|
Here is a sample telephone survey directed at
executives, designed for use with a computer-assisted telephone
interviewing (CATI) system.
CATI enables branched questioning of the type
illustrated here. Note that to interviewers, the questionnaire
appears seamlessly on the screen.
Under most circumstances, the following telephone
survey averages 10 minutes in length:
I.
INTRODUCTION.
Hello, Mr./Ms.________, this is
________ calling from CSSL at the request of Company X.
They’ve asked us to contact you
with some questions about how Company X might improve products and
services. This survey will only take a few minutes of your time.
And to show our appreciation, we’ll be happy to enter your name in a
drawing for one of five DVD players and also send you an Executive
Summary of survey findings about trends in the widget industry. So, is
this a convenient time for you, Mr./Ms.______?
IF YES: OK, let’s get started.
Please try to keep your answers to our questions as short as
possible. [go to #1]
IF NO: When would be a good time
for me to call back? [record callback date and time, give 800
number, thank and terminate]
II. QUESTIONS.
1. Let’s start with a general
question. I’d like to ask you about your standards in
selecting suppliers OF ALL TYPES, not just suppliers of widgets.
When selecting a supplier in general, please tell me how important
each of the following factors is to you on a scale of 1 to 10,
where 10 is "very important" and 1 is "not at all
important."
[ROTATE FACTORS –
"Don’t Know," "N/A," and "Refused"
also available]
High product quality
Fair prices
Customer service department that resolves problems
quickly
On-time deliveries
Products in-stock and available
when I order them
Good point-of-sale materials
and marketing support
Easy ordering process
2. Next, I’d like to ask you
a few questions about Company X. When placing orders at Company
X, do you primarily use…
[READ LIST – INDICATE ONE
RESPONSE ONLY. ROTATE CHOICES.]
Fax
Telephone call
E-mail
Web site
EDI (that is,
computer-to-computer ordering)
Sales rep visit
Overnight delivery service
(such as FEDEX)
Regular mail (post office)
Other:_________
[DO NOT READ]
Refused [DO NOT READ]
Don’t Know [DO NOT READ]
Not Applicable [DO NOT READ]
Someone Else Places Orders / Don’t Know How Placed [DO NOT
READ]
3. I’d like to ask you about
contacts by Company X sales reps. Would you prefer that they
contact you…
[READ LIST (NOT ROTATED) –
INDICATE ONE RESPONSE ONLY.]
Weekly
Twice a month
Monthly
Every two months
Quarterly
Twice a year
Once a year
Don’t want any contacts [DO NOT READ]
Don’t know/not sure [DO NOT READ]
Refused [DO NOT READ]
I will contact them when I need something [DO NOT READ]
4. For our next question, please
be assured that your answer will be anonymous. Besides Company X, please
give me the name of one other company offering widgets that has
been a very important supplier to you in the last year.
INDICATE A MAXIMUM OF ONE
COMPANY.
[Do NOT read list.]:
Company 1
Company 2
Company 3
Company 4
Company 5
Company 6
Other________
No other company used
Don't Know
Refused
Not Applicable
5. Now I’m going to read you a
short list of factors related to performance as a supplier of widgets.
For Company X and [company selected in #4], please give a rating
from 1 to 10, where 10 represents "excellent" and 1 represents
"very poor" performance for each factor. Again, your answers
to this question will be anonymous.
IF NO OTHER COMPANIES MENTIONED
(OR REFUSED) IN #4, ASK:
Now I’m going to read you a short
list of factors related to Company X’s performance. For each factor,
please rate them using a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 represents
"excellent" and 1 represents "very poor." Again,
your answers to this question will be anonymous.
Let’s start with…
[ROTATE FACTORS –
"Don’t Know," "N/A," and
"Refused" also available]
High product quality
Fair prices
Customer service department that
resolves problems quickly
On-time deliveries
Products in-stock and available when
I order them
Good point-of-sale materials and
marketing support
Easy ordering process
How would you rate Company X on the
1-10 scale, where 10 is "excellent" and 1 is "very
poor"? What about [company selected in #4]?
…What about….? [ROTATE
FACTORS – REPEAT FOR ALL FACTORS. REPEAT FOR BOTH COMPANIES.]
IF TWO COMPANIES RATED IN #5
Next, please give me a rating 1 to
10 for overall performance as a supplier for Company X and [company
selected in #4]. This rating should summarize your overall opinion
of each company.
[ENTER RATINGS.]
IF NECESSARY: Again, your
answers to this question will be anonymous.
IF ONLY COMPANY X RATED IN
#5:
Next, please give me a rating
1 to 10 for Company X’s overall performance as a supplier.
This rating should summarize your overall opinion of the
company.
[ENTER RATING.]
IF NECESSARY: Again,
your answer to this question will be anonymous.
6. What one company
would you say is your preferred or primary vendor of widgets?
[INDICATE ONE COMPANY ONLY –
DO NOT READ LIST.]
Company X
Company 1
Company 2
Company 3
Company 4
Company 5
Company 6
Other_______
Don’t Know
Refused
Not Applicable
IF NECESSARY: Again, your
answer to this question will be anonymous.
7. Are you aware that Company
X offers products besides _____ and _____?
[INDICATE ONE ANSWER ONLY]
Yes
No
Don’t Know / Not Sure
Refused
8. Finally, what can Company X
do to improve products, services, or the way it works with
distributors? Any suggestions for them?
[PROBE for specifics. Enter
responses on screen. If no suggestions, write "NONE."]
III. CLOSING.
On behalf of Company X, thank you
for your time. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you, and I know
that Company X looks forward to serving you in the future. Goodbye.
|
