Online surveys have become the most common form of market research over the past decade. This is driven by increased share of time being spent by consumers online through devices like laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Nielsen data in most market areas state about 9 in 10 adults access the internet or apps in a 30-day period. This presents a lot of opportunities for companies to access respondents online and gather feedback.
However, where online surveys fall short is in their ability to have a two-way conversation with the survey respondent. Without knowing the exact feedback you'll receive on your online survey, you must be skilled in anticipating responses so follow-up questions can be asked. A few online survey platforms recently launched technology allowing dynamic reading of text live, so it can prompt the survey to ask specific follow-up questions. An example of this is if the survey respondent types "it was okay", the survey would then prompt a follow-up question asking "please, provide some more detail on 'it was okay'."
Technology like this helps gather more specific feedback on the survey to make it more interactive. Survey platforms which offer this are expensive and still lack the human-to-human interaction a phone survey can provide. Having an active discussion with a respondent over the phone can lead to deeper responses and clarity. Survey representatives are trained to be active listeners and engage the respondent. Something which clearly differentiates phone surveys from their online counterparts.
How does a phone survey project work and what are the 15 steps?
- Discovery meeting - speaking with a phone survey company to understand objectives
- Proposal - advisor sends an official scope of work with process and cost for the project
- Kickoff meeting - once accepted the company discusses needs and potential questions to ask
- Project workplan - this details the dates and deliverables for the project
- Phone survey - draft of the phone survey screener and survey, listing all questions
- Sign-off - client signs off on the script and sample criteria for the list
- List purchase or exchange - purchase of phone survey list or passing of the customer list
- Training - all qualified call centers conduct a formal training session with the survey reps
- Soft-launch - the initial 1-2 days are spent uncovering any problems or highlighting issues
- Full-launch - when ready a full team is applied to the fieldwork to gather completed surveys
- Check-ins - the phone survey company will regularly update you on progress
- Final quality checks - once fieldwork is complete, quality checks of all data cases are completed
- Analysis - this includes coding of open-ends, tabulation of data, charts, and graphs
- Reporting - data insights, strategies, and recommendations from the data are formed
- Debrief - consultant will debrief with your team and walk your through findings
Drive Research is a phone survey company located in Syracuse, NY. The Owner & President of Drive has experience will phone surveys for all types industries and geographies across the United States. Contact us at [email protected] or call us at 315-303-2040.