Audience understanding and branding research to improve customer perceptions – Equans

The brief

Equans is a global market leader in the sector with 74,000 employees leveraging 200 years of expertise.

In the UK & Ireland, Equans is a provider of technical, FM, regeneration and energy services – with specialist capabilities in smart buildings, green mobility, district & embedded energy and decentralised renewables.

Equans’ 13,500 UK & Ireland employees combine these activities to help businesses, public sector organisations and government to embrace the energy transition towards net zero, and also the digital & industrial transitions that are redesigning the way we move, work and live.

The business had recently had a period of change – from a branding and ownership perspective. In light of the changes, Equans was looking to better understand its strengths and weaknesses regarding service delivery, administration and brand perception, as well as to identify opportunities and evaluate the ‘value’ of the brand.

Equans is a global market leader in the sector with 74,000 employees

Solution

In order to understand Equans audience and brand perceptions, Sapio conducted 20 online in-depth interviews with current Equans customers. Contacts were provided by Equans and included customers across the UK from a variety of different sectors – including healthcare, mobile services, Central Government, and more. Interviews lasted approximately 45 minutes and were conducted with individuals who held Management or Director level positions in a Facilities / Estates / Technical Services role.

The outcome

Sapio undertook the design and execution of the work as well as the analysis of the data collected, presenting it back to Equans’ Executive Board. The research helped to identify how customers perceived Equans, its key strengths and weaknesses, and also key opportunities for the business to explore. Based on customers’ experiences, opinions and perceptions we were able to help Equans identify key areas to achieve stand out among competitors and to help them improve customer experience.

As a result of the research Equans has launched a company-wide project led by their Executive leadership team.

Using the key areas for improvement highlighted by the Sapio project, a number of work streams have been setup that will allow the business to track progress and make key improvements on the areas raised.

Richard Morgan, Head of Customer Experience at Equans UK & Ireland, commented:
“The work Sapio carried out has given us clearer visibility on our customers views and perceptions. It has enabled our organisation to have an increased focus on the areas that really matter to our customers and to also celebrate the positive feedback that we received as part of the process.”

‹ Success Stories

Praxis Medicare

Understanding market opportunity for an AI-driven digital healthcare technology solution.

The brief

The start-up Praxis Medicare was looking to understand the market opportunity for a digital healthcare technology solution. Designed to help organisations (particularly SMEs), the system, which is based on historical healthcare data, uses Artificial Intelligence (AI), plus employees’ responses to help minimise absenteeism, improve engagement, increase staff retention levels and attract high calibre members of staff.

The advanced digital health risk analytics programme was awarded a grant by Innovate UK to test its commercial feasibility as it fitted into the Government brief of:

improving patient outcomes
offering new approaches to healthcare that transform its delivery
reducing the demand on the health system

This feasibility project specifically set-out to understand the required tonality of an AI proposition and its resonance if the output was Productivity/Econometrics based or Employee Engagement/Retention focused.

Understanding the market opportunity for a digital healthcare technology solution

A series of exploratory in-depth face-to-face interviews and a quantitative research phase

What we did

A series of exploratory in-depth face-to-face interviews, using professionally developed customer journey stimulus and story boards, were completed to explain the concept and help to understand the potential issues and perceived benefits. This was then complemented by a quantitative research phase to validate the findings and help develop a go-to-market strategy. Particular insight was provided around dashboard UX/tonality, price point analysis and the characteristics that prospects needed to exhibit. All of the interviews were completed with business managers in high churn industries with specific responsibly for HR and talent acquisition.

The outcome

The project gave Praxis the evidence it needed to meet the review criteria of Innovate UK, the insight required to develop the system further and a route map to take the solution to market.

‹ Success Stories

Jungheinrich

Power Buy the Hour - Using audience understanding to get true impact and innovation.

