Competitive positioning

Problems Solved

Understanding competitive positioning through customer and competitor research

BackgroundMajor manufacturer in the beverages sector

Problem / Opportunity
Having successfully developed a new sales team a greater ability to target activity was needed which required a detailed understanding of:
• Customer retention
• Customer churn
• Customer loyalty
• Level of service

Solution
A research campaign was recommended and conducted through telemarketing utilising a B2B call centre and research facility.
The research across the customer base provided an objective understanding of:
• Customer churn and why customer’s defect
• What satisfies existing customers and breeds loyalty
• How does the company rate compared to competitors in terms of service
• Any other factors that have potential effect their share of the market
• Provide benchmarks for future research so that performance improvements can be measured on an annual basis
The targeted research campaign of 500 existing and lost accounts, provided a firm understanding of customer perceptions, in order to recognise what the company was doing right, what they were doing wrong, and what areas they could, or need to, improve. The project required a full research report and presentation of results as well as managing any incidental sales opportunities or customer complaints.

The following steps were implemented:

Build a database for the data supplied
Train tele-researchers to understand the business and the requirement for and importance of the research
Develop calling scripts, questionnaires and escalation procedures
Telephone, qualify, research and complete records
Email information/collateral in response to requests for more information and thank respondents for their input
Feedback sales leads or complaints for immediate action
Report the findings of the research with recommendations

Results

500 customers contacted (1350 telephone calls)
231 completed questionnaires
Report submitted and presented
Research repeated every 12 months
Incidental sales opportunities or customer complaints idenified
Client has now changed its strategy to ensure that weak areas are resolved
The project has set customer service benchmarks for ongoing monitoring