Similarities between IVR and CATI Research Modes

IVR and CATI are modes most often used to collect survey data, and they both leverage voice calls to collect responses from survey respondents. Voice calls are preferable to other phone-based research modes such as text message in certain circumstances, such as when the target population has high illiteracy rates, as is often the case in rural areas. Respondents for either mode may be recruited through a research company such as GeoPoll, a pre-identified list of beneficiaries or customers, or by random digit dialing, in which phone numbers are randomly generated in order to gather respondents from a wide area.

IVR and CATI surveys both start with a phone call to the respondent’s phone number that they must answer in order to take part in a survey, and this is followed by a series of questions that the respondent must answer. However, the two modes start to diverge once the respondent picks up the phone and starts answering questions.

Differences between IVR and CATI Research Modes

The biggest difference between Interactive Voice Response and Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing is that IVR methods rely on a pre-recorded voice recording to ask questions to respondents, while CATI requires trained interviewers to make live calls to respondents. In IVR, respondents must key in or speak answers to an automated system, similar to the ones commonly used when calling customer service hotlines. After each question, a new pre-recorded segment is relayed to the respondent until the survey is completed.

In the CATI research mode, interviewers make calls themselves, and they are the ones noting down the respondents’ answers and reading the next question from a script. CATI interviewers use specialized software to dial phone numbers, record the answers they are given, and read the next question based on any skip logic that is included. Because they are administering surveys themselves, CATI interviewers must be trained, and they often operate out of a physical call center that has to be maintained, neither of which is needed for IVR calls.

Due to the ways in which surveys are administered in IVR and CATI modes, there are also large differences in the number of respondents each can reach in a set period of time. Automated IVR software makes it a good mode for calling very large sample sizes, while CATI requires live interviewers, and cannot accomplish the same number of calls in the same time period without a huge number of interviewers. Because of the costs required to train and host CATI interviewers, it is often assumed that CATI is much more expensive than IVR. This can be the case, however, it is important to note that IVR often has very low response rates, and the cost of airtime to make enough calls to get the desired number of completed surveys can add up quickly. Below are some pros and cons of IVR and CATI to consider:

Pros of Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

• Can reach large sample sizes quickly
• Can be more cost-effective than other voice-call modes
• Can reach illiterate populations
• No need to train interviewers

Cons of Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

• Low response rates may lead to longer timelines and higher costs
• The respondent must pick-up when the call is administered
• Restrictions on what types of questions can be asked due to recorded nature
• Long surveys are difficult to administer due to high drop-off rates

Pros of Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing

• Can reach illiterate populations
• Longer surveys can be administered due to higher engagement levels with an interviewer
• Can ask open-ended questions to gather qualitative data when needed
• Interviewers can offer to call respondents back at more convenient times
• Can use multiple interviewers (for example, male and female, or with different dialects) in order to reach all demographic groups

Cons of Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing 

• Requires interviewer recruiting and training by yourself or through a research agency
• Costs can be high due to the need for interviewers and call center space
• The volume of calls made in a time period depends on the number of interviewers hired

Conduct Voice Call Surveys with GeoPoll

GeoPoll conducts voice calls surveys through CATI, using our own CATI software, trained interviewers, and call centers, and can also conduct surveys via IVR. Leverage our database of respondents throughout the world and expertise in conducting voice call surveys by contacting us for your next research project.

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For the marketing research industry, the explosive growth of mobile phone use presents a new opportunity to gain access to people and data that might otherwise be inaccessible using different modes of data collection. IVR is a widely used mode for collecting large amounts of data through voice calls. This mode is especially useful in places like Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, where literacy rates are low, and respondents may not be able to read or respond to SMS-based or online surveys.

According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), Sub-Saharan Africa is among the regions with the lowest literacy levels at 64.0% in 2015. Over 75% of the world’s 781 million illiterate adults are found in South Asia, West Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, and women represent almost two-thirds of all illiterate adults globally.

Traditionally in developing countries, polling exercises have been carried out through in-person interviews.  However, making in-person contact with individuals with low literacy levels is often expensive and time-consuming.  Data can easily be lost, compromised, and/or fabricated. By harnessing the growing power of the mobile phone through a service such as GeoPoll, which specializes in research in the developing world, IVR and other mobile survey modes can be used reach those in remote areas and conflict zones, while achieving results that are consistent with those from more traditional methods.