The brief

Jungheinrich, the leading intralogistics solution provider in Europe wanted to understand the market opportunity for an initiative, using the UK as a test bed. It was an entirely new truck acquisition and charging model based on the use of Telematics data; a technology which has the possibility of redefining the short term rental market for Fork Lift Trucks. Project requirements were two fold, not only generating strategic insights, but also forming part of a thought leadership campaign.

Understanding market opportunity

300 interviews with managers and directors responsible for Fork Lift truck fleets

What we did

Working with Jungheinrich to map out and define the challenges, using the principles of design thinking, Sapio designed the project. Sapio completed 300 interviews with managers and directors responsible for Fork Lift truck fleets. The research, which looked at three key principles of innovation: Desirability, Viability and Feasibility, highlighted the issues that would both encourage and inhibit adoption.

The outcome

The research showed how the complex proposition could be broken down, developed and marketed around three key pillars:

Emotional Innovation
Functional Innovation
Process Innovation

It provided a route map that helped Jungheinrich evaluate the opportunity. The report included price point analysis, recommendations on the proposition structure and tactics on taking the product to market. Within the first six months, a new app was created and launch targets smashed. The pilot launch quickly identified internal training requirements, led to business restructuring and redefining of the brand promise. The new proposition was adopted throughout Europe within nine months. An amazingly agile response from a global giant.

Discovery of 3 marketing pillars

Coverage success

The new proposition was received well by market influencers with many pieces of coverage such as in Logistics Manager. The supporting PR campaign was one of the client’s most successful, even before it pitched its Thought Leadership paper.

The insight findings were presented at the Market Research Society (MRS) conference “Driving Transformation Through Insight”. The presentation summarising key findings is available as a download. A White Paper on the research and proposition is available as a PDF report with the findings published by Research Live.

‹ Success Stories

Maths – No Problem!

Enabling a disruptor in Education Publishing.

Thank you again so much for all of your tremendously hard and FAST work to secure us the research data in time, and to even get us your analysis deck earlier than we even anticipated! During that crazy sprint before the Christmas break being able to get extra thinking time to leverage the data was really appreciated.

With your help, we were able to successfully translate the findings to a finalised narrative and whitepaper outline pre-holidays, enabling the team to focus on finalising the whitepaper and supplementing it with case studies and quotes post holidays.

Sophia Brockman
International planning Director, APAC & EMEA
We communications

The brief

Maths – No Problem!, a family owned publisher offering a teaching maths for mastery programme consisting of a print, digital and CPD offering, is on the brink of becoming one of the biggest disruptors in its space.

As the only provider to be approved for the Government’s Maths Mastery programme (a £41 million Government investment, match funding mastery textbooks for 8,000 Primary Schools), Maths – No Problem! wanted to fully harness this opportunity, whilst maintaining the integrity of its programme. Maths – No Problem! wanted to understand the competitive landscape, what drives schools to choose its programme, what’s working well and understand areas for potential improvement. Although the feedback needed to be from users, it couldn’t be a conventional customer survey as the users are not yet experts in the new maths system; their opinions needed to viewed from a different perspective as Maths – No Problem! drives programmes that will impact the leaders of tomorrow.

Understanding the competitive landscape, what drives schools to choose its programme, what’s working well and understand areas for potential improvement

Twelve tele-depth interviews

Solution

A phased, mixed methodology was designed which complemented the customer immersion work already being undertaken by the organisation. Twelve tele-depth interviews were conducted with maths leads in new and old accounts that covered a range of primary school demographics. While many findings were expected a number threw a curved ball into the understanding of the competitive landscape. The programme progressed to the quantification stage as planned, but upon reflection of the insights its focus was quite different. There followed 147 online interviews were subsequently conducted online.

The outcome

Not only did the programme produce a raft of insights relevant to product development needs, but insights around platform UX, marketing campaigns and customer service were also identified. The results solidified current thinking and took it way beyond the project’s initial objectives; the qualitative stage alone being credited as being more helpful in terms of strategy development than the outputs of a conventional consultant commissioned a little earlier.

