Telephone surveying has traditionally been one of the popular techniques of data collection in the area of market research and surveys of public opinion. Cost-effectiveness has, however, always remained a question in the minds of all organizations while choosing their research methodology. This post aims to examine the cost-effectiveness of a telephone survey by elaborating on its expenses, benefits, and limitations in comparison with other methods of data collection.
Understanding the Costs
Initial Setup
Setting up a telephone survey requires initial investments in technology and setting up. These include the purchase or leasing of a computer-aided telephone interviewing system, reliable telephone lines, and probably call center space if the sample size is large. There are also the costs for interviewer training and developing a survey instrument.
Operational Expenses
Operational costs would involve the cost of paying interviewers, maintaining the technological infrastructure, and managing the survey process. These costs may be dependent on the length of the study, the complexity of the survey instrument, the number of respondents, and the time it takes to complete a survey. In this case, interviewers must be compensated by the organization heading the research study, and if this survey requires several calls to reach a representative sample, then it can quickly pile up costs.
Response Rates and Follow-Ups
High response rates could also affect the telephone survey’s cost-effectiveness. The more times calls are attempted, with follow-up calls to non-respondents, for example, and major efforts put into scripts that include hard-to-contact people, the greater the costs will be. However, a potential benefit of the typical telephone survey is high response rates compared with an online survey. These higher response rates may reduce the necessity for extensive follow-ups and some of their associated costs.
Advantages of Telephone Surveys
Broad Reach
This is useful when the objective is to conduct a national or international study because telephone surveys are able to reach a large, dispersed audience without the actual visitation involved in in-person surveys. This minimizes costs and enables contacting a large audience spread over a geographically wide area, which is very useful in collating diverse and representative data. It can also be beneficial for a smaller locality where online panels cannot penetrate.
Speed and Timeliness
Telephone surveys can quickly provide data in a fairly timely manner; such fast data can prove very helpful and critical for making decisions. With the CATI (computer-assisted telephone interview) system, efficiency increases due to the effect that, by utilizing the CATI system, conducting the survey becomes easier, while responses are directly entered into the computer to enable on-the-spot monitoring. Most surveys can be conducted within 2 – 5 days give or take geography and population.
Quality of Data
Personal contact in telephone surveys allows interviewers to clarify questions, probe for more complete responses, and check that the responses obtained have been accurately recorded. This may produce higher-quality data than from a self-administered survey, where misunderstandings or incomplete responses are more likely to occur.
Limitations and Challenges
Coverage Bias
Probably one of the most difficult challenges to cost-effectiveness in a telephone survey is that of coverage bias. Not all demographic groups are equally accessible via the telephone. In particular, young populations will be more difficult to reach with a landline or may just not pick up their calls when numbers are unknown. This could mean needing more calls and a greater degree of effort to achieve a representative sample, highly increasing the cost involved.
Technological and Operational Problems
Such technological issues as the low quality of calls, dropped calls, and failure to reach mobile phone users may further complicate a surveying process, stretching out its time and likely increasing operational costs. Regulatory requirements for the conduct of telephone surveys, such as compliance with Do Not Call lists, also increase complexity and cost.
Although telephone surveys have been associated with high initialization and operational costs, this could be offset by the fact that they have the benefit of fast coverage of a wide audience with high data quality most of the time. Higher response rates and the ability to offer personal contact may pose sufficient justification for investing in telephone surveys. However, one must be careful not to fall into the propensity for coverage bias and other technological challenges that could erode general cost-effectiveness in a telephone survey. Balancing these factors against the specific goals and constraints will help an organization make an informed decision on the most appropriate survey method for them.
