If you are like me, you hate the amount of telemarketing phone calls that interrupt your dinner, or bother you in the evening or on the weekends. Still, people often mistake market research calls with telemarketing calls. The fact is when it comes to market research, no one is trying to sell you something, they just want your opinions about a product or service. Still, the call can be annoying. Having worked in a call center for more than 20 years and having actually put time in on the telephone interviewing people, I can tell you, as frustrating as it might be, there are a number of reasons to actually take the survey.
Do you feel that things are not made like they used to be and you want to tell people? Well, if you are called to voice your opinions, you get to do just that. If something is not like it used to be, let the world, or at least the interviewer know. The truth is that based on what people say when they take a survey, it can greatly affect the way things are made, or what products are made.
Also, by taking a survey, you can actually help keep the prices of various items down. Often times companies make decisions about who a product should be geared to and how it should be advertised. If these decisions are incorrect then that item will not be making as much money as projected. To make up for this loss companies may raise the price of the product for those who do use it. If that still does not cover the cost then the company will probably raise the price of other items they sell to make up for the loss for the item that they did not market properly, in part due to incorrect market research information. As a result, by taking a survey, you could actually be saving yourself some money.
I have heard people complain about the time we call as well. The fact is if it is a survey where we need to touch base with the consumer, we need to call in the evening. Sometimes people complain that we call during dinner hour. In today’s society, I no longer even know when dinner hour is. Ask ten different people when they eat dinner and you will probably get at least ten different answers. Other people complain we are calling when they are trying to put the children to bed and it is interfering with that. Again, there is no set time when children are put to bed. If the interviewer does honestly call you at a bad time, simply let him or her know when to call back and I am guessing most people will gladly do that.
In addition, today many surveys are conducted on the internet. I would urge people to sign up to take internet surveys. If done correctly, you will not have to pay anything and some of the surveys will actually pay you a few dollars. Also, you can log in and take the surveys at your convenience.
Either way, internet or phone call, remember your opinions are important and valuable and you can express them in such a way that it will make a difference.