Although the use of the insights is in its early stages, Maths No Problem! is already well on the way to smashing renewal and new business targets, and its Net Promotor Score is outstanding. It’s also won the IPG Independent Publishing Award for Education Publisher of the year 2017 and the disquiet among competitors suggests that it’s a disruptor to be reckoned with.

The Maths — No Problem! Primary Series is now the only recommended textbook for schools on the mastery programme.

The Maths — No Problem! Primary Series is now the only recommended textbook for schools on the mastery programme

‹ Success Stories

Charles Russell Speechlys

Policy recommendations based on insights from the Social Care Sector to reinforce the firm's positive reputation.

The brief

Reinforce the law firm, Charles Russell Speechlys’ positive reputation and offer Partners a platform from which to demonstrate their knowledge and expertise. Insights also needed to inform a division’s business and relationship development strategy, and lead to content that could be shared publicly. Given the uncertainty caused by the Brexit vote the adult social care sector was one such sector where the impact of leaving the EU needed to be understood and expertise shared.

Reinforce the firm’s positive reputation

19 in-depth interviews

What we did

Sapio Research devised a programme of 19 in-depth interviews via phone with care home directors and owners, covering more than 1,300 elderly, domiciliary and specialist care homes, within excess of 39,000 beds. The work identified the proportion of non-UK nationals working in the sector and estimated the impact on future recruitment and retention. We identified best practice in this area and elements within the landscape that were likely to exasperate things, even identifying specific calls to action.

The outcome

Our client was able to confidently enter into the immigration debate recommending that the Government put carers on the skills shortage list, open up Tier 2 to ‘non skilled care workers’ and that simplifying the process was essential to maintaining a good quality care standard with availability. The point of view (which was published in a white paper) led to invitations to present at vertically targeted conferences and interviews on The Today programme Radio 4. The outputs were even referenced in House of Common debates and client relationships were strengthened.

Confidently enter into the immigration debate with policy recommendations

‹ Success Stories

Kimberly-Clark Professional

Validating user preference to support new product launch.

As a workplace strategy consultancy, engaging effectively with our client’s employees is critical and Sapio is our go-to supplier for staff surveys. The process is always stress-free and turnaround times for both building the survey and providing the results data are very quick. I particularly appreciate the way Sapio demonstrate a real concern for quality and frequently make helpful suggestions regarding question formats or raise a query if something doesn’t look right in the question set. I have found them to be unfailingly helpful and responsive and would not hesitate to recommend them.

Judy Gavan
Associate Director
HCG

The brief

Kimberly-Clark Professional partners with businesses to create “Exceptional Workplaces”, helping make them healthier, safer and more productive. It manufactures and supplies out of home washroom, industrial wiping and PPE products, and introduces innovations into the market regularly. Although its own work identifies strengths K-CP recognises the power of having independent, objective proof that its products are better than the competition. To support product launches it’s essential that it has robust claims that can withstand legal scrutiny if necessary and be useable in a range of marketing content. Overcome the fact that customers and distributors have been used to using, buying and selling folded towels, and didn’t “think rolled”.

To support product launches with robust claim

Taking desired marketing claims, converting them into consumer research statements, and running them through an analysis framework

What we did

A large scale utility, performance and user preference testing project was designed. This took 200 office and healthcare workers through the process of simulating activities, testing and evaluating 10 separate products covering client and competitor samples, in a hall test environment.

Sapio have developed a pro forma that efficiently takes the desired marketing claims, converts them into consumer research statements, and runs them through an analysis framework. The project planning stage is also streamline and standardised.

As part of the approach Sapio has also devised a way of efficiently setting up and managing the tests with supervisors and interviewers who are trained and familiar with the type of simulations, rotation schemes, respondents and subject area. The approach allows us to deliver the results smoothly within 5 weeks of briefing.

