Rating Multiple Attributes - Keep it Simple!
Companies who invest in a campaign to market their unique
advantages need to know if their strategy has paid off.
To find out, respondents are often asked to rate the company
on multiple attributes of service.
Measuring multiple attributes of service is simple enough
when only one company is rated. If one company is contrasted
against others, however, the method can become tedious
for the respondent and may yield confusing results. It's
important to keep it simple.
Rather than ask respondents to rate each competitor on
multiple attributes of service, we ask the respondent to
choose one company that rates highest in each attribute
of service. This method offers several advantages:
1. The respondent is more engaged in comparing companies
than rating each one separately.
2. Each attribute is rated only once. This
reduces respondent fatigue, as well as survey time and
cost.
3. The results are easily understood.
Respondents may be asked to determine which company has
the most convenient location, friendliest service, best
reputation, widest range of services, most convenient hours,
or best prices. Using this method quickly highlights the
strengths and weaknesses of one company, as compared to
another.
To determine the effectiveness of your marketing campaign
in reaching non-customers, respondents are sometimes asked
to report on "top-of-mind awareness." They are
asked, based on various attributes, to name the company
that most readily comes to mind.
When the success of your marketing strategy is best determined
through rating multiple attributes, it always
pays to keep it simple. ‡
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