The Interviewing Process

The Interviewing Process The Role of the Interviewer in the Success of the B2B Survey

Objectives • Introduce the sections of a questionnaire. • Introduce the types of questions you will be asking. • The Interviewer’s role in the questionnaire.

Some Terminology • Gatekeeper – a company’s switchboard operator, receptionist or secretary. • Respondent – the person who has met the qualification criteria and with whom we will conduct the survey. • Questionnaire – the various questions that will be asked of the respondent, usually divided into 5 sections.

The 5 Sections of the Questionnaire Introduction Screener Body Demographics Closing

Introduction Screener Body Demographics Closing The Introduction As the name indicates, the introduction is where you introduce yourself and the purpose of your call. You may be introducing yourself to many people on each call. The introduction is your 10 seconds to gain credibility with the gatekeeper or respondent. The 5 Sections of the Questionnaire

An example of the Introduction. “Hello. My name is Jeff Allen and I’m calling on behalf of ____ Research, a marketing research firm specializing in the technology industry. We’re currently conducting a survey with companies involved in the purchase of computer equipment and would like to ask you a few questions. Let me assure you this is not a sales call, and all information will be kept in strict confidence.” The 5 Sections of the Questionnaire

The Screener This section contains the qualifying questions. These questions assure the respondent meets the criteria to participate in the study. You may speak with many people before you make direct contact with the ‘qualified respondent.’ Introduction Screener Body Demographics Closing The 5 Sections of the Questionnaire

Some examples of Screener questions. “In the last 12 months, have you been involved in the purchase of any of the following computer-related or information technology products or services?” “Are you involved in the purchase decision for the types of networking products and services that are used by your organization?” The 5 Sections of the Questionnaire

The Body Asked of the respondent who has met the screening qualification criteria. Obtains answers to the questions clients have about their product or service. Multiple types of questions Introduction Screener Body Demographics Closing The 5 Sections of the Questionnaire • awareness • use/purchase • attributes/ • characteristics • advertising awareness • advertising recall

Some examples of Body questions. “When you think of sources for purchasing hardware, software or peripherals over the Internet, by phone, or via direct mail, what companies come to mind? “ “Which companies, if any, are you hearing really good things about?” “Have you seen ____ advertised in magazines recently?” The 5 Sections of the Questionnaire

Demographics Information on key statistical characteristics Helps the client classify the responses into broad groups. Introduction Screener Body Demographics Closing The 5 Sections of the Questionnaire

Some examples of Demographics questions. “What is your company's approximate annual revenue?” “What is your job title or level of responsibility?” “Please indicate the highest level of education you have attained.” The 5 Sections of the Questionnaire

Closing Thank the respondent for her participation. Address the respondent by his/her first name. You may use your own words to sound more genuine. Introduction Screener Body Demographics Closing The 5 Sections of the Questionnaire

Some examples of Closing statements. “This concludes our survey. Thank you very much for your time and cooperation.” “Thank you very much for your time and help.” The 5 Sections of the Questionnaire

Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking Now that we’ve looked at each section of the questionnaire, let’s look more closely at the section where you will be spending most of your time with the respondent. What section do you think that would be?

The Body

Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking • Unaided Questions • Unaided questions are designed to elicit a spontaneous response; that is, without any prompting or response choices. • We prompt the respondent for as many responses as he can offer. This is referred to as probing exhaustively or until unproductive.

Unaided Brand Aware Unaided Purchase Aware Unaided Ad Aware What brands of networking products have you heard of? What brand of printer has your department purchased in the past 12 months? What brands of computers have you seen advertised on television recently? Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking: Unaided Questions

Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking: Aided Questions • Aided Questions • Aided questions require the respondent to consider specific brands or response choices. • If clients were to rely only on what respondents volunteered, they would lose out on valuable data. • This is the counterpart to the unaided question.

Aided Brand Aware Aided Purchase Aware Aided Ad Aware Have you heard of _______ Company? Have you purchased ________ printers in the past 12 months? Have you seen ______ computers advertised recently? Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking: Aided Questions

Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking • Association Matrix • With this type of question the respondent is given a list of brands and asked if a particular characteristic applies to any on the list. • “Out of Brand A, Brand B, Brand C and Brand D, which of these brands, if any, is easy to network with your current set-up? You may mention as many or as few as you wish."

Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking: Association Matrix • Some Things To Remember • Clear only the initial DK; accept all the others. • Clear any others when only one brand is mentioned. • Accept multiple responses. • Normally there is no need to ask ‘what others?’ if more than one brand is mentioned. • However, some clients request that we ask ‘what others?’ exhaustively or until unproductive. • ‘All’ is an acceptable response. • ‘None’ is an acceptable response.

Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking • Advertising Recall & Impressions • These questions ask respondents to describe the advertisements they have seen, as well as the impressions the advertisements may have given them about the company or brand. • These advertisements could be: • Television • Radio • Newspapers & Magazines • Billboards • Radio

Please tell me everything you remember about the last commercial you saw for ____ computers? What else do you remember? What else did it show? What else did it say? How many parts does this type of question have? Notice this question contains fourseparate questions. Each question should be asked individually. Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking: Ad Recall Questions

What impressions did the commercial give you about ____ computers? What else did it tell you about ____ computers? What else? How many parts does this type of question have? Notice this question containsseparate questions. Each question should be asked individually. Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking: Impression Questions

Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking • Open-Ended Questions • This type of question does not limit a respondent’s answers. • The Interviewer is required to type the respondent’s answers verbatim into the CRT.

