Telephone Surveys

Responsive Management designs survey questionnaires collaboratively based on close consultation, discussion, and review with the client. After the design of the questionnaire, the survey instrument is pretested to check for proper wording, answer sets, question-flow, and logistical clarity. Revisions are made to the survey instrument after the pretest before the actual implementation of the survey. Many research firms cut costs by failing to rigorously pretest their survey instruments, which results in poor data collection. Responsive Management always conducts full evaluative pretests of survey instruments.

Telephone surveys remain the most accurate and reliable method of obtaining data that is representative of the general population. Due to the near universality of telephone ownership and minimized respondent burden, surveys conducted via telephone yield higher response rates, increase the representativeness of the sample, and reduce bias. For general population telephone surveys, Responsive Management uses dual-frame sampling plans incorporating both landline and wireless (cellular) telephone numbers to ensure maximum coverage and representation of the general population, including young adults, singles, and mobile-only households.

Responsive Management’s telephone surveys are conducted via Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) software. While the CATI software automates the telephone survey process and data entry, all Responsive Management telephone surveys are conducted by live, professionally-trained interviewers. Survey data are entered into the computer as the interview is conducted, thereby eliminating any potential subsequent data-entry errors.

Responsive Management’s telephone interviewing facilities are staffed by professional interviewers with experience conducting computer-assisted telephone interviews, working under the close supervision of Responsive Management’s senior staff. Our interviewers are trained according to the standards established by the Council of American Survey Research Organizations and receive in-depth briefings prior to their work on each study. Supervision over the interviewing process is performed by the survey center managers through extensive interviewer training, monitoring, and interviewer review. The survey center managers randomly monitor telephone workstations without the interviewers’ knowledge as to which interviews will be monitored. Random interviewer monitoring allows the survey center managers to maintain strict quality control over the data collection process. Responsive Management’s survey center managers and statisticians check each completed survey for clarity, understanding, completeness, and format.

Over the past three decades, Responsive Management has conducted more telephone surveys on natural resource and outdoor recreation issues than any other firm in the nation.