Archive for 'Customer Research'

The State of Privacy, Pt. 2: Privacy vs. Sociableness

Posted on 28. Aug, 2013 by .

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In my last post I described the fervor with which the European Union is cracking down on the ‘observation’ of consumers by organizations who are building profiles of consumers’ behavior, browsing habits and shopping routines – both online and off.  New, proposed legislation, the Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, aims to limit some activities and [...]

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A Customer Service Lesson from Mother’s Day

Posted on 10. May, 2013 by .

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With Mother’s Day coming this Sunday, and many of us struggling to find just the right gift, Groupon offers the results of a timely survey.  Groupon reports: Most mothers want to be surprised with their present; But, Moms would rather get no present at all than deal with a bad one; And, unfortunately, you may [...]

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Managing Evidence: How to Tilt the Scales in Your Favor

Posted on 01. Dec, 2012 by .

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In legal circles “tampering with evidence” is strictly taboo…it’s grounds for serious penalties.  But in the world of managing customers’ experiences, managing evidence is often not only desirable, it may be a tool necessary for survival! How Perceptive Are Customers? Most customers fail to recognize the quality built into a product or the efforts extended [...]

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The Commoditization of Satisfaction – Part 2

Posted on 12. Aug, 2012 by .

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In my last entry I observed how the ubiquity of satisfaction monitoring programs appears to be undermining the authenticity of this very important customer-listening tool.  I identified many of the foibles of current methodology.  It seems only fair to revisit the topic, this time with eight constructive suggestions. 1. Create an Action Plan: No customer [...]

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Public vs. Private Word of Mouth

Posted on 11. Apr, 2012 by .

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Customer centricity (a management philosophy growing in popularity and acceptance) means aligning one’s business and products/services with one’s customers’ desires and needs.  In the past, marketing research initiatives (including, but not limited to): customer satisfaction surveys; comment card programs; and shopper intercept interviews have been used to collect the required insights.  But, these processes are [...]

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How the Social Media ‘Betrayed’ The Hunger Games

Posted on 28. Mar, 2012 by .

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I’m always interested in predictions; especially those involving forecasts of consumer behavior. Mostly because the future is just that, the future, and therefore is unknowable. But, I’ve also devoted my career to attempting to anticipate customer actions. And so an Ad Age Daily article on Friday (3/23/2012), entitled “Why ‘The Hunger Games’ Won’t Make $100 [...]

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A New Year’s Resolution: Examine Your Customerbase!

Posted on 12. Jan, 2012 by .

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Out with the old, in with the new”!  So goes the traditional mantra of the New Year.  To the business person this cry could be interpreted as a challenge to review his/her customerbase; eliminating current costly customers, goaling to attract more profitable customers.  In the spirit of the New Year, let’s reconsider some of the [...]

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Using Industry Norms to Interpret Satisfaction Survey Results

Posted on 06. Jun, 2010 by .

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  Why is the satisfaction measurement community and our Clients always looking to benchmarks as a means of  interpreting customer feedback?  It’s so often the case that upon receiving customer satisfaction scores, a corporate executive will ask, “Well, how do these scores compare with the scores our competitors are receiving?”  This question seems to preempt [...]

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The Truth about Truth in Survey Research

Posted on 14. Jun, 2009 by .

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We Can’t Trust Survey Respondents?  You’re Kidding Me! A journal that I (used to) respect, the Journal of Consumer Research is printing an article in its August issue, that ‘reveals’ a truth that most of us who can remember black and white television were taught in marketing research 101.  This astounding fact, (hold on to [...]

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