Welcome to VCU Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory

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Welcome to VCU Survey and Evaluation Research
Laboratory

• New Interviewer Training Session

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Outline of Training Program

• Two days of classroom training to include CASES
  training, conducting an interview, callback and
  refusal prevention training, and review of Call
  Center policies and procedures.
• Mock Calls with experienced members of current
  interviewing staff
• Study Specific Training Session
• Live Calls

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An Introduction to SERL, Surveys, and
Interviewing Techniques
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History and Background
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Mission Statement

• Founded in 1982, SERL is the applied research arm
  of Virginia Commonwealth Universitys Center for
  Public Policy.
• Our mission is to examine public issues and
  social problems through applied research
  techniques, so as to broaden and improve social
  discourse and decision making.

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SERL serves the research needs of

• State, local, and federal government
• University departments, faculty and students
• Organizations in the non-profit and private
  sectors
• Mass Media

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SERL advances VCUs mission as an urban
university through a

• Diverse range of research activities including
• Polls
• Specialized survey research projects
• Evaluation studies
• Support of University initiatives, and
• Community based capacity research programs

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Previous and Current Clients Include

• City of Richmond
• Metropolitan Council of Governments (Washington
  D.C. area)
• MST Institute
• Richmond City Public Schools
• State Corporation Commission
• University of Richmond
• Science Museum of Virginia

• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Virginia Community College System
• Virginia Department of Education
• Virginia Department of Health
• Virginia Employment Commission
• Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation

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Important Phone Numbers
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Call Center Staff
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Statement of Professional Ethics

• The rights of human subjects are a matter of
  primary concern to the Survey and Evaluation
  Research Laboratory.
• Call Center Interviewers are expected to uphold
  respondents rights and assure respondents that
  their rights are protected.

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The Rights of Respondents
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1.The right to accurate representation

• Interviewers must actively listen to the
  respondent and carefully enter his/her answers to
  ensure accurate representation. Knowingly
  entering false data is grounds for immediate
  termination. Also interviewers must actively
  listen to the respondent to be sure that he/she
  has answered the question appropriately.

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2. The right to be informed about the purpose of
the study

• Interviewers must read the introduction and
  consent statement to the respondent in order to
  inform him/her about the nature and purpose of
  the study and his/her rights. Interviewers
  should also be able to answer questions about the
  study and provide additional contact information.

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3. The right to refuse

• Interviewers must respect that a respondent has
  the right to refuse to participate in the study.
  The respondent also has the right to refuse any
  particular question. Interviewers are encouraged
  to persuade the respondent to participate, but in
  no way should attempt to force or otherwise
  harass a respondent.

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4. The right to remain anonymous

• Interviewers must not disclose any personal
  information about the respondent. At the
  completion of the study each respondents answers
  are polled with the responses of all other
  respondents and personally identifying data are
  stripped from the data set.

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5. The right to confidentiality

• Interviewers must respect the respondents right
  to share personal information with the
  understanding that he/she is having a
  confidential conversation with a professional
  interviewer. Interviewers must not speak with
  any person outside the SERL about a respondent or
  his/her answers.

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Section I Parts of the Survey
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In this section. . .

• Well discuss and review the different stages of
  a survey, including the introduction, selection
  procedure, consent and the questionnaire.

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The Introduction

• In the intro, you inform the person who answers
  the phone (the informant) about the purpose of
  the call.
• Its important to sound confident, friendly and
  professional.
• Engage the respondent

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Verify the phone number

• After introducing yourself and the study, you
  will verify the phone number and make sure that
  reached the respondent an a eligible line.
• Most of our studies are completed on a land-line
  at a private residence.
• We do not conduct surveys on cell phone, at
  businesses, at vacation homes or group quarters.

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What is a private residence?

• A housing unit with a separate entrance where
  occupants eat separately from other persons on
  the property and is occupied by its members as
  their primary or secondary place of residence for
  30 or more days a year.

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What is a group quarters?

• Dorm Rooms
• Barracks
• Hospitals
• Nursing Homes
• Prisons and Jails

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Example of an Introduction

• Hello, my name is (your name) and I am calling
  from Virginia Commonwealth University in
  Richmond, Virginia. Were conducting a state
  wide survey to gather information about the
  health of Virginians. Your telephone number has
  been randomly selected to help us reach a
  representative sample of the state. May I verify
  that this is 999-9999 in area code 999?

