As I was sitting in my acupuncturist’s office today it occurred to me that as a business they need to market themselves in the same fashion that a leading CPG brand or service provider. The adage of “If you build it they will come,” may have worked in the movies, but in today’s congested marketplace...read more

Seldom is a consumer purchase simply a one-off experience. The amount of time and energy, not to mention financial resources, increases exponentially when we move up the ladder to the category of ‘shopping goods’. This type of purchase includes the potential for significant risk, not only financial,...read more

To brand or not to brand, that is the question. As marketers and researchers, we need to consider whether or not our surveys should be branded or unbranded. Each option has its place in our toolkit. First, let’s look at what branding a survey means and why it may be appropriate. When we think of...read more

In general, loyal customers are a plus on the firm’s customer balance sheet. Not all of them will be profitable, however more often than not they will be, and they tend to engage in positive behaviors such as referrals and posting positive comments via social media. In a recent article in Quirk’s,...read more

The saliency of a personal experience makes for an interesting writing opportunity. What happened to me today is a perfect example of a commitment to customer satisfaction by one of the companies I deal with. My insurance company is USAA, long recognized as a leader in customer satisfaction...read more

Going to the movies is an experience. The big screen, the huge sound, the smell of popcorn all conspire to make going to the movies much more of an event than simply watching a DVD at home, even if it's on a big screen television. But lately, movie theaters have made some changes that have made the...read more

After the recent lengthy and heated debate over health care in America, it's now official that some big changes are on the way for health care in America. While many of these changes will not go into effect immediately, some new laws are slated to make an impact within the next three months. It's...read more

If you're new to conducting survey research, you may worry about creating interesting survey questions to grab respondents' attention. A wise old owl once reminded me to, Be careful. Interesting can translate to vague questions that are difficult to answer. If the feedback questionnaire is too...read more

We've discussed conducting health care satisfaction surveys to understand how patients feel about the care they receive in hospitals and medical offices. It's equally important to track how these customers feel after they've received their care and it comes time to pay off those medical bills.Get...read more

In a recent post, we learned about the importance of banking surveys to gauge consumer satisfaction levels during uncertain financial times. Another industry facing serious changes amidst a nationwide debate is the health care industry. For hospitals, doctor offices and other medical care...read more