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Specific Applications of Best Practice Research
Clients have shared with us how they have used the Database, which includes the following ten applications:
- Prepare for presentations and business cases
- Satisfy internal customers with valuable data
- Support strategy and policy development
- Writing a best practice research report
- Familiarize staff or managers with new areas
- Understand industry trends
- Perform gap analyses against others’ metrics
- Use as a syllabus for class
- Guide implementation of change initiatives
- Determine how to staff or structure departments
- Improve employee and customer loyalty
Read what our clients say about how they were able to use information in the Database:
"If I am looking for benchmarks, I always use research from the Database. I use the Best Practice Database mainly for pre-proposal research and project-specific research for some of our consultants."
--Kate Williams, Knowledge Management, EOH Consulting Services (South Africa)
"The Best Practice Database is one of the best resources to go to for a wide variety of topics and types of benchmarking information on what external organizations are doing well. We use this to examine what we may need to do in the future. We specifically use metrics and case studies to assist in presentations and decision making."
--Regina Meeks, Information Technician, Centralized Resource Quality & Service, Abbott Laboratories
"The Best Practice Database is a valuable tool for corporate development. I use the Database to prepare for presentations. I go into the Database for a few hours every few months and pull down everything related to my topic and then spend time reading through the best practices and metrics. We often find the data reassuring in that it confirms that our approach is in line with what many of the industry leaders are doing. In fact, the main benefit is using the survey data to understand industry trends and use it to create our own company's guiding principles." --Jean-Yves Brault, Director, Sales Force Effectiveness, Fournier Pharma
"The Database helps us save money by using the primary research from the database rather than always conducting our own. We can augment the findings with secondary data found in journal publications." --Jan Birberick, Market Research Analyst, AchieveGlobal
"We are frequently asked for factual data to support strategy/policy development, corporate structure concepts, leadership trends, and many human resource-related business issues. The content in the Database addresses these topics, from the perspective in which our clients are interested. Our clients particularly like the conceptual graphics and data charts and often use the research to prepare for their own presentations."
--Research Librarian, A Global Financial Service Institution
"I used the Best Practice Database as my main system for benchmarking. I have received a lot of questions since we subscribed to Best Practices on how we are doing compared to others in several different areas: functioning of the market research department, purchasing practices, use of CROs, setting up Competitive Intelligence and many other areas. I always could find the right answers within the right time which helped us to improve our performance." --Kees Deijl, Manager, Competitive Intelligence, Organon
"The content in the Database has proven very valuable for us in several key customer projects, as well as for internal training."
--Pat St. Laurent, Manager, Network Solutions Group, Expeditors
"I have been using the Best Practice Database to research specific questions identified as part of the human resources process review effort we are leading to put together a best practices report. Though we used a few sources for our project, we were able to get the majority of what we needed from the Database alone. I am definitely a happy camper."
-- Mercedes Sanchez, Strategic Initiative Process Leader, Pima County Community College
“Most recently, I leveraged content on six sigma programs in the Database to set up and fine-tune the agenda for a site visit to GE. I'm taking Executive Education students from my Operations Management course there next week and wanted to brief them as well as provide some resource material. Next year, I plan to add the Database to the syllabus for each of my courses.”
--D. Clay Whybark, Professor, Kenan-Flagler Business School
"The research provided by Best Practice Database helps to expand our thinking across a variety of business topics and industries."
--John Ney, Director of Research, AchieveGlobal
“I used information in the Best Practice Database on the balanced scorecard to support our company in moving in that direction. We looked at how many companies did it, what it took to implement it, and their successes and failures to guide our own implementation. I also did research for an interim director of Human Resources to familiarize that person with what best practices are in that arena. We studied what other companies did through in providing incentives for their employees such as pay for performance. Based on the data charts and best practices in the Database, we decided to move forward with it. Finally, my colleague asked me to find some best practices in vendor management, which we had not yet formally done. I found 6-7 documents and then gave it to him 15 minutes later. He was surprised how quickly I could find on-target research."
--Beth Pecenka, Strategic Planning Analyst, Now Foods
“I first used the Best Practices Database to find research for a project team on succession planning. The Database had a huge array of information on the topic. The end result was a very happy internal customer.”
--Marc Levetin, Capability Associate, The Forum Corp
“For my business of providing employee surveys to clients, I was able to make recommendations and suggest best practices for issues dealing with communication, customer service, performance management, and leadership. I was also able to find useful information on how to improve the employee satisfaction survey process.” --Sharon Pappas, Manager, Assessment and Survey Services, Bank Administration Institute
“We use the Best Practice Database for easy access to the latest trends in sales, service and leadership development practices." --Tom Atkinson, Research Director, The Forum Corporation
"At 5:30PM on a Friday, I needed benchmarking data on customer satisfaction survey scores to use in four Monday meetings. I found everything I wanted in the Best Practice Database. Thanks to your research in the Database, I have six companies' data and your ‘crystallized findings.’ Best Practices saved me a weekend of research. Many, many thanks!" --Julia Mast, Director of Shared Services, Fujitsu North America
“When we get asked how to staff or structure a department, there is no better source than the Best Practice Database. Newly hired or promoted managers especially need the bigger picture of the industry's best practices and standards in their area, even if they have the technical expertise.”
--Executive, A Top 15 Pharmaceutical Company
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