NOW AVAILABLE
WinCati 4.2: One System for CATI, Web, and CATI/Web Interviewing
We are pleased to announce the release of WinCati 4.2. WinCati 4.2 is the most fully integrated telephone and Web interviewing system available. You can do CATI interviewing, Web interviewing, and CATI/Web Mixed-Mode interviewing -all with one easy-to-use, flexible system. In a single package you get:
- A cost-efficient CATI system capable of adhering to rigorous research standards
- An interviewing system that can perform all of the interviewing functions expected of a telephone interviewing system and the functions of an advanced Web interviewing system
And, with the Mixed Mode option (see related article on this page):
- Web and CATI/Web Mixed-Mode interviewing that increases response rates, provides a sampling frame for projecting Web-based results, lowers interviewing costs and shortens study times.
WinCati has always been the leader in offering a full range of standard features. WinCati 4.2 expands that range even further to include:
Auto Test Auto Test automatically runs questionnaires and generates test data for checking questionnaires and setting up analysis specifications. Auto Test makes good use of idle interviewing stations, day and night.
Rapid Dial Rapid Dial uses standard modems for automated dialing to achieve 10-15% productivity gains. Interviewers press hot keys (such as "b" for busy or "n" for no answer) to automatically record dispositions and dial the next number.
Super View Interviewer Monitoring System Super View lets supervisors observe-from their own computers-what interviewers are seeing and doing while conducting interviews.
Super View Interviewer Rating System System Super View's interviewer rating system lets supervisors rate interviewers while they monitor them, with criteria and weights you specify. Ratings can be reported by study and across studies. It also reports average ratings to help you compare interviewers' performance.
Online Data Viewing/Editing/Coding Coding Staff can view, edit and code respondent data from any computer connected to a WinCati network or from any computer with online access-only a browser and login rights are required. All editing and coding are done directly to the respondent data database.
Online Statistics/Two-Way Tabs Staff and clients with login rights can view frequency counts, generate statistics and run two-way cross tabs online, even while studies are in progress.
20+ Export Formats WinCati respondent data can be exported to more than 20 formats, including Access, ASCII, dBase, Excel, SAS and SPSS. It can also be viewed and edited directly using dBase-compatible tools.
WinCati 4.2 now incorporates our Sensus questionnaire authoring system, which extends the power of Ci3's scripting language to Web and Mixed-Mode interviewing. We chose the Ci3 scripting language as the basis for Sensus because it is comprehensive, time-tested, widely used, and easily learned. Current Ci3 users can preserve the investments they made in learning Ci3 and in building libraries of Ci3 questionnaires, which can be converted quickly to take advantage of Sensus' expanded capabilities.
Overall, WinCati 4.2 continues WinCati's tradition as the best value/best practices industry leader. For more information see our Web site at www.sawtooth.com or call Rob Sheppard at 847/239-7300.
NEW
WinCati Mixed Mode: True CATI/Web Integration
WinCati 4.2 Mixed Mode is a new WinCati add-on option that lets you create studies that are pure CATI, pure Web interviewing, or any combination of the two. For example, you can recruit respondents by phone and let them choose whether to complete the interview by phone or online. For respondents who choose to complete the interview online, Mixed Mode can automatically send them e-mail invitations, reminders, and thank you messages, based on the interview status. Mixed Mode can also automatically direct interviews terminated online back to interviewers as callbacks so that they can be completed by phone.
WinCati Mixed Mode lets you field a broad range of CATI and Web studies, including:
- CATI-only
- Web-only with complex questionnaires and quotas
- Web with telephone recruitment
- CATI/Web with e-mail recruitment
- CATI/Web split sample
- CATI/Web with respondents choosing interview mode
WinCati Mixed Mode combines WinCati and Sensus Web. Since these two systems were designed to work together, WinCati Mixed Mode offers true CATI/Web integration:
- Interviews can switch between modes any number of times and in any order
- CATI and Web interviews use the same questionnaire-authoring system, questionnaire, sample database and respondent data database
- Sample management rules, quotas, and dispositions are applied across interview modes
- Question phrasing, presentation and flow can be switched during the interview to accommodate the interview mode
- E-mail messages can be sent automatically to online respondents based on their interview status
- Online data tools and statistics show CATI and Web results combined
Overall, WinCati Mixed Mode lets you harness the full potential of CATI and Web interviewing by:
- Increasing cooperation rates, especially among hard to reach respondents
- Providing a rigorous sampling frame for projecting Web-based results (see Working Toward Quality Web Surveys, on page 3)
- Lowering interviewing costs
- Shortening study times
For more information about WinCati Mixed Mode see our Web site or call Rob Sheppard at 847/239-7300.
