The market research industry’s three main channels – Online, CATI and CAPI – each have distinct advantages in different situations. Online is fast, cheap and far-reaching. But better quality responses can sometimes be assured via CATI and CAPI channels, which can be backed up with visual, audio and GPS location evidence.
Circumstantial, cultural, demographic and geographic factors also come into play when it comes to which channel is most effective for delivering response. But these can vary within an individual survey and even within an individual sample.
To offer a comprehensive service that keeps all the options open, market research companies ideally need the ability to deploy all three channels, switching between them as necessary in a mixed-mode project.
Benefits Of Multi-Mode Flexibility
While a particular survey type is often a preferred choice for a specific market research project, there are often circumstances when the ability to switch modes is beneficial.
- CAPI and CATI surveys are sometimes preferential when quality control via a human interviewer is important. But if a target group cannot be reached face-to-face or by phone, then an Online sample can be used to fill in the gaps.
- CAPI interviewers sometimes encounter respondents for whom on-the-spot participation isn’t convenient, but are happy to take the survey online at a time of their choosing.
- Some respondents are not comfortable with completing Online surveys and prefer to provide answers over the phone.
- India, with 370 million internet users, is the second largest online market after China. Yet this figure only represents 30% of the population. So while Online can be a great channel here, it’s not enough on its own.
- Online is the predominant channel in Europe and North America, there’s a preference for face-to-face in Asia and Africa.
Incompatible Systems Limit Market Research Capability
Because Online, CAPI and CATI channels are driven by different technical systems, switching between them is often not as simple as it needs to be. Making a survey available by all three systems typically requires duplication of set-up work and additional effort to consolidate the results. For some market research companies, this is a burden to far. For the sake of efficiency, they dedicate themselves to a single channel. Thereby cutting off the many opportunities which come with multi-channel capability.
Nfield Consolidates Online (CAWI), CATI And CAPI To Boost Productivity And Open Up Possibilities
Here at NIPO, we are all about empowering market research companies to perform better. So we decided to get a grip on the situation by developing Online, CATI and CAPI systems which are fully compatible with each other.
Using our Nfield Online, CATI and CAPI survey solutions, you only have to set up a survey once for it to automatically translate across all three channels. Each respondent’s answers can be accepted via any channel and results are automatically consolidated.
New To Nfield?
If you’re currently burdened with incompatible systems for multi-mode surveys, switching to Nfield will noticeably boost your productivity.
And if you’ve been limiting yourself to just one or two channels, Nfield provides an easy way to explore the opportunities multi-mode survey capability could bring to your business.
What’s more, because Nfield survey solutions are specifically designed to meet the needs of Market Research professionals, they’re sully equipped with everything from stunning survey design and advanced scripting options to elaborate sampling, quota handling and much more.
Want To Find Out More?
Feel free to contact us to discuss your requirements and ask anything you need to know about Nfield Online, CAPI and CATI.
