Background
 
BMI-T regularly conducts quantitative and qualitative research in all parts of South Africa, and throughout the African continent, and has developed a focused expertise in selected methodologies. Among these is a ten-year track record in the area of customer satisfaction and brand audits. Interestingly, more than half of our customers in this area of our business are not in the ICT sector (our traditional client focus). CSAT, citizen and stakeholder auditing studies now comprise almost 20% of BMI-T’s total business. BMI-T has also been commissioned by one of the largest global software companies to conduct brand audit research and analysis in Africa and South East Asia.

BMI-T was approached by a telecoms service provider to conduct a Customer Satisfaction study and Brand Audit, with the two projects running simultaneously.  A small overlap between the two projects was identified and isolated, with the goal of approaching current customers for an interview just once.  Secondary and complementary primary research was conducted simultaneously, in which BMI-T consulted other stakeholders and internal staff and the executive team as part of the brand audit.

Customer Satisfaction
 
Customer expectations are influenced by the perceived quality of service that they receive, the quality of the product, and the valuethey receive for the price they pay.
The image of a company also influences customer expectations.
People form their opinions of any company or organisation based on all touch points.
BMI-T employs the ServQual methodology developed by Berry, Parasuraman and Zeithaml at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.
Read about our CSAT methodology.
 
Elements of a Brand

• A brand encapsulates everything the organisation stands for and the value it delivers, and influences every aspect of business.
• Although the nature of branding studies vary, the key elements are:
• How the brand is positioned on various attributes as compared to competitors
• How the brand is perceived in terms of image, quality and other attributes
• The brand’s ability to evoke an emotional response
• The affinity customers feel with the brand, and the extent to which it drives purchase decisions
• Effectiveness of messages and communication methods/ channels.

Project Outcomes
 
The outcomes of the project were, to:

• Address current strategic issues
• Track changes in customer satisfaction, loyalty and identify vulnerability areas. Extend the previous ‘lite’ CSAT survey to a full CSAT methodology and include strategic insights and segmentation.
• Define brand priorities, close gaps in order to align the brand with new strategic direction, define how value is created for customers, and clarify purpose and define the company’s ‘Brand DNA’.

Finally, a series of workshops was offered to the company to assist in implementing the findings, including defining the company’s Value Proposition through a structured process.

This takes the shape of a ten step process including elements such as:

• Identifying core competencies and defining them in terms of values;
• Studying customers and the competition, against the backdrop of trends in your industry;
• Articulating or defining the company vision, and Identifying the core value;
• Building a value chain (internal processes);
• Articulating the value proposition and testing the value.

What is a Value Proposition
A clear and succinct statement that outlines to potential clients and stakeholders a company’s unique value-creating features.
A clear statement of the tangible results a customer gets from using your products or services.
An offer to some entity or target in which they (the possessor) get more than they give up (merit or utility), as perceived by them.
The basic reasoning for why people should consider your product or service.
Describes what you do in terms of tangible business results. It draws interest and shares a success story within a few words.