Data Collection Teams
SRO Data Collection Operations is comprised of an experienced data collection management team made up of production managers and team leaders. They are responsible for hiring, training and supervising interviewers, implementing a wide variety of survey designs, carrying out quality control activities in the field, and monitoring interviewers’ weekly progress and cost reports. SRO maintains an active national field staff including as many as 1000 interviewers and a centralized telephone staff of up to 80 interviewers – with the capability to expand to meet project demands. SRO interviewers are well-educated, experienced, and represent the diversity of over 140 geographic areas in which they work. SRO retains a bilingual interviewing staff in areas of high concentrations of non-English speaking households, and is able to hire specialized interviewers to meet specific project needs.
In-Person Data Collection
In addition to conducting standardized interviews in respondent’s homes or at facilities designated by the research team such as schools and military bases, SRO has a strong track record of implementing and collecting a variety of biomarker and anthropometric data. Interviewers have also been trained to administer standardized cognitive and developmental assessments to both children and adult respondents. In many cases, we have modified our data collection systems to facilitate the testing process, greatly improving accuracy and validity rates within the assessments.
Telephone Data Collection
SRO operates a state-of-the-art telephone facility which has been conducting Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) surveys since 1975. The computer-assisted interviewing (CAI) software and physical facilities are regularly updated to ensure the highest possible quality for all national, regional and local projects. Samples of interviews are monitored, and interviewers are evaluated on interviewing technique (question reading, probing, data recording, etc.) as well as on qualitative factors (pace, clarity, and tone, etc.).
Self-Administered Data Collection
SRO has extensive experience and expertise in the design and implementation of self-administered surveys including mail, paper, and web-based surveys. SRO design takes into accounts the respondent outreach and user experiences of the populations being studied and the devices on which questionnaires are expected to be completed. Cognitive and usability testing is used to assess performance and refine instruments and respondent materials to minimize respondent burden and maximize quality across multiple facets of survey research.
SRO will also either mail various respondent data collection kits, including saliva collection samples, biometric monitors, tablets and smart phones, activity trackers, etc., either directly from our centralized telephone facility or coordinating with an external vendor to send kits and then log returns at our centralized facility and upload data for analysis, as appropriate.
Qualitative Data Collection
SRO recruits, conducts, and analyzes both in-person and virtual, video-based focus groups and in-depth (cognitive or semi-structured) interviews. We work with the researcher to develop a moderator guide, semi-structured interview content, and goals for participant recruitment. SRO has a number of facilitators trained through the University of Michigan Summer Institutes to moderate focus groups and conduct in-depth interviews. We can provide transcripts, recordings, analysis, and summary reports of emergent themes and relationships based on review and text analysis of transcripts. SRO also provides customized training in conducting focus groups or in-depth interviews.