What Can the Navy SEALs Teach You About Your Customers?
October 5, 2009Do Your Customers Think of You as a Trusted Advisor?
November 3, 2009St. 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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