Jeff Gurtman

So, have you heard about balloon boy? Of course you have. You probably heard about it from at least three different sources, all within 30 minutes of that papier-maché and tinfoil contraption breaking free. I'm also guessing that you know what your high school classmate – who you haven't spoken to in 15 years - ate for breakfast while delayed at the Cincinnati Airport. (Maybe it was O'Hare. You get the idea.) Between 24-hour cable news, Twitter, Facebook, various iPhone Apps, Foursquare, FriendFeed and the myriad of other information channels, we are all on information overload. This state of being has allowed us increased awareness of the world around us (think the Mumbai hotel bombings and the Iran election riots) and kept us abreast of important news items, but often this information comes at us so fast that it can lead to rash opinions, speculation, misinformation and - simply put - noise.

This is also true in the world of consumer research. As we roll out new mystery shopping and customer survey programs at LRA, I find clients asking for real-time alerts, text message updates and up-the-minute dashboard updates. Real-time feedback has taken the traditional survey used to capture a customer's sentiment, and transformed it into a tool empowering management with the information necessary to satisfy unhappy customers, re-tool staffing levels, identify additional needs for training and more, all in the moment. While I am excited by these technological enhancements and innovations, I do feel that this "insta-data" has its proper use. More and more often, however, I see clients making strategic decisions based on these snippets. Based on the sheer volume of data thrown at us in all parts of our lives, I've noticed the collective willingness to accept that all data is valid and actionable and more data is better.

I contend that real-time data from surveys and mystery shops are fantastic and can complement a program in many ways. But, consumers of this information must keep in mind that all data channels have their proper place. These tools are excellent at dealing with up-to-the-moment problem solving and issue tracking, but they should not be used to extrapolate trends and/or greater macro issues. We have reached a point where real-time feedback is a reality, but real-time analysis is not, and probably, by its nature, can never be. There is significant value in looking at data over time and in comparison to other relevant data points. Conclusions drawn from a single event (or response), can be tempting ("We're acting decisively!"), but dangerous. Market researchers are trained to look at data, make recommendations and present analysis accounting for margins of error, sample size, and other factors that lead to greater understanding, better analysis and more accurate recommendations for the client.

Many of us have had a manager who changes a company's strategic goals based on a single customer complaint or issue. Those who have would be wise to heed the mantra of the old-school baseball manager who rises above the knee jerk reactions of fans on sports talk radio – "it's a marathon, not a sprint." In other words, I'm not going to make any hasty decisions after a three-day slump; I need to make truly big decisions on performance using a far bigger sample size. Use real-time alerts and other instantaneous feedback channels should be used to solve operational issues ("He's in a slump, should I have him bunt?")....not big-picture strategic ones.

Feedback? Email Jeff Gurtman at [email protected]