The outcome

The results supported the successful launch of the product at the Cleaning Show 2017 and has since received coverage in highly targeted vertical press such as Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine. They have also formed the basis of proof for sales support collateral including YouTube videos and flyers.

It was the first Category Story, engaging internal and channel stakeholders alike. Kleenex® and Scott® Rolled Hand Towel was their fastest and most effective launch ever, in over 20 countries in 12 languages in just 2 months. The marketing campaign was shortlisted for a B2B marketing award.

Successful launch of the product

‹ Success Stories

BW

Initiating a conversation to understand what was causing gender imbalance in the Fit Out sector.

The brief

BW was aware of the gender “in balance” that existed in the Fit Out sector and wanted to initiate a conversation by understanding what was causing it, what could be done to help improve the situation and how more women could be attracted into the Industry. The initiative needed to be positive, focused on the importance of “balance” and be something that key employers in the industry could align with.

Initiate a conversation by understanding what was causing gender imbalance

A series of workshops with women of different ages and seniority from the range of disciplines

What we did

A series of workshops with women of different ages and seniority from the range of disciplines that make up the Fit Out Industry: Architects, Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors, Office Designers, Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) consultants etc. The workshops, which were run under “Chatham House”, rules set out to: understand the issues, identify potential sources of prejudice and identify ways in which the industry could be promoted in a more positive light. While convectional facilitation processes were used these were complemented by projective techniques to help make the outputs as creative as possible.

The outcome

A different perspective on the causes of the gender “in balance” challenges facing the industry and a series of actions that could be taken to help improve the situation. Combined with the momentum and goodwill engendered by the workshops BW was in an excellent position to lead a campaign and help bring about change in the Fit Out Industry.

A different perspective

‹ Success Stories

OpenText

Generating insight that to help position OpenText as thought leaders on Digital Transformation and Industry 4.0 in the Manufacturing sectors in the UK and Nordics.

The brief

To generate insight that would help position OpenText as thought leaders on Digital Transformation and Industry 4.0 in the Manufacturing sectors in the UK and Nordics. The research needed to be insightful, build on what was already published, be interesting enough to present as part of OpenText’s Innovation Tour in London and Stockholm and provide collateral for a White Paper.

Generate insight that would help position OpenText as thought leaders

Extensive secondary research to identify topics

What we did

Extensive secondary research to identify topics and issues that had already been covered – and were trending – and then, in conjunction with OpenText, developed themes that would benefit from further original research. The original research needed to build on what was known, be of interest and help OpenText establish a Point of View.

The outcome

A telephone research study of 150 “C” suite decision makers that identified the drivers and challenges manufacturers were experiencing on their Digital Transformation journeys. While technology was a challenge it wasn’t necessarily the one people expected and the study also identified a whole new set of people orientated challenges that hadn’t necessarily been anticipated – the new skills shortage. The results were presented as part of OpenText’s Global Innovation tour, developed into a Thought Leadership piece and summarised in an Infographic.

Identified undiscovered challenges

We were very pleased to discover their approach to developing and building out our brief and delivering additional assets to the project.

Tom Leeson
Industry & Value Marketing Strategist
OpenText

‹ Success Stories

Synchronoss

Enterprise Mobility – The benefits delivered.

As a workplace strategy consultancy, engaging effectively with our client’s employees is critical and Sapio is our go-to supplier for staff surveys. The process is always stress-free and turnaround times for both building the survey and providing the results data are very quick. I particularly appreciate the way Sapio demonstrate a real concern for quality and frequently make helpful suggestions regarding question formats or raise a query if something doesn’t look right in the question set. I have found them to be unfailingly helpful and responsive and would not hesitate to recommend them.

Judy Gavan
Associate Director
HCG

The brief

To help support their service set, Synchronoss, a provider of mobile software and platform solutions, wanted to show a relationship between enterprise mobility and business success.

