Derek Jones started a marketing consultancy, Business Vision, after completing a Cranfield University MBA in 1992. Derek learnt that the business managers with whom Business Vision worked needed timely customer feedback to effect the organisational change and deliver the improved business performance that was expected of them. Paper-based customer satisfaction research reports were available to them, but these were out of date and rarely used.
Business Vision began to sell a simple, near real-time customer feedback system whereby customer feedback was gathered daily and returned to the manager by the end of the next day. Clients included American Express, Whitbread, NatWest and other blue chip companies.
During 1997 Business Vision sold the service into Dell Computer. It had a significant positive effect upon their Reseal service operation and consequently we were asked by the manufacturer to extend the service across Europe. In 2000, Acuigen’s feedback service was purchased by Oki, a Japanese printer company, to allow them to better understand their customers, and at the same time by the global market research company ACNielsen to provide customer feedback across Europe.
Business Vision rebranded itself to Acuigen in 2004, by which time we were able to present the results of the research in near real-time on the worldwide web.
Acuigen also achieved a number of accreditations, ISO 20252:2006 (market research) and ISO 9001:2000 which have been renewed every year since.
We were national finalists in the MRS/BMRA quality and service excellence awards. Since 2004 we have continued to be selected as finalist for the Excellence and Effectiveness Awards 2007, for the Best Research Campaign 2008 and nominated for the Business Transformation Award 2008.
In 2005, Acuigen received the Investors In People status demonstrating its commitment to its staff and in January 2009, Acuigen passed the IIP renewal with very high results.
Over the past 15 years we have built up an expertise in the measurement of customer satisfaction, and recognised that successful businesses require real-time information to be provided to decision makers so they can make informed decisions. We provide an excellent quality service to our clients and have made real impact upon many businesses through our ability to be innovative and work in partnership with them.
We have empowered our clients to use their client feedback to improve services to their customers and to retain business. For example Addleshaw Goddard were proud national finalists for the Legal Business Awards 2008, for the most enterprising law firm of the year awards. The nomination for the award stated: ‘The firms’ post project review system which displays the results of comprehensive feedback interviews with clients, has been central to enhancing client satisfaction. Partners have real-time access to their data, can keep track of firm-wide performance and are alerted when client expectations have not been met.
Acuigen has gained considerable expertise in the professional services sector over the last 5 years, working with many top 100 firms. During this time we have also worked in the Health Care, Education and ICT sectors, expanding Acuigen’s knowledge to understand client needs.