With 45 years of experience, we know all about getting it done. Your deadlines are our deadlines. We have the capability to provide you with any end product you need, when you need it. We have a proven history of communication, flexibility, and action. Therefore, you can trust that your partnership with AIS will result in a flawless project. AIS is capable of collecting data using a wide range of methods.

AIS Uses WinQuery!

AIS has added WinQuery 8.0 to our CATI capabilities allowing us to get surveys into the field in hours, not days, and manage your jobs significantly more efficiently than before. Real-time reports are available to you and our supervising staff, including sample disposition, quota cell status, and instant marginals, providing up-to-the-second status on every project in the field. We are excited about its addition and are looking forward to implementing your next survey using this powerful tool.

Phone Interviewing

AIS has a 65-station CATI phone bank with a rotating staff of interviewers who work day and evening shifts. WinQuery is used as our CATI software. Our stations are fully capable of playing and recording music mp3 files for those difficult radio studies.

AIS can conduct comprehensive data tabulation and statistical analysis in house using WinQuery. The final data set can be delivered in SPSS or other compatible formats. Remote monitoring is also available for our clients to call in, listen to interviews as they are occurring, and provide input or quality assurance on any project.

Training

An essential part of the quality of the AIS data collection product is a team of trained and experienced interviewers. Every interviewer at AIS goes through a proprietary, six-hour training program called NIT (New Interviewer Training) prior to their first respondent contact. This program educates them on the standards of market research such as impartiality, consistency, quality, validity and sample monitoring.

The program also provides in depth training on interviewing techniques, gaining trust, cooperation from respondents, and avoiding the leading of respondents by not adding verbiage to the survey. At the end of each session, trainees are tested by role-playing. This is done to ensure that they have knowledge of the core competencies to deliver interviews in a consistent manner.

As they continue to develop their interviewing skills, each interviewer begins to demonstrate a particular skill set. The interviewers are then divided into both interviewing teams and types of projects. For example, one team would be for consumer opinion, another for executive interviewing, and another for healthcare. This specialization of interviewing teams allows AIS to efficiently gather data and deliver projects.

On-line Interviewing

It is no secret that the respondent cooperation rate is continuing to drop as respondents are becoming wary of answering surveys via the telephone. This has led to the increasing use of online interviewing as an alternative method for securing respondent participation. In an online venue, respondents can respond on their own time and on their own terms. Therefore, AIS has incorporated online interviewing as a primary service offering.

AIS uses the online venue in a couple of unique ways. The traditional online interviewing process includes sending an email solicitation to an email-based sample and conducting regular follow-ups until the quota is completed. When doing this we usually experience a 5-10% response rate. We have found that doing a telephone pre-recruit with a follow-up confirmation email is a much more effective way at securing participation. AIS has also developed a proprietary online portal to allow us to conduct NATI (Net Assisted Telephone Interviewing) surveys. Using an online surveying instrument (as opposed to a CATI instrument), AIS conducts the interview via the phone. The advantage of using the online instrument is that the data can be monitored, summarized and downloaded to the client in real-time.

Focus

The AIS focus group room is 20’ x 28’ with a table that seats 12 respondents plus the moderator comfortably. Presentation stands and wall space is available for display of subject information. The table can be arranged in multiple layouts including: one on one, groups, or the classic conference style. Display tables, pin boards, concept rails and flip charts make product and material presentation simple. A TV/VCR/DVD combo is also available.

Executive Interviewing

AIS has a unique set of experience in the executive and one-on-one interviewing arena. A specific team of interviewers has been developed to serve exactly this type of target group. Knowing the constraints and pressures placed upon executive respondents, our executive team of interviewers is well-versed in being sensitive to their time, moving quickly through surveys, arranging and performing call-back surveys at convenient times, and answering specialized requests or questions as appropriate. As well, our executive interviewing team consists of those interviewers who have proven their ability to get to the decision makers and earn their trust during an interview.

Intercepts

Intercept interviews require friendly, non-threatening and well-spoken interviewers who are not afraid to approach potential respondents to secure their participation. AIS has a team of up to 25 intercept interviewers. AIS has conducted all types of intercept interviews such as: fast food, supermarket and consumer retail and governmental, political and employee studies.