Interesting Results
Measuring Things Can Change Them
Sometimes asking questions can actually change the behaviour being asked about. A 2002 study1 found that measuring the satisfaction of financial services customers influenced:
- Their likelihood of making new purchases.
- Their likelihood of continuing to patronise the firm.
- The profitability of the customers to the firm.
The study also found that these effects can last long after the research has been completed.
1 Dholakia, Utpal and Vicki Morwitz (2002), “The Scope and Persistence of Mere-Measurement Effects: Evidence From a Field Study of Customer Satisfaction Measurement”, Journal of Consumer Research, 29(2), 159-167.