As part of continuing efforts to evaluate the access, impact and quality of the Community Voice Mail (CVM) service, the CVM National Office (CVMN) utilized the advanced features of the Cisco Unity product to conduct a large-scale telephone survey of CVM clients. The survey, which lasted 38 days over the months of January and February of 2008 and sampled clients in 33 cities at CVM sites nationwide, sought to elicit specific information about CVM’s client population in order to better direct resources and maximize the value of CVM’s services. Clients were asked whether they currently have an email address and/or cell phone, and what type of phone they use to check their CVM voice mail box. Clients were also asked what their lives would be like if they did not have their CVM voice mail box, and what kinds of information or referrals via broadcast message they would find most important to their current situation. Finally, clients were invited to leave additional comments if they chose.

The option to participate in the telephone survey was included in the opening voicemail menu beginning on January 13, 2008. This gave approximately 11,590 clients access to the CVM survey. CVMN also used broadcast messaging to directly invite 5,844 clients across ten targeted cities to participate in the survey By the survey’s end date of February 20, 2008, CVMN had received 1700 responses to the data entry type questions (press 1 for Yes, press 2 for No) for a response rate of 15% and 1,000 responses to the narrative/verbal questions (615 transcribed), for a response rate of 9%. (Authors)

View the "2008 Community Voice Mail Client Survey".