Telephone Surveys
Neutrality, consistency and quality are the hallmarks of the SRC Telephone Center. We achieve these using a combination of technology, protocols and our most important resource, our telephone research interviewers.
On a busy night, visitors to the SRC will notice up to 34 call stations buzzing with activity as telephone interviewers conduct interviews using CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) software.
CATI software provides our first line of quality assurance by guiding interviewers through the maze of questions and skip patterns with ease and accuracy. Interviewers read the IRB prescribed introductions, questions, and answer choices verbatim from the screen. For all surveys, closed-ended questions only allow entry of applicable answers and special functions allow for the inclusion of unexpected responses. The software assists with sample management and quotas, appointment scheduling with respondents, and allows the interviewer to see vital respondent information throughout the interview.
Shift supervisors monitor calls, produce reports to manage the sample, and coach the interviewing staff for exceptional performance. Interviewers follow strict protocols for conducting interviews, tracking respondents, and converting refusals to completed interviews. These procedures and skills are all learned during the interviewer training process. To ensure data quality, a minimum of 10% of completed interviews are verified by shift supervisors. No stone is left unturned when it comes to providing our customers with the quality they deserve.
Last modified: 08/30/07 | Contact Webmaster
