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Ci3 CATI for Windows gives you maximum flexibility and efficiency when you set up a study: you can start from scratch, entering new specifications and creating a new sample database; you can copy specifications and sample from an existing study; or you can create some new specifications and copy others. For example, you might copy disposition codes and Time-Zone calling rules from one study, No-Answer callback rules from another, then create the remaining specifications and the sample database. Of course, you can edit any specifications copied from an existing study to meet the requirements of your new study.

On-Screen Navigator

Ci3 CATI for Windows' main Study window (see figure below) serves as an on-screen navigator to guide you through the study set-up and reporting processes.

You start at the top left of the window and work your way through to the bottom right as you proceed through a study. All of the functions you need for creating and monitoring the progress of a study can be accessed from this window.

Ci3 CATI for Windows organizes study specifications as if each set of specifications were on its own index card. This common Windows convention is called "tab view" ( see figure below); one tab contains the Time Zone rules, another holds the disposition codes, and so on. To create or edit study specifications you select the applicable tab, then use the tab window to enter or modify the specifications.

Ci3 CATI for Windows offers the same sets of study specifications as Ci3 CATI for DOS, and you set up study specifications just as you do in the current system. But we've extended the flexibility of sample control settings, quotas, disposition codes, Time Zone rules, No-Answer Callback rules, and Priorities to better meet your needs.

Sample Control

In addition to controlling the number of times a sample record can be attempted and the number of minutes to wait before redialing Busys, you can now control the amount of time that must elapse before a No Answer can be reattempted. You can use this setting to prevent No Answers from being continuously redialed when there is only a small number of available records remaining in the sample database.

You can set the number of minutes before scheduled dialing that Callbacks appear in an interviewer's calling queue. This lets the interviewer know when Callbacks are about to be dialed so that the interviewer can decide whether to attempt another number or wait for the scheduled call. You can now also control the number of minutes that Callbacks remain in an interviewer's calling queue after their scheduled callback time before they are sent to another interviewer for dialing. This ensures that Callbacks are not missed if the interviewer assigned to make the call is completing an interview when the callback is scheduled.

Quotas

We've removed the limit on the number of quota cells you can define (see figure below) and you can now specify as many qualifications as you need to define a cell.

And, a respondent can now be counted in a single quota cell or in multiple quota cells. For example, in a consumer package goods study, a respondent might qualify as being a recent purchaser in the product category. In this case, the respondent would be counted only in a single quota cell. If, instead, the respondent had recently purchased each of three brands, the respondent would be counted in three quota cells.

You can also pre-assign a respondent to as many quota cells as you want - not just to a primary and a secondary quota cell. For example, in a credit card study you might know that a respondent has four credit cards. If you have reached your quota for the first three cards, the respondent would still qualify for the fourth.

Disposition Codes

There is no longer a limit on the number of disposition codes you can establish. In addition, we've added disposition categories for No Answers, Busys and Callbacks so you can assign any numeric value to any disposition code including No Answer, Busy, and Answering Machine. Also, Ci3 CATI accommodates the new AAPOR (American Association for Public Opinion Research) standards for defining final disposition codes and calculating outcome rates.

Time Zone Rules

We've removed the limit on the number of Time Zone rules you can specify. You can now control time zones by time of day and day of week. For example, you can suspend dialing during the lunch or dinner hours within a given time zone, or you can specify different calling hours for weekdays and weekends without having to change the Time Zone rules. Further, Ci3 CATI now recognizes all international time zones, so you can control for any time zone from anywhere in the world.

No-Answer Callback Rules

There is no longer a limit on the number of No-Answer callback rules you can define (see figure below), and you can now specify the number of times a call should be attempted within a time period before a No Answer rule is applied.

For example, you can require that a number be attempted twice in the evening before being attempted on a weekend, and attempted three times on a weekend before being attempted on a weekday. No Answer callbacks now have lower priority than scheduled callbacks so interviewers receive all their scheduled callbacks before No Answer callbacks are attempted.

Priorities and Interviewer Assignments

We've removed the limit on the number of Priority and Interviewer Assignment rules you can define. Interviewer Assignments now are based on Interviewer Properties (Spanish speaking, executive interviewer, and so on) rather than ranges of interviewer numbers, so studies can have as many types of interviewer assignments as you need.

Sample Database Offers Expanded Capabilities

Ci3 CATI for Windows uses a built-in Paradox relational database for storing sample (see figure below).

This database replaces the proprietary database (DB.CON) used in Ci3 CATI for DOS. Incorporating a commercially available database into Ci3 CATI for Windows offers several advantages:

The biggest advantage of using the Paradox database, however, is that its use greatly expands Ci3 CATI's sample management capabilities. For example:

Check Setup

Ci3 CATI's new Check Setup feature lets you verify that your study setup is complete and that you are ready to begin interviewing. The Setup Status window (see figure below) lists the requirements for setting up a study, indicates those that have been completed, and reports the status of your study setup.

Changes to Specifications

You can make changes to study specifications at any time, even when interviewing is in progress. For example, you can manually close a quota cell, increase the number of attempts allowed per sample record, or change the priority of a sample record. Interviewing stations are updated as soon as you save the changes, so the new requirements take effect immediately. Overall, you'll find setting up a Ci3 CATI study to be easy and more flexible than ever. Ci3 CATI for Windows lets you accommodate a wider range of study requirements and provides you with more options in handling day-to-day administrative details.

Study Setup: Greater Flexibility without Sacrificing Familiarity or Simplicity