CATI stands for Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing. CATI is a common research mode in which interviewers conduct surveys via telephone calls using a computer-assisted method, such as a software system loaded onto a computer or mobile device. In the CATI survey method, interviewers (also called survey enumerators) use CATI software which guides them through a survey, records responses, and monitors response and completion rates, among other features. The CATI software or application houses the survey design, including the full questionnaire and related instructions, survey routing or logic, and all questions and answer options.

Benefits of CATI Survey Research

CATI improves on traditional voice call methods, which use a pen-and-paper system to review questions and record answers. Using a CATI application or software, data is securely stored, and interviewers can focus on the interview rather than other items such as survey routing. While each CATI software has unique features, general advantages of CATI software include:

• Performs survey routing automatically based on the inputted answer; If a respondent answers ‘yes’ to a specific question, the CATI software will automatically display the correct next question
• Inputs and uploads data to a central system automatically, removing the need for manual data input based on pen-and-paper questionnaires. This dramatically reduces data processing errors and time spent uploading data
• Stores questionnaires digitally, so they can be updated or changed on-the-fly if issues arise with question-wording or skip logic
• Automatically tracks survey production statistics, including response rates, completion rates, dropoff rates, and more
• Allows for remote oversight of interviewers through analytics, including total interview length, individual question length, and response patterns, which can be automatically fed into a quality assurance dashboard and monitored regularly
• Provides recordings of interviews which can be examined for further data quality checks
• Compared to other voice call research methods, such as Interactive Voice Response, CATI surveys are a closer alternative to face-to-face interviews. This is because they are interviewer-administered, allow for follow-up questions from the interviewer, and can gather qualitative data through open-ended questions.

Challenges of CATI Survey Research

Some challenges should be taken into consideration when embarking on a CATI research project. These include:

• Interviewers must be trained not only on the specific questionnaire but also on the CATI software they are using, as each can have a different flow and features
• If questionnaires are scripted incorrectly into the CATI software, interviewers may not notice and incorrectly administer surveys
• Open-ended answers still need to be typed into the CATI software, which can leave room for error when transcribing
• Depending on the CATI software, it may be difficult to modify previous answers as navigating backwards is more challenging than when using pen-and-paper questionnaires

While researchers must keep these challenges in mind, they can be mitigated through interviewer training programs and regular cross-checks of questionnaire scripting, among other quality control measures.

How CATI Research Works

The CATI research process may differ slightly based on the research group being used. When working with GeoPoll, who has an existing network of over 40 call centers located around the globe, the process for a new project typically follows these steps:

Phase 1: Concept and Initiation:In this phase, GeoPoll will discuss the project specifications with the client, conduct a feasibility assessment, decide on a sampling frame and sampling approach such as random digit dialing, and put together a budget based on the targeting, sample size, questionnaire length, and other considerations.  

Phase 2: Project Definition and Planning: Next, GeoPoll’s execution team will work with the client to design a questionnaire using best practices for CATI survey design, translate the questionnaire, and conduct extensive project-specific interviewer training. For some projects, GeoPoll will conduct a pilot that can be used as a quality check before the study goes into full production.

Phase 3: Survey Production and Monitoring:Once the planning is completed GeoPoll’s team will move a survey into the production phase. In this phase, phone numbers are generated or provided to interviewers who begin making live calls. Throughout survey production, survey data and analytics which demonstrate interviewer progress are regularly monitored to ensure the highest-quality outputs. Call recordings are also used for an additional level of quality assurance.

Phase 4: Data Analysis and Outputs:Once the data is collected and quality checks are undertaken, it is passed onto GeoPoll’s research team for analysis. The research team performs another round of quality checks and then prepares data in the desired output, including raw data files, written reports, excel tables, and more.   

CATI vs CAPI and CAWI 

One common question surrounding Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing is how it compares to other modes. You can read this post to learn more about how CATI compares to IVR, an automated voice-call mode that does not use live interviewers. Other methods CATI can be compared to are CAPI, Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing, and CAWI, Computer Assisted Web Interviewing. CAPI is a face-to-face research mode which, similarly to CATI, is aided by a software system that enables the interviewer to view questions and be automatically routed through a survey.

