The catastrophic events that led to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has left BP with one of the biggest natural and human disasters since the Ixtoc oil spill of 1979.

However, the case of BP is an interesting one due to the strategic decisions made before, during and after the disaster but could they have managed it better?

Although they have spent over £67.5bn to clean up the oil spill, as of October 2010, there was still 93 miles of shore line still suffering moderately to heavy oil pollution with 7% of the gulfs fishing area still closed affecting not just the local communities in the area but the whole supply chain associated with the industry.[1]

According to report by Moody’s Investment Analytics, the oil spill is predicted to impact 17,000 jobs and cost $1.2 billion dollars to the local economy.

What would CSM do?

In a hypothetical situation, how would CSM help? What research tools would we use and how could we make them understand the opinions held by their stakeholders, increase sales and the reasons why people would do their business with them rather than not.

The problem presented to BP is identifying how this natural disaster has affected the choices their customers are making when filling up their vehicles and getting the voice of those lapsed/defected customers from a grass roots level and into the executive board meetings where the right strategic decisions can be made to build back BP’s positive brand equity to levels before the disaster.

Although this may be a set a long term strategic decision made over several years, in our opinion, having the voice of the customer central to any decisions made should ensure that any steps taken are always aligned to the hearts of consumers.

Telephone Survey Top Tips

Using the telephone for engagement and data capture, delivers insight as it allows you to probe the direct responses of your participants. Follow our tips below to improve efficiency and response rates.

The focus on customer experience in 2010 has grown exponentially throughout the year (see back issue) and although there are some schools of thought that say the bubble will burst in 2011, it is important not to overlook that there are some valuable lessons and ideas that your organisation can benefit from and put into practice to serve your customers better and retain them for longer.

So how can you keep your customers for longer? There are probably many answers to this elusive question but today, I hope to shed some light on some of the triggers we have uncovered here at CSM and share them with you.