sample Survey

Challenges faced by market researchers

The market research industry is extremely diverse, with there being innumerable reasons for conducting research. For market research agencies, its’ their client’s requirement. Many firms have in-house insights teams that are focused on ensuring customer satisfaction, product viability, and organizational growth. 

Each researcher is faced with their own unique set of challenges. However, there are a few systemic issues that do plague the research sector as a whole; Issues which CATI in market research may be able to resolve.

Quality: many data collection methods are of poor quality

Manual data collection is tough at the best of times, and with increasing volumes of data, it’s natural that errors seep into research data. This affects the quality of insights one uncovers. Automated and digitized survey technologies like CATI can help circumvent this issue entirely.

Data doesn’t paint the whole picture: CATI market research solutions help get holistic insights

Although collecting data is an integral part of the research process, you never know if your respondents have provided truthful answers in surveys, or have fully understood the questions being asked.

CATI interviewers can help elicit better responses, as they can guide respondents through surveys and are on hand to clear any doubts they may have. They can also understand which topics respondents are hesitant about discussing and leave feedback to improve future research. These holistic insights can come in handy for market research of a sociological nature.

Differentiating from competitors can be difficult, CATI market research provides an extra dimension to your analysis

It is a challenge for any market research agency to differentiate itself from the competition. Adding value to existing research technologies and methodologies is now a need, not a want. Omnichannel phone survey tools allow researchers to leverage CATI software in addition to online and face-to-face surveys – which add another element to conducting research. More respondents = better, more accurate data. CATI surveys allow researchers to reach more demographics which improves the overall quality of your research.

The human element in research is being overlooked, CATI surveys will help counter that

AI, Automation, and big data have taken center stage in most businesses and verticals, with Market Research being affected as well. While there is no doubt about the value these technologies bring to research, Market research’s target demographic is “people”. 

CATI Market Research keeps the human element involved in research and allows researchers to understand how their target demographic truly feels about the topic at hand. These topics can be new laws, product updates, or even a change in a brand’s identity. Omnichannel survey platforms can use the results of CATI surveys to paint a story from the data that’s been gathered, with subjective inputs from interviewers helping with context.

Social distancing and mandatory lockdowns have also made people yearn for contact – read how CATI surveys proved to be lifelines in this crisis.

CATI in market research 05

Benefits of CATI survey software

Automated routing

CATI surveys can handle survey routing automatically based on respondent input. This helps the interviewer focus on the respondent and their answers, instead of having their concentration split between the respondent and figuring out the next question.

Remote agent management

With the pandemic forcing most enterprises to transition to a  work from home model, It created a challenge for contact centers, polling agencies, and researchers to conduct surveys. Omnichannel phone survey platforms like Voxco allow for CATI market research activities to be performed remotely. 

Agents can access their data over the cloud, with supervisors being able to monitor calls and progress remotely. 

CATI software also allows for remote interviewer training, which allows for seamless knowledge transfer. Supervisors are allowed to listen in to calls, and benchmark interviewers.

[Free Webinar Recording]

Want to know how to increase your survey response rates?

Learn how to meet respondents where they are, drive survey completion while offering a seamless experience, Every Time!

Watch Webinar Now!

Scalable

Cloud-based CATI software also comes with the added benefit of being scalable as and when required by researchers. This allows market research agencies to conduct larger studies at short notice, without significant investment in infrastructure.

Online synchronization

CATI software like Voxco can sync survey data instantaneously after any event, providing real-time survey updates which can be viewed on a dashboard. Omnichannel survey platform also allows researchers to sync findings from online and face-to-face surveys for a more holistic picture of their research.

Unlock your Sample Survey

Want to know how to create surveys like an expert? Book a free consultation with our team today.

Schedule a meeting now

Read more