An opportunity to conduct customer surveys and to compile the data from hundreds of responses provided real-world experience for students from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Business Success Center (BSC).

Leaders at Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin (NCW) were seeking information about their loyalty program and whether customers liked the program that generates earnings for purchases. Good Points members earn one point for every dollar spent and a $5 rebate is given when 100 points are earned.

Stephen Zich, leader of marketing for Goodwill (NCW) wondered if students could help survey customers at two stores.

“We wanted to see if the loyalty program was something customers liked and wanted,” Zich said. “We wanted to understand what type of messaging resonated with these customers. Is it value they see as the No. 1 reason to shop? Or is it the experience: the variety of items and uniqueness that gives a treasure hunt experience?”

Devin Matznick, a senior pre-med student at UW Oshkosh, did a number of “intercept”—or clipboard-style interviews at both sites. Some people, he said, were cranky or came up with excuses not to do the survey, but many others were happy to participate.

He said people expressed that they were happy about the way Goodwill helps people in the community.

The surveying experience he’s had in the Business Success Center is something Matznick believes will help him in a future career path. Last week, he was working in the BSC on a telephone survey for a Neenah insurance company.

“The skills can be applied, regardless of a career path,” he said, regarding the way students made connections with people and evoked the sharing of information for survey questions.

UW Oshkosh senior Jacob Clarke, a marketing intern at the BSC, manually typed a large amount of data from the Goodwill intercept surveys into an excel spread. A tedious process of data coding, but a real-life activity that would direct Goodwill NCW on its future marketing and direction.

Clarke worked to “cleanse” the data, entering each type of response to a specific column and investigated further if an entry didn’t make sense. A few responses were deemed unusable and had to be discarded.

“All decisions are based on data,” he said. “They can’t be arbitrary.”

Data analysis involved a process of determining what the data is showing. Most of that work was done by Assistant Professor Melissa Bublitz.

“When we asked open-ended questions like we did for Goodwill, it’s not always easy to put (responses) in a category, Bublitz said.

Clarke worked to make sense of the data and make sure it clearly conveyed what the customer said.

Satisfaction
Bublitz said the thrift store sector gained a lot of customers during the recession.

“Their goal is to keep those customers for the long-term,” she said.

Bublitz said Goodwill has very high satisfaction and loyalty ratings. People who enjoy the treasure hunt aspect tend to visit the stores more frequently as they search for something new. Loyalty card members also tend to shop more frequently than non-card customers.

People said they want to support a business with a mission of elevating people with challenges.

“Not having to buy new is socially acceptable,” Bublitz said. “. . . that is refreshing and for (Goodwill) is also an opportunity (with young people) to keep them interested.”

Goodwill is experimenting with the idea of e-commerce: selling items online.

Clarke said he learned a lot working with Bublitz. He enjoyed working on an actual project and ultimately helping a business be profitable. After graduation, he hopes to work for SC Johnson in his native Racine.

BSC Outreach Program Manager Mindie Boynton said beyond surveys done at Goodwill stores, students also sent surveys online.

She said interactions with people help students learn “soft skills” that are important in the work world. And students gain knowledge and experience working alongside faculty members, community leaders and business people.

The mission of the UW Oshkosh Business Success Center is to further the development of the university and the community by actively engaging university resources. Among the offerings are full-service intern support, survey success center assistance, consulting and customized training.

“Working with the UW Oshkosh Business Success Survey Center helps our organization stay in the mindset that it is important to keep a pulse on the customer’s behavior and expectations,” Goodwill’s Zich said.

The BSC is located in the  UW Oshkosh Alumni Welcome and Conference Center, 625 Pearl Ave., Suite 212. Visit bsc@uwosh.edu or call (920) 424-0833.