CATI — Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing

Structured telephone research, multilingual interviewing and reliable data collection for B2C, B2B and healthcare audiences.

Frequent Research manages CATI projects through a structured process: trained interviewers, a single point of contact and quality controls from briefing to back checks.

1. Interviewer
2. Telephone connection
3. Respondent
4. Digital questionnaire
5. Verified data

• CATI ResearchStructured computer-assisted telephone interviews.
• Multilingual InterviewingMultilingual interviewers, with native-language support where required.
• B2B, B2C & HealthcareAccess to complex consumer and professional audiences.
• Quality-Controlled FieldworkBriefing, mock calls, recordings, QC and back checks.

• 25In-house interviewing seats in Delhi
• 4+Years managing CATI and online B2C, B2B and healthcare studies
• 5+Years of research interviewing experience among our interviewers
• 30–100%Back-check range, agreed per project
• 50 KVADG set for power backup

What Is CATI Research?

Computer-assisted telephone interviewing combines structured telephone interviews with a controlled digital interviewing environment.

Interviewers work from a questionnaire on screen that handles routing and skips, and record each answer as it is given. The result is consistent interviews and data that are ready for processing as soon as fieldwork closes.

We provide structured telephone data collection with disciplined project management, multilingual interviewer support and quality control. CATI can be one part of a single programme alongside online surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups, mystery shopping and face-to-face interviews, with project management handled in-house.

• Structured telephone interviewsInterviewer-led, following predefined survey flows.
• Computer-assisted interviewingAn on-screen questionnaire keeps every interview consistent.
• Real-time data captureResponses recorded during the interview, ready for processing.
• Flexible applicationsSurveys, customer, brand, satisfaction and industry research.

How a telephone interview becomes validated data

1. 01Questionnaire setup
2. 02Respondent recruitment
3. 03Telephone interview
4. 04Real-time data capture
5. 05Quality control
6. 06Validated data delivery

Questionnaire setup

The questionnaire is programmed into the CATI system, with routing and logic tested before fieldwork begins.

Why CATI?

Telephone interviewing earns its place when the audience, the language or the interview itself needs an interviewer.

1. Hard-to-reach audiences

   Useful when respondents are difficult to access through standard online methods.

2. Professional respondents

   Suitable for B2B decision-makers and specialised professional audiences.

3. Healthcare professionals

   Useful for physicians, pharmacists, nurses, specialists and other healthcare stakeholders where appropriate.

4. Multilingual studies

   Supports interviews across multiple languages and markets.

5. Structured interviews

   Interviewers follow standardised questionnaires and defined probing instructions.

6. Time-sensitive fieldwork

   Suits projects that need active interviewer management and structured fieldwork.

Our CATI Capabilities

Research-grade telephone interviewing first, with structured calling programmes where they fit the engagement.

B2C CATI Research

Telephone interviews with consumers and target customer groups.

B2B CATI Research

Interviews with business professionals, decision-makers and industry participants.

Healthcare CATI

Research among physicians, pharmacists, nurses, patients, caregivers and other healthcare stakeholders.

Tele-Surveys

Structured telephone surveys and respondent interviews.

Information Gathering

Structured collection of respondent information.

Customer Loyalty Programmes

Telephone interactions built around customer feedback and loyalty programmes.

• Lead generationOutbound calling around defined lead-generation objectives.
• Appointment settingTelephone-based appointment-setting programmes.
• Welcome callsWelcome and onboarding calls for respondents or customers.
• Direct sales supportSales-related calling where it applies to the engagement.

• B2B research
• B2C research
• Customer satisfaction
• Brand & market research
• Product research
• Industry research
• Decision-maker interviews
• Healthcare & professional research
• Customer feedback
• Concept & usage studies

B2C, B2B and Healthcare Telephone Interviews

Three audience families, each with its own screening, language and interviewing approach.

Consumer research

• Consumers
• Customers
• Users
• General population audiences
• Targeted consumer segments

Business & professional research

• CXOs
• Directors
• Senior management
• Middle management
• Dealers
• Distributors
• Retailers
• Procurement professionals
• Technology leaders

Healthcare research

• Physicians
• Medical specialists
• Surgeons
• Pharmacists
• Nurses
• Patients
• Caregivers
• Other healthcare stakeholders

Audience availability varies by country and is confirmed during feasibility. See our consumer, business and healthcare panels.

