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Get the most out of Phone Surveys in the contactless era

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The global workforce has undergone significant restructuring over the last year, which has put cloud-based Phone Surveys and contact center solutions in a pretty unique spot. Social distancing and intermittent has played a part in changing our psyche as a whole, and phone survey respondents are no different.

Researchers must adapt to these changes, and tailor their outreach mechanisms accordingly. CATI surveys (Computer-assisted telephone interviewing), especially those part of an omnichannel survey platform are going to be useful tools in uncovering actionable insights in the near future.

People are yearning for human contact: This is the right time to conduct CATI/Phone surveys

People are more willing than ever to respond to CATI surveys as people are more open to non-physical human contact. This has and will continue to impact how research is conducted, and will even reflect changes in the data you accumulate. 

Why are more respondents important?

Simply put, More respondents equals more accurate data. Extrapolating data to account for diverse or unreachable respondents and demographics can lead to errors despite best efforts. With more people willing to participate in surveys, this reduces the need to extrapolate data. 

You can click the link to read more about why CATI surveys are proving to be key in these challenging times.

Phone Survey Software can provide an extra dimension to insights into Experience Management

Aside from excellent response rates, phone surveys can enable skilled interviewers to gauge emotions, tones, and other human cues in their interviewee’s responses. CATI surveys have many attributes which make them uniquely positioned to uncover insights that would otherwise not be accessible.

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Advantages of leveraging phone surveys

Extremely high-quality feedback and survey data

CATI/Phone surveys are typically conducted by agents or researchers with some degree of training. It ensures that they can guide respondents through surveys, leaving little room for ambiguity in a question. The CATI platform typically takes care of the technical aspects of the session, leaving the interviewer free to concentrate on conducting the survey effectively. This ensures high-quality responses through which one can uncover actionable insights.

Target more demographics

Phone surveys enable analysts and researchers to ensure there are no gaps in their target demographics when they conduct surveys. While online surveys are extremely easy to use, not every demographic is comfortable participating in lengthy surveys online. 

Skilled interviewers can coax even the most reclusive of participants to divulge useful information for their surveys.

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Invest in a platform that allows for

Managing interviewers remotely

With much of the enterprise world adopting the work-at-home model, it is only natural for researchers to look into conducting CATI surveys from home as well. Research by Gartner shows that 88% of polling agencies worldwide have either made it compulsory or have asked their employees to work from their homes after the Pandemic. 

With platforms like Voxco phone survey software, researchers have access to a remote solution that allows them to manage their agents effectively, ensuring no loss in productivity.

It may not be possible for researchers to conduct training operations in-person for fresh hires, which is why their CATI platform must include modules for training software, as well as quality tracking metrics that can help supervisors provide personalized training to their trainees.

Cloud compatibility

This bit is crucial – your phone survey software absolutely NEEDS to be able to sync data seamlessly to the cloud. Synchronized data also needs to be able to pair seamlessly with survey data collected via other sources (online surveys or face-to-face surveys). This ensures continuity in your research operations.

Phone survey software that is cloud compatible also ensures that supervisors have more options for remote workforce management. It can allow supervisors to improve workforce productivity by being able to:

  • Monitor agent calls
  • Intervene at a moment’s notice should things be going south
  • Offer instantaneous training

Tips for conducting Phone Survey research

Be it remote or on-premises, there are a few guidelines that researchers using CATI/Phone surveys should keep in mind:

Identify the right time to approach your target audience

Every demographic has different routines. This varies with age, profession, or even income levels. Those working typical in a 9-5 workday would be unlikely to entertain your request for participating in a survey during that period, even if they’re working remotely. Students on the other hand may not have a fixed time of day when it comes to availability, but would not be keen on participating in surveys should their exams be close. 

However, working or studying from home has eliminated the need for commuting, giving people more time than they typically would be having in a day. One may have better success rates approaching people for surveys during typical commuting hours.

Survey length must be just right to avoid fatigue

Phone surveys are great for getting people to participate in lengthy surveys. Respondents would be less keen on participating in online surveys of similar lengths. This is because interviewers can make the process more conversational in nature, which keeps respondents engaged. 

However, this doesn’t mean that one can conduct phone interviews and surveys of any length at any time. Interviewers need to give respondents a ballpark figure on how much time their survey might take, and maybe schedule it for later should it not be possible to survey at that time.

Let respondents know how their participation will help

A good way to get respondents more enthusiastic about participating in your surveys is by telling them how their feedback can help. Be it customer satisfaction surveys, product feedback surveys, or social research for the government, knowledgeable respondents are less likely to drop off midway through the survey.

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