Alyssa Boutelle
PROJECT
When the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic became clear, the GLG Corporate Markets business unit formed a task force to determine how we could best support our clients using our primary research services.
I was selected as the Client Solutions representative on the task force working alongside account managers, our Strategic Solutions director, and our segment head.
During brainstorming, I steered the task force toward a customer-centric approach, starting with feedback collection from our clients. I spearheaded the collection and analysis of pain points to identify the best service offering and messaging we should send to our clients about how we could best support them through business pains during the pandemic.
challenge
the prompt
The GLG Corporate Markets General Manager asked, how might we reduce the impact of lost revenue due to disruption to our clients' businesses from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic?
our solution
We can alleviate the costs of uncertainty our clients are facing due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
research process
Feedback collection
I created a discussion guide and input form to mobilize the collection of feedback through more than a dozen client solutions and account management professionals. Our team was able to leverage this questions for deeper conversations with our clients (n= 28) resulting in comparable feedback from clients across our book of business.
"Global companies work together remotely every day, but the customer feedback is now missing."
"Things are uncertain - customers are putting meetings off."
"We need to launch research now, as we expect our summer conferences will be cancelled."
pain point analysis
I coded and collated the results from our feedback form to identify patterns in client responses, finding that uncertainty about their customers and supply chains were leading topics of concern.
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Key insight: clients were overwhelmed with information, but not the information they wanted. Our solution would need to be simple, prescriptive, and obvious in its purpose to gain traction.
Cross-functional solution definition
We collaborated to scope a focused solution that specifically addressed the pain points of our clients when it came to uncertainty. We packaged the product in a more prescriptive way that our usual custom-drafted proposals, responding to our clients' decision-fatigue in the face of a completely unprecedented business environment.
message testing
We developed a few test phrases such as "Rapid Demand Forecasting" and "Customer Forecasting" to use with different client personas to be tracked in Salesloft email campaigns and used or retired based on email opens and clicks.
Solution
We launched a Rapid Demand Forecasting Survey offering to our clients, pre-packaged with tiered respondent and pricing options. This survey offering was marketed to over 800 clients in the industrials segment and resulted in six pitches within the first week of launch.
The survey packaged was then adapted and expanded to be marketed to clients in the tech sector, with the first sale coming within three weeks of product launch.
