Changing suppliers led to increased costs and decreased customer satisfaction
One of my first priorities was understanding the existing users/customers for the manufacturer. This included an online ethnography where I noted that there was sudden shift in customer satisfaction with one of their manufacturer's main products. Upon further investigation, the client informed me that that was the point at which they had changed suppliers from an overseas supplier to a local one. They revealed that the reason for the decision was the result of believing that customers valued local produce over foreign produce. However, the ethnography and revealed otherwise, showing a stark decrease in customer satisfaction. This highlighted a lack of understanding by the manufacturer of their customers and their values.
High cook times and temperatures led to dry products and customer complaints
Further examples of a dissonance between the client and their understanding of their customers came through in the cook times and temperatures they used for some of their products. They were cooking their products well above the legal requirements (orders of magnitude higher) due to fears of customers complaining about undercooked food when in reality, customers were complaining about dry products and choosing competitors over the client.
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