Businesses collect data about their customers and potential customers all the time. For example, businesses will analyze how people navigate their sites to spot underlying problems in the site design. Of course, sometimes businesses want more specific data than they can get from the usual data channels.
When that happens, they can employ a range of research methods. Surveys are one of the more popular choices. You can host them on your website and collect data there, but that doesn’t always get you a good sample. Enter automated telephone surveys.
Never used an automated phone survey before? Keep reading for an overview of what they are and why they matter.
Automated Telephone Surveys
An automated telephone survey or IVR polling if you only need one question answered, leverages technology to produce the same results as having live operators call and conduct surveys.
The interactive voice response tech reads the questions and answers to the person on the other end of the line. The system then logs the response and moves on to the next question. This repeats until the survey is complete.
Phone Survey Benefits
Surveys offer a range of benefits. The most valuable one for most businesses is that the survey lets you ask specific questions about specific issues.
For example, you may want to know how customers feel about your new customer service setup. Unless you get a mass outpouring of emails or calls about it, though, it can remain a mystery. A survey lets you collect that information directly.
Surveys provide faster data collection than waiting for the right number and kind of people to take the survey online. Most phone surveys complete within a few days.
Phone surveys typically generate better response rates than online or emailed surveys.
The Importance of Automated Surveys or an IVR Poll
Automated phone surveys and IVR polling offer additional benefits that live operator surveys and polls do not. Right at the top of the list is that software never gets tired.
After six or seven hours of conducting surveys or polls, even the most dedicated call center operator gets tired. That tiredness shines through and can make people less responsive. With software, you get the same delivery on call 100 as you got on call 1.
The software has no biases for or against your business, which means you get more objective results. That means you get more accurate data for analysis.
Is an Automated Survey Right for You?
Automated phone surveys offer key benefits, such as letting you dig for specific information you need for business decisions. That doesn’t mean an automated survey is right for every business.
A good survey requires a certain sample size to become meaningful. Getting that sample size means you need a fairly large group of people to call in the first place.
If your business has several thousand customers, an automated survey makes sense. If not, other methods may serve you better.
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