If anyone believed that COVID-19 and its associated restrictions may have given enterprises a chance to slow their pace and plan the way forward on a relaxed schedule, then they have been sorely disappointed. The global pandemic has accelerated digital transformations, fueled technological innovation and investment, and disrupted the workforce in ways that few could have imagined just 18 months ago. Unsurprisingly, rapid change has impacted insights delivery too.

When sharing the Maru Text Analytics capability with clients, one of the first questions we are often asked is ‘What level of accuracy can I achieve?”

Speaking to people keen to use automated verbatim analysis tools, they’ve often been promised 100% accuracy from this sort of technology in the past, only to find that this is never the case.

Accuracy is frequently dependent on a number of different factors. Using Maru’s Text Analytics, maximum accuracy is achievable but it needs to be considered in a framework of best practice golden rules for unstructured data analysis.

Questions of Cybersecurity and Compliance are rarely out of the headlines these days. It is a serious set of issues for Enterprise working with Software vendors. For the vendor appropriate delivery requires a serious commitment in resource, policy and continuous assessment.

To help Enterprise inform thinking on the suitability and credibility of Software vendors we have defined below the four main themes that should be evidenced by CX and Insights Software providers.

Great CX programs shape the roadmap to deliver better experiences. Yet most programs are focused exclusively on metrics which summarize how the customer rationally thinks about a touchpoint post the experience. This focus on the rational misses the crucial emotional element of a brand experience. We have evidence that brilliant customer outcomes are the result of using these rational metrics that show the business what needs improving combined with Emotional CX measurement which uncovers how it needs improving.

The increasing need to work efficiently and effectively with tightening budget and resource means that Agile research tools and platforms have become a staple of any good research toolkit. Well-executed Agile research delivers insights at the speed of business. To meet the highest standards and have speed the software platform used must have the right capabilities.

Being a parent and living through a pandemic has been tough going, both for parents and children. We know this from our recent COVID-19 tracker, which demonstrated that the health of the family was prioritised over many other factors such as personal wealth, fulfillment and the wider economy.

The enforced social lockdowns to combat the coronavirus pandemic around the world created a new army of homeworkers. With restrictions now easing, recent data from our Maru/Matchbox Feel, Behave, Think COVID-19 tracker suggests 40% prefer their work from home setup over office work. It’s a pattern that’s so prevalent that even tech giants like Twitter have announced the end of their global workplace altogether.

A recent discovery of an enormous underground monument surrounding Stonehenge underscores the power of technology, teamwork, and a relentless pursuit of deep understanding. This discovery is a reminder to insights professionals of the value of embracing new insights tools that provide fresh perspectives.

According to the latest Maru data, a sizeable 70% of fans have paused their paid-for TV sport subscriptions since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. And perhaps more worryingly for some, 1 in 5 (22%) sports subscribers have stated that they won’t return to paid-for sport once the season resumes.

Emotions are driving our daily decision-making more than ever; implicit results from our own COVID-19 Feel, Behave, Think tracker demonstrated that people’s excess household purchases were driven entirely out of fear and a loss of control. But failing to effectively understand these emotions poses a massive threat to the future of brands. It’s never been more important to understand effectively how people Feel, as well as how they Think and Behave.

Many things have changed because of the outbreak of COVID-19. Places once teeming with people are painfully empty. Normal routines of heading out to work, school, and shopping have been forcibly replaced with yet another day at home, in isolation, and with social distance. Playgrounds, once ringing with squeals of delight and laughter, are silent. But one thing has not been altered: people’s desire to make their voice heard.

According to behavioral scientists, emotions often overwhelm logical human decision-making. It means that understanding how consumers Feel, as well as Think and Behave is essential to delivering customer connections that grow your business. Businesses must evaluate research issues through both System 1 and System 2 lenses to capture a holistic view of consumer understanding.

Consumer attitudes towards the environment are changing. 89% of the 722 UK shoppers we surveyed in November of 2019 are concerned about the environment, and a quarter of them feel that their level of concern will likely grow over the next twelve months.

The issue of the quantity of customer information is exacerbated by the fact that it is often fragmented due to it being collected from multiple sources and not well defined at the source of data collection.

So what is the solution to this problem? Focus.

Over the last 10 years psychology researchers have established that many decisions we make are not rational but based on fast, intuitive and non-conscious thinking. While we might think we are rational beings, we often can’t (or won’t explain) why or how we decide what we do. In 2011, Nobel prize-winning academic Daniel Kahneman brought this idea to the mainstream. His book ‘Thinking Fast and Slow’ that popularised the phrases ‘System 1’ and ‘System 2’ to describe how people think and make decisions.

Customer satisfaction and loyalty were the centre of the conversation at the recent CX Exchange for Telecoms event. It was great to hear from speakers across the industry talk about the benefits, challenges and various telecom customer experience strategies. They are all working to ensure that their business places the customer at the heart of their decision making.

The success or failure of the insights industry is entirely dependent on the quality of our relationships with the people who complete our surveys. At Maru/Blue we are committed to treating our respondents like people—people willing to share their time, opinions and experiences with us. We recently conducted video interviews with members of our Maru Voice UK community, and asked them what they like and dislike about doing surveys. We also solicited suggestions for improving the survey experience. The results reveal a need to radically change how the industry conducts research and how it treats respondents.

“Why do you say that?” “How important is value to you when choosing which brand of paint to purchase?” These kinds of questions get asked all the time. The answers they elicit are not just useless, they are misleading. They steer us away from the truth and instead provide us with false information that confirms accepted myths.

Customer feedback is vital for brands looking to protect and grow their market share. Understanding customer’s wants, needs and expectations means providers can better service customers through streamlined services, targeted product offerings and improved experiences. And businesses who work to actively improve customer service can, and will, see revenue grow.