Many of the benefits listed above for CATI apply to CAPI surveys. Using CAPI instead of a pen-and-paper method reduces data input errors and allows for remote oversight of interviewers when they are in the field, often showing where they are through GPS and tracking metrics such as length of the interview. A benefit of CAPI over CATI is that you can reach a wider population, as CAPI does not require respondents to have mobile phones. However, CAPI surveys can take a long time to conduct as interviewers need to travel from house to house to gather survey responses.a

Computer Assisted Web Interviewing is another name for link-based or online surveys. These surveys are opened by respondents in a web page, who complete the questionnaire themselves. CAWI surveys are self-administered, so do not allow for the type of follow-ups that CATI provides for, and only reach those with an internet connection. Benefits of CAWI or any online survey mode are the speed at which a large group of respondents can be surveyed, and the relatively low cost.

CATI Software in Africa, Asia, and Latin America 

GeoPoll conducts CATI surveys out of over 40 call centers we operate throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America, using our own proprietary CATI application. GeoPoll’s CATI software application was built specifically for use in countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It has features including an offline mode, call recording, built-in quality checks, multi-lingual capabilities, and more. To learn more about GeoPoll’s CATI services or run your own CATI survey through GeoPoll, please contact us today.

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Shannon McCrocklin: Tell me about your background before you came to GeoPoll – what space did you work in?

John Paul Murunga: I am a statistician by training and on top of that an Accredited marketing professional from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK. Before I came to GeoPoll I was working as a marketing research consultant with a focus on commercial or consumer research. Prior to GeoPoll, I worked with Synovate and then Ipsos, and earlier I was with Nielsen. Hence, I am a research industry person out-and-out.

SM: What drew you to GeoPoll and how long have you been with the team?

JPM: I have been with GeoPoll for 4 and a half years, it’s funny how time flies! What first drew me to GeoPoll was seeing how much research was evolving and wanting to be part of the next generation in research. Back then, people would not consider SMS as a method of doing surveys, and online/remote research modes were frowned upon.

Presently we live in a world that is moving so fast, we cannot afford to wait for months to receive information that should inform decision making. Can you imagine waiting for 2 months to identify what your target consumers think about your product offering? We have seen for instance from the COVID-19 pandemic how a week can alter the world as we know it. Research solutions must be timely and be specific to remain useful.

SM: Can you briefly describe your role now?

JPM: Currently, I am the Regional Director for the Eastern Africa region. I oversee a team of dynamic, highly skilled, and motivated professionals whose mission is to support clients across the region with information to inform their decision-making. We work with customers across various sectors, including large multi-nationals, local organizations, and small and medium-sized enterprises. Because our solutions are varied, we are well-positioned to support a diverse range of clients.

SM: What do you most enjoy about working for GeoPoll? 

JPM: I cherish many things about working with GeoPoll – GeoPoll epitomizes what research in the information age looks like. When research is paired with technology, I think that is where the magic happens! This axis constantly inspires me: Quality research-delivered on the back of technology, delivered with speed, at a fraction of what traditional research would cost making it more affordable.

SM: What has surprised you about GeoPoll and the projects we work on?  

JPM: Many things, but early on it was how suddenly, working with the same clients, we were able to be efficient in study design, especially from a questionnaire length perspective. For clients who traditionally would have 40-50-page questionnaires asking all sorts of things, we were able to conduct studies for them with 10-30 very definite questions tailored to specific objectives.

The speed of how projects can be turned around was mind-blowing at the start, but now I am used to it. Can you imagine doing a survey of n=3,000 nationally in 2-3 days, and delivering the results displayed on an online dashboard immediately once data collection is closed? This is work that would take weeks or months in other settings. In face-to-face research, interviewers would still be on the ground, with clients worrying about if an interviewer in fact went to the field. Meanwhile, GeoPoll would have reported the results, and the client made informed decisions for their businesses and moved on to other pressing issues.

