Your organization probably collects customer knowledge in some form. The most commonly used vehicles are surveys, comment cards, focus groups, and interviews. In actuality, there are many more ways to gather customer knowledge. Collectively, they are sometimes referred to as Listening Posts.

There are differences among Listening Posts in terms of design characteristics, how they work, and perhaps most importantly, in the kind of customer knowledge they provide. These differences mean that each Listening Post is best suited for select applications. For example:

Customer Advisory Groups/Panels can provide deeper and more complete information about customer preferences, perceptions, and feedback. They can be very effective for gaining a better understanding about a persistent problem or customer needs and key quality characteristics.

Mystery Shopping can give you an unbiased perspective on how customers actually experience your services. They often expose critical service improvement opportunities that may seem minor or even go unnoticed to staff.

Satisfaction Tracking Surveys can provide a reliable indicator of current satisfaction levels as well as estimates of customer loyalty. Data can be tracked over time to signal meaningful changes. In order to be reliable, they require more customers to participate, and so are usually fielded using lower cost methods (Email, phone, mail, etc.).

Because of the unique characteristics and knowledge contributions of different Listing Posts, they are like friends and time. The more you have, the better! By using more and different kinds of Listening Posts, you gain a more complete understanding of your customers. That could lead to breakthrough improvements, product/service innovations, or increased loyalty.

If you are ready to add a new Listening Post to your customer research plan, contact me. I can help you develop a research plan that will fit your budget while helping you see more of the total picture.

Member Content

---

Login. If you are not a member please click here to register here. After you have received a confirmation email you may return and login above.