According to Market Research World,  IVR systems are often integrated with other computer based surveying platforms when used for research. This means that survey responses can be captured in many ways – from online surveys and mobile phones, to kiosks. IVR surveys are ideally suited to high volume surveys and based on the project, over traditional CATI and telephone based interviewing, as they do not require the training of survey enumerators.

Key Features of IVR Surveys

Some of the benefits of using IVR in data collection for market research purposes include:

• Decreasing the time required to conduct a survey from months to days
• Capturing real-time data directly from the respondent
• Accessing millions of people regardless of geographic area
• Effectively capturing large sets of data and analyzing trending information
• Remotely conducting surveys in areas of low literacy rates

Considerations When Conducting Surveys via Interactive Voice Response:

• Surveys are typically 10 questions total. Surveys can be longer based on needs but short, clear surveys have proven to be most effective.
• Response rates for IVR can be quite low – to achieve your desired sample size, you will need a large respondent base or to partner with a company like GeoPoll that can provide sufficient sample

When conducting an IVR survey with GeoPoll, our team will provide expert guidance and assistance:

• Survey questions can be customized to fit specific project needs. GeoPoll provides assistance in reviewing the questions and optimizing for the mobile phone.
• Results are delivered within days of a survey run, typically within one week. GeoPoll delivers both raw datasets organized by respondent and high-level pivot table analysis.

GeoPoll’s Experience with IVR

GeoPoll uses Interactive Voice Response (IVR) or voice recorded surveys which enable respondents to answer a voice call and respond to survey questions by pressing 1, 2, or 3 on their key pad. Once mobile phone users pick up the call, they opt-in to complete the survey and receive airtime credit as an incentive upon completion.

GeoPoll has successfully completed hundreds of IVR surveying projects in countries around the world. This direct experience has taught GeoPoll the technical and operational nuances of IVR, and we work closely with partners to ensure questions and methodology are appropriate for IVR. Use cases for IVR surveys have included conducting one-off surveys, collecting baseline data, monitoring indicators, engaging communities, and tracking beneficiaries of aid.

GeoPoll can conduct IVR surveys as part of a multi-modal project or as a standalone method in any country throughout the world, and we have expertise in conducting IVR surveys in Africa, Asia Latin America, and the Middle East.

If you would like to know more about how IVR could help you collect data from hard to reach regions, please get in touch with us by filling in the form below.

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Thanks to the high adoption of cell phones in developing countries, across all socio-economic classes, this is a reality for more people than ever before. Today, there are more cell phones in Asia and Africa than toilets, according to BluePlanetNetwork. What this means for the survey world is revolutionary; for business and for global change.

These new opportunities allow partnerships like our recent collaboration with IST Research. We were able to collect 248 responses within four days for a Teacher Survey in Afghanistan. We used Interactive Voice Response (IVR) for these surveys. IVR is a voice-based survey used to reach marginalized populations with low literacy rates.

We asked them general demographics questions, finding that 68% speak Dari and 75% are male. We also asked them questions about their living conditions, learning that over half of the teachers lived within five KM from the school, but 22% still lived over 16 KM away. Then we asked about their incomes, discovering that 66% of teachers receive their paycheck by hand, and almost 75% would prefer to receive them through their mobile phones.

Mobile-based surveys, whether SMS or IVR, provide real-time data for a wider range of demographics. They offer faster results than traditional survey styles and a wider sample size than web-based survey styles.

The surveys collected in Afghanistan will provide data that is generally hard to find and will provide quicker insights which allow for short-term action.

When it comes right down to it though, it’s not about the data, the survey responses or the opportunities that are uncovered. What it all comes down to are the people. The chance to give them something that many take for granted—a voice—and a chance to use that voice to advocate for change. Of course, the data is nothing to ignore, but the ability to revolutionize the way that data is collected in order use to make the world a better place is worth so much more.

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GeoPoll is changing the way data is collected. GeoPoll connects researchers to mobile phone users in just about every country in the world, reaching people from dense urban areas to remote villages. GeoPoll’s user base and global reach allows you to identify, target and understand the world faster and more accurately than ever before.

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