Doing phone surveys

[itsbuttery]

Anybody here work phone surveys for a living? I get to call myself a "researcher" but it's barely above telemarketing. When one is working the phones the main two groups of people that answer the phone are: Non-english speakers, and old people who don't know any better. It's aggravating.

[bainsidhe]

That must depend on the survey and possibly the time of day you call? Back when I did phone surveys, I mostly had people yelling and slamming down the phone. Just because I'm not selling something doesn't mean 1) they let me explain that tidbit, 2) that they believe me and 3) it doesn't mean they'll have time to answer repetitive questions about bananas. It was only slightly better than regular telemarketing due to the suck factor. It really does take a certain type of personality for that type of work (it didn't suit me, sorry to say). At least the pay was pretty good!

[Flying Grype]

Aww, market research. I actually love you guys. Surveys are fun! As long as they're during a reasonable time of day when I'm not doing anything else. Although I think the researchers get annoyed with me because I take too long to answer questions.

The only annoying thing is that I seem to keep getting a researcher who doesn't enunciate every word. Sometimes I have to ask people to say everything twice.

[TOLady]

I LOVE doing surveys!

I've been doing a government/census phone-survey every 2 years for the last almost 20 years.

It's a long one that takes about an hour and a half each time and tracks everything from my health and (lack of) sanity, to financial matters, etc. They've followed me through 4 moves, living with someone, breaking up, marrying, my quiting smoking and starting again to trying to quit again.

I've even had the same woman call me 3 times - and not consecutively.

It's great that they always send me a letter in the mail first so we can set up a time when they can call me and I'll make sure there's no interruptions.

I've even found their "script" on the interwebz so I can follow along and shortened my last call to less than an hour!

I also participate in a lot of on-line surveys (that pay) that lead to phone-surveys (that pay). If I can't answer the survey at that moment, I always ask that they call back at a time I can set aside. But then again, in Canada (ASAIK), we don't allow survey calls unless they're agreed to.

[BlaqueKatt]

I don't mind them but I'm usually not in the demographic they want