|
Research & Focus
Areas of Expertise
Our research areas of expertise include:
Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty Measurement
In a world of mass marketing, it can be easy to overlook an important tenet
of success: organizations that build enduring relationships with customers are
the ones that ultimately thrive.
Customer satisfaction and loyalty tracking systems are commonplace in many
organizations. Measuring satisfaction is a way to judge marketing effectiveness
over time, but on its own, customer satisfaction measurement does not yield
actionable information.
At Crux, our approach is to provide "outcomes" measurements of
satisfaction and loyalty, and at the same time focus on "diagnostic"
measures. A meaningful satisfaction and loyalty system needs to show the causes
of satisfaction and dissatisfaction and provide actionable insight on areas of
customer experience that warrant the most attention. We will work with you to
identify what those actions should be.
Education Research
Crux has been a pioneer in the field of market research in educational
environments. We work with numerous school districts, higher education
institutions, publishers, testing organizations, foundations and media seeking
to connect closely with their stakeholders and customers.
Public Education
Understanding stakeholders’ opinions and garnering their support is
essential to the mission of public education. Crux researchers, having conducted
polling work for more than 200 public school districts, can reveal the benefits
of providing effective feedback from students, teachers, staff, parents, and
community members. Our work for schools includes: customer and employee
satisfaction measurements, determining criteria for Baldridge type
self-assessments, polling on budget, levy or bond issues and working with
improvement teams.
Higher Education
Recently, higher education marketers have begun to apply private sector
marketing insight to the marketing of higher education. With this emerging
trend, polling can help evaluate your college’s position in an increasingly
competitive market; track your brand, help you attract more qualified
applicants, and convince accepted applicants to choose your institution. Crux
has considerable experience conducting polls for enrollment managers, retention
managers and alumni directors.
Education Markets
Selling into education markets has its unique challenges and rewards. Crux
researchers are effective at helping education marketers understand the specific
needs of educators – and the environments in which they operate. With decades
of working directly in schools and colleges we offer a perspective on our
research that is exclusive. At Crux, we have more experience conducting market
research among educators and administrators than any other firm.
Generational Market Research
Organizations, pressed for short-term results, often fail to see a broader,
historical cycle at work. Most consumer studies concentrate on an age group, or
a life stage. We have found that thinking about consumers as generations
sheds a greater light on trends and the future. Today’s living generations (GI’s,
Silents, Boomer, Xers, and Millennials) have unique formative experiences and
core traits, and taking a more historic perspective helps lend predictability to
the future.
Crux closely partners with LifeCourse
Associates, the consulting organization
formed by William Strauss and Neil Howe. LifeCourse employs a visionary blend of
social science and history and helps us interpret the qualitative nature of a
generation’s collective personality assisting managers and marketers to
leverage quantitative data in new and remarkable ways.
Youth Research
Crux employs some of the most widely recognized experts in the youth research
field. Youth research is a core expertise of our firm, where many of our
researchers honed their skills.
Crux researchers have overseen thousands of survey research studies of kids,
teens, young adults, their educators and their parents. We have worked with some
of the most well-respected organizations that serve youth, including product
marketers, media, agencies, retailers and non-profit organizations. Crux
researchers are often quoted in the national media on youth issues, present at
youth industry events and are regarded as a trusted source of insights into the
Millennial Generation. Crux brings more than data collection to youth research
– we bring a generational perspective strengthened by our alliance with
LifeCourse Associates.
|