SPECIAL OFFER
WinCati 4.2: One System for CATI, Web, and CATI/Web Interviewing
To help us celebrate the launch of WinCati Mixed Mode, Survey Sampling is offering a 30% discount to all educational institutions that purchase e-mail sample from the Survey Sampling International (SSI) SurveySpot Panel.
The SurveySpot Panel is SSI's Internet panel of respondents that delivers high response rates and allows selection of members based on Census demographics. SurveySpot lets researchers conduct Web studies without the costly up-front investment required to build a proprietary panel or the need to make contractual commitments to ISPs or Internet research intermediaries.
The SurveySpot online panel now includes more than 1,000,000 unique member households worldwide. This figure represents nearly 3,000,000 household members. Of the total, 62,000 are in the UK and 45,000 are in Canada.
For more information about this special offer, contact Survey Sampling International at 203-255-4500 (www.SurveySampling.com).
NOW AVAILABLE
Survey Sampling Offers Academic Discount to Mixed Mode Users
To help us celebrate the launch of WinCati Mixed Mode, Survey Sampling is offering a 30% discount to all educational institutions that purchase e-mail sample from the Survey Sampling International (SSI) SurveySpot Panel.
The SurveySpot Panel is SSI's Internet panel of respondents that delivers high response rates and allows selection of members based on Census demographics. SurveySpot lets researchers conduct Web studies without the costly up-front investment required to build a proprietary panel or the need to make contractual commitments to ISPs or Internet research intermediaries.
The SurveySpot online panel now includes more than 1,000,000 unique member households worldwide. This figure represents nearly 3,000,000 household members. Of the total, 62,000 are in the UK and 45,000 are in Canada.
For more information about this special offer, contact Survey Sampling International at 203-255-4500 (www.SurveySampling.com).
BEST PRACTICES
Working Toward Quality Web Surveys
The following is based on an article by Mick Couper of the University of Michigan Survey Research Center, "Web Surveys: A Review of Issues and Approaches," that appeared in the Winter 2000 issue of Public Opinion Quarterly (University of Chicago Press).
With systems such as WinCati Mixed Mode, it is now possible to field a wide range of Web survey types. These types differ in the degree to which they can project study results to the population of interest, or make inferences regarding that population.
The following list of Web survey types was constructed by Mick Couper of the University of Michigan Survey Research Center. We encourage you to read the original article (cited above) which provides an excellent basis for identifying good Web survey methods and offers guidance for conducting sound Web research.
Non-Probability Approaches
In these types of surveys, members of the target population do not have known non-zero probabilities of selection. Therefore survey results cannot be generalized to the population and any biases cannot be detected or removed.
Type 1: Web Surveys as Entertainment These are the "question of the day" or "instant poll" surveys often seen on the Web. They do not purport to be scientific, but are intended as entertainment and provide a forum for people to express their opinions.
Type 2: Self-Selected Web Surveys These surveys appear on portals, Web sites, and dedicated "survey" sites. They generally do not restrict who can participate, or how often. Unlike Type1: Web Surveys as Entertainment, disclaimers about being scientific are often replaced with assertions about the broad representative nature of the results.
Type 3: Volunteer Panels of Internet Users This approach recruits Internet users from popular Web sites or portals, or by using other opt-in methods not based on probability sampling. Demographics collected about the members are used in drawing samples and can be combined with survey results. Only panel members selected for a study can access the survey and no one can complete the survey more than once. Although more is known about these participants and the degree to which they represent the population of interest, their participation is still based on self-selection.
Probability-Based Approaches
These approaches are based on samples selected at random from known universes or sampling frames. Although their results are generalizable, they are still susceptible to non-response error.
Couper points out that since Web usage is not universal and no frame of Web users exists, there are essentially two ways of achieving probability-based Web samples. One is to restrict the sample, and therefore the universe, to those with Web access. The second is to combine alternative survey modes, where a sampling frame exists for at least one of the modes. The two ways are exhibited in the final five Web survey types.
