Launching your first CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing) survey can feel like spinning a lot of plates at once—question design, interviewer training, dialer setup, quotas, compliance, data quality. The good news: CATI is a mature, repeatable method. Follow this playbook and you’ll move from idea to clean, decision-ready data without drama.

1) Define the mission (and the numbers you’ll watch)

Start with a one-page brief that answers:

• Business question: What decision will this survey inform?
  
  
• Population: Who are we calling? (e.g., working professionals in Tier-1 cities; car owners; active app users)
  
  
• Outcome metrics: What will you publish or decide (e.g., % awareness, NPS, message recall)?
  
  
• KPIs to monitor during field: Incidence rate (IR), cooperation rate, average interview length (LOI), cost per complete (CPC), and daily completes.
  
  
• Constraints: Deadlines, languages, budget, time windows for calling, compliance obligations.
  
  

Tip: If a question doesn’t tie back to the decision, cut it. Phone time is precious.

2) Build the right sample frame

Your sample is the engine. Choose one (or blend):

• Customer list: Best for CSAT/loyalty/upsell. Ensure phone numbers are consented and current; mask PII for interviewers.
  
  
• Vendor panel / database: Faster completes, but validate vendor quality and duplication controls.
  
  
• RDD (random digit dialing): Useful for general population reads; expect lower IR and higher costs.
  
  

Set quotas to make the sample resemble the population you care about (e.g., city tier, age band, gender, device type). Keep quotas simple (3–6 cells) for a first run.

3) Keep the questionnaire phone-friendly

CATI succeeds on clarity and pace:

• Length of interview (LOI): Aim for 8–12 minutes. Beyond 15 minutes, completion and quality drop.
  
  
• Plain language: Short questions. One idea per question. Avoid jargon.
  
  
• Answer formats that read well aloud: 3–5 options is a sweet spot. For longer lists, chunk them (“I’ll read five at a time”).
  
  
• Avoid grids: Convert grids into single items. Grids are painful on the phone and increase errors.
  
  
• Randomization: Still useful, but don’t overdo it—audio pace matters.
  
  
• Branching/skip logic: Keep it tight and test aggressively.
  
  
• Sensitive items: Place later in the interview; preface with a privacy reminder and voluntary nature.
  
  

Always pilot the survey (5–15 calls) before launch. Time LOI, note confusion points, and refine wording.

4) Program it in your CATI system the right way

Whether you use a commercial CATI platform or an in-house tool, make sure it supports:

• Clear scripting: Question text, probes, and interviewer notes.
  
  
• Skip logic & validations: Prevent impossible paths and out-of-range entries.
  
  
• Quotas: Hard/soft stops and alerts when cells are close to full.
  
  
• Dispositions & callbacks: Standard codes and callback scheduling.
  
  
• Call recording & live monitoring: With consent and secure storage.
  
  
• Real-time dashboards: Completes, IR, LOI, quotas, and interviewer performance.
  
  

Create test cases that walk every branch (including edge cases), then do a “dry field” with your supervisors listening.

5) Recruit and train interviewers (this makes or breaks it)

Even a perfect script fails with untrained interviewers. Your plan:

Profile: Clear diction, friendly tone, active listening, comfort with on-screen scripts and typing notes.

Training (half-day to one day):

• Study the survey purpose and key definitions (what counts as a “customer,” what is “trial,” etc.).
  
  
• Practice the intro and consent until it sounds human, not robotic.
  
  
• Role-play objections and refusal conversion (see scripts below).
  
  
• Calibrate pace: no rushing, no dead air.
  
  
• Teach accurate probing: “What do you mean by…?” without leading.
  
  
• Data entry discipline: read options exactly; confirm multi-selects; repeat numeric answers.
  
  

Certification: Each interviewer must pass a monitored mock interview and accuracy check before going live.

6) Write your call flows: intro, consent, refusal conversion

Intro + consent (businesslike, 15–20 seconds):
“Hello, is this [First Name]? Hi, I’m [Your Name] calling on behalf of [Brand/Research Firm]. We’re conducting a short research survey about [topic]. It’ll take about 10 minutes. Your answers are confidential and used only in aggregate. Is now a good time?”

If asked “How did you get my number?”
“We’re contacting a random selection/our customer list for feedback. Participation is voluntary, and your number won’t be used for sales.”

Refusal conversion (soft):
“I understand—before I let you go, would a callback later today or tomorrow work better? The survey is brief and your perspective really helps us improve.”

Callback booking:
“Great—what time suits you best? We’ll call you then. Thank you!”

Keep it respectful. If someone declines firmly, mark as refusal and do not push.

7) Set your fieldwork rules: attempts, times, and territories

• Call windows: Respect local regulations and norms. Typical windows are 10:00–13:00 and 17:00–20:30 for working populations; expand for broader audiences where appropriate.
  
  
• Attempt strategy: Up to 5–6 attempts per record across different days/times. Space attempts (no “machine-gunning”).
  
  
• Callbacks: Honor respondent requests precisely (date/time). Auto-schedule in the dialer.
  
  
• Languages: Offer the top languages your audience speaks; display the interviewer’s language in routing.
  
