PERSONAL INTERVIEWS

Due to the inherent limitations of telephone interviews, the personal interview despite the fact that it is relatively expensive and time-consuming - remains an essential market research tool.

The fact that the interview and respondent actually meet for a personal conversation yields several significant advantages:

• Thanks to the conversational character of the encounter, it is easier to establish a personal relationship and thereby receive higher-quality answers (in the instance of sensitive questions, an enormous advantage).
• Ambiguity and problems in understanding can be cleared up immediately.
• Test materials (e.g. for product, packaging or advertising tests) can be presented.

Special forms of personal interviews

• In depth interviews, the extremely personal opinions and attitudes of the respondent can be explored.
• In expert interviews, the opinions of specialists in their own area of expertise can be surveyed in great detail.

The process

Personal interviews (face-to-face) are carried out in the traditional manner with questionnaires (paper and pencil) as well as with notebooks (CAPI, or computer aided personal interviewing).

Hoffmann & Forcher has a solid roster of interviewers across the whole of Austria, with approximately 100 interviewers; for CAPI interviews we have around 60 notebooks at our disposal.