This article was written by Jean Brown, Senior Marketing Communications Specialist at TopSource LLC., in an effort to help our readers choose which services and suppliers can help them gauge what their customers think about them and their products.
Which market research services should I consider?
We recommend several services to get a balanced report of customer opinion, and to keep the sample large enough to make informed marketing decisions as a result of these opinions. Here is a quick list and summary of each component:
Mystery shopping … automated Web based reports should be available to you 24/7 from a supplier that employs professional staff
Customer satisfaction surveys … Customers appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback – this tool gives you the ability to collect valuable customer feedback and trend the data over time, providing a customer loyalty index. The data then helps you determine clear priorities that lead to profitable growth.
Employee surveys … you gain valuable feedback by monitoring the job satisfaction level of your associates which empowers you to retain satisfied employees.
Needs gap analysis … this key data tool allows you to use the powerful information you’ve gathered, to gain clarity around your customers, employees, and your operations – and improve your business. Needs Gap Analysis helps you determine the most critical customer touch-points that drive consumer loyalty, and incorporate them into a Mystery Shopping program that validates and monitors operational success. It’s the tool that drives your strategy.
Employee Ambassadorship … how do your employees influence customer satisfaction? This component is distinctive from employee satisfaction … it links employee attitudes and beliefs to customer loyalty behavior. Employee Ambassadorship identifies the most active level of employee commitment to the company’s product and service brand promise, to the company itself, and to optimizing the customer experience. This is the tool that empowers you to tell your customers that they truly are the most important part of your business, and allows them to experience that promise.
How do I choose a market research firm – what criteria should I use?
TopSource believes that a best-in-class market research firm can be judged by their strategic approach. Below are several tools to use as a benchmark when considering a company to conduct your market research (TopSource members: The Marketing & Advertising team at TopSource used this approach to select our current Market Research partner supplier. If you would like more information about our partner supplier, please contact me directly.)
Online focus groups … individuals should be recruited based upon the demographics you choose, should be customized to your specifications, should allow additional feedback which is Web based, have the ability to conduct quick online studies through surveys in a given timeframe (providing opinions on a subject for five minutes once the survey begins).
Customer intercepts … conducted by a trained and tested staff based upon each project, to ensure their understanding of the task at hand, conducted at locations you choose, with the results available to you immediately on a private Web portal (password protected) for an indefinite period of time.
Shop-alongs … a shopper asks specific questions of the customer to gain feedback and perception of the store and products. This is a sensitive area but a professional company with experience can make it invaluable to you. You will choose the stores and edit or create the questions. The data should be available on a private Web portal.
Telephone in-depth interviews … personal interviews with customers, recorded if desired and given to you in MP3 format so you may listen to actual customer comments. You may create or edit the questions to be asked. The data should be available on a private Web portal.
Customer tracking studies … customers appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback. With this information, you can trend the data over time, providing a customer loyalty index. As this data needs to be actionable, you may want an instant notification system that can automatically send an email to someone you designate if scores come in below or above a certain level.
Mystery Shopping … this should be completely customized to your needs, with professional trained staff conducting the service. Look for a company that has complete control of receipts and reports, and can provide detailed accounting. Request recorded (MP3 or other technology) telephone shops that are transmitted electronically – you can then read the on-site report while listening to the actual telephone call. Ask for immediate feedback from the service through a private web portal.
Please feel free to add any suggestions or comments regarding grocery-related market research programs.
