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St. Paul, MN (October 12, 2009) – St. Olaf College welcomes two team members from E.G. Insight to present “Four Steps in Conducting an Effective Survey” to students in its Entrepreneurial Studies program.

The material for the session includes lessons in defining research objectives, tips on effective questionnaire design, and guidelines for collecting reliable, valid data. Students will also be shown best practices in analyzing and reporting results, as well as some real-world examples of organizations making critical business decisions based on customer feedback.

The course will be lead by two consultants from E.G. Insight; Eric Engwall, Managing Partner, and Paul Edwards, Research Consultant. Engwall’s background includes leading teams of research professionals, as well as developing and implementing large-scale customer feedback initiatives with clients around the world. Edwards’ specialty is the analysis and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data, with special emphasis on survey feedback.

“Getting the opportunity to share what we’ve learned with the next generation of entrepreneurs and marketing research professionals is a real treat. It helps to give a fresh perspective on the work we do. Helping students understand the importance of gathering customer feedback is something I feel strongly about,” said Engwall.

Edwards added, “Most students have experienced a customer survey as a consumer, but what’s important to keep in mind is that there’s a right way – and a wrong way – to collect feedback. Since understanding the needs of the customers is vital for any business, having a better understanding of how the survey design and implementation process works will help these students be better marketers and businesspeople.”

The session will take place on October 12 at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Engwall is an alumnus of St. Olaf and this will be the fifth year he has volunteered as a guest lecturer as part of the College’s Finstad Program for Entrepreneurial Studies.

UPDATE: Eric and Paul were pleased to receive the following positive feedback about their guest lecturer event:

“What a wonderful job you both did to introduce effective survey methods to the class. Your enthusiasm for the topic was infectious and the students are now excited to get started on their assignments…they are prepared and have a good sense of what and how to do it. Thank you for your time, effort, and great energy!”
Sian Muir
Director, Management Studies; St. Olaf College

“Eric and Paul – Big thanks for the helpful hints and instructions about administering surveys. I have a better understanding of the process and am encouraged to know we have resources to support us. Thanks for your preparation and great enthusiasm!”
Jenny Kramm
Entrepreneurship Student, St. Olaf College

For more information about the course details, materials, or guest lecturers, please visit www.eginsight.com, email info@eginsight.com, or call 1.651.288.1460.

About E.G. Insight
E.G. Insight helps organizations worldwide collect and interpret customer feedback to build stronger relationships with key customers and make better business decisions. For more information about
E.G. Insight, visit www.eginsight.com.

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In the September issue of Inc. Magazine, Alden Mills, founder of Perfect Fitness shares a part of his experience with Navy SEAL training:

“They’d say, ‘OK, it’s a four mile run.’ I’d run so hard, I’d throw up at the finish line. Then they’d say, ‘Now it’s a 10-mile run. Keep running.’”

Mills used his training experience as a lesson in perseverance, but it also provides a warning about your customer’s expectations. The fact is, the things you’ve done in the past for your customer might have made them satisfied then but it might not be enough to satisfy them today and tomorrow. From your customer’s perspective, the bar almost always goes up as your relationship matures.

In other words: Meeting your customers’ core requirements may have been enough to get their business, but it may not be enough to keep it.

This might seem like an uphill battle, but there are some companies that actually use this escalation effect to their advantage. By listening and gathering information in three distinct ways, they build sustainable competitive advantage. Here’s how:

First, ask customers how well you conform to their current expectations. This first piece will show any gaps in your current products and services that might be leaving your key customers at risk of defecting to the competition.

Second, ask customers how important different aspects of your offerings are to them. For example, some customers might find innovative new products as the most important area of performance, while others might be largely focused on price. Knowing what your customer segments find important is critical to meeting their current and future needs.

Third – and this is the piece that many organizations miss – ask customers how their perception of your performance has changed over time. For example, ask your customer, “Has our performance improved or declined over the past 12 months?” If you’re declining or staying the same in your customer’s eyes, you’re giving the competition an opportunity to catch up. Your customer might be satisfied, but it takes continuous improvement from the perspective of your customer to maintain a competitive edge.

Using this three-step method to gather customer feedback can lead to a better understanding of what it will take to keep and grow your key customer accounts. Your customer probably isn’t going to ask you to add another six miles to a training run, but they do expect you to continue to improve and earn their business.

Nick Wassenberg, Research Analyst
E.G. Insight