TLF Gems

In September we held our first conference since the pandemic, and it was really good to be back. Greg and Stephen talk through the speakers and discuss some of the highlights of the day (not just the food).

Greg quizzes Stephen about his recent webinar “5 ways to make more impact with your charts and reporting” (which he is beginning to realise is a title that could do with some editing!) They discuss the different hats that you need to wear to turn data into a story, how the needs of your audiences… Continue reading How To Make More Impact With Your Charts

The construction sector is fascinating from a customer experience and insight point of view. So many stakeholders, so many relationships, so many opportunities to build understanding and make things better! In this episode Greg and Stephen discuss some of the challenges of using customer research in the construction sector, and the benefits of focusing on… Continue reading Construction Customer Insight

Greg and Stephen discuss some of the things that make business to business (B2B) customer research different from business to consumer (B2C), based on Greg's webinar. Is survey fatigue a red herring? We think it is! If you missed the webinar you can find it here: https://www.tlfresearch.com/webinars/b2b-sampling-methodology-and-battling-response-rates/

For the past few years we’ve run an annual webinar looking at trends affecting the CX landscape that organisations need to be aware of for the year ahead. We shared some stats for context in terms of consumer sentiment, satisfaction, AI adoption, and sustainability; made some gentle predictions about the future; and outlined some choices… Continue reading The Customer Experience Landscape 2024

Greg and Stephen both attended the Spark 23 conference in Birmingham at the end of October. It’s an annual conference and awards dinner for the Service Desk Institute, and as you can hear in the discussion, they really enjoyed their first visit. What does it tell us about where the IT Services sector is going,… Continue reading SDI Conference – Spark 23

Greg and Stephen discuss how to make sure a research project delivers value for money, based on Greg’s webinar. Some keys are: thinking in advance about what you’re going to do with the results, proving the value of investing in customers, and making sure your survey basics are sound. If you missed the webinar, you… Continue reading Does your research provide value for money?

Greg and Stephen, with a little help from ChatGPT, discuss the impact of AI on the customer experience. What are the potential benefits and risks? How important is it to get the fundamental data capabilities of your business right first? What will the impact be on jobs?

Stephen and Greg talk about Greg’s recent webinar, the first of a series, on customer satisfaction in the IT Services sector. It’s an industry with huge enthusiasm for surveys, but is it always getting the most out of the research it does?

Greg talks to Stephen about his annual webinar on the Customer Experience Landscape. There’s lots of uncertainty on the horizon, but Stephen argues that resilience and long-term thinking is the key to surviving and thriving in 2023. If you missed the webinar, you can watch it on demand: https://www.tlfresearch.com/webinars/the-customer-experience-landscape-2023/

In this episode we feature an interview between Stephen and Irina Poddubnaia of Trackmage, a company which specialises in helping E-commerce organisations with their “post purchase experience” — delivery tracking, communication, and reviews. Stephen and Irina talk about the missed opportunities in post-purchase communications, why organisations value new customers over existing customers, and where customer journeys begin… Continue reading The interview – Irina Poddubnaia

In the second part of his interview with Albert Evans of ContactEngine, Stephen asked Albert for some more detail on how behavioural science can play a part in the customer experience. They talked about the importance of testing, the power of details in the experience, and how to know when to stop. You can read… Continue reading The Interview – Albert Evans, Part 2

Greg and Stephen discuss customer loyalty, based on Stephen’s recent webinar. Customer loyalty is much misunderstood (it’s about far more than retention and “loyalty programmes”), but used in the right way it can be the key to linking the operational focus of customer experience to your organisation’s strategy. If you missed the webinar, you can… Continue reading Understanding customer loyalty

Can you believe Net Promoter Score is 18 years old? Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that NPS has been the most successful movement in the history of customer research. NPS has become a de facto standard, but like its inventor Fred Reichheld, we have reservations about the way in which it’s used.… Continue reading How NPS is Used

Stephen quizzes Greg about his recent webinar “Using the Voice of the Customer to Change Your Organisations’ Culture“. It’s not about “voice of the customer” research programmes, but about ways in which the actual voice of the customer (captured in audio, video, or in the flesh) can be used to make an impact.

We now have over three years' worth of data about consumer sentiment in the UK from our Index of Consumer Sentiment. In this episode Greg and Stephen discuss why TLF Research started measuring consumer sentiment, what the trends show, and why it matters. You can download the free white paper to explore the findings in… Continue reading The Index of Consumer Sentiment

Greg talks to Stephen about his annual webinar on the Customer Experience Landscape, and the five themes he identified for the year: The New Normal, Trust, Ownership, Systems, and Experience. One of Stephen’s recommendations was to sign up for Purple Tuesday, which we mentioned on the last episode. You can do that here: https://purpletuesday.org.uk/ If… Continue reading The Customer Experience Landscape 2022

