Over many years, market research has advanced in gathering client feedback. Traditional methods of obtaining consumer feedback are being replaced with innovative strategies to enable researchers to more quickly collect customer insight and minimize the process for both parties.

Obtaining feedback involves using a device – such as a computer, phone, or tablet – to collect information. Computer-assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) allows researchers to contact individuals by phone using computers. With Covid-19 protocols, CATI is an effective way to conduct market research and interact with clients, and hear their voices in the current era.

The surveys are not the same as ordinary phone survey research. With that, ensure that the CATI software you choose supports the survey tools needed to conduct CATI surveys, such as callbacks, auto-dialing, interview management, data entry, and sophisticated management tools.

This blog post will discuss seven of the best CATI software programs you can use in 2022. These software programs are reliable and efficient, but they also offer great value for your money. So if you are looking for a top-quality CATI software solution, read on!

What Is Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing?

The term CATI refers to recording answers over the phone using a script on a computer while clicking responses and adding open-ended comments from the participant into the software program.

It is a type of study in which interviewers conduct surveys over the phone using a basic computer-assisted reporting approach, such as an application loaded onto a computer or mobile device. The CATI survey technique, in which interviewers (sometimes called survey enumerators) use CATI software to conduct a survey, record answers, and keep track of response and completion rates.

A survey saved into CATI allows the telephone interviewer to concentrate on high-quality answers rather than being concerned about the sequence of questions and answers.

Interviewers who administer interviews on the phone must be well-trained, have computer expertise, and be aware of survey skip patterns. The interviewer will not have to worry about this when using CATI, the program automatically creates patterns so that the sequence is always correct.

Benefits of Using a CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) Software

1. Effective and Pre-tested Questionnaires

Before the fieldwork phase begins, CATI software guarantees that the survey scripts are tested on a small number of individuals. This is an excellent method to evaluate the survey’s performance.

Furthermore, it aids in the development of scripts that are intelligently branching, such as skipping non-relevant questions and prompting an interviewer to consider the reasons behind a particular response. This aids in the gathering of vital information from your customers.

2. Relevant & High-Quality Data

Using CATI software, telephone interviews may be conducted effectively in a secure and controlled setting. This is useful for formatting the questions to get a clear and accurate answer.

However, there is no prior testing or monitoring in the case of do-it-yourself surveys. Using incentive-led web surveys that provide respondents free access to a particular website or competition is notorious for producing fast and incorrect answers. 

3. Customized Questionnaires

CATI software is used to create surveys that are both compliant and consistent with the company’s brand identity. This is an essential component in ensuring that interviewees (especially new clients) are confident in the survey’s validity.

You may add questions relevant to specific services or product characteristics by providing survey customization. This allows for more relevant and valuable feedback.

4. Global Audience

CATI software allows you to reach out to your target audience from anywhere. It will enable top business reporting organizations to research their targeted client, employee, stakeholder, or supplier market anytime and anywhere.

5. Cost-Effective

Telephone interviews have a lower overall cost with a high level of productivity. CATI software usually includes an in-built contact database and a scheduling feature to help speed up and improve interviews.


6. Deep & Valuable Customer Insight

A successful CATI system may help build your brand by thoroughly getting to know your market. CATI software enables companies to create questionnaires that simply understand customer behaviors and motives. Unlike an internet survey program, which purposefully limits the number of inquiries to keep them brief, CATI software allows for longer surveys that include well-detailed questioning.

7 of the Best CATI Software Products, plus 1!

Here we present you 7 of the best CATI Tools out there—and explain when you should consider giving engageSPARK a go.

1. IdSurvey

IdSurvey provides a web-based CATI survey software. All you need to construct your telephone surveys is a web browser and an internet connection. Researchers can now collect data simply by using intuitive interfaces, requiring no particular expertise.

You have complete control over your projects and interviews in the CATI survey software. It offers numerous tools to assist with effective survey administration, including interviewers’ statistics, time zone management, outbound, and inbound calls, click-to-dial, predictive dialing, etc.

Also, you can set up rules for each call, interview regulations for the agents, and introductions for your interviewers to read to respondents. You may also attach notes for the agents; these will appear on the agent’s screen before the survey questions. The platform has a “key entry” that may improve productivity and speed up the agent’s tasks.

Agents can input the code for the chosen option to operate various functions, such as filling in interviews, calling a phone number, marking a call outcome, or moving to the next/previous question. In addition to its functionality, IdSurvey can conduct CATI surveys in mixed mode, which means with CAWI (computer-assisted web interviewing) or CAPI (computer-assisted phone interviewing).

2. Rotator Survey

Rotator Survey provides CATI software with sophisticated technological capabilities. Rotator CATI software is intended to aid any size of a research project. The interface is also very simple to understand & use.

The software program generates real-time reports to track the progress of project work. It follows the interviewers’ performance based on each agent’s efficiency and productivity and it does not require a strong internet connection.

3. Nebu

Nebu provides web-based CATI software for remote interview procedures that can be completed from almost any location with a stable internet connection. Customers have total control over the sample and quota.

The software can also handle any sample size, many languages, or several quota calls. To guarantee that the interviewers meet their standards, Nebu allows supervisors and managers to keep track of their performance.

The software program includes real-time monitoring, consistent data collection, open feedback fields, productivity reports, and other features to guarantee high-quality performance. Also, it is a fully secure system that complies with industry best practices to ensure data security, integrity, accessibility, and uptime.

