New stand-alone survey kiosk
Surveys International, Miami, is now offering the SV-9000, a stand alone electronic device resembling a cylindrical phone booth that can process up to 2,000 questionnaires per day. Each respondent receives a discount coupon for businesses who pay Surveys International for the exposure. Consumers mark their answers on questionnaires by coloring in small bubbles on a 3-1/4" wide tear-off card, which is inserted into the device. Instructions scroll across the device's character display in English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese, prompting users to insert their completed card. The responses are read and stored in the system's memory. Survey results are retrieved during the late evening hours by a central computer that calls each device by modem. Special software then consolidates the data files and tabulates the results.
Claritas Conference scheduled for early May
The 5th annual Claritas Precision Marketing Conference will be held May 7-10, 1995. at the Stouffer Orlando Resort in Orlando, Fla. The conference speakers include Steve Clifford, senior vice president, Smith Barney Shearson, on database marketing; Bob Garfield, Advertising Age columnist; and Ron Harrison, senior vice president, director of media technology, BBDO/San Francisco, on precision targeting in the new media world. Preceding the conference. The Burke Institute will offer a two-day workshop, "Using Geodemographics for Marketing Decision Making," on May 4 and 5. Registration is regularly $1,200 but Precision Marketing Conference attendees will receive a $200 discount. The conference will feature several breakout sessions covering database marketing, GIS applications, precision marketing tools and techniques, segmentation systems, site evaluation and media planning. The conference also includes a trade show. The registration fee for the three-day conference is $675.
Roper conference will include findings on global consumers
On June 15-16, Roper Starch Worldwide, New York City, will present findings from new studies in regions such as Latin America, Europe and Asia as part of the INRA Global Conference. The presentation, called "Citizens of the World, Consumers of the World," is slated for New York City's Hotel Maclowe. It's designed for executives interested in global marketing and lifestyle trends. Included in the conference will be celebration of the 50th anniversary of the company's international division, the International Research Associates (INRA) network.
Digisoft offers link between Telescript and SPSS, Survey System
Digisoft Computers, Inc., New York City, now offers a link between Telescript call center software and the SPSS and Survey System tabulation packages. This new connection enables call centers to quickly generate market research tabulation and statistical reports.
Previously, managers were required to manually enter text and labels and coordinate the questions for each tabulation report. In addition, each manager had to match his or her data file with the statistical package. Now, Telescript generates the text of questions and responses in a format that the tabulation software can easily understand. Report generation is simplified by making it less time consuming to retrieve and organize the text and data.
Western Wats offers predictive dialing system
Western Wats Center, Provo, Utah, now offers Divine Link, its predictive dialing software system, for commercial sale. The software is being sold bundled with a dialing engine of Dialogic cards housed in a rack- or wall-mount PC. The plug-and-play system will sell for as little as $1,795 per agent, depending on the configuration ordered. Rental options are also available. Divine Link was developed to easily integrate into an existing network, thereby protecting any LAN investment already made. Divine Link will run on networked 286 PCs or higher, and can be acquired in standard configurations from four agent seats and 12 phone lines to 32 agent seats and 48 phone lines. Custom configurations are also available.
Western Wats operates four call centers with 250 phones. It developed Divine Link because it was unhappy with the cost versus value of other predictive dialers.
New release of SYSTAT
SYSTAT 6.0 for DOS is now available from SPSS. The product is the first release since SPSS acquired SYSTAT, Inc., in September 1994. The new release is a major upgrade, offering all new object-oriented graphics. greater statistical capabilities, improved data handling and extended memory support. System requirements are: 286 or better processor; DOS 3.3 or higher; 4MB RAM; hard disk with 6MB storage space; 3.5" floppy drive; mouse recommended but not required; math coprocessor recommended but not required. Existing SYSTAT customers can purchase the upgrade at a reduced price until June 30, 1995. SPSS/PC+, SAS, Statistica and Statgraphics users can also upgrade for a special price until the end of June.
Online data service lets respondents take surveys anytime
Research Connections, Inc., Westfield, N.J., has launched Quest Connect, a new online data collection service. Quest Connect enables respondents to dial in and take a survey at their convenience, 24 hours a day. It is designed to reach busy people like physicians, MIS professionals, executives, teens, college students, and Generation Xers. Most studies can be completed, from questionnaire programming through data tabulation, in a week.
Respondents use specially designed software that configures their modems and automatically dials a toll free number. They then take the survey that is waiting for them, and the results are tabulated instantly. Quest Connect is a completely private bulletin board run by researchers. Specialized questionnaire software allows surveys to include complex branching logic, rotations, calculations, and open-ended questions.
Quest Connect will be used to electronically register new customers and survey them at the same time. Those same customers will be tracked over time on key issues.
Quest Connect also offers a teen panel of 10-19-year-olds who can be accessed for full surveys or queried by adding questions to the weekly omnibus study which will also explore the relationship between teens and technology. A TeenTech newsletter highlighting the results of the omnibus studies will be published quarterly. Quest Connect panels of kids and parents are in development.
Handbook profiles Latin American markets in detail
Strategy Research Corp., Miami, now offers a new Latin American Market Strategic Planning Handbook. The book provides in-depth information and comparative market data to analyze markets in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay and Paraguay. The handbook also offers updated population and demographic figures, along with a breakdown of the marketing infrastructure of each country (i.e., media outlets and advertising/PR agencies).