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The Selection Procedure

• In a small portion of the studies we do, we know
  the name of a specific person we want to survey.
  These studies are called known respondent and
  do not have a selection procedure.
• All other studies have a selection procedure,
  which is a process of randomly selection one
  adult resident of the household to be
  interviewed.

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The Respondent

• The person chosen by the selection procedure must
  be a resident of the household we are calling and
  must be 18 years of age or older.
• This person is called the respondent and is the
  only person eligible to complete the survey.

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Types of Selection Procedures

• Although each study will have only one selection
  procedure there are many different methods to
  chose from
• Household Count
• Youngest Male/Oldest Female
• Most Familiar With Services

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Most Familiar With Services

• In this selection procedure the interviewer will
  ask to speak with the adult resident who is the
  most familiar with the services the household
  received for our client.
• In the past weve used this type of selection
  procedure for customer satisfaction surveys on
  behalf of the Department of Public Utilities.

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Household Count

• In selection procedure, you will ask how many
  adult men and women live in the household and
  enter that information into the computer.
• The computer will randomly determine which adult
  in the household will complete the survey. This
  person is known as the respondent.
• Once the respondent has been chosen he is the
  only person that can complete the survey, even if
  he isnt home at the time of our call.
• Adult family members who are living away from
  home at college, in the military, or who are in
  prison are not to be included in the household
  count.

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Youngest Male/Oldest Female

• This is the most common selection procedure
  because it limits the amount of callbacks
• In this selection procedure we can conduct the
  survey anytime there is at least one adult at
  home and available at the time of our call.

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Youngest Male/Oldest Female Flow Chart
Ask for the YM, 18 years or older who is
currently at home and available.
Continue with questionnaire, with the Youngest
Male as the Respondent.
If there is a male available
If there are no males available.
Continue with questionnaire with the Oldest
Female as the Respondent.
Ask for the OF, 18 years or older who is
currently at home and available.
If there is a female available
If there are no females available.
Set a callback for a better time to reach an
adult in the household.
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Youngest Male/Oldest FemaleContinued

• In this selection procedure we are only
  interested in adult residents who are AT HOME and
  AVAILABLE at the time of our call.
• If someone is outside working on the car, asleep,
  in the shower or otherwise indisposed, he/she is
  NOT available. The definition of available is at
  the discretion of the informant.
• Informants often get confused when you ask for
  the youngest adult male in the household, and
  think were asking to speak with their children
  or a young male.

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Youngest Male/Oldest FemaleContinued

• Remember that the youngest adult male who is at
  home and available at the time of our call may
  not be the youngest male who lives there. In
  fact you respondent could be in his 70s, 80s,
  90s, etc
• Also the oldest adult female who is at home and
  available at the time of our call may not be the
  oldest female who lives there. Your respondent
  could be as young as 18.

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Evaluation of YM/OF

• Next, well evaluate several different household
  make-ups and determine the correct respondent
  using the Youngest Male/Oldest Female selection
  procedure.

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Scenario One

• 17 year old male available
• 22 year old male outside cutting the grass
• 45 year old male available
• 46 year old female available

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Scenario Two

• 85 year old female napping
• 21 year old female available
• 45 year old female in the shower
• 15 year old male available
• 17 year old male available

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Scenario Three

• 42 year old male unavailable
• 13 year old male available
• 17 year old female available
• 41 year old female busy making dinner
• Schedule a callback for 42 year old male
• Schedule a callback for 41 year old female
• Schedule a general callback

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Informed Consent Statement

• All SERL studies are reviewed by VCUs
  Institutional Review Board (IRB), unless the
  study has been declared exempt.
• The purpose of the IRB is to make sure that we
  protect the rights of all human subjects in our
  studies.
• IRB requires that we obtain consent from each
  individual participant in all studies.

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Informed Consent continued

• Even if the respondent asks you to skip reading
  the statement, every interviewer is required to
  read the statement, in its entirety, before
  beginning the interview.

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Example

• This is a voluntary survey. If you do not know
  the answer to a question, or prefer not to
  answer, just say so, and well skip it. If you
  chose to withdraw after we start just let me
  know. Your responses to this survey will be kept
  confidential. Do I have your permission to
  continue?

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The Questionnaire

• Once the introduction has been read, the
  selection procedure has been conducted and the
  respondents consent has been obtained, it is
  time to start asking the survey questions.
• There are three basic types of questions,
  closed-ended, open-ended, and other-specify.

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Closed-Ended Questions

• The majority of study questions are closed-ended.
  
• In this type of question, interviewers will code
  one answer from a predetermined list of answers.
  
