Boomerang Online Survey Software -- Top Tool and No Monkeying About

July 10, 2007; 06:19 AM
Industry leading forest activity operator, Go Ape, run twelve award-winning high wire adventure courses. Imagine amazing rope bridges, gravity defying Tarzan swings and wicked zip slides, high in forest locations all over the UK. Visitors of all ages and abilities, provided they are 10 years and older, enjoy the Go Ape experience, which allows personal challenge in safely controlled conditions.

This extremely successful leisure business is growing exponentially, and it was important to the Go Ape management team to be able to monitor that the high level of safety standards and customer excitement continued to be maintained. They needed direct customer feedback to help them measure and improve their business offering – and they wanted it as soon after the customer’s experience as possible.

Highly focused online customer surveys were definitely the answer, but conventional market research was not seen as the most efficient option: “Go Ape didn’t want a traditional, one-off survey agency telling them things that they already knew,” said Tara Merison, Marketing Manager at Sigmer Technologies. “They already had a lot of experience of running adventure courses and needed a way to constantly build on that knowledge base.”

What Go Ape wanted was a flexible research tool that would contact each and every customer the day after their visit and collect business critical feedback, immediately and accurately. As importantly, they wanted to form a long-term relationship with a partner that they could trust. Having their own in-house expertise in market research and internet-based technology, they rapidly identified Sigmer Technologies and their Boomerang Online Survey Software as the best fit for their needs.

Marcus Falconer, Marketing Manager at Go Ape, explained, “We chose Sigmer because they were prepared to listen to us and accept our advice and feedback. They used that information to create a new version of Boomerang, so we really felt part of the development process.”

“Boomerang online survey software lets us manage and maintain everything ourselves,” continued Marcus. “It is extremely intuitive so you require very little, if any, support. There is a small element of product training for people setting up Boomerang questionnaires, but maintenance is virtually zero and the overall cost of ownership is minimal. Real-time feedback of customer’s responses and continuously updated statistical information, allowing benchmarks to be monitored, is a major winner for the business.”

Sigmer provided survey consultancy and guidance, and Go Ape were up and running with Boomerang in a matter of days. Customer data was drawn directly from their CRM database and the first mail-shot soon prepared. A series of test questionnaires were sent out and the results carefully monitored. After 3 months of controlled trials, Go Ape were processing Boomerang customer questionnaires every day, with business critical feedback flowing into their East-Anglian base. This was not simply a sample survey, but involved every customer participating in the Go Ape experience.

“Our first live survey was outstanding -- a 50% response rate,” said Marcus. “The results obtained via Boomerang have more than matched our expectations and we now see Boomerang as an integral part of Go Ape business development.”

Go Ape use the information gathered by Boomerang to feed back into the business, and to help identify areas for possible improvement. The information has also helped them to identify their successes, such as a continuous customer satisfaction rate of over 90%.

“Sigmer is nearing completion of a second phase of the project -- delivering an enterprise wide easy-to-access, web-based reporting facility.” Marcus confirmed.

About Sigmer Technologies Limited
Sigmer Technologies, founded in 1999, is based in the Innovation Centre of the University of Sussex, Brighton, and has attracted a number of high profile clients, including: British Sky Broadcasting; The International Save the Children Alliance, Scottish and Newcastle, British Red Cross, RNIB and RNID, The British Film Institute, and UNHCR. Through a carefully balanced team of specialist developers, designers and consultants, Sigmer provides a full range of programming, web design, Internet and IT based services, individually tailored to clients’ needs. More information about the company can be found at www.sigmer.com.

Sigmer Technologies Sponsored Charity for 2007
From December 2006, Sigmer Technologies is supporting BIBIC, British Institute for Brain Injured Children. Sigmer commenced their support with a donation to BIBIC, equivalent to the amount required to support a child for one year. This donation will help a child with disabilities in 2007 to learn skills that will benefit them for the rest of their life. Sigmer Technologies' staff will undertake fundraising initiatives throughout the year to further support BIBIC. For further details of our donation please visit http://www.sigmer.com/press/company_news.html

BIBIC is a national charity offering practical help to families caring for children with conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, developmental delay, traumatic and acquired brain injury and specific learning difficulties such as ADHD, and dyspraxia. BIBC exists to help these children reach their full potential and live a fulfilling and more rewarding life. For more information about BIBIC please visit www.bibic.org.uk.

About Adventure Forest Limited
Trading as Go Ape High Wire Forest Adventure, Go Ape is an outdoor forest adventure course based in twelve forests across the UK. Creating adventures and encouraging others to live life more adventurously is the ethos behind Go Ape. It’s very much about introducing people, young and old, to the forest and being able to explore the forest from a different perspective. A Go Ape course is split into five or six different sections. Visitors enjoy approximately three hours of adrenalin fuelled fun and adventure, some 40 feet above the forest floor. Both adults and children get to experience climbing rope ladders high into the treetops and weaving their way through a series of rope obstacles that including bridges, Tarzan swings, trapezes, stirrup crossings and zip wires. Some restrictions apply; Minimum age 10 years, minimum height 1.4m (4ft 7in) and maximum weight of 20.5 stone. Under 18 year olds must be accompanied by a participating adult. One adult can supervise either up to two children (where one or both is under 16) or up to five 16-17 year olds. Open until November 2nd 2007, plus November weekends. Closed during December and January. For further information please visit www.goape.co.uk or call 0870 444 5562.