Phone Option Surveys Score Over Online-Only

Telephone or hybrid surveys can offer greater convenience, relax respondents more and elicit longer open-ended answers than pure online methodology, according to a comparison by US provider Anderson Analytics, working with automated phone survey firm Big Ears.

Big Ears specializes in fully automated telephone surveys and interviews. Respondents answer over the phone, rather than on a web browser, typically calling an 800 number. Otherwise, the system operates much like a web-based survey tool. There is no interviewer, enabling respondents to participate whenever it suits them, rather than when it suits the research company.

The Anderson survey asked college students how they felt about their cell phones, using online and telephone survey methods in parallel. Telephone interviews generally resulted in longer and more robust responses to open-ended questions (on average, 15% longer) – BigEars MD Mark Forsyth suggests that this is because 'talking isn't work', a view borne out by student verbatims, for example: 'I don't like looking at a computer screen for too long... This is pretty easy, I'm just sitting in the park and I'm enjoying it a lot more.'

In addition, emotion and inflection from individual voice clips were used to examine the outliers in the study.

Anderson's team point to the importance of giving respondents choice and making things convenient for them: 'Consumers are becoming more and more aware of the value of their time. The key to maintaining a quality dialog with them, is to make it really convenient for them to engage, whenever and wherever they want' says Managing Partner Tom Anderson. Senior Consultant and developer Jesse Chen adds: 'some people are more comfortable on the web, and some are more comfortable on the phone – by catering to these differences you can broaden participation.' Anderson says that from now on the new technology 'will definitely be an important part of our methodological toolbox'.

The survey also explored how college students feel about their cell phones, and found them split 50/50 on whether the phone was seen as 'an extension of their fashion sense and personal style' or was merely a practical tool. In keeping with other recent survey results, look, phone style, and phone size are the primary factors in choosing a handset with almost no-one mentioning more advanced features such as games. Cameras and text functionality come somewhere in between.

Top line findings are on Anderson's web site at www.andersonanalytics.com/reports/AndersonAnalyticsBigEars.ppt . Big Ears can be found www.yourbigears.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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