CATI Survey: What Can Telephone Market Research Bring to Your Company?

Many businesses are looking for an effective way to gauge their customers’ opinions about the services they provide. Unfortunately, market research or customer satisfaction studies are often time-consuming and expensive. Fortunately, there is an alternative in the form of telephone surveys — this is what the CATI survey is all about. In this article, we will present how the survey is conducted, its applications, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the method. Find out how implementing the CATI method can impact your company!

What is a CATI Survey?

A CATI survey is a computer-assisted telephone interview. It is a widely used quantitative research method for marketing purposes. This comprehensive solution is designed to study the market and consumer needs by combining the advantages of telephone interviews with computer-based questionnaires. The ability to collect a large amount of data at a low cost makes CATI surveys a popular choice for many companies.

How Does a CATI Survey Work?

The main principle of this method is data collection by an interviewer who calls the respondent and asks questions. The phone numbers dialed are randomly selected from a database or generated randomly, which ensures reliable results. The interviewer is continuously assisted by a computer, following a script and smoothly moving through the questions. To maintain high-quality service, calls are recorded so that a supervising staff member can listen and suggest improvements. All results are saved electronically in real time, allowing immediate analysis after the call ends. At the conclusion, a detailed report is created that clearly presents the survey findings

Advantages of CATI Telephone Interviews

Short Completion Time

The conversations are carefully designed so as not to take up too much of the respondent’s time, which could cause irritation and a desire to end the survey prematurely. Many interviews are conducted simultaneously, which shortens the time needed to collect data. Respondents’ answers are entered directly into the questionnaire during the call, so no time is wasted transferring data to a database. This allows regular, ongoing market and consumer opinion monitoring. Once the last interview is completed, all results are available for immediate analysis.

Low Cost of Research

Compared to other methods such as PAPI and CAPI (which require the interviewer’s physical presence), CATI surveys are significantly cheaper. This is mainly because the survey does not require face-to-face interaction.

Access to a Wide Audience

The database can be customized depending on the client’s needs.

High Quality

Interviewees are randomly selected, so human bias does not affect the results. Additionally, due to the use of a standardized script and call recording, the survey cannot be manipulated since every respondent is asked the same questions.

Electronic Results Database

Survey results do not need to be transferred from paper questionnaires to a computer; they are automatically added to the database immediately after the call. This enables faster analysis of statistics and minimizes the risk of errors such as incorrect data entry or assigning results to the wrong person. Thanks to well-organized results, one person can manage the entire analysis.

Trained Interviewers

The interviewer focuses solely on the conversation with the respondent, with no other tasks during the call. They strictly follow the prepared script, and the software automatically guides them from one question to the next.

CATI Provides Clear Results

Questions are designed to be closed-ended, leaving no room for subjective interpretation, ensuring transparent and straightforward results.

Error Reduction

Entering data directly during the conversation helps reduce the risk of mistakes and improves the accuracy of the information collected. The interviewer does not need to memorize answers since they fill out the questionnaire immediately after the respondent replies. Additionally, by concentrating on one task, the interviewer avoids distractions and smoothly follows the script.

Disadvantages of CATI Telephone Interviews

It’s important to consider whether the CATI method is the optimal choice for your company. Here are some limitations inherent to telephone surveys.

Limited Contact

The main drawback of this methodology is the interaction being limited to a phone conversation. When face-to-face, an interviewer can express emotions through gestures and facial expressions, or even use visuals, videos, or other multimedia files to clarify the situation being discussed with the respondent. This helps to present the topic more clearly and allows for immediate feedback.

Anonymity

Despite assurances of anonymity, many respondents have doubts and do not fully trust the telephone-based data collection. When you fill out a questionnaire yourself without signing it, then hand it back to the interviewer, you can be more confident that your answers will not be linked to you or used against you.

Short Format

A CATI survey usually lasts a maximum of 10 minutes. If the conversation extends beyond this, respondents may become impatient and give random answers just to end the call. This can result in low-quality data. For longer forms, other methods such as online surveys are more suitable.

Difficulty Reaching Respondents

Many people tend to ignore calls from unknown numbers, which wastes the interviewer’s time waiting for someone to answer. This may prevent reaching a large number of potential respondents.

No “Right Now” Availability

There is a significant group of people who would like to complete a survey because they want to share their opinions about a company’s services, but they simply don’t have the time. Interviewers often call at inconvenient moments when respondents cannot take the call or engage in a longer conversation. Valuable information is lost this way. Sending an online survey instead would allow respondents to fill it out at their convenience. This is a great way to combine two methods: use CATI for live interviews, and if the respondent is busy, offer an online survey—this approach is called CAWI.

Can Different Methods Be Combined – CATI, CAWI, CAPI?

If you want to take full advantage of the CATI method, it’s best to complement it with two additional methods:

CAWI – computer-assisted web interviewing. This survey is conducted automatically via a mobile app or web browser, and the survey link can be sent in various ways. Its advantages include fast project execution (surveys are sent out simultaneously) and low operational costs (no interviewer needed). However, the lack of a person to provide guidance on questions and the limitation to respondents who have internet access and are comfortable using it are drawbacks.
CAPI – computer-assisted personal interviewing. This is a modernized and improved version of face-to-face surveys. Instead of the old paper interview with a pen, the interviewer uses a tablet or similar device with the questionnaire displayed on the screen through special survey software. The main advantage of this method is the ability to reach everyone, asking both closed and open-ended questions. The limitation is the need to train interviewers thoroughly, so they are well acquainted with the questionnaire, its subject matter, and the software they will use.

CAPI and CATI are the most reliable methods and are best suited when the priority is the quality of results rather than the quantity or speed of data collection. Both methods typically yield higher response rates and reduce the likelihood of incorrect answers, as interviewers can guide respondents and ensure clarity during the process. CAWI can be used as a supplement to gather data from people who could not be reached via telephone surveys. With its automatic flow of questions, CAWI simplifies the process but may not be as effective for respondents needing clarification. When choosing between methods, focus on who your target respondents are. If the target group is younger people, online surveys are a good choice; for older generations, personal or telephone contact is much friendlier. In this case, time and financial aspects can play a key role—CATI is usually a cheaper and faster option.

Where Is the CATI Method Applied?

CATI surveys are most commonly used in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within B2B projects due to their low cost and quick execution time. This method is used in marketing research, including:

Market research,
Public opinion research,
Customer satisfaction surveys.

With the increasing popularity of electronic devices, telephone surveys are becoming an increasingly common tool. The physical presence of an interviewer with the respondent is not necessary, and calls can be made to anyone, which requires lower financial investment.

What Can a Telephone Interview Do for My Company?

First and foremost, it is ideal when you need to quickly gather opinions from a large number of consumers. When providing a service or launching a new offer, you can quickly and cheaply verify whether it meets the expectations of your audience. If customers are dissatisfied, you can collect information about the reasons behind their dissatisfaction and identify the weak points of your product. Knowing the shortcomings of your offer allows you to develop a corrective plan, implement it, and increase customer satisfaction. By resolving problems, you prevent losing customers who might otherwise stop using your services. In this way, you avoid financial losses caused by the potential loss of a large number of consumers at a low cost. Quick reaction, enabled by CATI surveys, is crucial in such cases.

In summary, CATI is an effective tool for collecting information about customer preferences and opinions that can significantly contribute to the growth and success of your company. Despite certain limitations, the benefits of using this method are undeniable.

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