First launched in 2016, GeoPoll’s mobile application is a robust platform that can conduct surveys with text, video, and picture questions, quickly disseminate information, and gather pictures and other location-based data from individuals in specific areas. The reconfigured GeoPoll app provides respondents with a more seamless registration and survey-taking experience which will enable GeoPoll and our partners to more easily conduct app-based research in the coming years. Some key features of the new GeoPoll Application include:

• Device agnostic: GeoPoll’s application is built to work with any device, including older phone operating systems and varying screen sizes.
• Low data usage: The GeoPoll application is lightweight and uses little data, making it friendly for anyone to download and use, even those with limited airtime and low wifi coverage
• Seamless user registration and survey-taking flow: The registration process has been streamlined to verify new user accounts quickly and effectively
• Detailed location tracking: Using GPS data, the GeoPoll application can target surveys or other tasks to very specific areas, and can provide location information of our respondents with partners
• Multi-lingual: GeoPoll’s application supports multiple languages and alphabets including English, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili, as well as country-specific languages such as Tagalog, Urdu, Oromo, Amharic Latin, Kinyarwanda, Indonesian and Turkish.
• Video and picture support: Surveys can include video and picture content which respondents react to, and respondents can also upload their own photos and videos of products, billboards, retail stores, and more

Developed by GeoPoll’s tech team and drawing from both the best practices of modern design and feedback from users, the new mobile application is more user friendly and will provide GeoPoll partners with better survey functionality. The GeoPoll Application is a complement to other GeoPoll research methods including CATI voice calls, SMS, and mobile web links.

In addition to traditional survey functionality, the GeoPoll Application allows clients to build panels over time to track brand health, product usage, and consumption behavior, direct respondents to visit retail locations or billboards to report on them, and much more. For those looking to gather real-time insights in emerging regions, the functionality of the GeoPoll Application opens up a range of possibilities.

The new GeoPoll Application will be initially launched in over 40 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, giving our partners greater access to more surveying capabilities and an ever-growing app userbase. To learn more about GeoPoll’s capabilities or get a quote for your next research project, please contact us today. To download the app and take surveys in exchange for payment through airtime credit or other methods, visit this page.

The post GeoPoll Launches New Mobile Survey Application appeared first on GeoPoll.

GeoPoll has been increasingly tasked with transitioning face-to-face research projects to CATI, a remote research methodology which gathers data through voice calls. As a result, over the past few months we have been rapidly opening remote call centers, training survey interviewers, and deploying new Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing projects. We are pleased to share that in June 2020 GeoPoll’s CATI services operated in 41 countries, and we managed over 700 survey interviewers who completed more than 85,000 voice call interviews.

GeoPoll oversees call centers throughout Africa, Latin America, and Asia that enable remote data collection on vital indicators including food security, access to healthcare, and more. We are conducting studies for partners that directly relate to the pandemic, such as the Insights2Impact COVID-19 tracker, as well as those which track the indirect effects of coronavirus, and other studies which are not currently possible to administer in-person due to coronavirus and related travel restrictions.

Conducting survey research through CATI is an excellent substitute for in-person research, as this method can reach illiterate populations, only requires the respondent has access to a basic mobile handset, and is administered by a trained interviewer, rather than being self-administered by the respondent. CATI also allow for longer survey questionnaires than can typically be used in modes such as SMS, and have been found to have higher response rates and completion rates than Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

GeoPoll’s team is experienced in quickly launching new call centers and CATI projects. Our CATI operations are led by our dedicated solutions team, consisting of GeoPoll staff located in the United States, Kenya, and South Africa, and are supported by trusted GeoPoll partners around the globe. Data collection and interviewer monitoring are enabled by GeoPoll’s proprietary CATI application, which was built specifically for use in emerging markets.

GeoPoll Computer Assisted Interviewing Application

GeoPoll’s CATI application is a simple to use application that facilitates GeoPoll’s CATI survey projects. Using the CATI application, interviewers are guided through each survey and can easily record responses and take notes during an interview. The application operates using only a mobile device or tablet, meaning interviewers do not need specialized hardware to get started. This has enabled GeoPoll to remotely onboard and train new interviewers during the COVID-19 crisis, when many of our call centers have transitioned to operating remotely.

Features of the GeoPoll CATI Application include:

• Supports multiple languages and scripts
• An offline mode allows for interviews to be conducted when device is offline and automatically uploaded when connectivity is present
• Supports multiple question types including multiple choice, open ended, media capture, and more
• Includes a secure login and multiple levels of access to ensure all data is secured
• Integrated with phone dialer
• Provides immediate airtime incentives in many markets

Conduct CATI Interviews in Africa, Asia, Latin America

GeoPoll has conducted CATI interviews in the following countries and can launch in new markets within 30 days. To request more information on our capabilities please contact us.

Africa CATI Capabilities:

GeoPoll has completed CATI projects in all of the below countries in sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa:

• Angola
• Benin
• Botswana
• Burkina Faso
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Côte D’Ivoire
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Ethiopia
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Kenya
• Liberia
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Republic of Congo
• Rwanda
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Tanzania
• Tunisia
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

The Americas CATI Capabilities:

GeoPoll has completed CATI projects in all of the below countries in North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean:

• Colombia
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Venezuela

Asia and The Middle East CATI Capabilities:

GeoPoll has completed CATI projects in all of the below countries in South Asia, Southeast Asia and The Middle East

• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• India
• Indonesia
• Iraq
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Sri Lanka

The post GeoPoll’s CATI Operations in Africa, Asia, Latin America appeared first on GeoPoll.

