Telephone surveys have long been studied in the domain of market research and public opinion polling, among others. They have numerous advantages but some important disadvantages, which the researcher must be aware of. This paper sheds light on the various pros and cons of conducting telephone surveys.
Advantages of the Telephone Survey
Wide Reach
Telephone surveys allow access to a large, geographically dispersed audience. Whereas in-person surveys are limited by location, a telephone survey allows one to reach respondents from different regions and, therefore, is appropriate for nationwide or even global studies. Telephone surveys can also penetrate targeted areas such as large towns, assembly districts, state senate districts, and small and medium sized cities that online panels generally can’t.
Speed and Efficiency
Compared with mailed questionnaires, telephone surveys may be conducted relatively more quickly. In this case, the process is more efficient because of computer-assisted telephone interviewing banks of telephones with interviewers who work simultaneously, calling and interviewing participants.
Personal Interaction
Personal contact in telephone surveys allows interviewers to clarify questions to the respondents and probe for explanations of the various answers, therefore ensuring data quality. This human touch might produce more accurate and more complete answers than self-administered surveys. On the other hand, the respondent is at the helm of the interviewer dictating, a problem if someone is more of a visual learner.
Disadvantages of Telephone Surveys
Coverage Bias
One major limitation of the telephone survey is the problem of coverage bias. Not everyone has a landline, and—ubiquitous as mobile phones are—it is much harder to contact people on their mobile devices because of privacy concerns and differing legislation. This may crucially underrepresent some demographic groups.
Response Bias
The presence of an interviewer may cause response bias among the respondents, answering in a socially desirable way rather than with their actual opinion. This may affect the reliability of data obtained about certain sensitive topics.
Limited Length of Questionnaire
Telephone surveys should be relatively short so as not to bore the respondent. A too-long, complicated questionnaire may provoke a specific phenomenon—survey response bias. The persons surveyed are likely to give incomplete responses or just drop out before finishing.
Technical Challenges
This involves the need for reliable telecommunication infrastructure and technology. Low quality of calls, dropping of calls, or even unavailability of the respondents may influence data collection.
Data Quality Problems
Because telephone surveys are conducted in real time, the lack of visual aids can make probing an answer very difficult. The interviewer may also have a problem perceiving levels of interest and understanding on the part of the respondent absent non-verbal cues.
Balancing the Pros and Cons
It is at the discretion of the researchers to consider all these pros and cons and compare their requirements against specific needs and constraints. For example, if one wants to quickly get in touch with a large, widespread audience, and the length of the survey is feasible, then a telephone survey would be effective. However, alternative methods may still be more suitable for the nature of surveys in instances where these are targeted at respondents who are younger, less likely to have a landline, require extensive questioning, or use visual aids.
Though telephone surveys are still useful to researchers because they are a technique that provides an ideal middle ground between cost (especially IVR technology or “robo”), reach, and data quality, acknowledging their shortcomings is critical to the design of effective survey strategies. If a researcher takes into account those factors that influence survey outcomes, especially coverage bias, response rates, and the nature of data needed, they would be better placed to decide when to apply telephone surveys and how to mitigate their inherent disadvantages.
