Overview
Gaining an understanding of the customer’s perspective is an essential part of the strategic planning process. This information can help you identify upcoming trends, performance issues, opportunities and threats to your business. Statistics show that around 90% of new products and services fail; those that succeed are usually the direct result of acquiring and applying a knowledge of customers. Often, customers actually suggest the new ideas that later become marketplace successes. Companies in fast-moving industries and those which rely on innovation need to stay in touch with their customers to get their ideas and feedback. Customers can often help business owners identify processes which are working well and those which are not. By contacting and speaking with customers, organizations can identify important opportunities for improvement. Learning what is most important to customers and how they perceive the organization’s performance relative to its competitors can help you design and prioritize profitable change efforts.
What We Do
Design the customer survey form in consultation with the client, including identifying issues and trends to explore, what is important to the customer and how the organization is rated by them on these factors. Use the survey to gain in-depth information. Where appropriate, obtain additional customer opinions using the Internet. Interview customers of both the business and its competitors to explore their perceptions. Use this to identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of your business and those of its competitors. Link customer information with operational information to discover which internal issues directly affect customer satisfaction, retention, and market share. Conduct interviews with customers on a regular basis so that trends can be identified and monitored.
Your Outcomes
	A clear understanding of how your customers perceive both your business and your competitors’ businesses.  Greater knowledge about the strengths and weaknesses of your business.  The  issues that are important to your customers and how you can adapt your business to better meet customers’ needs.