Business-to-Business and Consumer |
Serving the following Markets:
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Product Development: Capturing User Innovations |
| Information Need | A technology company wanted to help their sales
persons better position both older and newer products by understanding
how customers were putting the products to use. In essence,
they needed stories about innovative uses of the products. You mean to say that sales persons do not know all their customer success and innovation stories already! It turns out that sales persons often do not have the time, nor desire, nor a relationship with their customers to gain this perspective, but they want to know. To have this knowledge would make them "smarter" in how they approach both current and new customers. It also positions them to be more proactive with their customers, and we all know that being proactive is a brand value that is highly valued. |
| Target Population | First Response Organizations across North America (Police Departments for this research) |
| Research Methodology | Methodology was ethnographic in nature, including on-site interviews and participant observation. At first the client wanted 30-minute phone interviews. After a lengthy discussion to clarify the objectives, we suggested on-site interviews covering more user types, given that the product use profiles would change by role type. We also wanted to get away from the "official" version of the product's use and allow others to respond for themselves. This methodology cost more per location, but the actual number of interviews brought the cost per interview down. For each site there was a focus group, field observations, and executive level one-on-one interviews. This amounted interviews with to 10 - 15 persons per site. |
| Methodological Challenges | Scheduling on-site interviews; getting past the typical response that a polite public servant gives nosey outsiders who are talking about a topic the answers to which would make them want to invoke their right to not self incriminate. It is under these conditions that taking time is critical. You must allow respondents to gain a certain amount of trust, or the interviews could devolve into silence very quickly. |
| Outcome | Successful project. Client was able to use the stories to help augment their marketing materials and strategies. The training department, although wanting more detail, was able to understand real life attempts at justifying the cost of the systems being deployed through ROI calculations on a case by case basis. |
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| Contact: John M. Jessen |
| Copyright © 2006 Soundings Research |
| Last update: 04 / 2010 |