Must All Research Be Useful, or Merely Interesting?
What is the point of interesting research that cannot be put to good use? Unfortunately, most marketing research is not very useful. It doesn’t help the customer, who may answer surveys with the best of intentions without ever knowing whether her opinion has made a difference. And it doesn’t help district and store managers, who can’t make enough sense out of the numbers to effect any real change.
Here are some questions to consider:
• Is it possible to gather research that aligns with the realities of the front line and with financial objectives?
• Can retailers provide managers with research they can accept wholly, instead of picking and choosing the numbers they’ll accept and the ones they’ll disregard?
• Why do companies continue to order large-scale surveys in an effort to measure their success and guide decision making?
• Is it wise to let go of graphs and charts to focus on the customer’s voice?
All customer research relies on customer goodwill. But if the majority of customers refuse to participate in research, what important opinions could be missing from the study, and what does their silence say about their opinions?
The most useful research tells district and store managers what they most want to know, but often never get the chance to find out. It’s not only about gathering information. It’s about providing momentum. In order to create the kind of research that can truly be used, the research process itself must be viewed as just one of the many tools for change at the disposal of senior management.
Tags: Customer Experience, customer satisfaction, icc client exchange