Customer forums Ask, and you shall receive.

The situation
This distance learning company provided live satellite broadcast courses for executives across the country. They realized that their customer needs changed rapidly. In addition, companies invested a lot of money in the hardware to deliver these courses; our client wanted to be sure the user experience was positive. So, they hired O’Donnell & Associates to help them gauge the pulse of the market and help build a panel of key customers.

The process
First, O’Donnell & Associates probed the market to provide a benchmark on the changing market dynamics. We conducted in-depth interviews with directors of training and education at 55 customer companies. Then, we helped our client organize a two-day forum of 20 top customers. We presented our findings to this group and facilitated a round table discussion about the future direction of our client and its offerings.

The results
We found out that education, particularly distance learning, was being driven top down through organizations. Companies were turning to distance learning to educate, and certify, more people more efficiently, and cost-effectively. And, we learned concretely how their course needs were changing. The customer forum helped our client plan its upcoming offerings. More important, it cemented a relationship with key customers, and provided an opportunity for them to exchange ideas and best practices.