Measuring Consumer Reaction to Telephone Service Alternatives with a Computer-Controlled Survey

We describe a set of marketing studies in which consumers evaluate long-distance telephone services using a self-administered, computer-controlled survey instrument. The studies attempt to measure preferences among existing and hypothetical services, and to assess the potential changes in usage (load shifting, volume of calling) under the new services. In 1988 and 1989 about 900 consumers participated in three such studies conducted at the AT&T Consumer Laboratory.