Show a relationship between enterprise mobility and business success

526 “mobile maturity decision makers” working in IT departments within medium and large sized companies across the UK and US were interviewed

What we did

Sapio partnered with the clients PR agency to design a suitable questionnaire. 526 “mobile maturity decision makers” working in IT departments within medium and large sized companies across the UK and US were interviewed with an online survey. Sapio and the PR agency developed an analytics frameworks to show a relationship between business success measures (e.g. turnover as a percentage of gross profit) and the level of mobile maturity within organisations.

The outcome

The framework successfully showed that organisations with high mobile maturity performed better. The research received coverage in Business Wire and Beta News as well as being recognised by the Financial Times. A whitepaper was produced by Synchronoss to outline the findings.

The research received coverage in Business Wire and Beta News as well as being recognised by the Financial Times.

‹ Success Stories

Iptor

Supply Chain KPI’s – Which really deliver?

The brief

To launch their new branding, Iptor, a provider of distribution management software, desired a supporting research piece to grab the attention of the logistics industry.

A supporting research piece to help launch their new brand

Interviewing 500 logistics professionals

What we did

Sapio interviewed 500 logistics professionals across the UK, US, Australia, Benelux, and the Nordics with an online survey.

The outcome

The research revealed the key challenges to supply chains included: complexities within, the trace-ability of products, and striking a balance between being cost efficient and sustainable. The research supported an event by Iptor attended by industry journalists, and received media coverage from a variety of outlets including Retail Times, Logistics & Supply Chain, and SHD Logistics, its even been referenced by other research companies as a highly relevant article as an authoritative whitepaper has been produced.

Topical tips, insights and more delivered to your inbox

Need something similar?

Highlighted services

The brief

Equans is a global market leader in the sector with 74,000 employees

Solution

The outcome

Need help figuring out the research you need?

Topical tips, insights and more delivered to your inbox

Need something similar?

Highlighted services

The brief

Understanding the market opportunity for a digital healthcare technology solution

A series of exploratory in-depth face-to-face interviews and a quantitative research phase

What we did

The outcome

Need help figuring out the research you need?

Topical tips, insights and more delivered to your inbox

Need something similar?

Highlighted services

The brief

Understanding market opportunity

300 interviews with managers and directors responsible for Fork Lift truck fleets

What we did

The outcome

Discovery of 3 marketing pillars

Coverage success

Need help figuring out the research you need?

Topical tips, insights and more delivered to your inbox

Need something similar?

Highlighted services

The brief

Understanding the competitive landscape, what drives schools to choose its programme, what’s working well and understand areas for potential improvement

Twelve tele-depth interviews

Solution

The outcome

The Maths — No Problem! Primary Series is now the only recommended textbook for schools on the mastery programme

Need help figuring out the research you need?

Topical tips, insights and more delivered to your inbox

Need something similar?

Related services

The brief

Reinforce the firm’s positive reputation

19 in-depth interviews

What we did

The outcome

Confidently enter into the immigration debate with policy recommendations

Need help figuring out the research you need?

Topical tips, insights and more delivered to your inbox

Need something similar?

Highlighted services

The brief

To support product launches with robust claim

Taking desired marketing claims, converting them into consumer research statements, and running them through an analysis framework

What we did

The outcome

Successful launch of the product

Need help figuring out the research you need?

Topical tips, insights and more delivered to your inbox

Need something similar?

Highlighted services

The brief

Initiate a conversation by understanding what was causing gender imbalance

A series of workshops with women of different ages and seniority from the range of disciplines

What we did

The outcome

A different perspective

Need help figuring out the research you need?

Topical tips, insights and more delivered to your inbox

Need something similar?

Highlighted services

The brief

Generate insight that would help position OpenText as thought leaders

Extensive secondary research to identify topics

What we did

The outcome

Identified undiscovered challenges

Need help figuring out the research you need?

Topical tips, insights and more delivered to your inbox

Need something similar?