New sales strategies and relationships

Expert advice and suggestions from industry professionals to improve sales strategies and relationships, through surveys, research and Mystery Client.<br> <h3>The customer portrait</h3> Imagine walking into a store where our habits and preferences are already known, where we receive personalised offers, where we can continue our Customer Experience seamlessly and without interruptions across different moments and channels, and where we interact with companies capable of establishing meaningful relationships with us in which our individuality is recognised and valued. <h3>Relationships, surveys, research and Mystery Client</h3> To improve customer relationships, build loyalty and understand the actual quality of products and services offered, companies can turn to surveys, research and Mystery Client. Obtaining reliable results, with decision-making value rather than merely indicative value, however requires great care and the ability to accurately structure questionnaires and research strategies.

In your opinion, what is the level of maturity of companies with regard to customer opinion research activities? A company that considers customer opinion and satisfaction regularly, with measurement tools and dedicated resources, has the opportunity to have data and information available for continuous improvement. Not always and not for everyone does this happen methodically: clear planning, long-term programming, the presence of dedicated figures within the company or the professionalism of external partners, and above all a development plan to transform data into informed actions. The challenge of transforming a market research study into a strategic tool for the organisation is, even before planning, to define with utmost clarity what the objectives, expectations and needs of all stakeholders involved are.

What are the most widely used tools and the most interesting technological innovations in the field? A company tends to integrate measurement tools if it: <ul> <li>is focused on the effectiveness of the quality delivered/perceived;</li> <li>has a deeply rooted culture of measurement;</li> <li>is familiar with the differences between the main methodologies;</li> <li>has participated in the design of monitoring tools.</li> </ul> So, for example, in the face of a customer opinion survey on perceived quality with unsatisfactory results, a company of this kind will invest in a Mystery Client aimed at investigating the gap with the quality delivered.

When do companies turn to surveys or Mystery Client? A company chooses to turn to a customer opinion or delivered quality survey whenever something is not working in the organisation, in sales, at one of the network’s locations, or among its people; when it cannot identify the weak link in the chain, does not know where to focus attention and investment to resolve problems, does not know how to translate the information available into improvement plans, but above all needs an external eye to read its own context. There are however realities where market research (Customer Satisfaction and Mystery Shopping in particular) is used to accompany change, guide improvement strategies and carry out organisational and people growth projects. <p><strong>Article published in Customer Management Insights – July/August 2016.</strong></p>