Conducting Customer

1. Parks & Recreation Ontario 2006 Conference Conducting Customer FEEDBACK Peggy Staite-Wong, M.A. Robert Wong, M.A., M.C.I.P, C.M.R.P. TheResource Management Consulting Group

2. A bit about us… • Marketing research & strategic planning • Enjoy projects that benefit our community: • Business plan for G’Nadjiwon Ki Aboriginal Tourism Association • City of Barrie Pesticide Policy • Downtown Collingwood Image Research • Nottawasaga Region Business Retention & Expansion Surveys • Southlake RHC Regional PCI Project Patient and Staff Research • Peggy: • Research project design, implementation and reporting • Roots in environmental planning & horticulture (Master Gardener) • Robert: • Coordinates Research Analyst (post-graduate) Program at Georgian College • Specializes in tourism research and planning • Past-Director of Marketing Research Intelligence Association

3. FEEDBACK • Improve products and services • Obtain timely and reliable information to… • Make informed decisions • Eliminate a bottleneck • Understand customers’ concerns • Document resource requirements • Determine which changes will produce the biggest payoff • Make changes that customers will notice and value

4. Keys to Success FEEDBACK Focus your feedback needs Energizeyour customers Efficiencywith technology Discover open-ended value Benchmarkyour results Askvalid questions Complimentwith profile questions Keepgrowing your feedback

5. Focus your feedback needsEEDBACK

6. Establish the Research Direction • Translate Your Issues to Research Objectives • What do I need to know and who can tell me? • Previous research? • Programs & services that will benefit from the research? • Decisions that could be made using the results? • Information gaps?

7. Iceberg Principle Look beyond the symptoms… low use complaints high employee turnover Research the potential cause… poor facilities? new policies? staff performance? market changes?

8. FEnergize your customersEDBACK

9. Customers want to participate! • Match method to your customers • Interests • Demographics • Issues • Communication preferences Customers perceive they benefit vs. The “organization” benefits

10. Qualitative Small number of customers Need in-depth information about an issue Exploratory Unsure of the options Explore the range of ideas not the preferred Quantitative Large number of customers Need the number Conclusive factual information Know range of options but need to know customers’ preference Dig into the data for patterns and sub-group comparisons Methodologies

11. Be Creative Observation Focus Group Face-to-face PDA Survey In-depth Interview Online Discussion Telephone Survey Online Survey Qualitative Quantitative Mailout Scannable

12. Mixed Methods Work Online Discussion Qualitative Quantitative Face-to-face PDA Survey

13. F E Efficiency with technologyD B A C K

14. Peek at Technology

15. What’s it look like? Palm Computer Web Online Survey Online Discussion Board

16. F E E Discover open-ended valueB A C K

17. Why Open-Ended? • When? Exploring • Don’t know all the answers • Learn their words, their language • Unprompted response • Challenges? • Analysis • Open-ended responses add value

18. Images of Collingwood Quaint & Charming Atmosphere -charming, quaint -friendly people place!!! -welcoming, feel very at home -relaxed, unlike the city -growing up! Heritage & More… -natural but historic -nature and town together -kept up historically … nice individual stores kept alive -love wide street & mix of old and new Classic -cute, attractive, beautiful -classic with great feel of the past -pretty: the way its laid out, wide streets and sidewalks, history, character Love the Beautification -overall appearance is pleasant and relaxing: greenery, flowers, cleanliness, music -shady, comfortable, green Pedestrian Friendly -great parking Downtown -pedestrian friendly Extremely Clean -well maintained -clean!!!! (not mentioned about other communities)

19. F E E D Benchmark your resultsA C K

20. Benchmarking • Quantitative • Establish basis for comparison • Requires set of common questions • Examples • Within department over time • Throughout one organization • Against other similar organizations

21. Benchmarking on a National Scale • The Common Measurements Tool (CMT) • Set of commonly used survey questions and response measurements • Enables organizations throughout Canada to compare results • Facilitates sharing of information gained and lessons learned

22. F E E D B Ask valid questionsC K

23. 5 Common Wording Problems 1. Vague questions • Need context of situation, time frame • How often do you ski? • CCS or alpine? • Over a season or at holidays? • In Ontario or anywhere? • None, few times, a little, some, lots 2. Double-barreled questions • Easier to spot on key words • “helpful and courteous” • More difficult to spot in a statement • “I just need time! I need time for myself as well as quality time with my child”

24. 5 Common Wording Problems 3. Collectively exhaustive • All possible choices offered • Use other as an option but be prepared for high response 4. Mutually exclusive • No overlapping categories • Age 20-30 30-40 40-50 • What type of vehicle do you drive? • Camry, SUV, Outback, Explorer, GM 5. Undecided, Don’t Know • They are different! • Undecided attracts fence sitters

25. Let’s Look at Some Surveys

26. F E E D B A Compliment with profileK

27. Profile Tips • Profile questions allow comparison to other studies • Demographic anchor points should match Canada Census • Open-ended occupation, then match with Standard Industry Classification (SIC) Manual • Check other research from your organization • Income is sensitive to some • Do you need to know? • Art to getting a response

28. Prime working years 65% work for a company 20% self employed 42% have children living at home, of these about ½ under 14 yrs of age Presenting a Profile

29. F E E D B A C Keep growing your feedback

30. 4 Ways to make research useful • 2. Focus on decisions and actions “Everything” What you need to move forward • 1. Communicate the results clearly • Research should be exciting, not boring • Satisfy everyone’s curiosity • 3. Keep reporting short & sweet • Message must be clear • Use data for backup • 4. Use visuals • Graphs, charts, photographs, clipart to reinforce findings

31. Pesticides have negative effects Contaminate surface & groundwater (86%) Harm children (80%) Pollute air (68%) Pesticides are not essential Never for sports fields (70%) 54% use pesticides but only 30% said pesticides were necessary Graphs reinforce words Residents are aware of pesticide impacts

32. Creative Presentation Thornbury N=300 Wasaga Beach N=320 Creemore N=267 -similar to Collingwood, just smaller -cute, quaint, small -expensive stores, trendy -village-like, whimsical -needs a face lift -more charming, less practical -growing, improving -half of comments negative -tacky & dirty, but nice beach, just too crowded -lacking a real main street & friendliness -touristy, cheesy -entertaining, young -wild, busy, fun -party central -very small, tiny -artsy, lovely, quaint -old country but not heritage -dull, boring, looks like something could happen but nothing does -nicely done, quiet, friendly -not much there

33. Keys to Success FEEDBACK Focus your feedback needs Energizeyour customers Efficiencywith technology Discover open-ended value Benchmarkyour results Askvalid questions Complimentwith profile questions Keepgrowing your feedback

34. Questions Researchable Objectives Creative Methods Benchmark Technology Advantage Connect with us: wong.rmcg@sympatico.ca