Survey is an efficient way of collecting information from a large number of respondents. Very large samples are possible in surveying. Statistical techniques can be used to determine validity, reliability and statistical significance.

Surveys are flexible in the sense that a wide range of information can be collected. They can be used to study attitudes, values, beliefs, and past behaviours. Because they are standardized, they are relatively free from several types of errors. There is an economy in data collection due to the focus provided by standardised questions. Only questions of interest to the researcher are asked, recorded, codified, and analysed. Surveys depend on subjects’ motivation, honesty, memory and ability to respond.

Surveys are not appropriate for studying complex social phenomena. The individual is not the best unit of analysis in these cases. Surveys do not give a full sense of social processes and the analysis seems superficial.

Surveys may be used as part of dispute resolution, or to solicit opinions before making significant changes. They can be useful in developing consensus when community opinion is not immediately obvious in normal discussion.

The results of a survey are not binding, and may be subject to interpretation. A survey may sometimes be called a poll, and it may involve voting for different options, but it is not the same thing as an election.

Opinion surveys should be used to determine whether a consensus exists, not to decide which side "wins". Successful surveys and polls can never generate consensus, they can only show an existing consensus, if any. Using a survey may be useful because some people who disagree will nevertheless recognise and accept the consensus opinion of the community.

Decisions should be made by consensus decision making rather than a strict majority rule. However, on occasion it is useful to take a survey of opinions on some issue, as an aid to achieving consensus and an indication of which options have the most support.

Opinion poll is a tool for quickly probing opinions. Opinion polls should not have opening and closing times as votes do. Instead, just give everybody a chance to chip in with a simple yes or no. An opinion poll is not a binding vote, or a way to beat dissenters over the head with the will of the majority. Even if a large number of people vote for one option but some don't, this doesn't mean that that's the outcome. It means some people are disagreeing, and that has to be addressed.

Phone survey applications can be developed using our Interactive Voice Response (IVR) software. Surveys can be initiated by outbound phone calls or can be a response to callers. Using our system with the special features, we can call your survey prospects and play a highly focused and custom greeting. We then can give your target audience the option to take your survey or even talk with a representative, leave a voice message, hear additional information, or simply decline to participate in the survey if not interested. The survey can accept phone keypad response or can record each question response for later analysis.

Outbound calls can be automatically placed to contact the survey candidates based upon many criteria like age, life-style, income class, demographic information etc. A message can even be played to prospect or leave a message on an answering machine with instructions on how and where to respond to a survey.

Survey respondents can make selections using phone keypad response or they can leave recorded responses (voice) to each question. The message could also be simply an additional explanation of the survey with an option to talk with a representative by pressing a number for more complex surveys.

Automated phone survey begins by the selection of a particular segment and distributing the survey invitations to them either at a particular location or sending them by mail. The participants are asked to call a particular toll-free telephone number and answer the survey questions by pushing buttons on their telephone's keypad.

Responses generally occur within a few days after the invitation. The participants can call any time, from their home or office, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Thus, the process is very convenient and will not interrupt their daily schedule or routine. In fact, the participants enjoy this unique process so much; they are often left with a more positive feeling that the research survey is a true service and benefit to them.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) surveys provide better response profiles than many other methods, and higher response rates than many other methodologies – all at a lower cost per interview than traditional live interviewer telephone surveys.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Phone Surveys, the latest in survey technology, can now be implemented without investing in expensive computer hardware or learning complicated software programming. This state-of-the-art technology has many advantages over traditional survey methods. It assists in researching large or selected numbers of customers, even non-buyers, with great results at a very affordable cost.

It has become very difficult to contact survey participants with the ever increasing use of voice mail, caller-id and answering machines. Mailing methods - e-mail and direct mail - has decreased response to mailed surveys as well. These factors contribute to the rising cost of survey research.

Our inbound automated survey process is so user friendly that respondents will actually show eagerness to participate in the surveys. It begins with the distribution of survey invitations, either at a particular location or by mailing. Then the potential participants are asked to dial a toll-free number and answer the survey questions by pushing buttons on their telephone's key pad or by simply speaking their answers.

One main advantage of IVR phone surveys is that the respondents can call any time – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – at their convenience. In fact, the participants enjoy this unique process so much; they are often left with a more positive feeling that the research survey is a true service and benefit to them.

Our interactive surveys often provide better and higher response rates than many other methods – all at a lower cost per survey than the traditional ones. Other benefits of this kind of surveys include the following: