Final answer:
The primary priority when conducting a telephone assessment is to ensure clear communication and gather contact information if direct communication is possible. Secondary priorities include scheduling interviews appropriately and using technologies like CATI effectively while being conscious of biases such as the exclusion of certain demographics. Professionalism and communication are pivotal throughout the process.
Step-by-step explanation:
When conducting a telephone assessment, the first priority should be establishing clear communication with the subject. If you can speak to your subject, obtaining their contact information becomes crucial. If direct communication is not possible, then creating a list of professionals knowledgeable about your subject is the next best step, in order to decide who to contact first.
Once contact is made, maintaining professional communication throughout the interview process is key in order to gather accurate and usable information. It is also essential to use tools like computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) effectively while ensuring errors are minimized and the interview sticks to the script for consistency and reliability.
During the process, not only is it important to select appropriate people to interview but also to set up a convenient interview time while taking personal safety into consideration.
Polling strategies, such as random-digit-dialing (RDD), are used to include a wider range of participants, such as those with unlisted numbers or cell phones. One must also be aware of potential sources of bias in the assessment, such as exclusions of certain demographics due to lack of phone availability or differing personal schedules.