ELEMENTS IN AN EFFECTIVE MARKETING RESEARCH PROGRAM

D.SOMA SHEKHAR REDDY M.B.AThe Oxford college of business management

A good service marketing research program includes multiple types of research studies. The particular portfolio for any company will match company resources and address the key areas needed to understand the customer of the business. So that it will be easier for the company to identify the appropriate type of research for different research objectives.

• TYPES OF RESEARCH

1) Complaint solicitation.2) Critical incident studies.3) Requirements research.4) Relationship & SERQUAL survey.5) Trailer call or post translation surveys6) Service expectation meeting & Reviews.7) process checkpoint evaluations.8) Market-Oriented ethnography.

Complaint solicitationComplaint solicitation Good service organization take complaints seriously. Not Good service organization take complaints seriously. Not only do they listen to complaints-they also seek complaints as only do they listen to complaints-they also seek complaints as

communication about what can be done to improve their communication about what can be done to improve their services & their service employees. Firms that use complaints as services & their service employees. Firms that use complaints as

research & document them, then use the information to research & document them, then use the information to identify dissatisfied customers, correct individual problems identify dissatisfied customers, correct individual problems

where possible, and identify common service points. Research where possible, and identify common service points. Research on complaints is one of the easiest type of research for firms to on complaints is one of the easiest type of research for firms to

conduct, leading many companies to depend solely on conduct, leading many companies to depend solely on complaints to stay in touch with customers. “complaint” complaints to stay in touch with customers. “complaint”

broadly to include all comments—both negative & positive –as broadly to include all comments—both negative & positive –as well as questions from customers. well as questions from customers.

CRITICAL INCIDENT STUDIES

It is a procedure in which customers are asked in to provide verbatim stories about satisfying and

dissatisfying service encounters they have experienced. It has many benefits like data are

collected from the respondent’s perspective & are usually vivid because they are expressed in

consumers own words and reflect the way they think, this method also provides concrete

information about the way the company & its employees behave & react, there by making the research easy to translate into action, finally this

method is suited for assessing perception of customers from different cultures.

REQUIREMENT RESEARCH

This technique involves identifying the benefits & attributes that customers expect in a service . This type of research is very

basic & essential because it determines the type of questions that will be asked in surveys & ultimately the improvements

that will be attempted by the firm .

RELATIONSHIP & SERVQUAL SURVEYS

These surveys typically monitor & track services performances annually with a initial survey providing a baseline. Relationship surveys are also effective in comparing company performance with that of competitors ,often focusing on best competitor’s

performance as a benchmark. A sound measure of service quality is necessary for identifying the aspect of service needing performance improvement ,assessing how much improvement

is needed for each aspect ,and evaluating the impact of improvement efforts.

The SERVQUAL scale involves a survey containing 21 service attributes, grouped into 5 service quality dimensions of

Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy & Tangibles. The survey asks customers to provide two different rating on each attribute , it shows the difference between expectation & perception rating constitutes a quantified measure of service

quality.

TRAILER CALLS or POSTTRANSACTION SURVEYS

In this method, customers are asked a short list of questions immediately after a particular transaction ( hence the name trailer call) about their satisfaction with the transaction and contact personnel with whom they interacted, they are more effective than complaint solicitation (where the information

comes only from dissatisfaction customers). This type of research is fresh and simple & provides mgmt with continuous information about interaction with customers. It also serves as initiative for employees to provide better service because they

understand how & when they have been evaluated.E.g. :- BizRate.com

SERVICE EXPECTATION MEETINGS SERVICE EXPECTATION MEETINGS & REVIEWS& REVIEWS

It is a form of customer research that is highly effective involvesIt is a form of customer research that is highly effective involves eliciting the expectorations of the client at a specified time of eliciting the expectorations of the client at a specified time of

the year and then following up later to determine whether the the year and then following up later to determine whether the expectation are fulfilled.expectation are fulfilled.The format consist of The format consist of : :

1) asking clients what they expect in terms of 8 to 10 basic 1) asking clients what they expect in terms of 8 to 10 basic requirements determined from group research , requirements determined from group research ,

2) inquiring what particular aspect of these requirement need 2) inquiring what particular aspect of these requirement need improvement and, improvement and,

3) Requesting that the client rank the relative importance of 3) Requesting that the client rank the relative importance of the requirement. the requirement.

PROCESS CHECK POINT PROCESS CHECK POINT EVALUVATIONEVALUVATION

With professional services such as consulting, constructing, and With professional services such as consulting, constructing, and architecture, service are provided over a long period, and there architecture, service are provided over a long period, and there are not obvious ways or time to collect customer information. are not obvious ways or time to collect customer information.

Process for delivering the service & then structures the feedback Process for delivering the service & then structures the feedback around the process, checking in frequent points to ensure that around the process, checking in frequent points to ensure that

the client’s expectations are being met.the client’s expectations are being met.

MARKET-ORIENTED MARKET-ORIENTED ETHNOGRAPHYETHNOGRAPHY

In this type of research make key assumption about what In this type of research make key assumption about what people are conscious of or can recall their behavior and what people are conscious of or can recall their behavior and what

they are willing to explain to researcher about their opinions. To they are willing to explain to researcher about their opinions. To understand how customers of other cultures access and use understand how customers of other cultures access and use

services. This set of approaches allows the researchers to services. This set of approaches allows the researchers to observe the consumption behavior in natural settings.observe the consumption behavior in natural settings.

By..D.SOMA SHEKHAR REDDYM.B.AThe Oxford college of business management