Category Archives: Thought Leadership Blogs

Marketing & PR, Marketing, PR and SEO, Thought Leadership, Thought Leadership Blogs

Surveys: Are they a total waste of time?

Written by Roger Jackson, CEO of SenseCheck

In the marketing world, traditional research methods like surveys and focus groups often come under fire. Critics argue that these tools offer little more than false guidance, with surveys being particularly vulnerable to scrutiny by some.

As someone with decades of experience in moderating focus groups, I could discuss that point very happily. Here’s a clue: they have to be done well!. But today, let’s focus on the humble survey — an easy thing to be rude about to get overly simplistic nods, yet I will argue remains an invaluable tool in the marketer’s arsenal.

The critical role of questionnaire design

Survey sceptics are quick to highlight the flaws inherent in asking people to complete questionnaires.  And they’re not entirely wrong. A poorly designed and executed survey can indeed yield misleading results. The adage “garbage in, garbage out” holds true—research and questionnaire construction is crucial, but it’s important to recognise that a well-crafted survey, designed with precision and thoughtfulness and executed with care, can offer useful insights.

Let’s think about the basics. The first rule of survey design is to ask questions that your respondents can answer truthfully and easily. These questions should tap into their opinions, perceptions, concerns, motivations, and needs—information that resides close to the surface of their consciousness and things that don’t require a feat of memory or imagination! Tools like choice models, which ask respondents to express preferences between two options, can also be effective in revealing deeper insights. They are easy to answer but rich in depth.

However, questionnaire design requires more than just asking the right questions. It’s also about how you ask them. Here are a few best practices:

  1. Clarify the purpose: Make sure respondents understand the objective of the survey. This motivates them to pay attention.
  2. Simplicity is key: Questions should be easy to understand and interpret, avoiding jargon or ambiguity. What might seem clear to you could be misinterpreted by your audience.
  3. Offer comprehensive options: Provide response choices that cover the main spectrum of potential answers, including an “other” option and a “don’t know” choice. Never force a response, but also don’t feel you have to include every imaginable option!
  4. Keep it brief: Both the overall survey and individual questions should be concise. Attention spans are short, especially in today’s TikTok-driven world, so aim for surveys that can be completed in under 10 minutes.
  5. Prioritise important questions: Place the most critical questions early in the survey when respondents are most focused.
  6. Mind the order: Ask about opinions and perceptions before seeking a conclusion or decision to avoid order effects that could skew the results.

Sampling: the silent influencer

Even the best-designed survey can falter if it’s not administered to the right audience.

Sampling bias is a significant risk, particularly in how respondents are recruited. Firstly, getting the “right” people costs money, and if the sample seems very cheap, there is probably a reason for that.

As way as paying for quality (i.e. getting these people) you then need to recruit the right balance, the right profile of sample. Of course, this must represent your target market well, but there are other things to consider, including purchase patterns. For instance, asking customers of Retailer A about their opinions on Retailer B will likely yield different results than asking Retailer B’s customers about their own shopping experiences. Balanced and representative samples are critical to mitigating these biases.

Today, the rise of bots and click farms presents an additional challenge on sample. Your survey providers must therefore employ advanced screening techniques and incorporate test questions to ensure data integrity, including getting rid of obvious ‘outliers’.

Even with these precautions, you can’t get rid of all “noise”.  So, sample size itself remains the crucial precautionary factor—the larger the sample, the more reliable the results. Put pragmatically, a few percentage of dodgy answers won’t ruin the learnings. Don’t cut corners on sample, it’s always a false economy.

The human factor: navigating bias in interpretation

Just because they generate “facts”, surveys are not immune to interpretation error.

For example, confirmation bias—the tendency to favour information that confirms pre-existing beliefs—can skew the conclusions you may draw from survey data. This bias can manifest in both the commissioner of the research and the agency conducting it.

To counteract this, it’s essential to contextualise data points through benchmarks and norms. A seemingly impressive result might only be average when compared to industry standards. For example, in product testing, an average score of 4.2 on a 5-point scale might indicate market success, whereas a 3.9, though seemingly still positive, could signal mediocrity.

Understanding behaviour: The power of correlation

One common criticism of the survey idea is the claim that “people don’t do what they say”. While there is, of course, some truth to this (one reason we must be careful to ask the right questions), proven methodologies exist to bridge the gap between stated intentions and actual behaviour.

In many cases, by correlating a large body of history of survey responses with real-life outcomes, marketers can gain a more accurate understanding of implied consumer behaviour. This can be very useful, for example for advertising or product testing.

