Sometimes a creative twist on standard marketing research methods can improve their effectiveeness. This was certainly true for Jason Belkin, owner of Hampton Coffee Company, with two coffeehouse locations in New York and a mobile espresso van.
At one time, Belkin used a mystery shopper service (which hires individuals to pose as real customers to evaluate a company's true service performance) to assess customer experiences, but he decided to turn to comment cards for the information he wanted.
He now offers a free cup of coffee to customers who fill out a card.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the approaches Belkin has used to assess customer experiences at his coffee shops? Which one would your recommend?