RES/320
10/1/2012

Research
There are many uses for research within an organization. Whether the research is for marketing purposes are customer satisfaction each organization conducts research and uses it to help benefit the organization.
Where I currently work research is conducted by the company to learn about the unknown. As a general rule, research is used by gathering information and processing the information to find out about an unknown variable. In the case where I work the company uses this information not only to learn new things that are unknown but also to ensure that the company is moving in the right direction. The company I work for uses the research it gathers to make good business decisions.
The organization I work for uses research that in conducted by a third party organization that is hired and paid by my organization to find out what the next big thing will be in the television industry and also to find out whether or not customers are happy with the technology they are using. Also, there is research done on whether there is any improvements the customers feel could help improve on the technology they are using.
The organization I work for could be more effective in the research than they currently are by simply following some things that I have noticed while working within the organization that they do not appear to currently being doing. First, I think it would be wise for the organization to study competitor’s ads and sales for the same type of services offered. Sure it’s great to feel so confident in your product that you feel there is no need to do this. However, in my opinion there are two main reasons for studying your competitor’s ads.
By studying your competitors more you can find out what’s already working within your industry. In some cases, if the organization feels something is already working they can beat out the competitor. Second, it’s equally important to have some differentiation to what the organization is sayings to what the competitors are saying. The competitive intelligence is important because it can help the organization develop a pitch for sales that is unique and be both better and different.
For example, while I was surfing my company’s web site the other day I noticed that both our company and the competitor were stating the identical thing in terms of being able to provide the most television channels at the most affordable price. This is where research is crucial to ensure that there is differentiation and also is an area I feel demonstrates my point on how the organization I work for could improve.
An area that the company I work for does very well in is customer feedback. I think that although the company does well in this area almost any process can also be refined and improved. One suggestion here is taking the idea of customer satisfaction surveys by internet and phone to a new level. I think if my organization were to create a web blog were customers could share their experiences this would be extremely powerful and useful. This would really help with research regarding new product launches.
For example, it is extremely empowering for a business and makes customers feels great when they hear that a product was improved as a direct result of their feedback on the blog. A blog is also a very low stress manner for customers to feel free to express themselves and is a great way I feel my organization could tap into the minds of its customer base.
Overall, the organization I work for does a great job on managing its resources and utilizing research to improve decision making that benefits the business and its customers. While research is the key to decision making, it does not always need to be elaborate to be effective. Sometimes small efforts, such as doing a quick search on the Internet, will provide the needed information. However, for most organizations; such as the one I work for there are times when more elaborate research work is needed and understanding the right way to conduct research, whether performing the work themselves or hiring someone else to handle it, can increase the effectiveness of these projects.