• Example On the whole, would you say that your
  general health is excellent, good, fair or poor?
  Predetermined answer choices are excellent,
  good, fair, and poor.

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Open-Ended Questions

• In open-ended questions interviewers will type in
  respondents answers verbatim.
• Example What one or two words come to mind when
  you hear the phrase new developments in science
  and technology?

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Other-Specify

• The other-specify lists answer choices but also
  gives the interviewer a place to enter the
  respondents answer if it is not one of the
  listed choices.
• Example Regardless of whether you attend
  religious services, so you consider yourself
  Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, or Other
  (specify)?

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Section II Interviewing Techniques
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In this section. . .

• Well discuss and review the four key
  interviewing techniques
• Verbatim
• Neutrality
• Probing
• Professionalism
• These interviewing techniques must be followed to
  insure high quality data.

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Verbatim

• Verbatim means to read each question exactly as
  it was written.
• Statements in parentheses do not have to be read,
  but if you chose to use them, the must be read
  verbatim.
• Do not interpret, rephrase, or define terminology
  beyond what is provided on the screen.

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Verbatim continued. . .

• Read all questions exactly as they are written.
  Even a slight change in wording can alter the
  meaning of a question.
• Example How long, in minutes, is your average
  morning commute to work?
• Rephrased How did it take you to get to work?
• When the question is rephrased you are no longer
  asking about an average, or the morning, or
  asking for a response in minutes.

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Verbatim continued. . .

• All questions, statements, and response
  categories on the questionnaire must be read.
• Even if an interviewer thinks he knows the answer
  a respondent will give, the question must be read
  and answered.
• The interviewer should never read the Dont
  Know or Refused categories to a respondent.

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Verbatim continued. . .

• Do not interpret or rephrase the question in any
  way, even if the respondent doesnt understand
  the question.
• If you think the respondent misunderstood the
  question, you should repeat it.
• If no explanation or definition is provided, you
  should tell the respondent Whatever it means to
  you.

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Neutrality

• Your presence during the interview must have no
  effect on how a respondent answers any questions.
• Directly or indirectly voicing personal opinions
  while conducting an interview will bias data,
  which lowers the overall quality and accuracy of
  the information collected.

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Guidelines for Remaining Neutral

• Do not give any opinions about study questions,
  answers to study questions, or provide
  interpretation to questions.
• Provide neutral affirmations like ok or
  alright or moving on.
• Do not use comments like great, wonderful,
  too bad.
• Do not answer personal questions of any kind.

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Probing

• Since most survey questions are closed-ended, the
  respondents answers must fit into one
  predetermined category.
• To obtain the most accurate response,
  interviewers will occasionally need to reread the
  question or answer choices, or may need to ask
  probing questions to clarify a respondents
  answers.

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Effective Probing

• All probes must offer at least two answer choices
  and must be neutral.
• An effective probe may repeat the original
  question and answer choices. Preface the
  question with phrases like
• In general
• Taking everything into consideration
• On the whole

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Effective Probing, continued

• Sometimes it is necessary to probe more than once
  to obtain a viable response.
• However if you feel that the respondent is
  becoming agitated and still hasnt provided an
  answer, code the question as No Answer/Refused
• Do not code the question as Dont Know if the
  respondent cannot give a clear answer.

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Probing Example One

• Interviewer Would you say your general health is
  excellent, good, fair or poor?
• Respondent Its very good.
• Interviewer Would you say that is closer to
  excellent or good?
• Respondent Good.

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Probing Example Two

• Interviewer How would you rate the library
  services at VCU? Would you say excellent, good,
  fair or poor?
• Respondent The journal selection is excellent,
  but the hours at the media lab are very poor.
• Interviewer Taking everything into
  consideration, would you say, excellent, good,
  fair or poor?
• Respondent I guess its ok.
• Interviewer So would you choose excellent, good,
  fair or poor?
• Respondent Good.

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Professionalism

• Be polite to everyone you speak with, regardless
  of whether that person is polite.
• You not only represent the SERL, but also VCU and
  the client.

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Professionalism Tips

• Relay a sense of interest in the survey subject
  matter and the respondents answers
• Use a conversational tone
• Be an active listener
• Lead the interview by being assertive
• Educate yourself about the study background

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Review Sections I and II
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Review

• Only private residences are eligible to
  participate.
• The selection procedure chooses the respondent,
  and the respondent is the only person who can
  answer the survey questions.
• The informed consent statement must be read to
  every respondent.

