Troubleshooting - Out of Sample

Is your project out of sample…?

So, you think you are out of sample, because interviewers are getting “Out Of Numbers” screens. Well, you may be, however if the SPI screen shows numbers available in the various buckets, the following steps can be used to see what is really going on. The key is, there is no magic “I am out of sample, give me more.” button. You have to understand the information presented on the SPI screens, what they REALLY mean, and how to work with them in your favor.

Prerequisite Information - There are few key bits of information that are important to understand, before figure out why you do not have numbers...

First, it is important to know that the first SPI screen is just a total of all numbers not dead/hidden. It doesn’t account for zeroed out time zones, markets, etc. To truly see where your AVAILABLE numbers are, you need to look at the SPI G screen (from a boss/super, type “spi g <jobname>” to go right to it). This screen will tell you where you have numbers, if any, and why you don’t have numbers in some of the spots. Most commonly, the market is zero, the time zone is zero, it isn’t the right time of day, the reps are high enough, or the minimum system time hasn’t been reached yet. 

Regarding dayparts, typically, MAXimum Research only uses DP Time 1, and it is set to 9am/5pm-10pm, allowing us to call respondents anytime, between 9am/5pm and 10pm THEIR TIME. Occasionally a job may have more than 1 time set, something like 5pm-6:30pm/6:30pm-8pm/8pm-10pm. Day jobs may also use Dayparts, so that B2B respondents get attempts at different times of day, for example 9am-12pm, 12pm-2pm, 2pm-5pm. When jobs are set like this, the system will move numbers between these 3 DP times, to allow numbers to be called at different times during the shift. Each one of these DP Times will have their own # of attempts. When numbers have been dialed the maximum number of attempts per daypart, they move into the “All Targeted” bucket, and are held there until released.

You also need to understand what the “Minimum System Time” setting means. All live numbers, besides a busy and a specified callback will come back up AFTER the minimum system time has elapsed, ASSUMING the number hasn’t been called the maximum # times for all applicable dayparts. When we have more than 1 daypart, numbers will move between them as calls are made. This is so we don’t call the same number during the same time of day for every call. Our default MINSYSTIME is 360 minutes (6 hours), meaning numbers will be redialed 6 hours after their last call. Since most shifts do not run for 6 hours, except maybe the weekends, numbers very rarely get called more than 1 time per shift. When using more than 1 daypart, that MINSYSTIME will decide which DP time the number will move to next.

So, here is what to do to get sample, IN ORDER, all of which is accomplished from the MPF Screen in a Super/Boss or under Modify Sample Parameters in the Console:

• First and foremost, make sure the current BUILDING TIME is INSIDE the current daypart time. If it is 10am here, but DP Time 1 starts at 5pm, you will not get any numbers. Adjust the DP Time 1 so it is BEFORE the building time. But remember, this DP time is RESPONDENT TIME. If the job is west coast for example, the DP TIME 1 needs to be 3 hours EARLIER than our building time (if it is 5pm here, DP Time 1 needs to be 2pm)
• If you have 2 or more dayparts:
  • You can set “Release System” to yes. This only works if you have more than 1 daypart though. What this will do is allow numbers in other dayparts, that are old enough, to still be dialed, even though we are not currently in their assigned daypart window.
  • Increase the # of attempts per Daypart by 1 each and Release System Numbers. What this does is dump all numbers, greater than the minimum system time setting, from all dayparts. This should let you dial EVERYTHING, that wasn’t already dialed today. Numbers younger than the minimum system time will not come out until that # of minutes has passed.
• If you still need sample, lower the “minimum system callback time” by 15 minutes. Check the SPI G again to see if you have numbers, and how many. If you need more, then repeat the process, 15 minutes at a time.
  
• Release Timed Numbers. (Scheduled Callbacks)
  
• Release HoldArea (Soft Refusals/Resp. Hung Up in Intro) Numbers
  
• Release All Targeted Numbers (though they would have been called 3+ times already) This will allow numbers to be continuously dialed until they reach the MAX_ATTEMPTS value (12 by default). Numbers are still bound to the minimum system time though, even when this setting is turned on.

If after following all these steps, you still do not have sample, there are either closed markets, hidden sample, or errors preventing the sample from coming out. In any of these situations, it is best to ask a PD/Programmer/PhoneOps Manager what to do.