Skip to main content

​
Two kinds of check

Before recording an answer, the interviewer can check it with the respondent. There are two kinds of check:
  • A read-back — the answer is read back for a yes: “Neutral — is that right?” You control this with Read every answer back in each question’s Voice panel.
  • A did-you-say check — on questions with a list of answers, an answer that could be a mishearing is checked with a short question: “Did you say neutral?” This happens automatically and can’t be turned off.
The balance matters: every check costs the respondent a turn. A survey that reads every answer back sounds careful for three questions and tedious for thirty.

​
Defaults by question type

Changing a question’s Type resets the switch to the new type’s default, unless you’ve already saved a choice for that question.

​
Single choice and Rating: the mishearing check

On a question with a list of answers, how an answer was matched decides whether it’s checked: So with the switch off — the default — clearly heard answers go straight through and only doubtful ones cost an extra turn. If the respondent’s own words contain the option’s text, the answer counts as clearly heard. Replies to a check:
  • “Yes”, or repeating the option (“neutral”) — the answer is recorded.
  • “No” — the interviewer asks again with a clarify line. On a question with only two options read out, a bare “no” is taken as the other option, which is then checked instead.
  • Naming a different option — that option is checked instead.
  • Anything unclear — the check is asked again.
  • When the Confirm attempt cap is spent, the question is recorded as skipped.
Each repeat of the check is worded a little differently — “Did you say neutral?”, then “Sorry, I may have misheard - did you say neutral?”, then “Sorry about that - did you say neutral?”. An option whose text is a number is read as separate digits, so 2111 is spoken “2 1 1 1”. A screening answer — one that a rule uses to screen the respondent out or end the interview — is always checked first if it was matched from a possible mishearing, so nobody is screened out on a misheard word. A screening answer that was heard clearly is recorded straight away, without a read-back, even when Read every answer back is on.

​
Put real phrases in Accept, not Often heard as

The check is triggered by Often heard as matches. If you list a phrase respondents genuinely say — “pretty happy” for Satisfied — under Often heard as, every respondent who says it gets an extra “did you say…?” turn. Put it under Accept instead, and keep Often heard as for what the speech recogniser writes by mistake (“can send” for concerned). See Single choice → Accept, Often heard as and Reject.

​
Number, Long text, First name and Phone number

These types have no list to match against, so there’s no mishearing check — Read every answer back is the only check:
  • Number — off by default. Turn it on for postcodes, years and dollar amounts, where a wrong digit matters; leave it off for short scores.
  • Long text — on by default. The summary read-back reassures the respondent they’ve been understood; a “no” of any kind asks them to give the answer again. The recorded answer is always their own words, not the summary. Turn it off for short, low-stakes open questions.
  • First name — on by default. With it off, the name is written straight through; a “no” at any point still switches to spelling. See First name.
  • Phone number — on by default, and leave it on: “On a phone number this is the only check there is.”
On First name and Phone number, a value you supply in Value we already hold is always read back for a yes (unless Skip it when the contact already has one is on), whatever this switch says.

​
How many times

The Confirm attempt cap (default 5) limits how many check turns a question can spend. When it runs out, the question is recorded as skipped and the interview moves on. Set it on the survey in the Agent section, or per question in the Behaviour panel. See Attempts and step levels.
Single choice and Rating questions saved before 22 September 2026 keep the Read every answer back setting they were saved with. Open older questions and turn the switch off if you want clearly heard answers recorded straight away.

​
Next Steps