Confirmit, a solutions provider for customer experience, voice of the employee, and market research, and Sytel, a provider of IP contact center solutions, have partnered to deliver a series of new CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) features targeting the changing needs of market researchers.
The combination of Sytel's Softdial Contact Center (SCC) and Confirmit's CATI solution now delivers a unique range of new capabilities including Redial, Reconnect, and Seamless Survey Switching, all designed to improve the flow and flexibility of CATI interactions.
"More and more of today's respondents are mobile users, and they take an increasingly collaborative approach to survey participation than respondents using landlines," said Richard Compton, vice president of market research at Sytel, in a statement. "They expect to have a say in how and when they take part in a survey, which means we must be able to respond to any interruptions to mobile connections. In order to maximize the number of successful completes, we also need to acknowledge preferences for certain mobile devices to be used in different circumstances."
Redial and Reconnect help interviewers maintain contact with respondents, while Seamless Survey Switching gives supervisors greater control and improves interviewer productivity.
"We know that in order to run a profitable and efficient business it is vital to make the best possible use of interviewers," continued Compton. "To do this, we ensure that the right staff are assigned to the right job at the right time. Our joint development work with Confirmit has enabled us to improve respondent experience and drive much greater interviewer productivity, and we look forward to working with them on further developments in the future."
New features within the combined solution include the following:
- Redial: enables the interviewer to quickly re-establish calls with respondents and resume interviews if the call is cut off;
- Reconnect on an alternative number: allows an interviewer to continue surveys on new numbers if respondents would prefer to speak on different phones; and
- Seamless Survey Switching: enables supervisors to reassign interviewers to new projects without the need to logout or disconnect from the dialer.
"We are delighted to have worked with Sytel to deliver continued innovation and leadership in CATI solutions," said Terry Lawlor,executive vice president of product management at Confirmit, in a statement. "CATI is a critical data collection channel for many of our customers and one for which Confirmit is uniquely placed to support them. We are committed to creating the best possible experience for respondents, and we are also determined to support the market research industry in its quest to gather insight in the most cost-effective and efficient manner. Increasing respondent engagement and maximizing interviewer productivity are essential in CATI solutions, and we will continue to work with our customers and partners to maintain our leadership in meeting the evolving needs of the insight industry."