  
• Time zones: If you’re calling across regions, lock routing by zone to avoid late-night calls.
  
  

8) Decide your disposition codes and dashboard

Use a standard set so your team speaks one language (e.g., complete, partial, soft refusal, hard refusal, no answer/busy, wrong number, quota full, ineligible). Your live dashboard should show:

• Daily completes vs target
  
  
• LOI (mean, median)
  
  
• Incidence rate (eligible respondents ÷ contacted eligibles)
  
  
• Breakoff rate and where breakoffs happen
  
  
• Cooperation/response rates
  
  
• Quota fill and remaining
  
  
• Interviewer metrics: attempts/hour, completes/hour, refusal rate, average LOI
  
  

Share a daily field email summarizing status, risks, and next steps.

9) Quality assurance: listen, check, and coach in real time

Establish QA from day one:

• Silent monitoring: Supervisors listen live for script adherence, tone, and probing quality.
  
  
• Call recordings: Sample at least 10–15% of completes per interviewer for audits.
  
  
• Logic & data checks: Flag impossible sequences, extreme values, and straight-lining patterns (rare on phone, but watch for overly fast completion).
  
  
• Verification calls (if needed): Re-contact ~5% of completes to confirm key answers or participation (where appropriate and consented).
  
  
• Coaching loops: Quick 1:1 feedback with examples; celebrate great calls to set the bar.
  
  

10) Privacy, consent, and compliance (non-legal pointers)

• Consent language: Make it clear the call is for research, voluntary, and time-bound.
  
  
• DNC/opt-out: Honor do-not-call lists and opt-out requests immediately.
  
  
• Data minimization: Collect only what you need; avoid free PII unless essential and consented.
  
  
• Recording disclosure: If recording, say so and allow opt-out (and have a no-record path).
  
  
• Secure storage: Restrict access to recordings and raw data; mask phone numbers for interviewers where possible.
  
  

If you’re calling across borders or regulated categories, consult your legal/compliance team.

11) Budgeting and timeline

Costs: interviewer hours, supervisor/QA hours, dialer/telecom minutes, platform license, sample procurement.
Rule-of-thumb planning:

• Estimate IR from past work or a small pilot (e.g., 20–40% for targeted lists; lower for RDD).
  
  
• With LOI 10 minutes and reasonable cooperation, a trained interviewer might average 4–6 completes/hour on a good day (varies widely by audience and incidence).
  
  
• Add 10–15% contingency for callbacks and refusals.
  
  

12) Weighting and deliverables

If your achieved sample skews (it will), plan a simple weighting step (e.g., raking to age × gender × city tier). Keep weights within reasonable bounds (e.g., cap at 4x). Prepare:

• Clean data file: Variable map, labels, value codes, missing data flags.
  
  
• Topline deck: N, field dates, method, caveats, key charts with base sizes.
  
  
• Cross-tabs: By your key quotas.
  
  
• Verbatims (if any): Lightly edited for PII.
  
  

13) Field checklist (copy/pin this)

Before launch

• One-page brief and KPIs agreed
  
  
• Sample source validated; quotas set
  
  
• Questionnaire timed (LOI ≤ 12 min) and piloted
  
  
• CATI script programmed; logic/validations tested
  
  
• Disposition codes configured
  
  
• Dashboard live (completes, IR, LOI, quotas)
  
  
• Interviewers trained + certified; objection handling ready
  
  
• Consent and recording language approved
  
  
• Call windows and attempt rules set
  
  
• QA plan (monitoring, audits, verification) locked
  
  

During field

• Daily status email with risks/actions
  
  
• Quota watch + routing tweaks
  
  
• Coaching based on monitors/recordings
  
  
• Callback discipline maintained
  
  

After field

• Data QC + cleaning log
  
  
• Weighting (if needed) documented
  
  
• Topline + cross-tabs delivered with notes on limitations
  
  

14) Handy scripts you can paste into your CATI tool

Intro (general population):
“Hello, may I speak with [First Name]? Hi, I’m [Name], calling on behalf of [Company]. We’re doing a short research survey about [topic]. It takes about 10 minutes. Your answers are confidential and only reported in aggregate. Is now a good time?”

If yes:
“Thank you! I may take notes to make sure I capture your answers accurately. We may record for quality—if you’d prefer no recording, that’s okay, we can continue without it.”

If busy:
“No worries. Is there a time later today or tomorrow that works better? It’s just 10 minutes, and your input really helps.”

Refusal (soft):
“I understand. If you change your mind, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for your time—have a good day.”

15) Common first-timer pitfalls (and fixes)

• Pitfall: Overlong, complex surveys.
  Fix: Ruthless editing; phone-first wording; pilot every time.
  
  
• Pitfall: Too many quotas.
  Fix: Start with a few, stabilize fielding, then layer complexity.
  
  
• Pitfall: Weak interviewer onboarding.
  Fix: Role-plays, monitored certification, daily coaching.
  
  
• Pitfall: No real-time view.
  Fix: Live dashboard; midday huddles; act on signals quickly.
  
  
• Pitfall: Ignoring callbacks/refusal cues.
  Fix: Script options; make rescheduling easy and precise.