Multilingual CATI Research

Our interviewers are multilingual, so studies outside English-speaking markets can run in the respondent's own language.

Native-language interviewing is arranged where the project requires it, and language availability is confirmed for each study. Hover over a language to see where it appears across regions.

• English
• Spanish
• French
• Portuguese

• German
• French
• Italian
• Spanish
• Turkish
• Russian

• Mandarin
• Cantonese
• Korean
• Malay
• Vietnamese
• Bahasa
• Thai
• Taiwanese
• Arabic
• English

Our CATI Operations & Quality-Control Process

Eight connected steps take a project from technical setup to authenticated interviews. Select a step.

1. 1Research requirement
2. 2Questionnaire programming
3. 3Interviewer briefing & training
4. 4Sample / contact management
5. 5CATI interviewing
6. 6Quality control & validation
7. 7Data delivery

1. 01Technical setup
2. 02Project briefing
3. 03Mock calls
4. 04Live interviewing
5. 05Data entry & notes
6. 06Recordings
7. 07Quality control
8. 08Back checks

Technical setup

The technical team prepares the project setup and checklist according to the requirements.

• Questionnaire programmed and tested
• Routing and logic checked
• Project checklist prepared

From Dial to Data, Made Visible

A view of what a CATI project keeps track of during fieldwork: call outcomes, quota progress, quality checks and call monitoring.

• Call outcomes by stage
• Quota progress by group
• Interview, QC and back-check progress
• Supervised calls and recordings where required

Quality Control Built Into the CATI Process

Nine safeguards, applied from interviewer selection to client updates.

• Interview authenticationRespondents re-contacted where required to validate interviews.
• Completeness & plausibilityResults checked for completeness and plausibility.
• Interviewer selectionStructured selection and allocation of field interviewers.
• Central briefingKey project personnel receive a central project briefing.
• RecordingsAudio or video recordings where the project requires them.
• Back checksRespondent authentication according to project requirements.
• Data protectionSecure processes and controlled transmission of project files.
• Data backupRegular backups are maintained.
• Client updatesRegular progress feedback to clients during fieldwork.

Data security

Project files and respondent data move through controlled, secure channels.

• Secure FTP
• Firewalled VPN
• Controlled project-file transmission
• Confidentiality policies
• Regular data backups
• Controlled infrastructure

CATI Infrastructure & Technology

An in-house interviewing centre in Delhi, a CATI platform with predictive dialling and call recording, and a resilient network behind it.

1. Interviewer
2. Telephone platform
3. Questionnaire
4. Respondent
5. Data capture
6. Quality control
7. Research database

• Delhi, in-house25 seats
• Dell desktops & servers
• Thin-client technology

• CATI software
• Predictive dialling
• Call recording
• Automated calling workflow

• Firewall
• Cisco routers
• WAN / VPN connectivity
• LAN redundancyData & voice
• Power backup50 KVA DG set

Used where a project needs them. These studios are operated by partners, not by Frequent Research.

Designed for Global Time Zones

Our CATI operation is set up for round-the-clock availability, so calling can be scheduled to respondents' local hours in each market. Shift plans are agreed for each project.

• Europe & Africa window
• Middle East & Asia window
• Americas window

Industries We Serve

• Agriculture
• Apparel, Textile & Fashion
• Automotive
• Education
• Energy
• FMCG
• Food & Beverages
• Games, Apps & Social Media
• Healthcare & Life Sciences
• Home Appliances
• IT & Telecommunication
• Logistics
• Pharmaceuticals
• Real Estate & Construction
• Retail & Chain Store
• Travel & Tourism

Selected CATI & Research Experience

Selected examples from our project experience, shown as snapshots of scope rather than outcomes.

4+ years managing and producing CATI and online B2C, B2B and healthcare studies.

Interviewers with 5+ years of research-study interviewing experience.

• HealthcareIn-depth interviews 190Physician specialists

  In-depth interviews among physician specialists.

  • Norway
  • Denmark
  • Sweden
  • Germany
• HealthcareOnline interviews 200Doctors, directors & hospital administrators

  Online interviews across clinical and hospital-management roles.

