Specialist Articles
"Measuring B2B Satisfaction – A Neglected Challenge?"
There are crucial differences between customer relationships in the business-to-consumer area and those in the business-to-business environment, and they correspondingly have to be considered when conceiving satisfaction studies. Moreover, it is also necessary to take account of the multilayered nature of different business-to-business relationships. Thus, only tailor-made study concepts allow one to deduce targeted recommendations for action.
Planung & Analyse, June 2010
"What Makes Customers Tick"
Any satisfaction rating always conceals extremely individual 'experience chains' on the part of customers. Qualitative individual explorations can be particularly helpful here in providing an even better understanding of the customer experience, as well as revealing in detail what drives people's enthusiasm or frustration. One can obtain particularly profound insights if interviews focus upon respondents' individual 'experience ECGs'. Thanks to new technologies, this can also be achieved in a cost-efficient manner within the context of telephone interviews.
Research & Results, May 2010
"Conjoint Tuning Kit"
Conjoint analysis is seen as a standard tool in pricing research. Nevertheless, it has a shortcoming: because crucial pricing psychology contexts are excluded, one ends up with rationalised decisions and occasionally with considerable distortions. Thus, price motivation and interest, price knowledge, price assessment, and actual purchase behaviour need to be corrected if one is to obtain a more valid database, and thereby deduce more reliable pricing recommendations. These aspects can be seamlessly integrated into conjoint modelling as a kind of ‘toolbox’. This therefore avoids any further increase in complexity, and the essential advantage of the conjoint method (simulation) is preserved.
Planung & Analyse, April 2010
"Full Speed to Green"
When it comes to cars, people’s requirements have changed markedly in recent years. Whereas speed and design used to be important, the spotlight for many consumers nowadays is on eco-friendliness. This has led to the emergence of a totally new market within the automobile sector. China in particular can see major potential here, and is investing heavily in research and the development of new environmental technologies such as hybrid and electric vehicles. The article analyses the current market situation and the challenges that have to be faced if these technologies are to succeed.
BusinessForum China, January 2010
"Is Pricing Just a Lottery?"
Magazine publishers' revenues are currently coming under pressure from two sides: sales figures have already been stagnating for ages, and advertising income is in freefall - this is most obvious because titles are folding at an ever increasing rate. The previous strategies that were used to set cover prices are no longer viable; what's needed are fresh approaches that get the most out of the situation without endangering circulation.
Impresso, December 2009
"Testing Service Quality"
If the quality of service is inadequate, then customer retention programmes won’t be able to sort things out either: customers will still be leaving in droves. This is why service quality has to be regularly tested and improved in a targeted manner.
Competence, October 2009
"Method instead of Gut Feeling"
When pricing their newspapers, many publishers still rely upon their 'gut feeling' or take their cue from the
competition or the economic situation. However, all these aspects are totally irrelevant in terms of how much a
newspaper can cost. It's possible to exploit price potentials in a targeted manner if one instead considers that
people make assessments in line with the real-life price/utility ratio rather than the theoretical price/performance
ratio.
dnv, October 2009
"Pricing: Expensive Errors and Valuable Chances"
In order to make valid predictions about purchase behaviour, we have to consider all the aspects that relate to
pricing psychology - including the emotional and motivational level, cognition, and behaviour itself. Using an
international baseline study that investigated 10 sectors in 16 countries, Vocatus for the first time systematically
examined the interplay of all these factors of the "Psychological Price Profile". What emerged from this was a
decision-making typology. It demonstrates the qualitative differences in terms of how people actually deal with the
topic of price, thus enabling longer-term pricing strategies and helping to identify additional pricing potential,
even during an economic crisis.
Planung & Analyse, June 2009
"Optimising magazine prices to enhance profits"
Magazine publishing companies are increasingly under pressure, and this includes their strategies for pricing single issues.
Insights derived from pricing psychology can avoid expensive errors.
media spectrum, May 2009
"Pricing Psychology Is Key to Unlock Revenue Potentials"
Today's pricing approaches are based on a rationally thinking and acting "Homo oeconomicus" type of consumer.
However, this hardly ever reflects reality resulting in flawed pricing decisions.
New perspectives open up when considering the psychology of price-speficic consumer types.
Value Scope, May 2009
"Putting the brakes on discounts"
New car sales: Less and less people pay cash, the number of those financing or leasing their car is increasing ever further. This is good news for the trade: Financing and leasing can supercharge margins and put the brakes on discounts - if they're offered in the right way.
