Party Line
This call may be monitored for quality control.
How many times have you heard this phrase? Most of us take it
to mean what it says, and rightly so. Here at SRA Research Group
we couldn't feel more strongly about it, especially when it comes
to surveys.
Monitoring for quality control is an invaluable tool for determining
if a survey works. We can determine if the opening statement enables
the interviewer to reach the right person, and if the questions
are in a logical sequence, clear, and understandable.
Anyone familiar with conducting telephone surveys knows that they
all begin with an intensive briefing of the interviewers. What
most people don't know is that monitoring the calls is as important
as the briefing. Often, surveys are revised based on what SRA hears
during the first day of interviewing.
While monitoring is useful in consumer and community awareness
surveys, it is especially useful for customer satisfaction surveys.
Monitoring permits clients to hear, first-hand, the “voice of the
customer.”
Hearing a voice on the other end of the line saying, “Wow, they
are really terrific!” provides a deeper understanding of a customer's
satisfaction than a “5” on a five-point scale. Likewise, an angry
customer's voice is more powerful than a “1” rating or reading
the customer's verbatim comments.
While some clients tell us that they don't have time to listen-in
on surveys, we urge them to try to schedule at least a few minutes
to monitor interviews. It provides insight that simply cannot be
derived from reading a report.
So, the next time you are asked to participate in a customer satisfaction
survey and hear “This call may be monitored,” the person listening
in might be the person that most needs to hear your comments.‡
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