  • Germany
• HealthcareInterviews incl. CATI 300Surgeons

  Interviews with different types of surgeons, including 240-minute CATI interviews.

  • Japan
  • China
  • Australia
  • India
• B2BInterviews 750Director-and-above respondents

  Senior respondents from companies with 500+ employees.

  • Multiple countries
• B2BCATI interviews 350Business-card owners

  Corporate versus personal credit-card usage.

  • USA
  • UK
• B2BIn-depth interviews In-depth interviewsBank directors

  In-depth interviews combined with desk research and survey analysis.

  • Indonesia
  • Malaysia

The Team Behind Your CATI Project

• CATI SupervisorsOversee interviewer activity and field execution.
• Telephone InterviewersConduct structured interviews according to project requirements.
• Quality TeamSupports quality-control procedures, checks and authentication.
• Technical TeamManages project setup and CATI technology requirements.

Meet our team

Why clients choose Frequent Research for CATI

Research-grade telephone interviewing, run from our own centre and managed by one project team.

• In-house Delhi centre
• Multilingual
• QC & back checks

Telephone interviewing runs from our own CATI centre in Delhi.

1. 01In-house CATI capabilityTelephone interviewing runs from our own CATI centre in Delhi.
2. 02Multilingual supportMultilingual interviewers, with native-language interviewing where the project requires it.
3. 03Complex audience experienceExperience with B2B decision-makers, healthcare professionals and other hard-to-reach respondents.
4. 04Quality-controlled fieldworkBriefings, mock calls, recordings, QC and back checks built into the process.
5. 05Global project experienceTelephone and research projects delivered across multiple international markets.
6. 06Single point of contactTimelines, interviewers and client updates coordinated in one place.
7. 07Secure infrastructureFirewalled VPN, secure FTP and controlled transmission of project files.
8. 08Designed for global time zonesRound-the-clock operational availability, scheduled to suit the markets in each study.

Certifications & Standards

The standards and codes our research operations work to.

• ISO 20252:2019Market, opinion & social researchCertified
• ISO 9001:2015Quality management systemsCertified
• ISO/IEC 27001:2013Information security managementCertified
• ESOMARGlobal association for research and insightsCorporate member; we follow ESOMAR standards

Need More Than Telephone Interviews?

CATI often sits within a broader research programme. Not every project uses every method; we combine only what the question needs.

• Background research
• Company profiling
• External market analysis
• Market trends
• Public and paid database research
• Organisation-status evaluation

CATI: frequently asked questions

• What is CATI research?

  CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) is telephone research in which interviewers follow a structured questionnaire on screen and record answers directly into the CATI system as the interview happens.

• What types of respondents can you interview through CATI?

  In shortWe interview consumers (B2C), business professionals and decision-makers (B2B), and healthcare audiences such as physicians, pharmacists, nurses, patients and caregivers.

  Availability for each audience is confirmed per country during feasibility.

• Can you conduct multilingual CATI studies?

  Yes. Our multilingual interviewers support studies across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, with native-language interviewing arranged where the project requires it.

• Can CATI interviews be recorded?

  Yes. Audio or video recordings can be made when the client or project requires them.

• Do you conduct back checks?

  Yes. Back checks and respondent authentication are carried out according to project requirements, with coverage agreed per study within a range of 30% to 100% of interviews.

• Can you handle difficult-to-reach B2B and healthcare audiences?

  Yes. Our experience includes CXOs, directors, senior and middle management, procurement professionals, physician specialists, surgeons, pharmacists and patient audiences.

• Do you provide 24/7 CATI support?

  In shortOur CATI operation is set up for round-the-clock availability, so calling can be scheduled for respondents in different time zones.

  Shift plans are agreed for each project.

• Can CATI be combined with other research methods?

  Yes. CATI can sit alongside online research, in-depth interviews, focus groups, face-to-face interviews, mystery shopping and secondary research within one programme.

Still curious? Ask the assistant Talk to a specialist →

Let's Talk About Your CATI Requirement

Share your audience, markets, number of interviews, timeline and questionnaire if you have one. We will come back with feasibility and an approach.

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