Content newsletter August 2009:
Increase data processing and tabulation efficiency with Nvision Script NIPO Fieldwork System for CAPI 5.05 release in August 2009 NIPO Fieldwork System 1.11 release announcement Constant Dialog: NIPO Software visits Romania What is new in the dialer industry? Three partners give their update NIPO Software at the ESOMAR Congress 2009 in Montreux Nfield unveiled
For more information on Nvision Script please contact your sales representative at NIPO Software or email sales@niposoftware.com.
[Top] NIPO Fieldwork System for CAPI 5.05 release in August 2009 Mid August NIPO Software will release a new version of the .NET based system for CAPI interviewing. With the NIPO Fieldwork System for CAPI 5.05 you will have all the face-to-face interviewing power you need readily available at your fingertips. You can use the NIPO CAPI system in combination with any standard low-cost portable PC, Pen PC, Tablet or Ultra Mobile PC running MS Windows. The NIPO Fieldwork System for CAPI sets face-to-face interviewing on a higher level. On top of the already strong CAPI features like:
Bogdan states: “We have enjoyed the visit and have found it very useful. Personal discussions allowed us to put our needs and questions into a broader context of our daily work, which enhanced mutual understanding. It is very different from the “problem-solution type” communication that we have by E-mail or telephone with the NIPO Software Helpdesk. I really appreciate Paul’s openness to meet our needs, to help share experiences and to answer any questions we might have.”
Bogdan continues: “We discussed quite some different topics for which I was very pleased with Paul’s explanations, as they were clear and precise. Currently we are preoccupied with improving sampling methods, as the number of households who are closing landline contracts to migrate to mobile networks is increasing. We were interested in finding out whether the Dutch (Western) market has experienced similar trends. We also wanted to explore the possibility of new options like the Virtual Call Center support, especially the option with interviewers working from home. Last but not least we also discussed about baseline NIPO assistance for implementing on-line research e.g. sampling aspects. On some of these topics we will keep in touch and develop them further. We did also hear a lot of new information from Paul during this visit: “It was very helpful to get to know more (practical) aspects about CAWI, an approach that we are considering implementing in the near future. We have asked about how other NIPO Software users handle different situations and what problems they come across with. “
“The most important benefit for us is that we get the big picture about what is going on in the CATI/CAWI software industry and market research industry in general. This is reassuring for us, it gives us ideas for further development, it may facilitate certain strategic decision making. For example Paul’s visit came just as we were debating the opportunity of opening a second CATI remote operation system. Therefore it was highly useful to discuss this with Paul. It proved that NIPO Software has strong first hand experience with connecting remote CATI operations for almost 10 years and offers excellent solutions for achieving this goal through their implementation of the Virtual Call Center concept“
Why Irsop Romania has chosen NIPO Software as platform for their data collection activities, Bogdan answers: “When we evaluated the opportunity to implement CATI, we had three main benefits in mind: easy to use/manageable; easy to implement/low resources required (in terms of costs); and compatibility with client needs and know how. The system was recommended to us far back in 1996 by the late Peter Helfen, an outstanding sociologist working with Infas and Psephos Germany on election research.”
To our question if NIPO Software is taking their overall questions and requests serious, he was very clear in his answer. “Certainly yes. I should mention the Helpdesk Team. I really appreciate their effort to give us very fast and clear advice.”
Irsop Romania has been working with NIPO CATI since 2002 and several persons within the Irsop Romania organization have extensive NIPO Software knowledge. In the near future, Irsop Romania plans to expand their CATI activities, to launch on-line surveys and introduce Switch Mode research for hard to contact target groups like directors.
[Top] What is new in the dialer industry? Three partners give their update Development never stops. Also in the dialer industry. New possibilities to increase performance and quality are available for your call center. For this reason we want to inform you on innovation within the dialer industry. Our three main partners give their input on this topic.
In November 2007 we dedicated a whole issue of the NIPO Software newsletter to dialers. If you are intereseted to read that issue again, please click here.