SM: What are you excited about in terms of where GeoPoll will go in the future?  

JPM: I think the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to infuse technology in research. GeoPoll is at the center of this and we are already pioneering many efficient, forward-looking research solutions for customers across multiple geographies. We will continue developing these as we go into the future as this is the direction the world is taking.

SM: Do you have a favorite project or experience at GeoPoll you’d like to share?

JPM: I have always given this as an example of how best research studies can be executed in today’s world. The project was looking to reach farmers in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan. The end client was in the US; the agency implementing the client’s intervention was in Afghanistan, and I was the project lead was based in Nairobi. We conducted 1,000 successful IVR interviews in the local languages (Pashto and Dari) remotely from our Nairobi operations Hub. This done within 2 weeks, and the client had their study results and went ahead to implement the recommendations from the research.

SM: What’s a fact about yourself that people may not know right away?  

JPM: I love farming and am a smallholder crops farmer. I like giving back to society whenever I can and work with various charity organizations. I am always keen on being outdoors and visiting new places, and this year was planning to do the famous Cairo to Cape route by road joining from Kenya but was hampered by COVID-19. We will be back in 2021 inshallah!

SM: What does it take to succeed in your line of work? 

JPM: There are no excuses, and one must put in the grind – hard work and consistency are key. You also must be widely read and have a flexible mindset, as we work with clients across multiple industries. As a market research consultant, having knowledge of various industries is vital, or else you are not going to have proper engagements. Finally and most important is nurturing human relationships. We are in a people business, and humans require authentic interactions. We must be understanding, communicate effectively, and be empathetic in how we undertake our work.

The post GeoPoll’s John Paul Murunga on the Evolution of the Market Research Industry appeared first on GeoPoll.

Mobile web is a survey mode in which respondents engage with a questionnaire online through a mobile phone that has Internet connectivity, like a feature phone or a smartphone. Mobile web surveys can be dispatched to respondents through a few channels, such as email or online advertisements, but the channel that GeoPoll uses most often is SMS.

In this method, an SMS text message containing a web link and an invitation to participate in a survey is sent to potential respondents. Recipients of the invitations that click the web link are then automatically directed to a web page. On this page, users choose whether or not to opt-in for participation in the survey. Those who opt-in to participate are automatically routed through the online questionnaire and self-report answers along the way. When the survey is completed, GeoPoll provides an incentive to the survey respondent, most often in the form of airtime credit.

Like any other research mode, there are benefits and drawbacks to the mobile web mode of research. In this post, we explain the pros and cons of mobile web surveys with regard to how GeoPoll utilizes the mode most often in our projects.

Advantages of the mobile web survey mode

Capabilities

The advantages of mobile web as a survey mode surround capabilities and cost. Advanced question types—such as — can be used in mobile web questionnaires, as well as questions that include photo and video content.

These capabilities are important to consider when running a survey because they allow for more complex data to be collected. Matrix questions, for example, can provide a large amount of data to work with. Gathering the same amount of detailed information through another survey mode, like SMS, would require a large number of questions to be added to a survey—which would negatively impact completion rate and increase the costs of running a survey.

The capability to include photos and videos in a mobile web survey is also highly beneficial because the forms of media provide options for creativity. For example, a short video may be included at the beginning of a survey for respondents to watch; then the questionnaire can ask the respondents questions that are based on the video clip. This sort of survey design is useful for a company wanting to gather feedback on the ease of understanding of a new employee training video or an advertising agency seeking feedback on a television commercial. Beyond these examples, the benefits of the capability to include photos and videos in a mobile web survey are practically endless because they allow for more diverse use of a questionnaire than just text does.

Beyond these capabilities, mobile web surveys are not limited to character counts per question like SMS surveys. Questionnaire developers are often fans of the mobile web mode of research for this reason. In SMS surveys, each survey question is limited to 160 characters, meaning both a question’s text and answer choices need to be under 160 characters. This limitation of the SMS mode of research can be a challenge, which highlights the utility mobile-web as a survey mode.

