CATI-Related Tools CATIHelp: Increase Job Performance While Saving Money One of our Ci3 CATI users - I/H/R Research Group (Las Vegas) - has developed a comprehensive software system of about 140 programs designed specifically to work with Ci3 CATI. This system - CATIHelp - appears to result in measurable cost savings for all CATI studies, as well as in the administrative functions of running a telephone bank. Although I/H/R has not formally advertised this product for sale, CATIHelp is already in use at 16 of our larger Ci3 CATI installations, totaling nearly 1000 CATI stations. The CATIHelp system includes: A computerized time keeping system which can be run on stand-alone stations, and/or integrated into Ci3 CATI's CI3RUN.BAT file. Directly from interviewers' workstations, this program clocks all interviewer activities such as logging on, logging out, taking paid or non-paid breaks, changing jobs, etc... A full costing system which breaks down direct costs by job and task, and lets you allocate overhead costs to individual studies. This feature lets you monitor job costs daily so you can keep projects within budget. Several types of daily and full-period payroll reports. Accounting information can be transferred directly from CATI-Help to a database such as Access, Excel or FoxPro, or via modem to payroll services such as ADP. A complete system for automatically measuring and tracking interviewer efficiency, based on standard deviations. Changes in an interviewer's performance over time can be graphically displayed, complete with notations indicating the dates and amounts of corresponding raises. A number of analysis tools for tracking job statistics. For example, one module summarizes daily and project-to-date production rates (CPH), hours applied by type of work task, sample and quota reports, sample availability and status, sampling "hit" rates, an estimate of sample required to finish the job, and details for each interviewer such as CPH, average questionnaire length, refusal and contact rates, etc. into a single report at the touch of one button. A series of other highly useful programs, including modules which analyze unknown sample layouts, measure potential time zone calling bias, examine dialings and completes by replicate, automatically "mask-off" unproductive sample, spot questionnaire length "outliers," study each interviewer's dialing patterns and compare their results versus all others working on the project, automatically let you know when people are "late from break," and so forth. Sawtooth Technologies has strongly supported development of the CATIHelp system and is providing I/H/R with technical details needed to help speed the adaptation process to our new Windows-based CATI system. At a recent CATIHelp user meeting in Las Vegas that we attended, we found that users really swear by CATIHelp. The software significantly improves the usefulness of Ci3 CATI for DOS, and generally makes the job of the field supervisor a lot easier. The CATIHelp user group is very excited about the upcoming conversion of the CATIHelp system for our new Ci3 CATI for Windows product. I/H/R estimates that the Ci3 CATI for Windows version of CATIHelp should be ready for a full Beta test in the fall. Overall, CATIHelp provides you with the information you need to run an efficient CATI operation. You can save by drastically reducing the number of supervisor hours spent computing payroll and also by avoiding unnecessary overtime and unbillable hours. Users report that job production rates are significantly improved, partially because "instant" feedback regarding job progress is available, and because "unprofitable" interviewers can be removed or retrained. CATIHelp is available from I/H/R Research Group (Las Vegas). You may "download" a complete system for use with Ci3 CATI for DOS from their BBS and use it for 60 days with no obligation. Contact I/H/R toll-free at 1-888-CATIHLP, or call Nicole Garneau of Sawtooth Technologies at 847/866-0870. Back to Sawtooth News Index