Telephone Surveys
Telephone surveys are a form of quantitative market research used to determine and predict attitudes, opinions and behaviors of a particular group based on scientific sampling. The results from telephone surveys are traditionally designed to be representative of the population.
In order to ensure that your results are representative, it is imperative to survey the right people and make sure that the sample size is sufficiently large. Those new to market research are always amazed that you typically only need to survey 384 respondents (most round to 400) to have the results of your survey representative of a population of a million or more. The actual sample size chosen is also influenced by the level of detail required in the analysis (i.e., number of market segments to be analyzed).
Telephone surveys are administered by trained interviewers skilled at probing and clarifying comments shared by respondents. Theses interviewers ensure that all the questions are answered, unlike a mail survey in which respondents can choose to skip questions.
Questionnaire Design
We work closely with clients, taking time up front to be sure we understand the issues and goals of the research. Hardwick Research is responsible for developing a questionnaire that removes the possibility of bias and is organized to maximize the quality of responses. Care is taken to ensure that the order of the questions maintains participant interest without biasing the results. Each word used in the questionnaire is carefully chosen since subtle nuances can a have huge influence on the results obtained.
Questionnaires are pre-tested allowing for a final evaluation of the survey questions prior to starting the telephone interviews. This allows for minor adjustments to ensure that the respondents understand the questions and that the information obtained meets the study's objectives.
Other Related Topics:
Additional information on telephone surveys Strengths and weaknesses of telephone surveys
Determining sample size |