Das Autohaus, March 2009
"Wasted Margins and Unnecessary Price Wars"
Price wars are often waged because their instigators confuse cause and effect; thanks to a self-fulfilling prophecy,
they may ultimately prove to be the (apparently) correct strategy. In times of crisis, these strategies are pursued
with even greater vigour, and lead to even more dramatic falls in value that are neither necessary nor productive.
usp - people in marketing, February 2009
"Both Sides of the Coin: Analysing Sales Discussions with Online Diaries"
Only a holistic understanding of the interplay of customer and employee allows one to efficiently deduce concrete improvements at the point of sale. Online diaries help to authentically record this dynamic and investigate people's impressions on both sides of the counter.
Research & Results, October 2008
"Employee Surveys: Do Not Conceal Critical Events"
Employee surveys are just as widespread among large corporations as they are among small and medium-sized businesses - and this not only applies to processes that involve change. Communication during the preliminary stages can contribute to making the survey a success.
PR Magazin, October 2008
"Truth Beyon Common Beliefs: Boosting the Validity of Conjoint-Based Modelling"
The deduction of partial utilities within conjoint analyses is based on the assumption that people maximize their
utility ("homo oeconomicus"). This assumption is contradicted by a broad swathe of empirical findings which have
demonstrated that people systematically fail to make rational decisions. They nonetheless make predictable errors,
so their decisions essentially remain `calculable´.
ESOMAR, September 2008
"Psycho-logical instead of rational pricing"
Traditional pricing research implicitly assumes rational decisions and sets its focus on the assessment of different price levels by the surveyed banking customers. But in reality, decisions in the purchasing process are much more complex and often far less rational. Particularly with complex pricing structures and product bundles, the lack of consideration in the decision making process and "psycho-logic" of banking customers can lead to painful mistakes in pricing strategy.
die Bank, August 2008
"Types Instead of Labels: Qualitative Insights for Issue Management in the Senior Citizens Market"
Demographic developments offer major opportunities for marketing: however, in many places it seems that the focus has hitherto still been on the "correct" labelling of the 50+ target group rather than actually satisfying their requirements. In order to record these diverse needs in the area of (tele)communications in a way that was as authentic as possible and specific to given situations, Swisscom and the Vocatus market research institute conducted a qualitative baseline study using offline and online diaries.
Planung & Analyse, August 2008
"Solid Relationship: Emotional Attachment Influences Advertising Receptivness"
How the customer perceives advertising, depends not only on the range and target group affinity of the medium.
It is also the emotional bond the reader has to "his or her" magazine that is decisive. A baseline study shows
how these ties influence advertising acceptance.
Research & Results, July 2008
"Psychological Pricing - Understanding Decisions, Guiding Behaviour"
It's insufficient to raise or lower prices on the basis of normative modellings or one's own assumptions, in the
hope that this will regulate transport use to the desired degree. Instead, successful pricing relies upon a sound
understanding of (potential) customers' decision behaviour. Only once it's obvious when and why customers opt for or
reject a specific means of transport, plus the extent to which perceived costs matter here, can corresponding price
initiatives be used to achieve the desired change in behaviour.
Straßenverkehrstechnik, June 2008
"Long-term improvements in service quality via staff workshops"
Staff workshops offer the first opportunity to adequately include the "providers" in the quality
assurance process. In this way it's possible to uncover contradictions in operational instructions
that have often previously been hidden, plus areas of inefficiency when it comes to internal processes,
and what's actually causing problems. However, they're above all a way of considerably increasing the
motivation and commitment of call centre employees - a company's actual ambassadors.
Planung & Analyse, June 2008
"Customers as Branch Scouts"
Banks usually get professional test purchasers to check the quality of service
in their branches. They pretend to be "prospects" in order to meticulously examine
the employees' specialist expertise, quality of advice, appearance, and service.
However, product sales or processes that require an existing bank account can't be
assessed in this way. This gap can be filled by regular customers who are used as
so-called "branch scouts" for market research purposes.
die bank, May 2008
"Using the Customer's Perspective to Optimise Sales Systems"
A survey that adopts the customer's perspective and duly traces the steps in the
purchase process via its individual contact points with the respective company can
provide an in-depth understanding of how customers fare in one's own sales channel
system. The streams of movement offer compelling conclusions relating to the
significance of individual channels within the overall system. The reasons for the
visit and any switching between channels and providers/suppliers reveal any
shortcomings und provide important insights that will allow one to optimally
coordinate the contact points.
