Is longer Customer Lifetime Value important to your business?
This starts with developing an empathy with your customers' needs.
Having open conversations, like a friend ...
and building a strong, trusting relationship.
Q: You don’t normally hear Emotional Intelligence and Research in the same statement. So what it’s about?
A: Research is often seen as gathering hard facts about people … but not caring about them individually. Quite honestly treating them like lab-rats – because all you want is to grab the data. Applying Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, to research … means FIRSTLY thinking of participants as individuals … and SECONDLY being way more conversational, than just grilling them like a tax form.
Q: What would I get from including EQ methods in my research?
A: It’s all about collecting your customer Stories. A window into their daily life, hopes and aspirations, in their language, which you can use to create new ideas, to stand out from your competitors. Feed your content marketing with more relatable topics. And build the relationship for longer Customer Lifetime Value
Q: Can you give me some examples of research questions that have more EQ?
A: It’s just like talking to a friend. You ask things related to an issue like … “Why do you feel that way?” “What can I do to make things better?” “Help me understand what the problem is?” Questions that can’t be answered with a yes or no, but need some kind of conversational response.
Q: What’s the best type of research when it comes to gathering these more emotive responses?
A: It has to be some kind of 2-way interactive method. While an open-ended question in a survey can be a useful start, it’s completed in cold isolation. As humans, we’re wired to be social, and love to chat and see what others are saying, which can also spark further thoughts. So in the end, it’s a conversation.
Personally, I use my own private, online chat platform, Social Forum. Where people can engage with a business team. And feel safe about expressing their views, while at the same time enjoying the social experience.