But in general, we must recognise that surveys are not meant to only replicate reality. Rather, they aim to provide insights that inform marketing strategies. They’re a tool for understanding the “why” behind consumer actions, which is just as important as tracking the actions themselves.

Effective surveys contribute to a more comprehensive decision-making process, serving as one of many inputs alongside other data sources, A/B testing, and even informed intuition.

A balanced approach

Surveys are not a magic bullet, but they are a powerful ingredient in the recipe for marketing success—when used wisely.

The key lies in understanding their limitations and executing them with precision. Research should be judged against the alternative—guesswork—not against a mythical standard of perfect understanding.

If surveys could provide 100 per cent accurate answers on actual behaviour, then by implication the role of savvy marketers would be redundant. Instead, in our real-world work surveys should be seen as a valuable tool that, when combined with other methods and your expert judgment, helps guide better decisions.

Surveys offer more than just data—they offer insights. And, in a world awash with information, insights are the true currency of effective marketing.

About the author

Roger Jackson is founder and CEO of SenseCheck

 

 

HR News, Leadership, News, Thought Leadership, Thought Leadership Blogs

Tackling Change Fatigue in Employees

Written by Nick Gold, MD. Speakers Corner

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, businesses have undergone unprecedented change. According to Gartner, the average business planned ten enterprise changes in 2022, compared with two in 2016.

Change is necessary in all aspects of life. If you’re standing still, you’re ultimately going backwards. But when business changes become overwhelming, staff can struggle to cope. 71% of staff say they’re overwhelmed by the amount of change at work. More than half of those employees are considering looking for a new job.

This reaction is known as change fatigue, and it can pose a problem for forward-thinking businesses. While change is necessary to keep moving forward, it can take its toll on your team. Our recent research shows that just 18% of UK business owners consider changes within an organisation to be the main cause of stress.

As business leaders, we must be able to recognise and tackle change fatigue so we can keep staff happy and thrive as businesses.

The post-pandemic boom of corporate change culture

Over the last few years, we’ve had to deal with a lot of significant changes in a compressed amount of time: Covid, Brexit, the cost of living crisis, and the war in Ukraine. In light of this, many businesses are having to redefine and rebuild themselves.

The pandemic changed everything for Speakers Corner. With the live events industry obliterated by lockdowns, we were forced to find a new niche in virtual events. When we realised we had done perhaps more online events than anyone else, we were able to shift our focus and guide our team, clients, speakers, and the whole industry through these turbulent times.

The scale of change demanded from businesses over the last three years is incomparable to previous times. And it often feels like there won’t be a time when things are less hectic than they are right now.

But everything comes in cycles. Understanding that transformation feels all-consuming right now, but we will have time to breathe. In fact, you have time to breathe right now if you manage change in a way that’s practical and sustainable.

Understanding the impact of change on employees

While change can feel overwhelming for business leaders, this can be magnified for employees, who often have less of a say in the changes required of the organisation.

This is where communication comes in. People want to know your vision at a high level. Communicating this to everyone is essential. From there, your management team can take over. They can have further conversations at a team and individual level to ensure everyone knows how these changes will impact them. Processes, timescales, workloads: all of these must be concrete and manageable for each team and staff member.

It’s also important to help staff understand that though your business transformation may take months or even years to complete, they won’t be in a constant state of upheaval. Knowing when changes are likely to affect them can help staff focus their energy and attention in the right place at the right time rather than fielding a constant stream of worry.

This comes down to good leadership and change management. And times of change are an excellent opportunity to showcase your leadership skills. While the transformation may be true to your vision, you don’t have to be the flagbearer of change. You can support other managers to help teams navigate turbulence and ensure staff feel safe and supported.

Recognising change fatigue

The signs of change fatigue are different in everyone. So you must treat your staff as individuals and understand they may have other problems at different times. They’ll also need additional skills to cope with these changes, so you must be willing to invest in these.

As a leader, avoid projecting your own opinions onto your staff. Don’t assume that because you’re coping or not coping, the same is true of others.

Instead, ask people how they’re dealing with the changes. If they tell you they’re struggling, have a plan for how you’ll deal with this. It could involve taking time away or adjusting the way they do their job.

Either way, ensure your change plan protocol will make a difference and give staff the support they really need to adjust to your new vision.

Navigating successful, sustainable business transformation

There are three key ways to ensure successful, sustainable change in your organisation:

 

  1. Treat people as individuals. This helps you understand the unique challenges each team member is facing, so you can create an individual support plan for them.
  2. Be brave. Try new things without succumbing to crisis mode. Don’t be afraid to get things wrong. Your staff and your customers want you to succeed, so be bolstered by this support.
  3. Communicate with your team. Let them know that you’re all in this together and you want to embrace new ideas from people at all levels.

