Outcome Code Manager
The Outcome Code Manager allows you to define outcome codes used in Q_Panel. Outcome codes are a powerful flexible tool for managing the return of data from your survey/interviewing systems to maintain contact history and panellist status so that you can make best use of your panellists.
For an explanation of the backfeed file format and upload please see the article on Backfeed Manager.
Click on Outcome Code Manager to see the list of codes that currently exist in your system:
You can use the Groups toolbar button to create Groups and then assign outcome codes to Groups. Then you can use the Filter if you wish to see only one Group of codes in the list.
Outcome code properties
Click on an Outcome Code to see the Edit Outcome Code dialog.
The Detail tab shows the properties of the outcome code selected.
| Field | Description |
| Code | An integer (0 to 32000; negative values are reserved for system outcome codes) |
| Description | Description of outcome code |
| Group | User can select from the list of groups in use |
| Status Indicators | Comments/Description |
| Out for Interview | Invite is still ‘in field’; a further outcome code will be returned that will indicate that the invite is no longer ‘in field’ |
| Contacted | Contact has been made with the panellist (e.g. interviewer has spoken to person in CATI survey or person opened invite e-mail for a CAWI survey) |
| Willing to Interview | Panellist is prepared to take part in research (this may not result in a completed interview) |
| Complete responded | Invite has resulted in a completed interview |
| Don’t Contact Again | Panellist will never be selected for interview again |
| Don’t Contact for…. | Panellist should not be selected for interview again for the specified time period from last date of contact |
| Returned Data Rules | Options | Comments/Description |
| Date of Contact |
Optional,
Prohibited or
Required
|
Determines whether a Date of Contact (i.e. interview) should be returned in a record with this outcome code |
| Don’t Contact Date/Time | Optional, Prohibited or Required | Determines whether a Don’t Contact Date/Time should be returned in a record with this outcome code |
| Re-contact Date/Time | Optional, Prohibited or Required | Determines whether a Re-contact Date/Time should be returned in a record with this outcome code |
| Reward Points | Optional, Prohibited or Required | Determines whether a Reward Points value should be returned in a record with this outcome code |
| Interview Start | Optional, Prohibited or Required |
Determines whether an
Interview Start time should be returned in a record with this outcome code.
Start and
End Date/Time values are returned and the actual interview duration is calculated. If either date is blank or NULL, or
End Date is earlier than
Start Date, then
Interview Length will be set to NULL
|
| Interview End | Optional, Prohibited or Required |
Determines whether an
Interview End time should be returned in a record with this outcome code.
Start and
End Date/Time values are returned and the actual interview duration is calculated. If either date is blank or NULL, or
End Date is earlier than
Start Date, then
Interview Length will be set to NULL
|
| Reward Points Update | Increment or Replace | Determines whether Reward Points on the outcome code record should be added to the total already returned or replace it |
| Interview Length Update | Increment or Replace | Determines whether Interview Length on the outcome code record should be added to the total already returned or replace it |
| Response Count Update |
Increment or
Do not increment
|
Determines whether the Response Count should be incremented (or not) for a record with this outcome code |
| Interview Count Update | Increment or Do not increment | Indicates whether the Interview Count should be incremented (or not) for a record with this outcome code |
| Update priority | Determines whether the existing outcome code record is updated by the new outcome code record. The higher the value, the higher the priority. | |
| De-duplication priority |
Determines the order in which a number of outcome code records for the same invite should be processed in one job. The higher the value, the higher the priority.
This property is no longer required in v7.04 and has been removed.
|
|
| Outcome Code Update Priority | Determines whether the existing outcome code record is updated by the new outcome code record regardless of Update priority setting. The higher the value, the higher the priority. | |
| Close with outcome code | For outcome codes that have the Status Indicator Out For Interview set this outcome code will be assigned by the Close project job |
Record exclusion rules
The 5 tick boxes at the bottom of the Edit Outcome Code dialog determine whether an outcome code record is passed for processing. The outcome code record is compared with the existing outcome code record and the following rules applied:
- Allow update with higher priority
- Allow update with same priority
- Allow update with not out for interview
- Allow update with lower priority
- Allow update with out for interview
The priority being compared is the Update priority value.
The two rules above that relate to out (or not out) for interview determine whether an outcome code that has ‘Status Indicator’ Out for Interview set (or not set) can be processed.
Outcome Code record processing and prioritisation
It is important to understand the following with regards the processing of outcome code records by the Q_Panel Backfeed service:
- One backfeed job may contain multiple outcome code records for one survey invite.
- The Record exclusion rules determine which outcome code records are processed by comparing the Update priority value of the outcome code to the Update priority value of the existing outcome code.
- If all Record exclusion rules are ticked for an outcome code then all outcome code records with that outcome code will pass.
- If using v7.04, where the backfeed job contains multiple outcome code records for one survey invite:
- each record will be processed in the order received by the backfeed service
- the existing outcome code value being compared is determined before each record is updated
- If using v7.03 or earlier, where the backfeed job contains multiple outcome code records for one survey invite:
- each record will be processed in the order determined by the De-duplication priority value
- the existing outcome code value being compared is determined at the start of processing
- Additionally outcome code records that pass the Returned Data Rules will then update the existing outcome code record as follows:
- Date of Contact, Don’t Contact Before Date, Re-contact Date/Time where a value exists on the new outcome code record. The user can determine whether these values should be returned or not.
- The Outcome Code Update Priority determines whether the existing Outcome Code value should be updated (or not) by the value on the new record.
- Response Count, Interview Count may be incremented or not.
- Reward Points may be incremented or replaced where a value is supplied.
Backfeed Response Page
A backfeed response page may be defined for each outcome code, to be displayed when backfeed is submitted via the backfeed URL function.
The backfeed URL function can be called by the interview script enabling the automated return of outcome codes and other associated contact history data. Contact the QuenchTec support team for more information.
Click on the Backfeed Response Page tab for the outcome code.
Enter the required HTML or a link that is displayed after the backfeed URL has been called.
There are three views: Design (default), HTML and Preview. The Design view is a near-WYSIWYG editor; HTML allows you to edit the HTML code directly; Preview shows you the results in a non-editable preview mode.
The contents of this tab should be left blank if not required.