So, your company is an ESOMAR Corporate member and you are either a designated member or would like to become one, but what does ESOMAR membership entail? What are your benefits and how do you access them? Angela, Sandi, Olga and Steliana make up the Member Relations Team and are available to answer all of your questions! Join us in this short session to see how the membership platform works and meet the team that is here to help!
The age old complaint of suppliers is that "clients won't pay for quality"; of clients, that "suppliers never define what they mean by quality, so you might just as well buy on price". What can both clients and suppliers do to remedy this Push-Me-Pull-You situation? Obviously strict quality control needs time and hence costs more money, but recent experience as a consultant, has convinced me that quality is still a neglected isssue, particularly as regards client service which, for many clients, is as important as the quality of the work itself. We shall start this paper with some examples of poor client service from suppliers. We then look at some of the ways in which clients make it difficult for suppliers to conduct top quality research and, finally, at ways in which both sides can work together to improve things. Quality and client service depend on good communications and attention to detail. These are needed on both client and supplier side, but surely, the onus is on the providers of the services to do their utmost to ensure customer satisfaction.
Among government departments in the United Kingdom, the Inland Revenue has been among the first to engage in a large scale, multi-stage programme of customer service research in accordance with the Government's Citizen's Charter initiative. This paper maps the progress to date in carrying out this research and in meeting a very complex range of communication challenges, both internal and external, in the context of major structural and organisational change within the Department Adopting a case study format, we examine the difficulties encountered in meeting the broad range of communication requirements, and we cover both the intricate internal management of these issues, as well as the role of the research consultant as a touchstone of non-political objectivity in assisting the communication process. The paper concludes that a close working relationship between the client and the research consultant, including unstinting commitment to the task on both sides, is vital to the success of such an endeavour.
This paper describes a sophisticated choice modelling technique for the manipulation of quantative data on customers' needs, expectations, perceptions and values. These feed directly into the development of competitive strategies. Key questions addressed by this model include "Where should the company invest to improve quality in order to best meet the needs of its customers?" and "How much should be invested to obtain the most profitable payback?" Key outputs from the model include benchmarks and standards, relative importance of service aspects, improvement priorities, needs and value segmentation, service and price sensitivity, and customer risk profiling. A combination of gap analysis, relative importance and improvement priorities is used to highlight the most critical customer service aspects. A scenario testing facility is described which can be used to identify the impact of improved quality initiatives on customer loyalty and increased brand preference.
This paper describes the development and implementation of a research programme devised to evaluate the customer service and transit time performance of carriers within the international air express industry. More specifically, the research which was eventually commissioned by DHL, was designed to produce evidence which could be used in communications to disprove the commodity theory accepted by some buyers of the sector, that is, that all major suppliers offer near identical service standards, the sole differentiator being that of price. The paper gives a brief description of the air express industry, and examines the difficulties and challenges to be overcome in developing a robust and objective measurement system. It proceeds to examine the design considerations and the trade-offs that took place, to arrive at a methodology which provided statistically reliable findings capable of route-by-route analysis, at a reasonable price! The paper will then move on to examine the research technique in operation; how theory was turned into practice. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the successful use of this international research programme on two fronts: internally and in advertising/promotions.
The paper we are giving this afternoon describes, in outline form, a case study which illustrates how research can be used as an integral part of a TQM programme designed to achieve improved customer satisfaction and, ultimately, an enhanced sales performance. The paper will also illustrate, we hope, the special importance of customer service research in business to business markets by showing how the information obtained can enable a company marketing industrial, as opposed to consumer, products to differentiate itself from its competitors. This last point is particularly pertinent in business to business markets where products are often non-differemiated and where product-related aspects (such as quality and performance to specification) can be taken for granted; here, it is the service and marketing performance of competitors which is liable to determine the final selection made by the customer. The study was conducted for Castrol, a company which has committed itself to maximising customer satisfaction through a wide ranging TQM programme which has been implemented throughout the organisation. Castrol has recognised that excellence in customer service should represent the core of its TQM programme. Although the company has undertaken customer service research previously, the study which forms the subject of today's discussion represents the most wide ranging and detailed review of Castrol's customer service performance and is also the first research undertaking initiated as part of a formal TQM programme. The overall objective of the research was to help Castrol assess its customer service performance and identify those aspects of its service which needed to be improved or communicated more effectively to the market place.
