Client: United States Postal Service (USPS)

Challenge
To evaluate and assess postal customers' reactions to four basic types of postal retail lobby environments and reactions to a new postal weighing and rating machine, in order to increase the customer patronage of post offices throughout the U.S. To assess customer reaction to the USPS consideration of accepting credit and debit cards as payment for postal services.

Approach
Harris Interactive evaluated the effect of the various retail lobby strategies on postal customers' perceptions of lobby attributes, such as speed of service, courtesy and helpfulness of postal personnel, convenience, and attractiveness. A total of 7,000 postal lobby intercept interviews in 49 postal retail lobbies across the country were completed within a period of six to ten days. To guarantee a rapid turnaround, all editing, coding and data entry keying functions were ongoing by Harris Interactive throughout the interview period so that data could be tabulated, analyzed and reported quickly once the interviews were complete. Harris Interactive also conducted a major customer satisfaction survey to evaluate the perceived performance of first-class mail. Customer satisfaction was measured both directly and indirectly by indices developed to measure the difference between delivery-time needs and delivery-time expectations. A total of 22,713 respondents were interviewed in two waves.

Findings
Postal "Store of the Future" customers had significantly positive perceptions to the proposed new lobby environment. One third of customers find the option of paying by credit card to be appealing. Reactions to the new Weighing and Rating Unit were generally positive.

Strategic & Tactical Imperatives
Our recommendations included strategies and tactics for store design, service offerings, and payment options.

Client Success
The United States Postal Service used our findings and recommendations to "re-furnish" post offices throughout the country, bringing a more welcomed atmosphere and hence more customers to post offices for mailing needs.

Client: United States Department of Defense

Challenge
How to increase military recruiting among high school graduates. This was a huge, multi-audience, multi-year research effort, representing a "back to the drawing board" approach to understanding the mindset and motivations of potential recruits.

Approach
Values-based studies were conducted among youth, adult influencers (mainly parents), educators, and active duty military personnel, to explore emotions and values associated with military service as an option for young people. Harris Interactive’s copy testing methodology was used to assess and guide creative advertising development. Once the campaign began, tracking surveys measured the impact of the campaign.

Findings
We found a number of misperceptions being created by the military's current ads. We identified the perceived advantages and disadvantages of joining the military, as reflected in the ads and in the general attitudes held by respondents. We identified what advantages the military should emphasize in their ad campaign in order to persuade parents and other adult influencers of potential recruits to suggest the military as an option after high school.

Strategic & Tactical Imperatives
We recommended that the military build a values-based ad campaign highlighting the advantages of joining the military emphasized by the respondents. Specific strategic recommendations included reinforcing the idea that military service helps develop character and discipline, an idea seen as a core strength of the military, and evoking higher-level benefits such as the idea of doing a good job as a parent and the pride and peace of mind that stem from that feeling. Furthermore, the military should encourage and focus on the option of the military as a career, providing valuable skills and education opportunities. Strategically, the communications need to augment the pride that comes from having a successful child with the pride unique to service to one's country.

Client Success
The revised Department of Defense advertising campaign, built on Harris Interactive’s values-based recommendations, is currently running.

Client: United States Air Force

Challenge
This research was conducted as part of a process to institutionalize long-range strategic planning and integrate innovative thinking on the use of air and space power. The research was designed to publicize the long-range planning effort, encourage participation in the process, seek a corporate view of technological, financial, and institutional concerns from USAF leaders, and generate a list of key issues and the greatest opportunities for change.

Approach
The research targeted USAF General Officers and Senior Advisors, for which Harris Interactive was provided with a list of 584 USAF General Officers, Senior Executive personnel and Senior Enlisted Advisors. The Air Force then sent a letter from the Air Force Chief of Staff reinforcing the importance of the study, providing a thumbnail sketch of the topics to be covered in the interview and urging each to participate. Harris Interactive's telephone facility completed 544 interviews from the sample provided - a completion rate of 93%, despite respondents' busy work and travel schedules.

Findings
Nearly 90% of all respondents described their peers as either extremely or somewhat willing to adopt fundamental changes in the Air Force, with fully two-thirds describing themselves as more willing than others to change. Other important items to focus on were identified as well.

Strategic & Tactical Imperatives
Harris Interactive advised, based on the research, the key dimensions to focus on in order to initiate an institutionalized strategic plan, including the vital perspectives of national security, air force competencies, and other services and operations. Additionally, we provided the AF with a list of "Start Doing" and "Stop Doing" activities. The "Start Doing" list included: focus on space superiority; information dominance, quality of life issues; focus on joint war fighting unit; better focus on long-range planning/world futures; better professional and military training/education; and R&D and Technology. We also found that the list of "Stop Doing" activities and the list of "give to someone else" were nearly identical and didn't need to be accomplished by a "blue suit." These included: depot management/maintenance; duplication of effort with other services; operation of bases and base support; MWR activities, housing, commissary, aafes, and childcare. Survey responses to how to turn out great A.F. leaders/commanders and how to turn out great joint force leaders were nearly identical, they include: ensure mentoring, exposing junior officers to excellent leaders; increase breadth of assignments; provide earlier/more frequent opportunities to lead; better/enhanced leadership training and PME, better instill understanding of A.F. doctrine; create cross-service opportunities/rotations; teach joint force understanding of A.F. doctrine; create cross-service opportunities/rotations; teach joint force doctrine; and get to know other service's cultures.

Client Success
The results were used by the Air Force to brief the entire General Officer group at an Air Force executive meeting, and subsequently used in issue and position papers for future planning for the Air Force.

Client: Quasi-governmental commission in an Asian country charged with protecting employees from workplace discrimination

Challenge
To measure awareness and understanding of the regulations governing work site discrimination, as well as attitudes toward and firsthand experiences with job site discrimination among both employers and employees.

Approach
We completed 2500 interviews with employers and employees in small, medium and large firms on the topic of equal opportunity. Second only to the government, we have the largest database on business/employee attitudes in the community.

Findings
All employers, big and small, pay more lip service to addressing discrimination in the workplace than employees claim to experience in first hand observation. Ignorance of the protections available to employees was substantial among employers and the employees themselves. When events of discrimination are identified, there is seldom any formal action taken by employers to correct the situation.

Strategic & Tactical Imperatives
Focusing on the gaps between the code of discrimination safeguards and the practice as reported by employers and employees, we produced a number of strategic imperatives for change. These included ways to improve the transfer of discrimination information between both groups and steps to help everyone see the benefits of a more harmonious workplace environment.

Client Success
The client has used this study to examine its public communication program among both employers and employees. Further, material on discrimination has been re-written to align it more with perceived needs of both audiences.