Please tell me everything you remember about the last print advertisement you saw for _________ telecommunications. What impressions did the TV commercial give you about ____ telecommunications? You mentioned Brand Z was a leader in the financial services industry. Why do you say that? Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking: Open-Ended Questions Why are these open-ended questions?

Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking • Closed-Ended Questions • Interviewers record respondents’ answers from a predetermined list supplied by the client. • The list may or may not be read aloud to the respondent. • Respondents are limited in their responses either through a list of response choices or implied in the wording of the question.

"What brands of desktop computers have you heard of?" "Have you heard ____ advertised on the radio recently?" "Out of Brand A, Brand B, Brand C and Brand D, which of them are…" "Did this commercial make you more likely to consider ____ Company in the future?" "Overall, how would you rate Brand X: Excellent, good, fair or poor?" "Have you heard of ____ financial service company?" Types of Questions You’ll Be Asking: Closed-Ended Questions

Additional Questionnaire Items • Interviewer Instructions • Interviewer Instructions serve many purposes, such as: • Giving you special recording instructions. • Instructing you on how to ask questions. • Instructions on how to handle certain types of responses. Interviewer Instructions are NEVER read out loud to the respondent.

Additional Questionnaire Items: Interviewer Instructions • Interviewer Instructions will most often appear on the CRT screen. HOWEVER, • Interviewer Instructions can also be communicated to you: • in your job briefing • on your general help sheets

Additional Questionnaire Items: Interviewer Instructions • What is/are the Interviewer Instructions in the above example? • Interviewer Instructions appear on the screen encased in (parenthesis) and will be in all CAPITAL LETTERS and in bold print or highlighted.

Examples of Interviewer Instructions • What are the Interviewer Instructions? • Do not read list • Record first mention only • Accept one response • What actions are you being directed to take? • What type of question is shown? • This is a closed-ended, unaided, aware question.

Examples of Interviewer Instructions • What are the Interviewer Instructions? • Do not read list • Record other mentions • Accept multiple responses • Ask “What others?” • What actions are you being directed to take?

Examples of Interviewer Instructions • What are the Interviewer Instructions above? • Clarifying/clearing the initial DK • Clarifying/clearing additional DKs • Clarifying/clearing initial one brand mention • Clarifying/clearing additional one brand mentioned • What actions are you being directed to take?

Examples of Interviewer Instructions • What are the Interviewer Instructions above? • Do not read list • Accept multiple responses • Probe exhaustively • What actions are you being directed to take?

Examples of Interviewer Instructions • With this directive it is important to remember: • ‘Exhaustively’ means ask “what others” until the respondent cannot think of any additional brands. • If there is no directive, ask “What others” only as many times as it actually appears on the screen.

The Interviewing Process • So far, we have reviewed: • The 5 different sections of the questionnaire. • The types of questions you will encounter in each. • On-screen Interviewer Instructions. • Let's move on to your role in the success of the B2B survey.

Interviewer Code of Standards • Let's take a closer look at each of these points and discuss how we will accomplish each one and make our time as a B2B Research Interviewer successful!

Interviewer Code of Standards Interviewers: • will convey to respondents the importance of their opinions and participation. • will interview only those people who qualify according to the client’s specifications. • will avoid leading or biasing respondents. • will respect the client's confidentiality. • will read the questions as written and directed. • will record responses accurately. • will make all efforts to get full and complete answers from respondents.

Interviewer Code of StandardsWill convey to the respondents the importance of their opinions and participation • This goal is accomplished through implementation of the skills presented in the "Managing Objections & Refusals" training module.

Interviewer Code of StandardsWill convey to respondents the importance of their opinions and participation Interviewers: • will convey to respondents the importance of their opinions and participation. • will interview only those people who qualify according to the client’s specifications. • will avoid leading or biasing respondents. • will respect the client's confidentiality. • will read the questions as written and directed. • will record responses accurately. • will make all efforts to get full and complete answers from respondents.

Interviewer Code of StandardsWill interview only those respondents who qualify according to client specifications • This goal is accomplished through the questions asked in the screener portion of the questionnaire. • What type of questions would be asked to meet this requirement? • "Are you involved in the purchase decision for computer products at this location?" • "Has your company purchased a color laser printer in the past 12 months?" • "Has your company used XYZ’s brand in the past 3 months?"

Interviewer Code of StandardsWill avoid leading or biasing the respondent • Read the questions in a neutral manner. • Avoid interpreting questions or responses when answering respondent inquiries.

Interviewer Code of Standards • If asked the meaning of a question or to define a term, respond with… • "Whatever the question means to you.” • "I am afraid I have no further definition. Please base the question on your own interpretation."

Interviewer Code of StandardsWill respect the client’s confidentiality • At times the respondent may ask who is sponsoring the research. • Bias can result if the respondent knows the client, as this may affect the respondent’s answers.

Interviewer Code of Standards • If asked who the client is, respond with… • "In order to keep the results unbiased, I am not informed about the specific clients on this study." • "In the same way that I can guarantee your confidentiality regarding the information you give, the names of our clients are confidential so as not to bias your responses in any way."

The Interviewing Process