Telephone Questionnaires

The telephone questionnaire method is widely used for certain types of enquiry. It must not be forgotten, however, that it is restricted to telephone subscribers and where the sample extends beyond the telephone subscribers, it is unsuitable.

Advantages:

Simplicity – The method is extremely simple. The interviewer only needs to have a list of telephone numbers, previously selected as the sample, a pad of ‘blank’ questionnaires and a good telephone personality.

Rapidity – Speed in interviewing is a major advantage of this method. A good interviewer can make as many as ten calls an hour. Low Cost The telephone method is also low in cost mainly because of the speed with which a good interviewer can operate and the low cost of telephone calls provided they are local ones.

Ease of obtaining a random sample – Given in the first place that the list of telephone subscribers is itself representative of the desired universe, it is only necessary to take every nth name in order to build up a completely random sample.

Ease of interviewing the top-income bracket – Many people who would not be prepared to grant interviews do not mind a short telephone conversation and the telephone is often the only means of reaching these classes of people.

Disadvantages:

Unrepresentative nature of the list – This disadvantage has already been the original list must itself be either a list of the entire universe or a completely representative selection of that universe.

Limitations on questions – Questions which are of a personal nature or otherwise intimate cannot be asked.