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Case Studies – Customer Feedback Surveys "What are the outcomes
that we can expect from the surveys?" This is probably the most
frequently asked question from those contemplating one of our customer
feedback surveys and it’s a difficult question to answer because
there are so many ways in which the feedback can be used. In truth,
there are many uses that go way beyond those that were envisaged
when these surveys were first developed. So rather than list the
outcomes that we had in mind, what follows is a selection of the
ways in which our clients have benefitted from their use. John Danks & Son - Customer service – balancing IT and people If you asked people what has had the most impact on their everyday lives in the last twenty years, most would say “computers and Information Technology”. Running a close second would be changes in retailing. No retailing sector has undergone more change than hardware. Twenty years ago, we all had access to a small independent hadware store where we could buy nails by weight and didn’t have to break into blister packs! How things have changed! Now the hardware market is dominated by the big three chains, one of which is John Danks & Son – www.danks.com.au - through its ownership of the Home Timber & Hardware, Thrifty-Link and Plants Plus brands. The three chains use different business models but the target market is pretty much the same – consumers and tradesmen who want to be able to purchase a bewildering variety of products for home, trade and garden use from the same outlet. Because of the huge logistical challenges involved in servicing the retail outlets, Information Technology plays a major part but John Danks & Son is ever conscious of the role that personal relationships still play. Indeed, our surveys cosistently show that the old adage - people buy from people - is as true now as it ever was. In order to gauge whether they are maintaining the right balance between IT and people, Danks undertake regular periodic surveys among their member stores. As Steven Johnston, National Retail Operations Manager explains. “All our Members own their own stores and nurseries. The agreement that we have with them is that we will provide them with a range of support services from store merchandising to direct mail catalogues and will source, stock and supply the thousands upon thousands of products that need to be found in a modern hardware store. But Danks Members are not obligated to purchase their stock from Danks. We have to demonstrate that our service is superior and our pricing is comparable to that of other potential suppliers.” Such has been the growth of the hardware business in recent years, particularly in the number of imported lines, the supply chain has been stretched to breaking point. “We need to know,” says Steven Johnston, “ not only how we are performing from our Members’ standpoint, but also the strength of the business relationship. These surveys provide us with that information. And being in quantitative form, we can compare the feedback from one survey to the next to see the impact of initiatives we have taken.” The average participation rate among respondents for these surveys remains at 94% so we can guarantee that the feedback is highly representative. One reason for this is that we will never market research or promote new products and services directly. If customers are to participate, they need to feel that there is something in it for them. So when a client approaches
us and asks us to get some feedback on a new product or service
that the organisation is considering, we obtain that feedback for
the client but not in the way that might have been anticipated.
Rather than explore the appeal of the solution, we focus on exploring
the problem or problems that the new product is designed to address.
This way, not only do we quantify the customers’ needs without
disclosing any information about our client’s developments,
but we tap into the customer’s real area of expertise – problems
and issues – rather than solutions. Other Feedback surveys include: Fenwick
Software - Key Performance Indicator |