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The Needs of Customers Are the Motivating Force Behind Benesse's Business Activities
At Benesse, our basic business philosophy is to identify challenges that customers face, and help them address those challenges in a way that improves their quality of life. Therefore, the Company listens closely to the comments received in phone calls, letters and e-mail from existing customers, tries to identify their needs, and develops products and services that can help address them.
Interview
The Expectations Conveyed in Customer Feedback Can Plant the Seeds for New Products
Kenji Nakajima
Corporate Executive Officer, President, Base Management Division
As Benesse expanded its core correspondence course business, the Company tried to establish effective lines of communication that can solicit honest feedback from customers. One example is the Company's customer call center, which fields phone calls from customers. Often these calls involve complaints or criticisms, but Benesse always tries to deal with such complaints by looking for the expectation, or need, that underlies it. “If only the Company had more...” This sort of comment can be passed on to the associated business division and used to inspire new products or services. Very recently, Benesse's online shopping business developed a new product for babies based on just this sort of customer feedback.
Another example of how the Company utilizes feedback is the development of learning materials for correspondence courses, which are constantly being evaluated by the students who actually use the materials. Recently, the Company introduced a pre-launch monitoring program in which demonstration products are used by participating customers and evaluated. The products are also evaluated by teachers and educational experts at a Product Safety Inspection Center that the Company has set up to ensure that there are no problems or accidents. The quality of products is checked carefully, based on standards that surpass the requirements used to obtain “safety toy” (ST) certification. Benesse will continue to design and test its products thoroughly, to ensure that they fully meet the expectations of customers.
Benesse is Striving to Provide Value to Every Member of the Family
In the past, most of the feedback that the Company collected was from the parents of correspondence course students preparing for entrance examinations. However, since the Company launched its magazine “Tamahiyo,” aimed at young mothers, the Company has been receiving more and more comments and questions about child rearing issues. The online shopping business, meanwhile, has brought the Company more feedback from working women and Benesse's nursing care operations serve as a source of feedback from the elderly, and members of their families. In this way, the Company is increasing the range of customers from whom it receives comments and suggestions, allowing it to develop products that address the needs of everyone in the family.
In order to build upon these efforts, the Company is giving greater consideration to measures that will protect personal information, while trying to expand the focus of its communication from individuals to entire families. Under the slogan, “Benesse-always there for your family,” the Company is trying to communicate with a larger number of people (for example, talking to a child, their mother and their grandmother all in one phone call) and leverage this communication effectively.
In this way, we are investing our efforts and energies in constantly trying to develop closer relationships with customers, and addressing their needs quickly with desired products or services. This close relationship to clients provides a firm base for Benesse's businesses.
Customer-oriented Product Development
Our approach to product development at Benesse is “prosumer”-oriented. This means that we listen to our customers and create something tangible that responds to their needs and incorporates their ideas. When developing new products at Benesse, our focus is always on providing services that we desire for ourselves and our own families. To achieve this, we develop products and services that customers need and want, thereby helping them to find solutions to their problems.
Furthermore, our businesses are continuous, involving long-term relationships with our customers. This enables us to conduct surveys and monitoring to solicit detailed feedback from customers about the products they are using. The feedback thus obtained is incorporated into the production process for all of our products and services.
Shinkenzemi Junior High School Course + i: Comments from a Trial User
Takuya Murakami and his mother Yuriko Murakami
This program really makes me want to study. I find that the more problems I solve, the more points I get, and that motivates me even more. I do problem solving training every month and I find it interesting to look at the data and think for myself to solve problems.
A Mother's View
I am extremely impressed by the way Shinkenzemi Junior High School Course + i combines the good points of traditional paper-based learning materials, where you learn by writing, and visual learning on a computer. It has also created a sense of responsibility in my son that he must see things through to the end. I hope that Benesse increases the range of products that will build useful skills for the future.
Maintaining Product and Service Safety and Quality
In-house safety testing using an analyzer
Benesse provides products and services to a broad range of customers, from infants to senior citizens. We believe that we must fulfill our responsibility to all customers in terms of the safety and quality of our products and services. In line with this belief, each department has established strict standards unique to Benesse according to the age target for products and services. These standards go beyond those required by law.
In 2008, we also established the internal Product Safety Inspection Center. This center creates standards and an inspection framework for all products and services irrespective of the target customer and responds to risks quickly. Developing products and services so that risks don't materialize in the first place is another aspect of the center's work. It calls upon all departments to build up knowledge and experience and nurture people who can develop such products and services.
Inspection Flow
*The “safety inspection checksheet” is returned as data
Customer Call Center
The customer call center is a primary point of contact for customers. The reports on customer complaints and other information that we receive from this center are like a treasure trove for Benesse. Not only does this information provide ideas for improving products and services, but it can spawn completely new product ideas. Customer contact through the call center thus plays an important role in the context of Benesse's direct marketing-centered business model.
Encouraging Customers to Support Each Other and Learn Together
Women's Park
A feature of Benesse's products and services is the encouragement given to customers to support each other and learn together. By helping customers to link up and form communities, Benesse is enabling them to find more realistic solutions to the problems they face in everyday life. By drawing out this knowledge, Benesse helps its customers to learn from each other and share in the satisfaction of their personal development.
Information Events for Students
Benesse staged its fifth information event in fiscal 2008. This event provides an opportunity for the families of elementary school students to meet with elite combined junior and senior high schools in both the private and state-maintained sectors. With the number of combined state junior and senior high schools increasing in recent times, parents must carefully select the junior high school for their child. And due in part to Japan's aging population and declining birthrate, which are creating competition among schools, schools come to the event with clear education policies and distinctive school cultures. Both the families and the schools are our customers, so we hold these events annually in the hope that they will be of use to both.
