Peter Van Brunt writes in his article Attention Researchers: Lets Make Market Research Fun that researchers need to focus on the experience of the respondent when designing surveys and need to make an effort to make the research process more enjoyable.

The research industry has been facing public backlash for a number of years and telephone polling seems largely to blame. Talk to nearly anyone with a publicly listed telephone number and I am certain they will be able to recount a survey horror story having spoken to someone whose telephone manner suggests that there is clearly somewhere else’s they would rather be than having to ask 300 people they will never meet the same mundane questions.

No matter how much time or effort you put into designing your survey script to be a entertaining diddle, haphazard delivery by an exam stressed student on twelve dollars an hour is not going to help your cause.

Stage right, enters a short and snappy well written online survey to your rescue. As far as I see it online surveys beat telephone interviewers hands-down and have the potential to spice up any interview.

10 11 Reasons why online surveys beat telephone interviews:

1. An online survey will not interrupt your dinner time.
2. An online survey will not call interrupt you while you are on the toilet.
3. An online survey will not call you masquerading as that important call you have been waiting for all day.
4. An online survey will not sound bored or disinterested when you give your heartfelt opinion to a question it just asked.
5. An online survey will not hang up on you.
6. An online survey will not remind you of your ex-girlfriend.
7. An online survey will not interrupt you while you are on another call.
8. An online survey will not speak to you an in an accent that is impossible to understand.
9. An online survey will not ask you to speak slowly or repeat what you have just said.
10. An online survey will not have a bad attitude.
11. An online survey will not yawn.

I am sure there are more reasons why online surveys are better than phone surveys, please feel free to add some more below in the comments