Services

Shown below is a brief discussion of some of the methods that we tend to utilize in one manner or another in developing our approach to meeting your objectives. Our initial meeting with you and our own study/observations of your particular situation will help determine exactly what approach should be taken. A single solution won't necessarily provide all the answers you need, which is why we customize our methodology to address your specific needs.

Needs Assessment

Many times organizations know that something is just “missing,” but don’t know exactly what. A carefully designed needs assessment can help shed light on exactly what areas require the most focus so your organization's resources can be directed there.

Program Evaluation

A specific field of study that deals both with a study of stakeholder needs and specifically addresses whether the systems in place to serve those stakeholders are accomplishing what they’re supposed to. In his doctoral program our company president had the opportunity to study under and work with some nationally recognized experts in program evaluation. We have found that this unique approach is often underutilized in market research and that some elements are powerful compliments in the study and improvement of customer satisfaction. If the term “stakeholder” isn’t being used with great frequency in your organization, let us show you what it means to your bottom line.

Focus Groups

We prefer to call our approach to the Focus Group methodology "Discovery Sessions." Focus groups can be a very powerful exploratory research tool, but they have also been misused and misapplied with an unfortunately growing frequency in recent years. As such, a more effective hybrid methodology developed by the EMI team may best suit your objectives. IF and only IF our initial discussions with you tell us it’s the best approach to your unique situation, a Focus Group Discovery Session will be customized to meet your needs. We have a number of qualified focus group moderators. In addition to being professional moderator, Dr. Smith was one of Dale Carnegie’s highest rated human relations course facilitators in the 1990s. This unique combination of skills enables Dr. Smith to effectively lead the group through an in-depth discussion of the client’s specific topical areas.

Customer Relationship Management

This term has become a great deal more popular in recent years thanks in no small part to the proliferation of technology and the many case studies of companies who have successfully capitalized upon the value of customer information. An ethically approached, well-designed customer relationship management system can help any organization build a cohesive relationship with its customers that is virtually impenetrable by competition! Regardless of where your organization is with its CRM system, we can help make it more valuable and help ensure you’re maximizing your relationships with your customers. Be sure to ask about the exciting new web-based systems we can develop for you.

Market-Driven Quality Systems (TQM)

Some say Total Quality Management had its day, came and went, and is now gathering dust in “fads” wing of the Great Museum of Business History. We believe if properly applied this management system is as relevant and offers as much potential today as it did when Dr. W. Edwards Deming helped bring it into the business world half a century ago. Our market-driven quality approach is a common thread in work we do for all clients, but offers especially high returns when used to compliment the client organization’s existing quality initiatives regardless of the stage of their implementation.

Systems Analysis

Think a “systemized approach” is only for a manufacturing operation and won’t benefit a service business? That only huge companies or franchises can benefit from an intense focus on systemization? Want more confidence regarding your operations? If the answer to any of these questions is “Yes,” then your business can benefit from an in-depth systems study, analysis, and improvement program. Our team will employ a number of approaches (which may include elements of TQM, Six Sigma, ISO-9000, etc.) to help you take a critical look at your entire operational system and help you discover ways to improve even the most efficient. The organizations that dominate are those with the best systems!

Brand Audits

Your brand is the most valuable asset on your balance sheet and your customer is who sets that value! We have a number of qualified professionals we can assign to help you evaluate your brand from top to bottom. The insight you gain specific to your stakeholders’ perceptions of your brand will help you make it even stronger and help eliminate much of the guesswork regarding what is working and what isn’t. A brand audit is a good starting point in any marketing or strategic campaign, and is also good to use at various checkpoints and when working to take the brand to the next level.

Employee Surveys

“Internal Customers” these folks are sometimes called, and they play a crucial role in the success of your organization. They have a great deal to offer but their contributions to the organization will only be as valuable as how well they know, understand, and believe in the mission of the organization. An important step in strategic marketing is opening and utilizing a dialogue with them. There are right ways and wrong ways to go about doing it. Let us help guide you through this sometimes tricky but inevitably rewarding process!