Why?

I’ve often been told I’m inquisitive by nature and that a childlike sense of curiosity permeates through my personality. I envision myself having been that caricature of an annoyingly sweet child always asking “Why? Why? Why?” as my parents silently pull out clumps of hair while grinding their teeth. Perhaps this is the reason I’ve found myself in the market research industry for the past five-plus years and enjoying almost every second of it.

One of the many things that fascinates me about this industry is how welcomed the question “Why?” is in everyday business. Our clients contract us to find out “why” things are the way they are. As a student of economics, both behavioral and business, I’ve come to appreciate that simple yet so complex three-letter word.

The easiest arena in which to ask that question is, of course, face-to-face. There are times when this method is ideal—focus groups and intercept surveys come to mind first and foremost. However, there are other times when it’s cost-prohibitive to commit resources to such an endeavor. One solution? Telephone interviews with a client’s customers.

But why?

While market researchers adhere rather strictly to a scripted set of interview questions during a telephone survey, we are often compelled by that inquisitive nature to go “off-script” and ask what are called probing questions, the most common and informative of which is “Why?”

But why?

One of the staple questions of a customer survey is “What is Company X’s main strength?” Likewise, one of the staple responses to such a question is “The staff.” If the interviewee is filling out his own paper-and-pencil survey, answering an online survey, or dealing with an inexperienced live researcher, that’s all you’re going to get—a bland, flavorless, stock response that provides no insight whatsoever. The probing question “Why?” will almost always yield an anecdote that tells of a positive customer service or sales experience that data analysts and report writers can use to tell an overarching story about why customers appreciate Company X.

Needless to say, the probing question “Why?” is equally, if not more so, important when it comes to findings areas for improvement. It does little good for our imaginary Company X to learn that its main weakness is, for instance, its lead time (the time it takes from order placement to order shipment). It’s more useful to know why lead time is an issue—perhaps the real issue is a complicated computer system, or a slow supplier, or even staff that doesn’t record orders properly.

“Why?” makes a big difference when devoting resources to address weaknesses. Rather than blindly throwing countless dollars and hours at an issue and hope that something works, “Why?” can help Company X be precise in its improvement efforts, saving time and money. Nowadays, that’s golden.

There are many things “Why?” can do for your business and your bottom line. Above all, “Why?” will help you Know More so you can Do More. If you’d like to know what “Why?” can do for you, call us toll-free at 1-800-999-6615, email us at mail@tweedweber.com and/or visit us on the web at www.tweedweber.com. Also, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn (Tweed-Weber, Inc.) and Twitter (@TweedWeber).

About the author: Michael Thompson has been with Tweed-Weber, Inc. since 2008 and serves as Project Manager. He handles all internal aspects of market research projects, including implementation, database creation, data analysis, and report writing.