Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing, or CATI, is a quantitative interview methodology in which surveys are administered by telephone through a computer-based system. The interviewer reads a scripted screen display on a computer, which makes the interview highly standardized and accurate. They are entered directly within the system, thus minimizing manual errors and facilitating easier collection of the data.

CATI accomplishes this by allowing contact with dispersed, off-site respondents. This also allows for instant feedback to be given to the interviewer, thus supervisors can keep a check on the quality of the interviews. It is appropriate for the use of structured surveys containing closed and open-ended questions. It is an efficient design that lends itself to large samples, and studies that are sensitive to time such as customer satisfaction, political polling, and market research.

Skip logic, where the next question depends on the previous answer – a significant advantage of CATI – also made it possible to make more interesting questioning. This is more efficient in terms of time and also allows for a more relevant survey experience. Also, a CATI system makes it easy to modify or update the mid-project questionnaire, which is a flexibility that western census methodologies don’t provide.

A disadvantage of CATI is that it requires a trained interviewer, and the phone interview modality is subject to willingness to participate in phone interviews. This presumably also varies by demographic category, as society becomes accustomed to more digital communication.

Though not without its shortcomings, CATI is still an efficient and dependable, centralized method of collecting quantitative data, and remains a popular method when the need for speed, consistency, and centralized control is paramount