SOLUTIONS

Decision-making in the business world is always associated with financial risk. This risk is directly reduced in relation to the quantity and quality of knowledge companies are able to access about their competitors, markets and consumers. Clients of Consulta Research have access to an array of scientific market research tools which, whether in combination or independently, provide them with exactly the kind of information they need to make savvy business decisions. We’re constantly evolving and progressing our arsenal of tools to keep up with cutting edge developments in market research. Listed here are some of our flagship offerings. Customer Experience Measurement In a robustly competitive marketplace, customer satisfaction makes all the difference and has become a key element of new millennium business strategy. Measuring customer experience is a science that Consulta Research has perfected via three distinct strategies:

• Measuring the satisfaction levels of internal (employees) and external customers.
• Measuring the customer service rendered by employees to one another.
• Integrating measures from a channel, segment and product perspective into an Enterprise-wide model.

In gauging customer satisfaction, we apply our holistic proprietary customer experience measurement model – the Consulta Conceptual Model (click here to read more)

Brand fitness

Foremost among our brand research services is our integrated Brand Fitness Model, developed in-house over the past 10 years — a model that transcends traditional brand equity appraisals. Our model incorporates brand attributes as viewed by customers, the benefits they receive from the brand and the values associated with the brand. All this information empowers our clients to leverage their brand and to strengthen their brand identity in the marketplace (click here to read more).

Trade-off analysis

Consulta Research is South Africa’s most advanced specialist research company in the discipline of Trade-off Analysis (also known as Conjoint Measurement). This involves a “trade-off” exercise in which respondents being surveyed are forced to make preference decisions based on the relative importance of one product or service over another. The respondents look at complete descriptions of products or services and then select those they would choose in an actual buying environment. This valuable technique has been described as one of the most powerful, versatile and strategically important research techniques available today (click here to read more).

Customer Relationship Measurement (CRMe)

CRMe is a multifaceted relationship measurement process that focuses on creating two-way exchanges with customers, to provide companies with intimate knowledge of their customers’ needs, wants and buying patterns. Using this tool-set, companies are able to understand and anticipate the needs of current and potential customers. We’re extremely proud of our academic partnership with Business Enterprises at the University of Pretoria (Be@UP), which keeps us in touch with the latest developments in customer experience and relationship research.

Usage & Attitude Studies. Why?

• To reveal current and future usage patterns.
• To discover the perceived value and benefits of usage.
• To measure satisfaction with the current product/service.
• To ascertain the main reason(s) for using or subscribing to the product/service.
• To determine how critical the product/service is to a client’s business.
• To provide insight and understanding about customers’ views on alternative services and/or products or technologies to replace the current offerings.
• To measure customers’ satisfaction with the current product/service.
• To identify incidents/aspects that will make customers change their current provider/supplier.
• To understand customer buying behaviour.
• To pinpoint the key drivers that affect purchase decisions.

This information allows our clients to:

• Use the algorithm we provide to identify market segments and to allocate their customers into the appropriate segments.
• Optimise target selection and positioning.
• Tailor products and marketing activities to optimise customer satisfaction.
• Offer the best possible products and services to fulfill the needs of their target customers.

Mystery Shopping

This is the only fail-safe approach to measure service level compliance. We use Mystery Shopping to measure factual compliance with retail service levels or to gather specific information about products and services. Screened and competent Mystery Shoppers pose as regular customers to perform specific tasks — such as purchasing a product, asking questions, registering complaints or behaving in a certain way — and then provide detailed reports or feedback about the factual compliance experienced. Consulta Research complies strictly to best practice guidelines in regard to scheduling, interviewer integrity and measurement criteria.

Focus Groups

Adding another dimension of qualitative measurement, Focus Group research provides valuable insight into underlying consumer perceptions. This supportive vehicle is also used to test the waters for new products or services and to probe specific market segments. We conduct Focus Group sessions at our Centurion premises, which are equipped with a one-way mirror through which our clients and researchers can observe the proceedings, without disturbing the participants. Data collection is supported by built-in audio and visual equipment to capture the full spectrum of information gathering that this opportunity affords. Our researchers themselves facilitate Focus Group sessions, using their knowledge and experience to probe with a high degree of direction and intellect. Consulta handles this entire methodology, from recruitment of respondents, hosting, moderating, catering, incentivising respondents, recording, transcribing and presenting the results of such focus groups. Our broad network of strategic partners affords us access to other venues nationally, to moderators who are able to speak several different languages and to transcribers able to translate these into English.

In-depth interviews

Interviews are conducted on a one-on-one basis to collect qualitative data from respondents. The interviewer does not use a fixed set of questions, although an interviewing outline (discussion guide) is followed. Content varies from one in-depth interview to another and is particularly useful in the following circumstances:

• Issues of an embarrassing, stressful or confidential nature.
• When conducting detailed analysis of complex information, such as attitudes, beliefs or feelings.
• When peer pressure may cause some respondents to conform to societal norms when in reality they do not.
• When the interviewer needs a progressive set of images, such as a buying decision.
• In complex situations when the aim is to explore, rather than to measure.

Consulta Research harnesses this method to a large extent in the exploratory phases of projects, to derive constructs and attributes that can be used in instrument development. Our competitive edge lies in the fact that with this method, most of our researchers conduct the in-depth interviews themselves. Recordings and transcriptions of such interviews are provided to clients to ensure a richness and depth of data which cannot be matched by most other forms of data collection.

Desk research

This involves obtaining and collating secondary data from internal as well as external data sources. Consulta has a vast anthology of sources available for this purpose. Our association with the University of Pretoria affords us access to the most recent academic publications, journals and syndicated data. We receive principle sources of statistical information from distinguished organisations, government institutions, parastatals, banks and miscellaneous organisations.

Consulta Direct

Consulta Direct – our own in-house call centre with 65 full time agents and a maximum capacity of 90 agents. For more information email george@consulta.co.za.