Surveys are useful for collecting data that quickly provide conclusive answers to research questions such as, “What products would my customers like to see from my brand next?” If 65% of surveyed consumers say they would purchase jeans over t-shirts, looking into denim production would be a good bet for the company.

Survey data can also be easily cross-tabulated to provide more in-depth data on certain segments of a population. For example, by comparing results by gender you may find that 80% of females would purchase jeans, whereas only 50% of men would purchase jeans from your brand and 50% would prefer you produce t-shirts.

The popularity of surveys is also undoubtedly due to the ease in which they can be deployed, especially in areas where Internet and phone usage is high. Brands often implement post-purchase surveys directly on their website, or email survey links to customer lists. Studies that require random samples can be conducted by automated phone dialers, which is a method used regularly by political polling firms. Using these methods, researchers can often collect a representative sample within hours or days.

Methods for Collecting Survey Data in Africa 

However, conducting surveys in areas that have low Internet or phone penetration can be much more difficult. Collecting survey data from countries in Africa, which have very low landline usage and unreliable Internet connectivity, can take much longer, and researchers may have to use older and more manual methods of data collection. The most common methods for collecting survey data in Africa include:

• Face to Face Surveys: Face to face surveys, also known as in-person surveys, require an interviewer to travel to their survey subject – this may mean going door-to-door to find people willing to take a survey, which in some areas can be a challenge due to lack of infrastructure and long distances between houses. Face to face survey answers can be recorded in several ways, including:
  • Pen and Paper: As the name implies, these surveys are those where questions are read and responses recorded via pen and paper. Survey data collected in this way is often subject to human error and data loss or damage, as wrong answers may be selected during the survey, and paper sheets could be lost or torn. This method requires a researcher to input data into a system for analyzing, which can introduce another layer of human error.
  • Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing: CAPI surveys still require an interviewer to read through survey questions and record answers, but the recording is done digitally via a tablet or phone which has questions and answer options loaded onto it via survey software. This method reduces the chance for data loss or damage, and data can automatically be compiled, eliminating the need for a researcher to go through and record all survey answers once they have been collected.
• Surveys via Mobile Phone: Although landline penetration is low in Africa (roughly 0.46% in Kenya, 7.24% in South Africa, and 0.28% in Nigeria), mobile phone usage has grown. In countries such as Kenya, which has 86 mobile subscriptions for every 100 people, and South Africa, which has 162 mobile subscriptions for every 100 people, mobile is a viable mode to collect survey data in Africa. There are several modes which can be utilized to conduct surveys via mobile:
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  • SMS Surveys: SMS or text message surveys are surveys administered via 2-way textmessage conversation, in which a question is sent to a mobile phone number, and an answer typed in is sent back as a response. SMS surveys are useful for collecting survey data in Africa due to the ubiquity of SMS (all phones have basic SMS capabilities) and the ability for messages to be sent even if phones are turned off or do not have service when the message is sent. The questionnaire length for SMS surveys should be kept quite short, and each question and corresponding answers need to stay within 160 characters to avoid being truncated awkwardly. How SMS surveys are administered in Africa can differ by country – learn more about how GeoPoll’s SMS surveys work here.
  • Mobile Web Surveys: Mobile web surveys are link-based surveys that can be viewed in a basic mobilebrowser. A survey link can be shared via email, text message, or through social media, and will open a mobile browser which contains the survey content. Mobile web surveys can include longer question and answer options as there is not a character limit, however, it is still recommended that the number of total questions is kept to under 20.
  • Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing Surveys: CATI surveys are administered via an interviewer calling a mobile phone number and reading through survey content from a remote call center. These surveys do not have a character limit and can be slightly longer than SMS or mobile web surveys as they are not self-administered. Survey responses are typically recorded via CATI software used by the interviewer. These surveys require that call center employees are trained on how to administer surveys correctly, however, can be administered to populations with low literacy rates.
  • Interactive Voice Response Surveys: IVR surveys are pre-recorded surveys conducted via automated voice call. Respondents key in answers on their phone keypads. IVR surveys can be sent to large numbers of respondents at once as they do not require call center interviewers, but tend to have low response rates due to their automated, pre-recorded nature.

• Online Surveys: Surveys can be conducted online in Africa via online survey software, but due to low desktop computer and Internet penetration rates in Africa respondents are often not representative of an entire population. These surveys can be sent out via email to a targeted list, or respondents can be recruited through social media or other types of online advertising. You should keep in mind that even if a survey is sent via an email link, it is very likely to be opened on a mobile phone rather than a desktop browser. Therefore, when using online survey solutions for collecting survey data in Africa, you should verify that questions show up as expected on a mobile device.

How You Should Collect Survey Data in Africa

The “best” way to collect survey data in Africa depends on many factors, including your research goals, target audience, budget, and timeline. For those looking to collect data that is representative of a large portion of the population quickly and cost-effectively, SMS or mobile web are the best methods. Online surveys are very cost-effective and can be used to reach wealthier populations rapidly. CATI surveys are useful for gathering data from a population with low literacy rates, or when you are looking to conduct a longer survey. Face-to-face surveys can reach any population, including the lowest economic classes, however require a significant investment in both time and money. If conducting surveys via face to face methods, we recommend utilizing a trusted vendor such as GeoPoll who uses proprietary CAPI software to track survey completion rates and data quality while surveys are in the field.

No matter how you collect survey data in Africa, we recommend speaking to someone who has experience in conducting surveys in the countries you are working in. GeoPoll has experience collecting survey data in over 30 countries in Africa and can assist with survey design, sample acquisition through our respondent database, survey implementation, and data analysis. For advice on the best way to collect survey data for your project, download our full guide on conducting research in emerging markets or contact us today.

The post What is the Best Way to Collect Survey Data in Africa? appeared first on GeoPoll.