MEASURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Focus Group Guide
One effective way to gather information on user satisfaction is to host a focus group. Focus groups can be formal sessions facilitated by researchers with expertise in getting a group to share opinions and experiences in order to determine how group members view a particular issue or product or service. Focus groups can also be informal sessions led by a good moderator. They are yet another opportunity for communication with users and prospective users, in addition to obtaining user feedback in a particular area.
Individuals brought together in a focus group typically are selected because of similar demographic characteristics. Ideally, focus groups last about 60-90 minutes and are comprised of 10-12 persons. Following a brief overview of the subject to be considered, individuals introduce themselves, and then go through a carefully scripted set of questions. In addition to directing the scripted questions, the moderator probes with more in-depth follow up questions to clarify and confirm responses. Recording the session allows the facilitator and interested parties to go over the responses in great detail.
It should be noted that since focus groups are typically small groups, several focus groups may be required to get statistically relevant information. Focus group results can be skewed:
q if a dominant person in the group influences the opinions of the rest of the group,
q if the moderator is ineffective, and
q due to limitations of the participants (improper screening, lack of knowledge or interest in the topic).
Focus groups can be used to assess user satisfaction with various services. Following is a sample script for a focus group to understand satisfaction with a news feed service. Questions should be modified to reflect your own environment and follow up questions particularly relevant to user behavior in your organization should be inserted.
Basic Outline for Focus Group
q Welcome
q Brief overview of reason for convening focus group: to determine satisfaction with XYZ news feed service and gather suggestions for enhancements.
q Introductions (assuming participants do not already know each other), including brief mention of how they are using news information.
q Key questions:
1. How would you characterize your use of XYZ news service in terms of frequency of use?
2. How would you describe the impact that having desktop access to XYZ news has had on your work?
3. What are the three things of highest priority to you with respect to obtaining news on a daily basis?
4. How has your need for current business news changed over the past year?
5. What could make XYZ news service more useful to you?
As the facilitator, you will want to have examples for each of the key questions. For example, with question 1, be prepared to suggest:
q each morning,
q several times per day,
q several times per week,
q occasionally
You will also want to have follow -up questions to probe for greater clarity and detail. For example, with question 1, you might ask some of the following questions:
How useful it is to you to check the news every morning before you begin other activities?
How do you decide when you need to check the news?
What makes you go back to check news stories more than once a day?
An alternative way to get this type of feedback, although more time consuming, is to make phone calls to a group of users using a script similar to what would be used for a focus group, synthesize and categorize their responses, then call again or send a written report to participants outlining results. You can then ask for their confirmation of what you have heard and compiled thus far, and ask for additional comments.
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Unit 6 “Measuring Customer Satisfaction”
Dow Jones InfoPro Resource Center