Strategex, Inc.

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Expert Insights

6 Secrets of a Successful VOC (Hint: It’s Not About Research)

by Tom Taber, Managing Director, VOC  Imagine the following scenario: your company recently conducted a customer satisfaction survey. The process involved much consideration and thoughtful planning for execution. Now the interviews are complete and the results have been reported. There was some positive feedback, but issues were uncovered as well. You want to address the […]

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Do Long Holds in Private Equity Reduce Value Overall?

by Kay Cruse, Vice President, VOC  There’s an interesting phenomenon occurring in today’s private equity world: investors are holding acquisitions longer. In fact, 44% of the current North American private equity inventory was acquired in 2010 or earlier, according to PitchBook. What impact does a longer hold have on value? If holds inherently become lengthened, the […]

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The Loyalty Ladder – Evolving from Vendor to Partner

by Kay Cruse, Vice President, VOC What criteria create the most loyal customer in the B2B world? More importantly, why should you care? Clearly, the most loyal customers deliver a stronger ROI through larger share of wallet, higher prices, and greater profitability. According to our Voice of the Customer research spanning more than 20,000 interviews documenting hundreds […]

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Using a VOC Study to Support M&A Due Diligence

by Tom Taber, Managing Director, VOC  How does your organization approach the due diligence process when considering an acquisition? Most areas of due diligence are well defined: collaboration with various advisors such as accountants, attorneys, bankers, and others as appropriate to support the process and close the deal. The greater challenge in the process ensues […]

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How to Grow a New Acquisition with Customer Feedback

by Tom Taber, Managing Director, VOC Integrating a new business in to your portfolio can be difficult. Defining a growth plan for your acquisition is a greater challenge. But where do you begin? As a new buyer, you’re likely sorting fact from fiction, trying to understand how the business is performing in the market. The […]

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4 Steps to Strengthen Brand Equity

BY KAY CRUSE, VICE PRESIDENT, VOC  What makes one brand more valuable than another? When it comes to defining brand equity, that is the fundamental issue driving our Voice of the Customer (VOC) research. For B2B clients, equity is even more important because it generates the lifeline of profitability between the company and its customer. […]

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B2B Customer Surveys: 10 Mistakes to Avoid

BY TOM TABER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, VOC  Customer surveys are now a common management tool. It seems that everyone is surveying their customers. The problem is that most surveys leave much to be desired. They do little to improve a business and build better customer relationships. Here are ten simple tips to improve the effectiveness of […]

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Employee Satisfaction: The Key to Happy Customers?

by Tom Taber, Managing Director, VOC  Surveys of customer satisfaction have become commonplace among most companies throughout most industries. Nearly every company seeks customer feedback in one form or another. Better yet, more companies are acting on the survey feedback; they’re actually working to fix the problems so their satisfaction scores will rise in the future. That’s […]

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M&A Activity Is at an All-Time High— So Are the Risks

by Kay Cruse, VP, VOC Strategic Practice | ABOUT KAY The degree of multiples is at an all-time high—as much as 10 times the earnings. Leverage is now approaching 62%: not only are deals harder to secure, they are more expensive to pay for and to finance. The market climate necessitates including customer due diligence as part of the standard process. […]

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