Type 4: Intercept Surveys In this approach, every nth visitor to a Web site is invited to participate in a survey and the universe is narrowly defined as "visitors to the site." Participants are prevented from completing the survey more than once. This approach works well for customer satisfaction and site evaluation surveys, and for similar types of surveys where the entire universe has Web access.
Type 5: List-Based Samples of High Coverage Populations In this approach, a sampling frame of Internet users (or list with a high incidence of Internet users) exists and sampling is done based on that frame or list. Examples of this approach are surveys conducted among students at a university or among members of an organization.
Type 6: Mixed-Mode Designs with Choice of Completion Methods Methods In this approach, two or more survey modes are combined. A sampling frame for one of the modes exists, and sampling is based on that mode. When contacted, respondents choose the mode by which they will complete the survey and they are prevented from taking the survey more than once. The most common form of this approach is random digit dialing (RDD) telephone recruitment with respondents choosing between being interviewed by phone or online.
Type 7: Pre-Recruited Panels of Internet Users This approach is similar to the Type 3: Volunteer Panels of Internet Users approach, except panel members are recruited using a probability sampling method, such as an RDD telephone survey. Once constructed, the panel represents a random sample of Internet users and can be used for surveys where the population of Internet users is of interest.
Type 8: Probability Samples of Full Population This approach is similar to the Type 7: Pre-Recruited Panels of Internet Users except, in addition to recruiting individuals who have Internet access, those who do not have access are given equipment and Internet access in return for their participation in the panel. Although costly, this is the only Internet panel approach that allows generalization beyond the population of Internet users. Knowledge Networks of Menlo Park, California, is an example of a company that has constructed this type of panel.
PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
Extending Choice-Based Conjoint on the Web
This article is based on a paper presented by Joseph Curry of Sawtooth Technologies at the Tenth Sawtooth Software Conference, April 2003. The complete paper can be downloaded from the Sawtooth Technologies Web site at www.sawtooth.com.
Choice-based conjoint is a popular research technique for collecting data for making product design and pricing decisions. Choice-based conjoint data collection took a giant leap forward with the introduction of "off-the-shelf" interviewing software designed specifically for collecting choice data via the Web.
Much of the power of Web-based choice software results from the fact that it makes the technique accessible to a wide range of researchers while limiting its potential for misapplication. But in doing so, the software sets limits on the choice designs it can create. Although these limits are not significant in the majority of studies, most frequent users have bumped up against them.
Two such frequent users are Richard Miller of Consumer Pulse and Dirk Huisman of SKIM. Both get around the data collection limits imposed by the "off-the-shelf" choice software by creating extensions of the choice-based interview approach using Sensus Web.
Miller's clients need to test prices ranges that are conditional on other attribute levels that make up the product concepts being tested. Figure 1 shows an example of the type of conditional pricing table he would employ for high-definition televisions (HDTV's). Here the specific price ranges used in constructing HDTV concepts would depend on brand, technology and screen size.
Figure 1: Price Table for HDTV's, where price ranges are conditioned on brand, technology and screen size
Using Sensus, Miller can implement conditional pricing on the Web. He can also randomize tasks within sets of choice tasks, and randomize choice task sets across respondents. As a result, Miller states that he can deliver more realistic and precise price information to his clients.
Huisman creates choice tasks for testing the impact of attributes that convey non-verbal information. He uses Sensus to construct the tasks and to dynamically vary all of the attributes that appear in the choice concepts. An electric toothbrush example he created is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Choice task for testing non-verbal attributes
Huisman plans to use this approach to test whether including non-verbal information in choice tasks leads to better share predictions, less sensitivity to price, and a higher impact of promotions.
What do they do with the Sensus data once it's collected? Both Miller and Huisman take their Sensus data, reformat it, and then import it into their "off-the-shelf" choice-based conjoint packages where they estimate utilities and run market simulations.
By using Sensus, Miller and Huisman are able to generate choice-based conjoint designs that match their clients' markets and better mimic reality in situations where they run up against the current limits of the "off-the-shelf" systems. Their overall goals are to accommodate the needs of their clients and to produce results that have greater predictive validity.
