In today's rapidly changing business environment, the features that put your business a step ahead of the competition less than 12 months ago may now be things that customers expect from any company in your industry. The evolution in customer expectations of Web sites provides a fitting example.

Message Factors recently used Value Analysis^SM  - a proprietary research tool - to  evaluate a business-to-business company's online relationship with its customers. This detailed study revealed some interesting and important changes in customers' value perceptions about the company's Web site, which in turn led to a specific plan of action for improvement.

The study found that Web site features that were once considered extremely valuable (such as the ease of buying products and secure online ordering) had become basic customer expectations. The study also pinpointed valued features (such as logical page layout) that also will likely become basic expectations in the future. Value Analysis revealed that customers wanted, but were not getting, a Web site tailored especially for them—one that offered incentives to keep them coming back. Armed with this information, the company was able to:

• Enhance the Web site to include those features that drive customer loyalty and retention.

• Revise key messages to effectively promote the site's highly valued features.

• Allocate Web development resources more efficiently and effectively.

Of course, changes in customers' wants and needs are not limited to e-commerce. Message Factors has successfully completed more than 600 Value Analysis studies in a broad range of industries, evaluating virtually every aspect of the company-customer relationship. The result of each is a specific list of action steps to improve customer retention, loyalty, and profitability.

Have customers changed they way they think about your business? And if they have, how would you know? If you are willing to invest just one hour of your time, we can show you how Value Analysis works and discuss specific applications for your company. To arrange an appointment, please call us at 901-683-5350.  You can also contact us via the web at info@messagefactors.com or complete the Information Request Form.

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