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Recruiting & data collection: how to overcome the inevitable hurdles

As phone lines become more congested reaching, let alone speaking with, the target respondent is a challenge for even the most experienced of interviewers. B2B interviews pose even more problems as gatekeepers, voice mail and scheduling interview times into respondent’s busy diaries pose a variety of hurdles that an interviewer has to contend with. So how do the 2Europe professional interviewers manage this process? From our experience here are our tips for securing business interviews with even the most challenging of hurdles:

1. Gatekeepers: A good gatekeeper is trained to screen out calls for their boss. Unless you’re lucky you’re likely to encounter them frequently, in the process of identifying and recruiting a target respondent, rather than treat them as a hurdle enlist their help. Be honest, state your reason for the call and don’t be afraid to ask for their help in identifying or reaching the correct respondent.
   
   
2. Voice Mail: Do you leave a message and risk preparing the respondent to avoid your call back? Experts are divided. On the positive side leaving a message enables you to begin rapport building straight away; your message can be positive and state that you’re looking forward to speaking with them when you call back. On the downside there isn’t enough time to explain the purpose of your call. If you have a limited sample or the respondent is particularly difficult to reach, we would generally recommend leaving a message. It’s more professional and is an opportunity to gather more information; additional contact details, direct dial numbers etc.
   
   
3. Timing: Getting your respondent to commit to 10 minutes or more of their time can be a challenge for their own team, let alone you! If you managed to get past the gatekeeper, and have previously left them a voice mail message, we’d recommend agreeing with them a specific call back appointment (unless of course they’re happy for you to conduct the interview straight away). Remember if your target is a decision maker they can often be reached early in the morning or late into the evening. Varying the times at which you follow up can often be to your advantage.
   
   
4. Incentives: Enticing a respondent to complete a survey can also prove useful although we generally only provide this for surveys in excess of 20 minutes or for specific cohorts such as GPs. Ensure the incentive is appropriate to their profession; personal cash rewards that reflect their charge out rate can be successful, as can charitable donations or the offer of an executive summary of the results.
   
   
5. Interviewer confidence: To inspire mutual respect the interviewer must be confident, articulate and polite. They must also be persistent, adaptable and patient; as they will get more rejection than agreement. The most successful interviewers are those who are most adept at securing a specific call back time. Staying persistent, quickly and confidently explaining the purpose of the call is most likely to gain respondent co-operation.

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