Customer Experience Research

This month Foviance published a white paper that describes the results of research we conducted that provides a deeper understanding about how emotional engagement can be measured as part of the customer experience. The research, conducted initially in the gaming sector with PKR, reveals 5 measures of emotional engagement that tell us a great deal about customer experience at a subconscious level.

In any market, and in particular one that is in the throws of a global recession, making sure customers are satisfied is a critical success factor for businesses. In parallel, there is a growing focus on customer experience for businesses looking to not only increase customer satisfaction but also drive up sales and create new markets.

A great deal of consumer behaviour has been conclusively demonstrated by psychologists as irrational and that emotion invariably trumps logical thinking. Revealing how people respond to specific aspects of an experience has been hard to measure but by combining electroencephalography (EEG) with other research methodologies it is possible to accurately gauge emotional engagement.

Foviance approach, EEM™ (emotional engagement measurement™) has been shown to offer significant new insights and enable brands to better meet the needs of the market. And of course, marketers also know that connecting at an emotional level with consumers, pays commercial dividends. By measuring mind-states, emotions and other subconscious responses and marrying them up with cognitive responses, it helps us to understand the thinking, actions and behaviours of the respondents.

The film and advertising industries have widely used approaches combining EEG and qualitative research methods to help explore the depths of the subconscious, helping to create successful merchandising, packaging and creative conceptual ideas that people want. Similarly, quality customer experiences are vital to the long term survival of businesses and therefore the importance of getting to know your customers must also be combined with understanding them in new ways.

When focused on a sector like the gaming industry, EEM™ has enabled us to experiment further into the customers’ perceptions and responses. It has helped us understand in more detail the satisfaction and impact something like a hard luck or congratulatory message may have. The implications for businesses in all sectors are extensive.

Using techniques that provide answers that were previously unobtainable, Foviance describes the EEM™ approach in our May 2009 White paper.