Every year Purple Tuesday reminds us of the importance of creating good experiences for disabled customers. The next is on 3rd December, which gives you plenty of time to prepare! Last year we teamed up with Purple Tuesday to survey disabled customers on our panel in order to better understand their experiences. We learned along… Continue reading The Disabled Customer Experience

In this episode Stephen spoke to Albert Evans of ContactEngine to chat about the role of behavioural science in customer experience. Albert is writing a series of articles on behavioural science for Customer Insight (starting with this one), and it was really good to talk it all through, compare notes, and share a few bugbears!… Continue reading The Interview – Albert Evans

In this episode Stephen spoke to Albert Evans of ContactEngine to chat about the role of behavioural science in customer experience. Albert is writing a series of articles on behavioural science for Customer Insight (starting with this one), and it was really good to talk it all through, compare notes, and share a few bugbears!… Continue reading The Interview – Albert Evans

Like most suppliers, we’ve had some bruising experiences with procurement and tender exercises. Is it all bad, or does procurement have an important role to play? How can suppliers and their customers build closer relationships, and make sure they both get what they want out of a project? Greg and Stephen talk it through.

Like most suppliers, we’ve had some bruising experiences with procurement and tender exercises. Is it all bad, or does procurement have an important role to play? How can suppliers and their customers build closer relationships, and make sure they both get what they want out of a project? Greg and Stephen talk it through.

What do we know about what’s changing in the way customers think, feel, and behave? The pandemic seems to have accelerated some trends that were already obvious, and introduced a few curveballs of its own. In this episode Greg and Stephen discuss the evidence from consumer surveys, national measures of satisfaction and consumer sentiment, and… Continue reading Trends in Customer Attitudes & Behaviour

What do we know about what’s changing in the way customers think, feel, and behave? The pandemic seems to have accelerated some trends that were already obvious, and introduced a few curveballs of its own. In this episode Greg and Stephen discuss the evidence from consumer surveys, national measures of satisfaction and consumer sentiment, and… Continue reading Trends in Customer Attitudes & Behaviour

We were really pleased to catch up with Cat Lewis, Head of Internal Comms & Employee Engagement at Reward Gateway, to find out more about the “work modes” model for hybrid working that she described in this Customer Insight magazine article. This conversation really helped to put their model into context, and opens up a… Continue reading The Interview – Cat Lewis

We were really pleased to catch up with Cat Lewis, Head of Internal Comms & Employee Engagement at Reward Gateway, to find out more about the “work modes” model for hybrid working that she described in this Customer Insight magazine article. This conversation really helped to put their model into context, and opens up a… Continue reading The Interview – Cat Lewis

At the beginning of 2021 we launched a new online course taking participants step by step through the always-popular topic of Customer Journey Mapping. In this episode Greg quizzes Stephen about what the course covers, what learners can expect, and why we created the course. If you’re interested, you can find out more at https://www.tlfresearch.com/online-customer-journey-mapping-course/… Continue reading Online Customer Journey Mapping Course

At the beginning of 2021 we launched a new online course taking participants step by step through the always-popular topic of Customer Journey Mapping. In this episode Greg quizzes Stephen about what the course covers, what learners can expect, and why we created the course. If you’re interested, you can find out more at https://www.tlfresearch.com/online-customer-journey-mapping-course/… Continue reading Online Customer Journey Mapping Course

The foundation of a loyalty strategy is that customer satisfaction pays, in the long term, but can we prove it? It can be difficult to come up with an overall number (like “5% more satisfaction equates to £1,000,000 more profit”), but what’s often easier is to isolate specific mechanisms by which satisfaction contributes to increased… Continue reading How Satisfaction Pays

The foundation of a loyalty strategy is that customer satisfaction pays, in the long term, but can we prove it? It can be difficult to come up with an overall number (like “5% more satisfaction equates to £1,000,000 more profit”), but what’s often easier is to isolate specific mechanisms by which satisfaction contributes to increased… Continue reading How Satisfaction Pays

It’d be pretty hypocritical if we didn’t survey our own clients, wouldn’t it? Every year we conduct our own survey to help make sure we understand our clients and are able to meet their needs, even (or especially) when events like the global pandemic change so much. Greg and Stephen discuss the timing of the… Continue reading TLF Client Survey

It’d be pretty hypocritical if we didn’t survey our own clients, wouldn’t it? Every year we conduct our own survey to help make sure we understand our clients and are able to meet their needs, even (or especially) when events like the global pandemic change so much. Greg and Stephen discuss the timing of the… Continue reading TLF Client Survey

In the latest edition of Customer Insight, our feature article is based on an interview that Stephen conducted with Tina Hobart and James Maguire from Mitie. In it they discuss the combination of customer research and account management, driven by top level commitment to the customer, that has led to a rapid improvement in Mitie’s… Continue reading Mitie’s NPS Success Story

In the latest edition of Customer Insight, our feature article is based on an interview that Stephen conducted with Tina Hobart and James Maguire from Mitie. In it they discuss the combination of customer research and account management, driven by top level commitment to the customer, that has led to a rapid improvement in Mitie’s… Continue reading Mitie’s NPS Success Story

What is trust, can you measure it, and do you need to in order to understand your customer relationships properly? In this episode Greg and Stephen talk about the webinar “Measuring Trust” (which is running again in July: https://www.tlfresearch.com/measuring-trust/ ), and why trust is crucial to predicting how customers will react when things go wrong.

