Quick Setup Checklist
Use this checklist to plan a research or M&E workflow, collect data through mobile channels, and export results for analysis.
- 1. Choose your research design (one-time, baseline/end-line, longitudinal).
- 2. Build survey flows for SMS, IVR, or mixed channels.
- 3. Monitor responses in real time from the dashboard.
- 4. Export datasets for statistical analysis and reporting.
- 5. Plan incentives, privacy controls, and ethical safeguards.
RapidPro App supports research and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) projects by enabling fast, reliable data collection through mobile channels such as SMS, voice (IVR), and social messaging.
Instant-deploy Android Relayer and telephony integrations can help teams reach participants across diverse socio-economic contexts, including hard-to-reach populations.
Whether you are running a short survey or a multi-year longitudinal study, you can collect, monitor, and analyze data in near real time.
Researchers can design and deploy surveys for:
- One-time SMS or IVR questionnaires
- Baseline and end-line studies
- Longitudinal follow-ups using campaigns
- Mixed-method research combining channels
Participant responses are received instantly and displayed in the online dashboard. This allows research teams to:
- Monitor response rates as they happen
- Identify trends early
- Detect data quality issues during collection
Collected data can be exported for further analysis in external tools, including:
- SAS
- Stata
- SPSS
- Spreadsheets or custom analytics tools
Exports allow teams to run advanced statistical analysis, combine survey data with other datasets, and share results with collaborators.
Participant incentives and cost considerations
Surveys can be sent at no cost to participants. RapidPro App can also work with mobile carriers to provide airtime incentives that can be issued automatically when participants start or complete a survey.
Privacy, security, and ethics
- De-identification of participant phone numbers
- Controlled access based on user permissions
- Secure data storage on protected servers
Note: Only authorized users can access participant data, helping teams meet ethical and compliance requirements.
Common research and M&E use cases
- Assess patient outcomes, including treatment adherence and referral pathways
- Evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and quality of programs and services
- Reduce recall and social desirability bias by asking sensitive questions via SMS
- Reach diverse populations using widely available mobile phones
Why Mobile? Mobile phones are now ubiquitous worldwide, making SMS and voice efficient channels for inclusive data collection.
Common Issues
My response rate is low
Consider simplifying questions, reducing flow length, sending reminders via campaigns, and offering airtime incentives for completion.
My exported dataset is missing fields
Confirm that your flow saves answers to results or contact fields before export, and verify the selected export options include the fields you need.
Participants are worried about privacy
Explain how opt-out works, minimize personal data collection, de-identify phone numbers where possible, and limit access using roles and permissions.
IVR respondents drop off mid-survey
Reduce question count, keep prompts short, and ensure audio is clear. Consider splitting long surveys into smaller modules.