The Art of Asking and Connecting with Customers [TED Inspired]

Greg's most recent post, Get Back to the Trenches, reminded me of a session I attended at the recent Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit. Where Ken Chow, CMO at LogiAnalytics, Tom Kohn, Former EVP of Digital at Cygnus Business Media, Bob London, Founder & President of London Ink, and Bob Ragsdale, VP of...read more

Philosophers & Market Researches, One in the Same? Dancing in the Consumer's Shoes

Just who we are is a question that has been asked by philosophers since time immemorial. Market research professionals are no different than those wise men from ancient Greece in this regard. Our task is to create an understanding of the consumer’s mind in which we can shape our brand positioning...read more

Measuring Work Personalities

Survey research can be used to assess the attitudes and opinions of virtually any group or sub-group. Most of my work has been in the areas of consumer and B2B market research, but from time to time my focus has shifted toward surveying employees. This makes perfect sense as our employees are the...read more

AWKWARD! Avoiding Awkward Moments in Employee Feedback

Collecting feedback from employees and asking the right questions can be difficult. And, let's be honest, sometimes it's downright awkward! But it's critical if you want to improve employee satisfaction, loyalty and retention. Couple those goals with the fact that employee engagement is the next...read more

Tasty Satisfaction Treats: Feedback Tips for Restaurateurs

If there were one industry that could truly benefit from consumer insight research, it is the restaurant industry. Granted there are the giants of the industry, e.g. McDonalds or Chik-fil-A, that have teams dedicated to dissecting every aspect of the customer experience, but the biggest gains can...read more

Customer Experience ≠ Customer Satisfaction

There comes a time when those of us in consumer and B2B market research realize that we are not just the messengers, the conduit for the voice of the customer, but we also are the change agents. This realization came to me some time ago, but was reaffirmed while reading the book Outside In by Harley...read more

What is Loyalty?

LinkedIn can be an excellent platform not only for networking, but also for holding meaningful discussions with others in your line of work. A member of the Customer Experience Management LinkedIn Group posed this discussion question to her fellow CRM-minded members: How are we actually defining...read more

Fast Follow Up Matters (Best in Class Secret is Instant Alerts)

Think about your own experiences, when you are unhappy with a product or service and tell the company, what do you expect to happen? If you're thinking, "Nothing. Companies don't listen to customer feedback" I wouldn't blame you. But I hope you're more like me: I expect a response. But not a generic...read more

Hey there...Are You Listening to Me?

It is January and an excellent time to begin listening the voice of the customer (VOC). Regardless of whether or not your focus is consumer-based or B2B market research your customers (both existing and prospective) have something to say. Are you listening?If you do not have a formal VOC program you...read more

7 Steps for Gathering Customer Testimonials

A customer testimonial is a great way to gather feedback that you can share with others, whether they are current customers or prospects. The idea is to share happy customers’ experiences and praises, ultimately influencing others. Social networking and word of mouth are so important today, that...read more
The Rise of the Smart Phone: Are you Leverging Mobile? 10 Tips for Mobile-Friendly Survey Creation