4. Confirmit

Confirmit logo (PRNewsFoto/Confirmit) (PRNewsfoto/Confirmit)

By providing market research solutions, Confirmit empowers its users to hear the voice of the customer and use it to force changes in the organization. Confirmit offers CATI and IVR, allowing you to increase production while saving time.

The software program is integrated with a software package that gives a single interface for call management, monitoring, and reporting. You can use this software to create custom automation to execute distributed telephone interviews in any language.

Confirmit allows you to create, execute, and assess end-to-end CATI solutions. You may effortlessly link your phone with other channels. Supervisors can keep track of live interviews from every team to ensure that the experience is satisfactory.

5. Marketing System Group

PRO-T-S is a system built by MSG that enables the predictive dialer to connect with the CATI system, telephone operations, and interviews. It comes with various CATI system interfaces, including Survox, Confirmit Horizons, UNICOM Data Collection 6, etc.

The Pro-T-S is a self-contained professional unit that offers many dialing modes to help you conduct your CATI survey more effectively.

All non-working numbers are immediately returned to the CATI system. The connection with CATI sample management guarantees that you have constant control over the research survey. It may also be utilized to monitor critical indicators in both local and remote locations.

6. Askia

Askia‘s CATI solution, Askiavoice, is designed to scale market research call centers on a large scale. It gives remote working agents the independence and power to be more productive. It is expressly designed to work with Askia’s dialer modes – Predictive, Progressive, and Preview.

The platform gives clients complete insight and control over samples and quotas. Also, it provides a wide selection of monitoring choices, including automatic call recording, detailed statistics, remote listen-in, and a lot more. Supervisors may monitor projects and progress and conduct performance assessments on the agents.

7. NIPO

NIPO offers CATI software that may be used through a centralized system. You have complete control and easy access to information because the flexible and centralized system allows you to monitor agent performance, interview progress, and optimize processes. It provides several features that will enable you to influence various areas.

The NIPO CATI solution includes three dialing options – auto, predictive, and progressives – to help you be productive. The software program enables you to control the recording and live-in interviews. NIPO offers 10,000 CATI seats worldwide, with specialized professionals to help you.

engageSPARK — CATI + automation for low and middle income countries

So when should you use engageSPARK’s CATI solution for market research? Our DIY CATI solution works best in combination with other communication channels:

  • Your WhatsApp campaign did great—you got lots of replies. Enroll them in your CATI campaign automatically.
  • After the CATI Survey, enroll the contacts in an automated SMS feedback survey.
  • CATI + Airtime topups: Automate thank-you gifts to participants with prepaid phone credit (airtime topups).
  • Gather information via automated phone calls & then check a sample of your data using manual CATI verification.
  • Use random-digit dialing (RDD) and short IVR surveys to find respondents who meet your target demographics (e.g., age, gender, language, etc.) & then use CATI to ask them longer, more complex questions.

Also, we specialize in reaching out to people in low and middle income countries—our telco connections, our expertise is there. If that’s where you want to go, consider engageSPARK!

Chat us up if you have questions—the chat button is in the bottom— or send us a message.

FAQS

What Does CATI Enable You to Do?

CATI enables researchers to bridge any gaps in their target audience. The information produced can help you develop a more well-rounded customer experience that includes a diverse range of demographics instead of figuring it out through trial and error.

What Is the Difference Between CAPI and CATI?

CAPI

The CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) technique is a face-to-face method of computer-assisted interviewing. An interviewer obtains data by having a face-to-face conversation (and not a virtual one).

The interviewer may conduct the interview and submit responses in real-time using a smartphone, tablet, or PC. The website will connect to the central server and immediately send data.

CATI

The CATI method (Computer Assisted Telephone Interview) was created to enhance and simplify the telephoning procedure. The computer displays questions, and respondents may select potential answers.

Observations

When evaluating two distinct techniques, each progressed in terms of market research, and each is an essential tool for any agency in the industry. Now it’s time to look at the real-world effectiveness of these computer-assisted reporting revolutions.

An essential quality of the CAPI approach is its actual face-to-face interaction between respondent and interviewer. This feature eliminates almost all questionnaire errors because the respondent can engage immediately with the interviewer, if necessary. However, the average number of interviews completed in a working day is usually lower than CATI.

On the other hand, the CATI method offers the advantages of the method mentioned above: The call agent can also assist the interviewee by interpreting the encounter and addressing any questions.

How Is CATI Conducted?

A questionnaire displayed on a computer’s screen is used to conduct interviews by telephone. The interviewer records answers using a keyboard and mouse to match the pre-coded responses on the net. The CATI program handles all forms of questionnaire routing and complex survey logic.

Furthermore, most CATI software solutions handle the following features:

  • Sample management – this means the scheduling and distribution of call numbers to people or groups of interviewers assigned to fieldwork on a specific project
  • Quota management – ensure that the required number of completed interviews with particular groups or subsamples is achieved.
  • Ensure that response rates, call outcomes, and appointment scheduling are adequately tracked.

Final Word on Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview Software

CATI software is a powerful tool for conducting large-scale surveys. It offers many advantages over traditional survey methods, including handling all forms of questionnaire routing and complex survey logic. If you need to conduct a large-scale survey, consider using CATI software.