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Review, continued

• Every question must be read exactly as it is
  written.
• Do not give your personal opinions at any point
  during the survey.
• Probe anytime the respondents answers do not fit
  into a predetermined category.
• Maintain a professional attitude at all times.

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Section III Callbacks, Refusals, Problems and
Other Dispositions
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In this section. . .

• Well discuss and review the different types of
  outcomes and learn the difference between
  callbacks, refusals, and problems.
• Well also review the correct technique for
  scheduling a callback.

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Dispositions and Abbreviations

• With every dial you make, you will assign an
  outcome, or disposition. It is important to
  assign the correct outcome to every case, because
  the disposition will effect when and if the case
  is called again.

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Assigning Dispositions

• Dispositions other than callback, refusal, or
  problem are assigned either on the dial screen,
  if no one answers the phone, or on the
  confirmation screen if the call is answer.
• Different screens in CASES will be discussed in
  further detail in Section VII.

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Outcome (OTCM) Abbreviations

• Busy (BZ or BZ2) Busy
• Callback (CB) Call back before the selection
  procedure
• CB/I Callback made with informant
• CB/R Callback made with respondent
• Circuit Problems (circ) A recorded message will
  say that all circuits are busy or to try your
  call again later

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OTCM continued. . .

• Completion (comp) Case has been completed, do
  not callback
• Computer/Fax Line (fax) computer or fax line,
  sounds like a loud beep, then a screeching noise
• Deny (deny) Callback was set for a specific
  time, and when we called back the informant
  denied that anyone by that name lived in the
  household (new interviewers should not call)

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OTCM Continued. . .

• Fast Signal (fsig) fast ring or fast busy
• No ring (nrng) no ring or one ring then nothing
• Mechanical Answering Device (MAD) Machine or
  Voice Mail, dont leave a message
• No Answer (NA) No answer

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OTCM Continued. . .

• Not in Service (NIS/ncit) recorded message will
  state that the number is a non-working number
• Refusal (ref) Refused before the selection
  procedure, new interviewers should not call back
• Ref/I Refused by informant
• Ref/R Refused by respondent

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OTCM Continued. . .

• Technological Barrier (tech) paid feature such
  as call blocking
• Termination (term) interview was started but
  the respondent refused to complete, new
  interviewers should not call back
• Temporarily not in Service (tNis) recorded
  message will state that the number is temporarily
  not working

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Callbacks

• Many times the households we reach will be unable
  to participate in the survey at the time of our
  call. In these cases you should attempt to
  schedule a callback to reach the household at a
  better time.
• There are four steps to scheduling a callback.
  The same process must be followed every time an
  interviewer is scheduling a callback.

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Step One Get Permission

• Before scheduling a callback, the informant or
  respondent must give permission for an
  interviewer to callback at a different time.
• To request a callback ask
• What would be a better time for us to reach
  you?
• If weekdays arent a good time for you I could
  callback over the weekend
• Were open from 10am until 9pm most days, would
  morning, afternoon or evening be the best time
  for you?
• Dont ask
• Can we call you back some other time? This
  makes it easier for the informant/respondent to
  say No.

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Getting Permission

• The interviewer has received permission when the
  informant or respondent says
• You can try tomorrow evening
• Call me at noon on Saturday
• Just try some other time
• You have not received permission if the informant
  or respondent says
• Its hard to say when the best time is
• Im really busy this time of year
• Im not really sure
• If you do not get permission on your first
  attempt, continue to probe for the best time to
  call.

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Step Two Determine the Best Time

• Always ask the informant or respondent for the
  best time to call back.
• Schedule all callbacks during normal operating
  hours.
• Unless specifically asked do not set a callback
  for the same day or during the daytime.
• Schedule callbacks for between 24 and 48 hours of
  the original call.

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Determine the Best Time

• Take the length of the study into consideration.
• If you reach someone while they are doing a
  routine activity, eating dinner or getting home
  from work, set the callback for a different time
  the next night.
• For example, if you reach someone at 530 and
  they are just sitting down to dinner, set a
  callback for 800 the next night. Unless theyve
  asked you to call at a specific time.

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Step Three Identify who to ask for

• (If no respondent has been selected, skip this
  step.)
• Find some way of identifying the respondent.
• Ask Who should we ask for when we call back?
• If the respondent doesnt want to give his name,
  ask for his/her initials, or if he/she could be
  identified as the Lady or Man of the House.

