Case Studies

PCG is one of the few firms that offers a series of integrated services that help you strategically move beyond data tracking. For over 30 years, our customer-driven approach has helped a wide range of industries move into action.

Our Stanford-trained principals love developing breakthrough ideas. We've created proprietary methods of analysis, consistently delivering innovative solutions. Our projects focus on finding and achieving better value.

Click each service area listed below to see related case studies.

Customer Research

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Improve customer satisfaction with the 1-800 line.

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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Customers:

Medicare beneficiaries who call the 1-800-MEDICARE customer service line

Business Challenge:

Improve customer satisfaction with the 1-800 line.

Solution:

PCG used our proprietary Net Impression® analysis to identify the top service improvement priorities that would make the most difference to overall customer satisfaction.

Result:

Medicare successfully prioritized improvement projects.

American Airlines

American Airlines was experiencing decreasing levels of customer satisfaction with the check-in process and with in-flight service.

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American Airlines

Customers:

Air travelers

Business Challenge:

American Airlines was experiencing decreasing levels of customer satisfaction with the check-in process and with in-flight service.

Solution:

PCG developed comprehensive customer satisfaction measurement and improvement programs and identified improvement priorities.

Result:

Local achievements included launching curbside check-in where it was not in use, streamlining boarding policies and procedures, improving passenger handling during off-schedule operations, and cross-training staff to improve ticket counter/gate agent coordination. In addition, the process increased staff commitment to improving customer service. Ultimately, American licensed PCG's methodology to expand the program to all of its 200-plus domestic stations.

U.S. Courts, Department of Justice

PACER has grown exponentially in terms of its technological complexity, number of users, number and types of content accessed, required security, accessibility, and reliability. The client sought current customer perspectives of PACER.

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U.S. Courts, Department of Justice

Customers:

Attorneys, judges, and court workers who seek court case records through the U.S. Courts' online system called PACER

Business Challenge:

PACER has grown exponentially in terms of its technological complexity, number of users, number and types of content accessed, required security, accessibility, and reliability. The client sought current customer perspectives of PACER.

Solution:

PCG's assessment provided the U.S. Courts with a comprehensive data and information foundation about PACER customers/users and their needs, preferences for product and service enhancements, and satisfaction with the services.

Result:

The PACER team used the findings to develop messages in their new marketing communications campaigns and to improve the online experience even further.

E-Loan

E-Loan was a new company that needed to know what customers most cared about in order to increase its competitiveness versus existing and emerging lenders.

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E -Loan

Customers:

Individuals applying for a home mortgage loan

Business Challenge:

E-Loan was a new company that needed to know what customers most cared about in order to increase its competitiveness versus existing and emerging lenders.

Solution:

PCG conducted customer research to help E-LOAN better understand its mortgage customers, who represent the firm's largest market, and their strengths and weaknesses versus competition.

Result:

E-Loan acted on a key learning which is that online customers seek personal assistance in order to complete the transaction and feel confident about the service experience. E-Loan had a successful new business model.

Service Innovation

Automobile Association

A major auto club on the west coast sought expertise in understanding member needs and identifying product, service, and marketing strategies that would increase retention and member satisfaction. Service Innovation consultants conducted a brand and membership experience assessment, mapped the service profitability portfolio, and researched best practices related to auto, financial services, and mobile trends. We recommended a new member value proposition with supporting services, including an emphasis on mobility and accessibility.

IRS Small Business division

The IRS Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) Division was well aware of taxpayer dissatisfaction with its case resolution process. The entire process was inherently inefficient; with paperwork having to be mailed back and forth, delays were inevitable. PCG was brought in to launch an Adjustments Customer Experience Improvement Project for SB/SE. We were asked to help dramatically improve customer satisfaction.

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IRS Small Business Division

Customers:

Small businesses and self-employed individuals

Business Challenge:

The IRS Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) Division was well aware of taxpayer dissatisfaction with its case-resolution process. The entire process was inherently inefficient; with paperwork having to be mailed back and forth, delays were inevitable. PCG was brought in to launch an Adjustments Customer Experience Improvement Project for SB/SE. We were asked to help dramatically improve customer satisfaction.