 

These three practices allow you to embed a culture of change in your organisation rather than seeing your current project as a one-and-done affair. Instead of creating an overwhelming, all-encompassing Big Change Plan, view each act of progress as a small wave of change. This will significantly redefine how you and your staff view business transformation for the better.

Ultimately, making change part of the ongoing conversation can help staff feel more settled and adaptable. So they can achieve your vision with focus and positivity, ensuring they thrive alongside your business.

Carbon Reduction, Logistics, News, Thought Leadership Blogs, Transport

Why Improved Shipping Containers Will Have a Bigger Impact on Emissions Than Better Ship Designs

Written by George Kochanowski, CEO and Richard Danderline, CFO, from Staxxon.

As is widely known, 90% of the world’s trade is transported via the oceans in steel containers. With many in the world focused on the perceived impacts of climate change, the shipping industry is under increasing pressure to reduce the emissions created by the world’s merchant fleet, all looking to cut into the 140 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually emitted into the atmosphere.

Improved fuel efficiency and ship design – but fossil fuels remain a major issue in shipping

The world’s ocean carriers have invested millions of research dollars which have yielded significant improvements in fuel efficiency and optimized ship designs. What has not emerged from their efforts is a clear choice to replace fossil fuels with alternate fuels that reduce greenhouse gases with carbon neutral or green fuels.

Some of the world’s leading carriers  have already ordered new ships that incorporate many of these changes with some coming online this year while retiring older generation of ships. Interestingly however, this addition of 30% new capacity over the next three years comes at a time when 24% of the current sailings are being blanked due to the weak global economy. But this new capacity is most assuredly better for the environment  than the ships they are replacing.

Notwithstanding the significant amounts of emissions, the ocean shipping industry itself is but a minor contributor to the total amount of atmospheric emissions when compared to on-road trucks, shipping products by air, or power generating stations.  The emissions  produced from the current generation of ships are acknowledged as the most efficient form of intermodal transport when calculated by ton per mile traveled. Regardless, due to its global reach and immense scale, the total greenhouse gases emitted  is approximately  3% of all carbon dioxide emissions.

Impact of emissions at Terminals and ‘last mile’ have huge impact on carbon footprint

With that perspective, we see that goods are transported in containers by the most efficient way presently available, over significant distances with the minimum exposure to people – out at sea, only to be delivered by trucks for the “last mile” that emit significantly more greenhouse gases per mile than an ocean carrier.

Furthermore, these containers were offloaded, moved, stored, and handled again and again by even more inefficient, fossil fueled vehicles. The process is then repeated when these containers are returned  to shipping terminals, the vast majority of which in Europe and the US,  are empty. These actions, unfortunately, are not conducted out at sea but in densely populated cities.

Introducing greener ships with greener  fuels, unfortunately does nothing to relieve the impact of emissions at the terminals and their surrounding communities – caused by container handling, storage and truck traffic once at port.

Potential Carbon Reduction from New Folding Container Technology

It is here that Staxxon’s new folding container technology can have a significant impact. Staxxon has developed folding technology that allows the ISO standardized steel box to be folded, standing upright, and bundled upright into sets of 2, 3, 4, or even 5 empty containers. These bundled sets move as if they were just the normal box; stacked on a ship in the same way as a conventional container, using all the equipment currently in use to move, stack, transport or lift ISO containers.

This optimization will have a significant positive effect that ripples throughout the entire supply chain including:

  • Delivering 2,3,4, or 5 bundled empties to the terminals using one truck on one chassis can reduce truck emissions by up to 80%
  • Storing 2,3,4, or 5 bundled empties in the space of one container at ground level instead of creating a stack of 5 individual containers
  • Loading a ship in less time allows the ship to leave port sooner and slow steam – cutting a ship’s speed by 10% can reduce fuel consumption by over 15%, further reducing GHG emissions

During the pandemic, major carriers sent empty vessels to pick up ONLY empty containers that had accumulated at the ports. One ship could have picked up 5 times as many boxes had they been using bundled Staxxon folding containers.

Again, during the pandemic, port congestion was a major problem and a cause for great concern. Basically, ports had a massive amount of empties cluttering their storage yards significantly increasing the time needed to load and unload a ship, resulting in an unprecedented queue of ships waiting to dock.

Staxxon’s folding containers would have eliminated most of the port congestion problem if the bundles had just 2 or 3 empties.

Simply stated,  Staxxon folding containers provide a faster, cheaper, and cleaner means to handle the problem of repositioning empty containers and in doing so can make the intermodal shipping industry greener.

To learn more, visit https://staxxon.com/