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Step Four Confirm the Appointment and End the
Call

• After determining the best time to call back,
  thank the respondent and confirm the appointment
  before ending the call.
• Say Thank you maam/sir, Ive set an appointment
  to reach you at (day) on (time). Have a good
  night., then hang up.
• You may want to jot down the appointment time on
  some scrap paper. After youve ended the call
  you will complete the callback process by setting
  the callback in CASES.

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Example of Scheduling a Callback

• Interviewer Hello, Im calling on behalf of the
  state health department. My name is X. Were
  conducting a study about health and health
  practices.
• Respondent I dont have time to do a survey
  right now.
• Interviewer Im sorry that I reached you at a
  bad time, what would be a more convenient time
  for us to callback?
• Respondent I dont know.
• Interviewer Were open from 10 am through 9 pm
  most days, would morning, afternoon or evening be
  the best for you?
• Respondent Try me back in the morning.
• Interviewer Thank you, Ive set an appointment
  to reach you tomorrow morning at 1100.

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Calling Callbacks

• Carefully read all notes to familiarize yourself
  with what happened during previous calls.
• Make sure that you know if the selection
  procedure was done.
• Interviewers calling from checker should closely
  review the face sheet to make sure the case
  wasnt already called.

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Calling Partial Completions

• Occasionally you will encounter as case that is
  partially completed. You will need to call back
  to finish asking the study questions.
• In these cases you will get a modified
  introduction
• Someone in this household previously started a
  survey may I speak with (name, lady of the
  house, man of the house, the person that started
  the survey)?

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Refusals

• A refusal occurs anytime you speak with someone
  who does not complete the survey and does not
  give permission to callback.
• You can be refused by and informant or
  respondent.
• In most cases a refusal converter will call back
  households who have refused once in an attempt to
  obtain a completion.
• Do not call any cases with a ref outcome on the
  face sheet UNLESS you have been asked to do so by
  a supervisor.

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Common Refusals

• The following are examples of common refusals
• Informant or respondent hangs up
• Informant or respondent says Im not interested
  and hangs up

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• Interviewer asks when would be a better time to
  call and informant/respondent
• Hangs up
• Says I dont know and hangs up
• Says I dont think there is a good time and
  hangs up
• Says Next year and hangs up

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Refusals and Children

• Sometimes you will speak with a child who refuses
  to bring an adult to the phone, or hangs up on
  you.
• Code the case as a refusal if you believe that
  the child was old enough to understand the
  purpose of the call and what was being asked.
• If the child was too young to understand the
  conversation, code the case as a callback so we
  can speak with an adult.
• The interviewer must use his/her own judgment to
  determine if the child understood his actions.

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Do Not Call Me BackTake Me Off Your List

• If an informant or respondent specifically
  requests that their number be removed from our
  calling list, we honor their request for that
  study.
• When you encounter as case like this, you should
  thank the informant or respondent for his/her
  time and tell the individual that they will be
  removed from our calling list.

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Coding a DNCB

• Once the informant or respondent is off the
  phone, code the case as a refusal and write the
  refusal note. (Notes will be discussed in the
  next section)
• Start the note with DO NOT CALLBACK.
• After youve written the note a screen called
  dncall will appear. Chose option to take
  the number off the list.

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Problems

• If you call a case and there is an extenuating
  circumstance that prevents the respondent from
  completing the survey, then code the case as a
  problem.
• There are three kinds of problem cases. Away for
  Duration, Language Barrier, and Incapable.

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Away For Duration

• Use this option only when the informant or
  respondent has agreed to a callback, but they
  cannot be reach within the specified data
  collection window.
• Use this option only if there is an established
  end date for data collection or if a supervisors
  instructs interviewers not to set callbacks past
  a certain date.

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Language Barrier

• The informant or respondent speaks a language
  that the study is not conducted in.
• Most studies are conducted in English only and a
  few are conducted in English and Spanish.
• If the informant doesnt speak English try to
  determine if anyone in the household speaks
  English before coding a language problem.

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Incapable

• The respondent is unable to answer questions over
  the phone because of hearing problems, speaking
  problems, mental retardation, stroke, stoma, or
  any type of long term illness that prevents him
  or her from speaking on the phone.
• Someone who is sick with a short term illness
  should not be classified as incapable. In these
  situations ask for permission to callback.

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Section IV Call Notes
93
When to leave notes

• You will leave a call note in any cases that is
  not a completion and is coded as a callback,
  refusal or problem.
• Good notes describe the outcome of the call and
  include all of the necessary information that
  will help the next interviewer in the case.
• Notes that do not include enough information or
  incorrect information do not prepare the next
  interviewer.