Solution:

PCG led the client team in diagnosing the key "pain points" within the customer interaction and process workflow. Our analysts developed more than a dozen potential solutions for decreasing the length of time to resolve cases: case segmentation technique, the designation of a specialist team for complex cases, and new tools to provide quick resolution on aged cases. The team conducted a test pilot using PCG's pilot design and measurement methodology.

Result:

The pilot resulted in a 40% reduction in case handling cycle time and a 25% increase in FTE/case productivity. Over the following year, the IRS incorporated this improved process nationwide.

Financial Services Firm

A consumer lending company wanted to increase customer acquisition, retention, and profitability by improving the process by which customers applied for and received funds. PCG developed an analytical framework to evaluate the trade-off between credit, risk, and identity checks and a fast and easy customer experience. We are working collaboratively with the client team to understand customer and business needs and to take a clean slate look at a new service process.

Federal Government (GSA)

GSA found themselves with repeated requests from government customer service managers for direction and insights on how to effectively gauge their customers' satisfaction. They sought to better understand how agencies measure customer satisfaction and what collection techniques, tools, and metric types are optimal to address the needs of different types of agencies.

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Federal Government (GSA)

Customers:

Other federal agency senior managers

Business Challenge:

GSA found themselves with repeated requests from government customer service managers for direction and insights on how to effectively gauge their customers' satisfaction. They sought to better understand how agencies measure customer satisfaction and what collection techniques, tools, and metric types are optimal to address the needs of different types of agencies.

Solution:

PCG conducted best practice research and provided recommendations on how to provide guidance to agencies interested in enhancing customer service.

Result:

Agencies have a useful tool to guide them on their customer service initiatives.

Strategic Decision Modeling

IRS

The IRS wanted to ensure that they met customer needs for different channels such as walk-in service centers, toll-free lines, and the web. The challenge was to be easy to do business with and be as cost effective as possible.

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IRS

Customers:

Individual and business taxpayers

Business Challenge:

The IRS wanted to ensure that they met customer needs for different channels such as walk-in service centers, toll-free lines, and the web. The challenge was to be easy to do business with and be as cost effective as possible.

Solution:

PCG conducted a sophisticated research study called Conjoint Analysis to understand preferences for service and channels by customer segment then developed a proprietary Customer Choice Model to show the impact of different service/channel configurations on customer value and on costs.

Result:

The IRS used the Customer Choice Model to guide its strategy around future design and expansion of the website which had a significant impact and further supports its customer service program by knowing where to invest its scarce resources.

PJM Interconnect

PJM manages a large system of transmission transformers. When a transmission transformer fails, the event is catastrophic and can cost as much as $2 million per week, not including the $4 million it takes to replace the failed transformer. Since there is a 15-month replacement interval, many spares exist in the system. However, PJM needed a risk-reduction strategy for managing the transformers and a methodology for valuing spares and locating them throughout the system.

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PJM Interconnect

Customers:

Electric transmission utility transformer owners

Business Challenge:

PJM manages a large system of transmission transformers. When a transmission transformer fails, the event is catastrophic and can cost as much as $2 million per week, not including the $4 million it takes to replace the failed transformer. Since there is a 15-month replacement interval, many spares exist in the system. However, PJM needed a risk-reduction strategy for managing the transformers and a methodology for valuing spares and locating them throughout the system.

Solution:

PCG applied its existing asset management methodology to specify the optimal strategy for managing transformers. PCG also developed new methodology for valuing spares, identifying the optimal number of spares to acquire, and where to site spares throughout the system for maximum benefit. The solution included a mathematical model that quantified the important impact on spares policy of common-cause events that affect groups of assets simultaneously, such as hurricanes, tornados, cascading failures when one asset failure causes failure of others, and common manufacturing defects.

Result:

PJM changed its transformer management policy to include the PCG-recommended testing and replacement policy. In addition, PJM changed its spares policy to include changing the sites of various spares that were currently in the system. The new policies reduced annual expected costs by tens of millions of dollars. The change in policy also resulted in a very fortunate risk-reduction outcome when an existing transformer, identified as risky and in need of a spare by the PCG methodology, failed and there was a recently-moved spare on site to restore service, thereby avoiding a very large negative outcome.