Providing superior customer service requires an accurate understanding of customer needs and perceptions. This paper looks at some of the problems of customer service measurement in the multi-cultural South African environment. Taking cognisance of local conditions, the authors used the service quality model developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry as a theoretical framework. The nature of cultural differences has to be understood and measures have to be selected, taking variations in respondent understanding into account. The paper proposes an integrated research programme, the components of which are evaluated for their relative utilities. For customer care research to be effective, the views and perceptions of both management and front-line staff must not be ignored. Qualitative research, mystery shopper surveys, customer surveys and staff surveys are each reviewed and their integration is recommended as a solution to the problems of service quality measurement in a complex social environment.
This paper is based on a case history of a customer service survey conducted for 3M Europe. 3M needed information to develop customer service strategies and tactics that could be applied right across Europe and across all markets. The survey was undoubtedly one of the largest and most complex research projects ever commissioned by a private company. It covered 16 countries in Western, Central and Southern Europe, and 50 product groups. Based on 18 interviews with customers, the survey assessed customer expectations, as well as 3M and competitor performance. The survey has now been completed, the data has been presented in verbal and written form to each of the local subsidiary companies involved, and a programme of action is being implemented. The overall objectives of the project were to form market orientated strategies for 3M, the recognition of the need for European strategies but local response, and the establishment of a common understanding of customer service for management in all countries and product groups within each of the companies. In early 1988 3M Europe was reviewing its logistics and customer service strategies, and established the "vision" for the 1990's to "offer the best customer service in Europe" and to "be seen as the most customer orientated and dynamic service organisation". In order to provide actionable data a European survey was required to measure customer satisfaction and expectations. The survey was to provide information to help 3M improve the market approach and to raise the levels of satisfaction of customers in all countries and product areas. Whilst touching on the complexity, magnitude and logistics of the survey, the paper sets out to demonstrate more particularly the common elements and the essentially "simple" formula which was created. This formula has proved to be meaningful at all levels of management, to all markets and all countries. It has served to create within 3M Europe a "common language" on customer service on which the company can base the action for the 1990's
A group of Volksbanks and Raiffeisen banks in Friesland, which cooperate under the name of âFriesland's Bankâ and are situated in the north-west of the Federal Republic of Germany to the north-west of Bremen, have together with the author of this article developed a concept of customer service which covers the above-mentioned banks fields of interests in the target group. The concept is based on statistical analyses of and empirical research into the attending needs of the target group and its environment.
This paper considers the issues involved in developing a customer service strategy concurrently with the overall strategy for the business. It takes the view that customer service is as important a component of the retail offer as is the merchandise assortment or the trading environment, possibly more so. An effective approach to customer service is to develop a corporate philosophy towards customer service and to build this into the culture of the company.
The financial service industry is moving towards a more consumer, rather than product-led, orientation, with the philosophy of good service now becoming increasingly important. However, in this expanding area of market research the facilitator and representative of good service is often not considered. The authors contend that involvement with and evaluation of staff should be a prerequisite of any consumer research in the financial services marketplace. In an attempt to demonstrate the importance of staff research, this paper examines the issue from a number of viewpoints. It deals with the consumer perspective on the importance of staff in the financial service industry. It also describes the benefits of staff research in achieving a deeper understanding of the complex interrelationships in the financial service industry and in more fully meeting research objectives. Finally, the paper deals with the political arena in which research is required to operate and its implications.
The consumer has ambivalent feelings about the new car dealer, who has long been protected by the exclusive franchise system. In the U.S. market there are signs that the dealer franchise system is already undergoing a revolution, caused by changes in the industry and in the broader consumer environment. In a crowded market the product must be redefined and broadened to include the service element. Customer satisfaction with individual dealers Is now being monitored by market research studies carried out by the manufacturers. Such studies can monitor progress within a franchise, but it requires a larger, industry wide CSI survey to show the position of the franchise relative to competition. Some of the larger multi-franchise dealers are also seeking to build a corporate identity based on quality of service, which may in time conflict with the manufacturerâs image objectives.