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What to include in your notes

• On the first line, leave the date, time, your
  INUM and your name, then go to the next line.
• In the body of the note include information that
  answers Who? Where? What? And Why?

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Who

• A brief description of the person you spoke with
  
• A young male informant answered the phone. He
  was polite.
• An elderly female informant answered the phone
  and sounded like shes just woken up.
• I spoke with a male informant who was very
  inquisitive.

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Where

• Indicate at what point in the study the call
  ended
• I confirmed the phone number
• I completed the selection procedure
• I was halfway through the survey with a male
  respondent who said his initials are T.J.

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What

• Describe what happened and indicate if the
  informant or respondent raised any questions or
  concerns
• He was walking out the door on his way to a game
• She was fixing dinner
• He said that he wasnt interested
• She wanted to know how we got her phone number

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Why

• Explain why the case was coded as a callback,
  refusal, or problem
• She asked that we call tomorrow at 400
• He said to never call again
• All the people who live in the household speak
  only German

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Example of a Good Note

• 9-17-2003 1904 273 Beth
• A young female informant answered the phone,
  confirmed the number and then said that she was
  busy making dinner. I asked for a better time to
  call and she suggested that we call between 3 and
  4pm tomorrow. I set a callback for 315 on
  9-18-2003.//

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Section V Refusal Prevention Techniques
101
Why to Attempt Refusal Prevention

• Since the responses of a small sample represent
  the opinions of a larger population, it is
  imperative that the largest possible percentage
  of the sample complete the interview.
• If a large number of respondents refuse to
  complete the survey, it is likely that the
  results will not accurately describe the
  population.
• Thus, resistant respondents must be encouraged to
  complete the survey.

102
Why People Refuse

• Not interested in topic
• Feel their opinions arent important
• Not comfortable answering questions
• Think they dont have time

• Think that well continue calling after survey in
  complete
• Dont trust us
• Think were telemarketers

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How to Prevent a Refusal

• When speaking with resistant respondents, be
  polite and empathetic at all times.
• Reassure the respondent that his/her concerns are
  valid.
• Give as much information as needed to address
  his/her concerns.
• During the introduction you do not have to read
  verbatim from CASES or a Tip Sheet, but all
  responses must be accurate and truthful.
• The following are some prevention techniques.

104
Three Steps of Refusal Prevention

• Identify the respondents concerns
• Quickly and accurately address those concerns
• Take control of the survey by asking the next
  question

105
Presentation

• Successful interviewers have a professional
  attitude, are assertive, and tailor their
  introduction to address the concerns of
  informants.
• Speak clearly and at the appropriate pace and
  volume for the informant.
• Speak briskly, but do not rush.
• Do not allow the informant to interrupt you.
• Convey a sense of interest in what the informant
  has to say through voice inflections and neutral
  affirmations.

106
Knowledge

• Identify the informants or respondents
  concerns, quickly and accurately address those
  concerns, and then take control of the interview
  by going directly to the next item.

107
Sell The Survey

• Convey that it is worth the time to participate
  in the study. The results of the study could
  benefit them or others in their community. Tell
  the informant or respondent how the results of
  the study will be used.

108
Reassure the Respondent

• Reassure the respondent that we arent selling
  anything or soliciting donations.
• Inform the individual that we dont have any
  personally identifying information, and we wont
  ask for any names, addresses, SSN or credit card
  numbers.
• Remind the respondent that he can skip any
  questions he feels uncomfortable answering.

109
Answer Questions

• Answer all of the respondents questions without
  hesitation or stumbling.
• If you are unable to identify a particular
  concern, ask the respondent if there is a
  specific concern that is keeping him from
  participating. Then address that concern clearly
  and concisely.
• Always have a tip sheet and use it to your
  advantage.
• If the respondent still seems apprehensive, offer
  more information before you are asked for it.

110
Section VI Types of Respondents
111
The Busy Respondent

• Im busy
• This isnt a good time
• Im eating
• How long will this take
• I need to keep the line open
• I was just leaving
• I just woke up

• Im watching TV
• Dont call me during on the weekends
• Im doing homework
• I just walked in the door
• Im fixing dinner
• Im watching the kids

112
How to respond to the Busy Respondent

• I understand that your time is valuable. If now
  is inconvenient, Id be happy to schedule an
  appointment to reach your household at a better
  time. When would be a more convenient time to
  reach you?