Cost

Another perk that mobile web provides is lower costs than most other mobile-based research modes. With mobile web surveys, the costs are lower because SMS messages are used only to recruit participation in the survey. Each of the SMS messages used for recruitment of respondents has an associated cost, but once the respondent opts-in to participate in the survey there are no per-question costs. In contrast, each question and response in an SMS survey is an individual SMS message with an associated cost, and modes such as CATI require training live interviewers which can become costly.

Cost is often a factor considered most heavily when a study has a low budget and a goal of reaching a large sample size. In a case like this, mobile web is a good research mode option. However, with the lower cost comes more nuances to consider.

Drawbacks of the mobile web survey mode

Reach

Seeing as mobile web surveys take place online, respondents must have Internet connectivity to participate in the study. In certain areas of the world, this would not inhibit most people from participating in a survey; in other parts of the world, it does.

For many people, Internet connectivity is inaccessible due to high costs, lack of infrastructure, or both. This is especially true in the countries that GeoPoll specializes in, like rural and remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. In most of SSA, only the upper classes are able to afford day-to-day Internet use, which may skew the socio-economic class distribution of respondents toward the more financially affluent end—or lower the rate of participation in the survey.

When to use mobile web surveys

Some projects have more rigid needs than others for equal distribution of respondents per socio-economic class. Every research study is different. At GeoPoll, we understand that every project is unique and we are committed to using our expertise in mobile-based research to guide our clients through key decisions to produce the most accurate insights possible. For more information on GeoPoll’s research modes, contact us today.

The post The Pros and Cons of Mobile Web Surveys appeared first on GeoPoll.

Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing

Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing is a face-to-face mode similar to pen and paper surveys. The difference lies in the technology used for record-keeping. In this mode, the interviewer reads the questionnaire off of a device screen (like a tablet) and records the answers electronically throughout the survey. Surveyors use CAPI software programs on mobile devices while conducting these face-to-face surveys, however, internet connectivity is not usually necessary. This makes data inputting and uploading a much simpler process and virtually eliminates the possibility of missing or damaged data files.

CAPI surveys have a higher associated cost and longer timeline than survey methods that can be completed remotely. However, CAPI surveys have the ability to reach every socioeconomic level in the desired survey area, even people living in extreme poverty or those without mobile access. CAPI surveys also often allow for longer surveys than remote methods of data collection, as the survey is conducted in-person rather than being self-administered.

SMS (Short Message Service)

Short message service, or text messaging, is a popular method of data collection in emerging markets where a higher percentage of the population has access to a mobile phone than the Internet. SMS surveying can also accomplish goals quickly without depleting budgets, as surveys are conducted remotely without the need for enumerators.

SMS surveys are sent to respondents one question at a time. All respondents are required to opt-in for participation after receiving the first message. The surveys are always self-guided and the answers self-reported through two-way messaging. The data collected through SMS surveying is largely quantitative, though some open-ended questions can be included. Surveys of this type are best when kept relatively short and each individual message must be under 160 characters—including answer choices. Despite the simplicity of SMS messages, SMS surveys can still include advanced features such as survey routing, skip logic, and question or answer choice randomization. It is important when evaluating a survey partner to ensure they have these capabilities, which GeoPoll’s platform supports.

SMS is a useful mode in countries with unreliable connectivity, as it does not require respondents to have internet connectivity, and messages can be received even if the phone is powered off or out of service range when the initial message is sent. Using SMS as a survey method ensures that any mobile phone owner can participate as a survey respondent, whether they have a smartphone, feature phone, or basic phone, which means SMS surveys are more representative than those conducted online in many emerging markets. SMS surveying can also accomplish goals quickly without depleting budgets, as surveys are conducted remotely without the need for enumerators.

CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing)

CATI surveys are administered remotely through call center enumerators who interview survey participants. Compared to SMS surveys, live calling questionnaires can be longer and each question is not limited to 160 characters, which is beneficial because the resulting data can be more in-depth than in other methods. Interviewers read questions from a set script, and survey routing and skip logic can be incorporated into the script. This type of interview is more structured than a qualitative interview, in which answers to each question may lead the discussion in a certain direction.

CATI has several benefits: Longer questionnaires can be administered and more open-ended data can be collected. In addition, there is no reading required by the respondent for CATI surveys, making it a good mode of research collection for populations with low literacy rates.

When choosing CATI as a method, researchers must consider the effort and time involved in training call-center interviewers, and know who will be conducting the training. In emerging markets, interviewers may need to be fluent in multiple languages. GeoPoll trains all call center interviewers as part of our research services, and ensures that the interviewers used are based locally. We have established call centers in Kenya and Nigeria and have experience conducting CATI projects in many markets throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Data collected via CATI must also be recorded properly in order to be organized upon data delivery. There are a variety of software tools available for this purpose, and GeoPoll has a mobile application for CATI interviewers that facilitates interviewer flow and data collection on any smartphone or tablet. GeoPoll’s application is designed for use in emerging regions, and includes offline capabilities, allowing immediate access to survey results and interviewer metrics.

IVR

IVR surveys are another mode of remote survey data collection. This technique entails using pre-recorded voice bites that are initiated via phone calls. IVR survey participants self-report their responses by using their mobile device keypad to key-in responses.

Similar to CATI surveys, IVR is useful for reaching illiterate populations through voice calls—without the obstacle of training call center interviewers. Although not having to train interviewers saves time, an IVR project typically takes longer from beginning to end.

IVR surveys are commonly slower and less cost-effective than the majority of other similar modes of research. Lower levels of survey participation draw out the time it takes to reach completion on a particular project, which may increase overall costs. For these reasons, the questionnaires should be kept short in order to avoid response drop-off mid survey. Due to low participation rates, when using IVR companies must partner with a research company that has a large database of respondents to pull from. GeoPoll has a database of over 240 million mobile phone subscribers which allows us to administer IVR surveys that reach the desired sample size.

Mobile Web

Mobile web is a link-based survey that can be taken on a very basic mobile phone browser, such as those common throughout emerging markets. The mobile-web survey technique can be dispatched through a few different channels. The technique that GeoPoll uses most often combines SMS and web-based surveying. In order to collect data through this mode, an SMS text is sent to potential respondents. The users who receive survey invitations are directed to a webpage where they opt-in to complete the survey and self-report their answers.

The advantages of the mobile-web method surround increased capabilities. With mobile-web surveying, users can receive pictures and videos, surveys are not character-limited, matrix and other advanced question types can be used, and it is relatively inexpensive to conduct.

Mobile web’s reach within a country’s population depends on how the link is initially sent. If sent via SMS, those with basic mobile browsers can participate, however, surveys must be set up to be viewed correctly on these types of browsers. Mobile-web does always require that participants have Internet connectivity or a data plan, which means that most respondents through mobile-web are middle class or higher. The chart below represents mobile-web in comparison to the other modes that have been discussed.

Mobile Smartphone Application

Many market research companies connect with survey respondents through smartphone applications in established markets, yet in emerging markets, mobile application survey research has more limitations. Some of the challenges associated with mobile applications in these areas have to do with limited connectivity.

Mobile applications require users to have an Internet or data connection, a smartphone, and the user must have the survey application or download it as part of the recruitment process. Once the application is downloaded, surveys can be sent to potential respondents through the mobile application. Survey participants then self-report their answers and submit the surveys for review. Overall, remote mobile-based survey research through a smartphone application is an economical route that provides significant features for the questionnaire itself, yet the drawback is that in many emerging markets it is not as accessible for the masses as an SMS based survey would be.

It is important to note though that not every emerging market is the same. At GeoPoll, we have spent years studying how to best connect with survey respondents in emerging markets across the world. Picking the right mode for accomplishing your research goals is best done with the professionals. Contact GeoPoll today to talk about what research mode is best for your project.

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