What is trust, can you measure it, and do you need to in order to understand your customer relationships properly? In this episode Greg and Stephen talk about the webinar “Measuring Trust” (which is running again in July: https://www.tlfresearch.com/measuring-trust/ ), and why trust is crucial to predicting how customers will react when things go wrong.

Greg interviews Stephen about his new book Your Customer Survey: Using Research To Build A Distinctive Customer Experience. Who’s it for, what’s it about, and what makes it different to all the other customer experience books that are out there? If you’re interested you can buy the paperback from TLF Research and there is also… Continue reading Book Launch: Your Customer Survey

Greg interviews Stephen about his new book Your Customer Survey: Using Research To Build A Distinctive Customer Experience. Who’s it for, what’s it about, and what makes it different to all the other customer experience books that are out there? If you’re interested you can buy the paperback from TLF Research and there is also… Continue reading Book Launch: Your Customer Survey

Greg quizzes Stephen about his recent webinar on “The New Customer Experience Landscape 2021”. What have we seen in 2020 which is going to lead to lasting change? Stephen argues that qualitative research is more vital now than it’s ever been, and that the three big themes for 2021 are Culture, Sustainability, and Empathy. If… Continue reading The New Customer Experience Landscape 2021

Greg quizzes Stephen about his recent webinar on “The New Customer Experience Landscape 2021”. What have we seen in 2020 which is going to lead to lasting change? Stephen argues that qualitative research is more vital now than it’s ever been, and that the three big themes for 2021 are Culture, Sustainability, and Empathy. If… Continue reading The New Customer Experience Landscape 2021

Greg and Stephen talk about turning research insight into action to improve the customer experience, based on Greg’s recent webinar. Action is hard not because it’s unclear what needs to happen, but because of the power of the status quo. The decisions you make before and during your survey can be more important than what… Continue reading Insight into Action

Greg and Stephen talk about turning research insight into action to improve the customer experience, based on Greg’s recent webinar. Action is hard not because it’s unclear what needs to happen, but because of the power of the status quo. The decisions you make before and during your survey can be more important than what… Continue reading Insight into Action

Greg and Stephen discuss the challenges of using customer journey mapping in business to business markets, based on Stephen’s recent webinar. Are B2B relationships different, and if they are what does that mean for the journeys we map, and the tools we use to do it?

Greg and Stephen discuss the challenges of using customer journey mapping in business to business markets, based on Stephen’s recent webinar. Are B2B relationships different, and if they are what does that mean for the journeys we map, and the tools we use to do it?

In the second of our episodes featuring Chris Barnham, Stephen and Chris discuss in more detail how to use “qualitative semiotics” to explore how customers understand brand meaning. They talk about the importance of identity and qualification, and how to use a propositional hierarchy to think about the way your brand is perceived. Stephen and… Continue reading The interview: Chris Barnham, part 2

In the second of our episodes featuring Chris Barnham, Stephen and Chris discuss in more detail how to use “qualitative semiotics” to explore how customers understand brand meaning. They talk about the importance of identity and qualification, and how to use a propositional hierarchy to think about the way your brand is perceived. Stephen and… Continue reading The interview: Chris Barnham, part 2

It’s another interview episode, the first of a two-parter with qualitative researcher and semiotician Chris Barnham. In part 1 Chris gives an in-depth overview of the field, and explains his view that the theory of semiotics advanced by Charles Peirce can be be more helpful than Saussurian semiotics when it comes to understanding how consumers… Continue reading The interview: Chris Barnham, part 1

It’s another interview episode, the first of a two-parter with qualitative researcher and semiotician Chris Barnham. In part 1 Chris gives an in-depth overview of the field, and explains his view that the theory of semiotics advanced by Charles Peirce can be be more helpful than Saussurian semiotics when it comes to understanding how consumers… Continue reading The interview: Chris Barnham, part 1

Stephen and Greg chat about benchmarking customer survey scores, picking up on some of the points in Greg’s webinar on the subject. What is benchmarking good for? Is it a distraction, a vanity exercise, or can it be used as a source of improvement?

Stephen and Greg chat about benchmarking customer survey scores, picking up on some of the points in Greg’s webinar on the subject. What is benchmarking good for? Is it a distraction, a vanity exercise, or can it be used as a source of improvement?

Greg and Stephen catch up with TLF Research Client Manager Vicki Harris to talk about the impact of the pandemic and lockdown on customer experience and ways of working, with a particular eye on the social housing sector in the UK. Along the way we talk about the power of “moments of kindness” in a… Continue reading Social Housing, Covid-19 & Customer Experience