113
How to respond to the Busy Respondent

• I understand that you are busy. This survey
  usually takes about x minutes, depending on your
  answers. Ill go through the questions as
  quickly as possible. Once we get started, we
  could complete it later if you need to.

114
How to respond to the Busy Respondent

• You may not be the adult in the household with
  whom I need to speak. I just have a few
  questions to determine who in your household I
  need to speak to.
• Continue with selection procedure.

115
The Suspicious Respondent

• I dont give out information over the phone.
• Is anyone listening
• Why are you asking that question?
• How did you get my number?
• How do I know you are who you say you are?

• Are you recording this?
• Who will see the answers?
• I dont do surveys
• Will you ask for my name and social security
  number?
• Im not going to give you my credit card number

116
How to Respond to the Suspicious Respondent

• I understand that you have concerns about who
  might see or hear your responses. Once we
  complete the survey your phone number will be
  separated from your responses. No one will know
  how you responded to the study items. If there
  are any questions that youd prefer not to
  answer, just tell me and we can skip those.

117
How to Respond to the Suspicious Respondent

• I dont have your name or address, and I will
  not ask for any identifying information. All
  your responses are completely confidential and
  anonymous. You dont have to answer any
  questions that you dont want to.

118
How to Respond to the Suspicious Respondent

• I can provide you with a toll free telephone
  number that you can call to verify the legitimacy
  and purpose of this study. Would you like that
  number? May I schedule and appointment to follow
  up with you in a few days after youve had a
  chance to call and ask questions?

119
The Uninterested Respondent

• Im not interested
• I just did a survey
• I dont want to participate
• Cant you talk to my wife

• I already did this
• I dont know anything about that
• I dont know why you called me
• Whats in it for me

120
How to Respond to The Uninterested Respondent

• This is an important opportunity to make your
  opinion heard. Your participation is very
  important because only a small number of citizens
  are invited to participate. Your responses will
  represent the entire city/state/nation.

121
How to Respond to The Uninterested Respondent

• We need to speak with people of all ages and
  backgrounds. Your responses are very important.

122
The Gatekeeper

• Why cant you talk to me?
• I know he wont participate
• Shes busy
• Hes doing the laundry

• Hes impossible to catch
• She doesnt like to be bothered with these things
• Hes isnt interested in this

123
How to Respond to the Gatekeeper

• Thank you for wanting to participate, but I must
  speak to the individual who was selected to
  participate in the study. I am required to
  follow the study directions for selecting the
  appropriate participant in your household.

124
How to Respond to the Gatekeeper

• Its important that I speak with that person
  directly. Id like to give him some more
  information about the study.

125
Mistaken for a Telemarketer

• What are you selling
• I dont give donations over the phone
• I dont give credit information over the phone

• I dont talk to telemarketers
• My number is on the Do Not Call Registry
• I dont want any

126
How to Respond When Mistaken for a Telemarketer

• Im calling to conduct an important research
  study about XYZ. I am not a telemarketer and Im
  not try to sell anything or solicit donations.

127
How to Respond When Mistaken for a Telemarketer

• Im calling to conduct a survey. Social
  research organizations are exempt from the
  National Do Not Call Registry.

128
Section VII CASES Training
129
CASES

• We use a software called CASES, Computer Assisted
  Survey Execution System.
• The CASES system was developed at the University
  of California at Berkley specifically for social
  research purposes.
• CASES software is able to provide new users with
  hand-on training.
• CASES also includes call scheduling capabilities,
  called queues, which allows it to prioritize
  calling.

130
Logging On and Entering a Study

• To log on to the computer, the password is
  passw0rd (the 0 is the number zero)
• Double click the CASES 4.3 icon to run the
  program
• At the G\ prompt enter the correct study alias.
  
• To enter training mode use alias.t. For live
  calls use alias.

131
Queues

• Once youve indicated which study you want to
  call, chose the queue.
• There are four different queues in which CASES
  lines up cases to be called.
• qa-s cases that have never been called
  (untouched)
• qa-a cases that have been called previously,
  but were not completions, refusals, or problems
• qa-r cases that have been refused once, do not
  enter this queue unless asked to do so by a
  supervisor
• qa manual case entry

132
CASES start screen

• BRFSS17 2005
• TRAINING
• QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
• Questionnaire Administrator
  Version 4.3.3
• Computer-Assisted Survey Execution
  System (CASES)
• Computer-assisted Survey
  Methods Program
• University of California,
  Berkeley
• Press Enter to begin (q' to quit)

133
Data Entry

• In CASES interviewers must use the keyboard only
  to do data entry, the mouse doesnt work because
  CASES is a DOS based program.
• To use the number pad on the right side of the
  keyboard make sure that the num lock is on.