Latest news from InVADE
Ms. Claire Bunting, MD InVADE: “InVADE has launched their Asterisk®-based dialler that connects to the NIPO Fieldwork System through their API. Customer shipments will be commencing in August. This development represents a significant investment and belief in the future of Open Source PBX solutions that is supported by the trends in the markets worldwide. InVADE is pleased to also announce the selection of Xorcom as preferred supplier of Asterisk®-based PBX solutions to support the integration of their application suites. Xorcom harnesses the power of Asterisk Open Source IP-PBX to design and produce leading-edge modular and scalable VoIP to PSTN hardware telephony solutions for commercial installations of all sizes”. More information
Latest news from Sytel
Mr. Michael MicKinley, MD Sytel: “Sytel continues to innovate strongly in many areas. These include: VoIP: The dialer is field proven as all IP solutions, requiring no specialised hardware. HOSTED: The dialer is fully multi-tenant and, as required, is running hosted systems for market research and other users in a number of countries. COMPLIANCE PROOF: The Sytel dialer is fully designed with the aim to work properly under compliance in market research. As regulations are implemented for dialers in market research, e.g. in Germany, our customers are assured of the best possible performance on predictive campaigns. Sytel offers free trials so that new users can prove the benefits for themselves. COMMERCIAL: Sytel appreciates that in tough markets, customers require innovative pricing and in response offers both rental as well as pay per minute pricing arrangements”. More information
Latest news from Authensis
Mr. Claus Zschaage, MD Authensis AG: “Authensis AG offers with its ACHAT suite a mighty function set to enhance the communication efficiency and to control the communication flow during daily work. One of authensis´ focuses is the phone based data collection (CATI) in the market research industry. In this segment we see the following trends:
[Top] NIPO Software at the ESOMAR Congress 2009 in Montreux The annual ESOMAR Congress provides NIPO Software with the opportunity to meet a multitude of our customers at a single place. For this reason, NIPO Software is exhibiting at the Esomar conference for over 20 years. Also this year we will participate and we look forward to meet you again, show you all our recent innovations and discuss the mutual future of our organisations. This year we will also have a completely new stand design that visualizes NIPO Software’s ambition. NIPO Software will exhibit at stand number 34.
During the ESOMAR Congress on 16, 17 and 18 September in Montreux we will demonstrate our new products Nvision Script 1.2, the NIPO CAPI System 5.05, Nfield Code and the, by then just released, NIPO Fieldwork System 1.11. We will also be able to share information on Nfield, our future data collection platform. In anticipation of Nfield, as you will probably have noticed NIPO Software invested seriously in further enhancement of the NIPO Fieldwork System for CATI and CAWI interviewing and the NIPO CAPI System over the past period. We are convinced to have enough new features in our products to demonstrate and satisfy you with. We look forward to meet you as a customer and to talk to fellow participating customers.
For more information see the ESOMAR website.
[Top] Nfield unveiled Together with a selection of our customers, for NIPO Software has evaluated the possibilities of our data collection system and looked what to keep and where to improve. In this newsletter we will lift the veil on the possibilities for managing sample and sample distribution for telephonic interviewing in Nfield. Nfield will even be more powerful in comparison to the already rich and complete NIPO Fieldwork System.
The biggest change is the increased flexibility in configuring how sample is selected and distributed in a telephone studio. With Nfield you can define your own set of "rules" to steer sample distribution. You can:
This allows you for example to put different call-back priorities on respondents from "group a" versus respondents from "group b". But it also allows you to create complex call-back strategies, like for example: when the contact is unsuccessful call-back the respondent after two hours, if still unsuccessful try again after 1 hour, if still unsuccessful wait 22 hours and try again, and if still unsuccessful repeat this call-back series after 2 days. Having these "rules" allows for far more flexibility and power than the current NIPO Fieldwork system.
Nfield will be shipped with two embedded "rule sets" for sample distribution; One method that is comparable to the current method in the NIPO Fieldwork System, and one method that gives a higher priority to sample records with a previous contact attempt.
We are still working on the best way to present this sample distribution management functionality, as a lot of power can also mean a lot of complexity. For Nfield we try to avoid this complexity as much as possible, but we cannot avoid it fully. As we do not expect all our customers to use the increased flexibility in sample distribution, we use a layered approach in Nfield in which we offer simple and intuitive interfaces for the most commonly used tasks, and advanced interfaces for the more complex functions.
The second biggest change compared to the NIPO Fieldwork System is that Nfield only supports sample tables. Doing so allows us to switch to new and better methods of sample record selection which in turn lead to improved handling of appointments, call-back intervals etc... Nfield supports current T-file users with extensive import functions and the ability to run on free Microsoft SQL Server Express database platform to reduce costs.
Our goal is to make working with Nfield as simple and intuitive as possible and also applies to working with sample tables. Here we have simplified the use of sample tables, by adding a number of new or changed functions and screens in order to:
Not everything in Nfield is new. A lot of the sample management possibilities that are already included in the NIPO Fieldwork System like setting priorities on quota's, working with appointments, even filling of quota cells (smart SMS), etc. will also be included in Nfield.
So far for this newsletter. There is much more to we can tell about sample (distribution) management in Nfield but space here is limited. Early next year we expect to be able to present you with tutorials and animated movies on how to use Nfield via our website. In the meantime feel free to contact NIPO Software Product Management or your sales representative at NIPO Software for more information on Nfield.
In the next newsletter we will lift the veil on managing users and user permission in Nfield. With these permissions you can control what users may do and see in Nfield. [Top]