Planung & Analyse, April 2008
"Pricing: It's All about Fairness"
"Spend a little - live a lot" - companies like using slogans of this sort in their attempts to win new customers.
The calculation behind this? People are bound to be tempted by low prices.
"Wrong!", says Florian Bauer from Vocatus, the market research institute based in Munich.
"People are far likelier to want to feel they're not being ripped off.
The false paradigm, namely that customers exclusively want to pay the lowest possible price, means that companies have hitherto also been coming up with the wrong questions."
Süddeutsche Zeitung, March 2008
"Work-life Balance: An Explosive Issue All around the Globe"
Mexico, Australia, or Japan. It doesn't matter which country you look at: the issue of work-life balance matters throughout the world.
How do employees all over the world view their personal work-life balance, and what are the conditions that can help to ameliorate it? A survey sheds light on this.
Personalwirtschaft, March 2008
"Online Diaries: on the Trail of Customers' Experiences"
Online diaries allow comprehensive insights into customers' experiences, the development of customer relationships, and the emergence of enthusiasm or frustration.
This article offers a detailed presentation of the new "online diaries" tool and reveals how a combination of longitudinal and cross-section analyses can be used to identify the company-specific drivers of this very enthusiasm or frustration.
Planung & Analyse, February 2008
"The Direct Line to Greater Customer Proximity"
Service orientation and customer proximity are becoming ever more vital.
"Customer Experience Management" is today's catchphrase, and it entails emotionally enthusing customers in every contact route.
This also requires a rethink when it comes to measuring customer satisfaction in call centres.
Call Center Profi, February 2008
"International Staff Surveys: Success Factors"
Internationalisation means that international staff surveys are also gaining in significance. However, in only very few cases is it sufficient to simply take the previous staff survey from corporate HQ, translate it into the corresponding languages, and send it to one's subsidiaries. This is because international surveys can run into many stumbling blocks - including project organisation, cultural and country-specific aspects, and comparability of the results.
Personalmagazin, January 2008
"Price Optimisation in the Newspaper Market"
By focussing merely on the amount and evaluation of a price, and with research designs that fail to
give sufficient consideration to the determining psychological factors, conventional price research
falls short of what is needed for well-founded price optimisation. Using the example of price optimisation
in the context of daily newspapers, this article presents a research framework that takes these deficits into account.
Planung & Analyse, October 2007
"Regarding the Sense and Nonsense Inherent in the Net Promoter Score (NPS)"
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) has recently attracted considerable attention in numerous boardrooms as an index for customer loyalty.
The article asks critically whether one single question can really be used to measure customer retention, and whether market research
can be revolutionised in this way, as is asserted by Fred Reichheld, the "inventor" of NPS.
Planung & Analyse, August 2007
"Inspire the Customer..."
L'TUR nowadays offers its customers the opportunity of using MOPS (Motive-Oriented Personal Search)
to translate personal and individual customer requirements into purely formal offer characteristics,
thus illustrating existing personal motive structures in an individualized customer offer. Vocatus was
awarded the 1st Prize for German Market Research in 2005 for this project.
Kunde im Focus, February 2007
"The Fragmented Consumer"
Either consciously or unconsciously, market researchers sometimes distort what they're actually wanting to explain: the consumer.
The immediate cause of the resulting 'psychopathology of market research' is frequently to be found in the unthinking application of classic methods and approaches.
BVM Inbrief, November 2006
"Dynamic Segmentation in the Travel Industry"
Even if a customer knows exactly what kind of holiday trip he wants to book, he might not be able to find it on a website with thousands and thousands of holiday offers.
This paper presents a conceptual framework and a pragmatic matching algorithm based on an efficient self-correcting customer profiling technique that helps the customer to find what he really wants.
ESOMAR, November 2006
"A Link to the Customer"
A customer panel offers all the departments within the company the opportunity to regularly survey a defined group of customers. This can considerably increase
the company's customer orientation, because customer-related questions crop up not only in sales and marketing, but in virtually every area of the company.
Research & Results, November 2006
"The Predictive Power of Research"
To increase the predictive power of market research studies, market researchers have to make sure that they do not systematically distort, what they actually
want to understand: the consumer. Through the methodology market researchers often implicitly assume rational behaviour, neglect interdependencies and
over-generalize from isolated findings.
