This document provides information on how to conduct a customer perception review process to gain true insight into what customers really value about a supplier. The process involves diagnostic planning, interview training, interviews with customers, analysis of the interviews, and developing an action plan aligned with what customers need. Conducting this process enables businesses to understand what customers value at different levels of an organization and align offerings accurately, inform strategy and new product development, and create an effective action plan to improve performance.

1. How to find out what your customers really value
Enabling you to gain true insight into what your customers really value about you as a supplier
Biography Overview
Richard Harrison has over 30 years’ All too often businesses spend a small fortune in customer su surveys trying to understand
experience of sales improvement what their customers’ value and look for from them as suppliers. They tend to end up
working across a broad range of with lots of information, but no real insight into what their customers value – and no
customers’
industry sectors. action plan!
His company S T Partnership Our customer perception review process will enable you to get right to the influencers of
specialises in helping companies the buying decision – to hear the “coffee shop” talk about what your customers really
radically improve their sales and value and look for from their suppliers – at key touch point within the business
business.
customer care performance through a
You can use the process to focus narrow and deep on a single strategically important
blend of training and consultancy
account which you want to grow with or across different market sectors where you want
using a series of specialist tools and
to get a feel for how you are performing (measured against the criteria the custome
customer
techniques.
values) versus your competitors and also best in class – often outside your own sector.
He is an Associate at the Lean
Enterprise Research Centre at Cardiff
University and in 2009 co-authored Benefits
Staying Lean which won the coveted
Shingo Research prize. • Enables you to find out what the
customer values at different levels
Richard is a qualified NLP Master of organisation and align your
Practitioner. product/service offering more
accurately
• Informs strategy, structure, new
product development etc
Richard Harrison
• Highly cost effective process – the
Director
S T Partnership
output is a detailed action plan
aligned to your customers needs
The process we follow
Interviews
Detailed Interview Analysis &
Diagnostic with
Planning training action plan
customers
Testimonials
“We have completed two major projects with Richard, using customer perception analysis with the aim of transforming our key
account management effectiveness. In both of these projects Richard’s approach has allowed us to really get under the skin of our
ent
customer needs, better understand the dynamics of our Key Account relationships and, most importantly deliver actionable
outcomes which are really adding value to our business.”
eally
Ronnie Leggett, Sales & Marketing Director, Macphie of Glenbervie
“Bulmers engaged with Richard as part of its lean transformation journey to get a better understanding of what our customers
thought of us and what they valued from a supplier like Bulmers. The process itself was very customer friendly. Richard follo a
follows
very methodical process to ensure no variability is introduced to the process. The real strength in the process was the data a
ery analysis
and Richards’s ability to turn hundreds of nuggets of valuable information into a prioritised action plan that that Sales c
could take
ownership of and start implementing straight away. Overall it was an excellent process, with clear deliverables to the bottom line.
Shane Hughes, CI&IT Director, C&C Group