134
Case Timer

• CASES keeps track of the total amount of time
  spent in a case. Therefore it is important to
  enter a case and call it immediately and exit the
  case upon completion.
• Do not leave your computer in a case while on
  break or at the end of the night.

135
Screens in CASES

• INUM
• Type in your unique interviewer ID number (INUM)
• This screen tells you how many times the case has
  been touched as well as the current time
• Pass code
• Your pass code is the last 4 digits of your SSN
• This ensures that no one else accidentally uses
  your INUM

136
Screens, continued. . .

• Face Sheet
• If the case has been called previously you will
  see a face sheet
• For each call attempt the face sheet will show
  the date, time, INUM and outcome (OTCM)
• Always review the face sheet before calling
• Do not call the case unless AT LEAST two hours
  have passed since the last call attempt

137
Face Sheet

• Caseid 651604
• Item call
• --------------------------------------------------
  -----------------------------
• RECORD OF CALLS
• THE CURRENT FACILITY TIME IS 1814 EST (1815 EST
  in Manchester, CT)
• 
  
• DATE TIME ID OTCM
  DATE TIME ID OTCM
• 
  
• 1 103 1738 3768 Mes
  11
• 2 104 1756 3768 MAD
  12
• 3 105 1723 3768 MAD
  13
• 4 108 1200 3649 CB 0109 1700-1800
  14
• 5 109 1706 3649 MAD
  15
• 6 110 1818 3034 CB 0111 1830-1850
  16
• 7 111 1852 3674 NA
  17
• 8 112 1946 3832 Mes
  18
• 9 113 1814 3034 NA
  19
• 10
  20

138
Command Mode

• Use the command mode to navigate through the
  survey.
• You can go back to a previous question to change
  an answer, leave notes on a particular screen, or
  jump to a callback or refusal in the
  questionnaire.
• To enter command mode hit the ctrl and c keys
  at the same time
• Once in command mode, you can use any of the
  commands

139
Commands
140
Checker

• A checker is a list of cases on paper which need
  to be entered manually.
• Checkers are used for a variety of reasons
• To make sure callbacks are hit at the correct
  time
• To prioritize cases when the sample is small
• To call refusals or problem cases
• When calling from checker make sure you are in
  qa

141
Example of checker

• Case ID Q Date Time OTCM
  of calls
• 0110202 1 01142005 1500 CB/R 3
  
• 0112416 1 01142005 1600 CB/R 1
  
• 0110089 11 01102005 1800 CB/R 1
  
• 0111559 12 01182005 2000 CB 1
• 0113025 2 01122005 1800 CB 1
• 0110063 3 01142005 1830 MADu 4
  
• 0110947 3 01142005 1831 MADu 2
  
• 0110959 3 01142005 1833 MAD 2
  
• 0111314 3 01142005 1833 MADu 2
• 0111228 4 MADu 2
• 0111589 4 MADu 2
  
• 0110017 4 NA 1
• 0110010 6 01132005 1700 ref 1
• 0112987 7 gonI 1

142
Zeroing Out

• Occasionally it will be necessary to exit a case
  without calling it. In these instances, use
  option on the face sheet or the dial screen.
• If you gets a case that should not be called
  again, give the caseid to a supervisor
  immediately.
• Only zero out of a case if you have not dialed
  the number.

143
Logging Out

• To logout of CASES at the end of the calling
  shift, hit q at the start screen between cases.
  
• At the G prompt type exit to logout.
• After CASES exits use the mouse to go to the
  start button on the computer and select the shut
  down option.

144
Hands-On CASES Training in Call Center
145
Completing Task Logs
146
Check In

• At the beginning of each shift, check in at the
  supervisors desk
• You will sign in for your shift and receive your
  assignment for the day
• Pick up your task log at this time

147
What is a task log?

• Interviewers use a task log to track the amount
  of time spent working on different studies during
  their shift.
• Complete the required information on your task
  log throughout the day before beginning each new
  task.

148
Why do I need a task log?

• We work on many different projects at the same
  time and each project has its own budget.
• Information you record on your task log is used
  to bill our clients appropriately.
• It is also used to determine interviewer
  production rates, which are used in interviewer
  performance evaluations.

149
Required Information

• Time in and out for the shift (rounded to the
  nearest quarter hour)
• Study alias
• Training or Calling
• Time spent on each task
• Total time for the day