Your Name: _________________

The Date: __________________

Finale and Survey on the Spot

Case Three Questions:

Evaluating survey questions, ways to collect data and data quality issues

1. Before Finale started using Survey on the Spot, what other types of marketing research did
Finale use? What were potential advantages and disadvantages of each type of research design?
a. Finale used a traditional “mystery shopper” in the past. With this, they paid a company
to come in once a month and have a dining experience, as a normal customer would
then report on their experience. Finale also conducted focus groups to evaluate its
brand image. They then were able to generate follow up surveys, which garnered 2,000
responses from over 15,000 addresses. They also administered quarterly customer
satisfaction surveys that they gave in restaurants to those who were visiting Finale.
Advantages to using the mystery shopper were clear throughout the reading. The
information provided through mystery shopping allowed Finale to adjust operations to
maximize customer experience however, mystery shoppers had always had suggestions
for Finale to help them decide what to change in their restaurant, which Survey on the
Spot definitely lacked. For the other marketing research strategies that were
implemented before Survey on the Spot had been removed due to concerns about
respondent fatigue, in which answers from the survey weren’t reliable making them a
waste of time and resources.

2. What are the potential advantages and disadvantages of Survey on the Spot as a data collection
method?
a. Both the Survey on the Spot and the Mystery Shoppers methods have their pros and
cons. The Survey on the Spot had enabled Finale to gain feedback directly from its
customers in real time. With this, if the guest is still in the building they could be
identified based on the information they have provided and, if there is a need to react
to a service problem, they are able to do it in real time. Some disadvantages with this
survey is that it is incentivized as stated in the reading, when friends and family come in
and are served by their relative this could jeopardize the survey causing the customers
to give false answers even if they might have been displeased with their meal. This can
throw survey results off giving Finale false data. Another disadvantage to using Survey
on the Spot is that many customers may not be technologically informed and are not
willing to take the survey or could potentially ruin their visit when being pressed to take
the survey by their server. The Mystery Shopper approach, on the other hand, provided
management with information from a customer’s standpoint, which would be more
opinion based and easier for the management to understand. Surveys can’t always
measure the customers true satisfaction because they are limited to a set of made
questions. With that being said, I still think that Survey on the Spot is a better alternative
 in this business because it has allowed Finale to build relationships with their customers
by really showing that they value their opinion and input.

3. What conclusions can you draw from the data? In particular, contrast the data from the
summary report with Klass’s report. How do these conclusions compare with those Finale might
receive from other feedback?
a. After analyzing the Survey on the Spot data, it is obvious that there may be two
disadvantages from this research strategy. One being, the number of questions that
respondent had to answer. This may relate to the fact that management was getting
such good ratings and not being able to determine how to improve their location.
Customers may mindlessly answer the survey questions and just give great feedback
without really thinking about their experience because they are finished with their meal
and are ready to leave. Me, personally, don’t like to hang out in the restaurant very long
when I am finished with my meal and check, and many other people are like that. I
believe that the survey approach should limit their questions to five of the most
important questions with one written response. In Exhibit 3 one of the best responses
was a written response from a customer. This customer gave valid feedback, and
feedback that could definitely be implemented in Finale. Mentioning more options, fruit
and cheese pairings, small plate deserts and iced desserts are all great idea that could
be helpful when Finale is looking for new things to implement. This just shows that
people are more willing to give their input when they have a place to put a written
response. This response was also done via Web, online at home rather than in the
restaurant on their phone which says a lot about really pushing at location surveys.

4. Finale has decided to replace its mystery shopper program with Survey on the Spot, evaluate
this decision.
a. With this decision now being implemented in Finale, management is receiving great
ratings, almost too great. Results have been nerve-wracking to management thinking
that they may be getting false reports, they have nothing to improve on with these
results and they are starting to think that they might want to go back to Mystery
Shoppers, where they were given opinions on things that they would improve at their
location.

5. What other decisions could/should Paul Conforti make based on the available data (the
summary report and Klass’s report)?
a. Lower prices seemed to be one of the biggest concerns for Finale customers, lower
prices and better quality. Which don’t really go hand in hand because better quality
desserts are going to be more expensive on the menu. I think, relating back to question
3 and the written response via web, Conforti and Klass could really implement the
smaller dessert plates. This would give them a chance to decrease the price yet still offer
a high-quality desert to their customers.