ADFR maintains a bank of telephones for telephone interviewing and also
partners with other data collection firms for large scale projects. ADFR
uses Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) for most telephone
surveys. Telephone interviewing is particularly useful for general
population samples, smaller samples where fast data turnaround is required
and when it is necessary to probe for detailed answers.
In recent years, as telephone access has become more difficult, ADFR has
found mailed self-administered questionnaires to be a reliable and cost
effective method for collecting data from involved target populations such
as members, employees, readers of a publication, purchasers, etc. Mail
surveys are also appropriate for large sample sizes and lengthy
or complex questionnaires.
ADFR has extensive expertise in designing attractive, user-friendly,
self-administered mail questionnaires. We typically customize
questionnaires by inserting the respondent's name, address and salutation
and print them in color with the company or organization's logo.
Appropriate incentives are used to elicit high response rates. Mailed
surveys offer a number of advantages including: not being as intrusive as
phone surveys, eliminating interviewer bias, allowing for a more controlled
survey presentation, allowing for longer checklist type questions and use of
visuals and generally being less costly than phone surveys. Properly
administered mailed surveys can provide response rates equaling those of
phone surveys, especially when they are implemented in conjunction with
telephone reminder calls and an online questionnaire (see "Hybrid Data
Collection Methods").