ESOMAR, September 2006
"How to Reach the Customer"
In order for companies to optimise their marketing initiatives, they must first of all understand the customer's complex decision-making processes
for or against a certain product. The 360-degree decision analysis helps companies to gain a better understanding of non-linear decisions by observing
the entire decision-making process over weeks and months instead of merely looking at individual issues.
Research & Results, April 2006
"Matching with Added Value Instead of Being Spoilt for Choice"
The multi-stage development of the 'Motive-Oriented Personal Search'
(MOPS) during the course of a nine-month market research project allows
L'TUR to adopt numerous strategic measures and seize new opportunities.
Vocatus was awarded the 1st Prize for German Market Research in 2005 for this project.
BVM Inbrief, December 2005
"Matching with Added Value"
Vacations are a highly emotional product, yet booking your dream vacation can be rather disillusioning.
Most travel site search engines assume that the traveller knows exactly what they want. A solution from Vocatus is turning the table.
IS Report, November 2005
"Theses on Price Research"
The question of what constitutes the best price is hard to answer, for companies as well
as market research institutes. Based on our own research and numerous client pricing research
projects, Vocatus has brought together relevant theses plus the status and future of price research.
Planung & Analyse, October 2005
"Dynamic Customer Segmentation"
Referring to typical problems of classic customer segmentation approaches,
we present a case study on dynamic customer segmentation that solves all the
previously identified problems by a "learning combination" of customer segmentation
and customer satisfaction survey. This case study was awarded the
"1st Prize for German Market Research" as "Study of the Year" in 2005.
Planung & Analyse, August 2005
"Monitoring Improves Service Level"
Companies can get detailed information about their own service level through silent monitoring of customer calls in their call centers.
Weaknesses can be identified and addressed early in order to improve customer service.
TeleTalk, April 2005
"Listening to Calls in Call Centers"
When companies use external call centers, the payment level is usually connected with a certain service level that has to be achieved.
Silent Call Monitoring gives the company the possibility to check and improve that service level.
IS-Report, February 2005
"Buy or Bye-bye?"
The quality of online processes such as ordering or booking is of crucial
importance for the commercial success of a website. Nevertheless, they are
usually neglected in website evaluations. The website break-off analysis
questions users about the reasons for (and consequences of) breaking off,
and helps companies to improve their processes.
Planung & Analyse, January 2005
"Quality Control Via Call Monitoring"
Quality control in call centres via call monitoring becomes more important if the call
centre is the main interface with the customer. Silent call monitoring is a method whereby
experts listen to real customer calls and evaluate the service level.
Call Center Experts, December 2004
"Long-term Effects of Price Campaigns"
Bargain offers and special sales are not necessarily an adequate reaction to lower retail revenues.
Before a new price model is introduced, retailers should conduct adequate market research to ensure
that the customers will actually understand and accept the new pricing model.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, October 2004
"Customer Lifecycle Research"
Customer Lifecycle Research provides a process-oriented research approach that results in a better understanding of customer behaviour and
consequently provides more valid predictions.
Planung & Analyse, October 2004
"Satisfied Customers Aren't Loyal Customers"
The likelihood that a customer will switch to a competitor for their next purchase depends on many factors.
However, only a small proportion of customers remain loyal to a company because they are satisfied with it.
Business Guide Customer Management, July 2004
"The Perceived Price"
In the past, little attention was paid to price structure as a competitive dimension. The article cites studies in the automotive
and mobile phone industries to illustrate how, with the use of intelligent price structuring, a relatively high price can still be perceived
as inexpensive by the customer. This is invaluable information for companies when pricing their products.
Wirtschaftspsychologie, June 2004
"Image Analysis with Repertory Grid Analysis"
Repertory grid analysis is a methodology that was actually developed in clinical psychology, but it is eminently suitable for ascertaining
the various relevant dimensions for an image analysis. In contrast to conventional methods, it can be used as an ad-hoc tool, but also as a
method for performing qualitative image tracking.
Planung & Analyse, July 2004
"Increase Quality of Service"
Service before and after purchase has become the decisive competitive criterion for companies, yet many customer enquiries remain
unanswered. A high level of service can only be guaranteed if the processes that lie behind it are working effectively.
is report, October 2003
"If You Don't Listen to Customers, They Won't Buy"
The major automobile corporations spare no effort when presenting their new models. However, whether or not they will be commercially
successful is determined at local car dealers. If customers' desires are ignored there, then even the best car has little chance of being sold.
MIT-Magazin, September 2003
"The 10 Most Common Misunderstandings Relating to Mystery Analyses"
Mystery analyses have recently become increasingly popular, yet they are frequently used incorrectly.
They don't replace customer satisfaction surveys, and they aren't carried out with a comparable number
of interviewees either. Carefully chosen test cases with detailed model solutions are essential for success.
Planung & Analyse, September 2003
"Customer Retention and Responsiveness"
Every service provider aims to retain customers over the long term. A key means of achieving this is quality of service, which can be traced back to the company's responsiveness.
Customer-driven dialogues via call centres illustrate how this responsiveness (in its various manifestations) is experienced by customers.
Wirtschaftswoche, September 2003
"Customer Intelligence Via Online Focus Groups"
The collection of data by means of online focus groups enables companies to quickly and inexpensively discover what customers think about a certain product or service.
In the virtual conference room, people from different regions can thus sit together at a virtual table, anonymously and with no travel costs.
is report, September 2003
"Process Quality As a Success Factor"
If one analyses the content of customer complaints, it regularly becomes apparent that the
discrepancy between the quality of product one expects and the quality of product one experiences
is far smaller than the discrepancy between the quality of service one expects and the quality of
service one experiences. Quality of service is thus increasingly becoming the factor that
differentiates and thus drives people's decisions - even in sectors that have hitherto been
clearly dominated by the product itself.
Planung & Analyse, August 2002
"Quality Control in Call Centres"
An ever-greater proportion of customer contact takes place on the phone. The customer calls a hotline number and is transferred to a call centre.
This makes it all the more vital for companies to correctly evaluate these call centres, because ultimately they are the interface with every company's
most important resource: the customer.
is report, January 2003
"Service Quality in Call Centres: Tracking Down Success Factors"
In most branches of industry, quality of service on the phone has developed into a competitive factor that is crucial for success. Customers make a direct
link between their experience of contact with the call centre and the product and company - with a corresponding impact on brand Brand and Image loyalty.
Call Center Profi, December 2002
"Customer Retention Via Service Quality: Analysing, Understanding, and Improving"
If one analyses what customers want, it regularly becomes apparent that the discrepancy between the quality of product one expects and the quality of product one experiences is far
smaller than the discrepancy between the quality of service one expects and the quality of service one experiences.
Planung & Analyse, August 2002
"Customer Management on the Internet: Knowing what Makes Customers Happy"
Marketing and sales departments can learn a great deal from customers' criticisms, and the Internet is no exception: it is thus important to use the knowledge one has gained about customers in the right way.
SalesBusiness, August 2002
"Employee Surveys: Satisfied Employees Mean Satisfied Customers"
Levels of satisfaction among sales staff constitute a major competitive factor, yet only a few companies use the employee survey tool to regularly check how satisfied their staff are.
SalesBusiness, June 2002
"Qualitative Data Gathering with Online Focus Groups"
Over recent years, market and social research has transferred most of its 'traditional' tools to the online sector. In the qualitative sphere, online focus groups (also known as 'chats')
are becoming an ever more popular procedure.
Planung & Analyse, January 2002
"Pricing Structure in Consumers' Decision-Making Process"
Pricing structure is a competitive dimension that has hitherto been largely neglected.
However, by better understanding human decision-making behaviour and its accompanying anomalies, companies can optimise pricing structure to exploit undreamt-of margin potentials.
Planung & Analyse, May 2001
"Customer-centred Brand Management"
Many companies nurture their brand, smarten it up, and then put a great deal of effort into customer communication. Too bad if the customer is then
confused because the brand's message is inconsistent with their actual experience of the brand's product. However, it doesn't have to be complicated:
customer-driven dialogue leads to customer-centred brand management.
Wirtschaftspsychologie, March 2001
"Feedback Management Reduces Churn Rates"
Only those companies that know their customers can also address them with targeted marketing measures. But what happens if the customer seizes the initiative
and seeks contact with the company? Contact channels for customers are often not optimised. This is precisely where companies miss an opportunity to process
targeted customer enquiries in an efficient manner and learn from them.
Call Center, February 2002
"The State of Customer Retention in Germany"
The customer is always right, and they ultimately decide whether companies will succeed or fail. It's no secret that the topic of customer retention
plays a crucial role here.
Direkt Marketing, November 2001
"Learning from Customers' Concerns"
A concrete example is used to illustrate the potential offered by an approach based on reactive customer retention. Around 6400 customer opinions and
complaints relating to retailers were used to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of retail segments and companies.
Direkt Marketing, November 2001