Institute for International Research

Linkage Strategies 2008 will be held
February 25-27, 2008 at Doral Golf Resort & Spa; Miami, FL

INDUSTRY ALERT:
Official Call For Presenters for 2008 Linkage Strategies Event
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Note: Papers are accepted on a rolling basis so early submissions are encouraged.

Showcase Your Expertise as a Speaker at the ONLY Event
Diving Deep on All Steps in the Customer Feedback Continuum

Your Opportunity
Production is well underway for Linkage Strategies 2008: Capturing & Leveraging Customer, Employee, Operational & Financial Data to Reengineer the Customer Experience and Drive Strategic Business Improvements.  Take advantage of your opportunity to be part of the only event highlighting the customer & employee feedback continuum: from getting the feedback… to analyzing and linking the data… to measuring the results… to taking action… and wowing your customers every step of the way.  We are currently recruiting corporate practitioners from a diverse range of industries to share new ideas, best practices and case studies.

For consideration, please e-mail Amanda Powers at apowers@iirusa.com with the following information by Wednesday, September 12, 2007.

• Proposed speaker name(s), job title(s), and company name(s)
• Contact information including address, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail
• Title of presentation
• Brief overview of the presentation (1 – 2 paragraphs plus 3 – 5 key audience "takeaways): Please write this with the knowledge that if your proposal is selected, this description will be printed in the brochure
• Previous conference presentations and/or speaker biography

The 2007 event was the biggest, most successful event in its history and we are looking forward to an even better event for 2008.  We expect more than 300 attendees to join us in 2008.  Will you be there?

Who is Already Speaking? 2008 Speakers Thus Far:

• Paul Spiegelman, Founder & CEO, The Beryl Companies, Author "Why is Everyone Smiling- The Secret Behind Passion, Productivity and Profit"
• Dave Kreiner, Manager, Total Customer Experience & Quality, Hewlett-Packard
• Matt Furin, Senior Vice President & Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Quality & Productivity, Bank of America
• Bryan Jeppsen, Analyst, JetBlue Airways
• Annette Priest, Research Manager, Global Online, Dell
• Rob Kahn, Director, Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty, Yahoo!
• Don Stuckey, Customer Service Strategist, BI-LO, LLC
• Kyle David Herrman, Ph.D., Quality Systems, Customer Development Group, Nestle Purina PetCare
• Debbie Cote, Director, Retirement Services Call Center, Mass Mutual
• Valerie Fox, Manager, VOC, GE Consumer Finance
• Peter Gurney, Vice President, Service, Strategy & Alignment, Washington Mutual 
• Jenny Herman, Corporate Director, Operations, Loews Hotels – will speak to Jonathan Tisch's book "Chocolates on the Pillow Are Not Enough"
• Shawn Tronier, Senior Manager, MBS Satisfaction Research, Microsoft
• Joice Kempton, Director, CRM Strategy, PetSmart 

The Audience - Who will attend this premier event?
The Benefit - Why you want to speak at this event

Event Overview
Managing and acting on feedback is at the core of every customer-centric business today.  Customers are in control… and they know you want them to be loyal.  But have you given them a reason to be loyal?  Do you deserve their business or have you become complacent… tempting them to "jump ship"?

This one-of-a-kind event is solely focused on managing feedback and business data to drive action and change in your organization.  Other events talk about getting the feedback, this event takes it that CRUCIAL step forward by acting on that data, linking the feedback to financial results, and getting your senior team to buy-in to change.  A top-down approach is the only way to get your customer-centric recommendations implemented… do you know how to present your feedback findings to your executive team in a way that COMPELS them to take action?

Managing the feedback continuum is a process (often times a long and expensive process, but always essential to keeping your customers loyal) … and this event will dive deep on all steps.  It's an event custom-built for your entire customer-facing team: researchers, data analysts, marketers, contact center managers, and senior-level customer strategists.

Presentation Options
Session topics may fall under any of the four categories. Topic suggestions include, but are not limited to:

I. THE RESEARCH - designing for success, capturing & managing customer information, data integration, measurement & metrics.

Sample topics:

Designing feedback gathering systems to capture relevant information · online surveys ·  IVR phone technologies · online user groups · multiple survey tools: what is optimal mix? ·  quantifying the value of customer-centric programs · growing customer base globally building a business success dashboard · managing customer database and warehouse · enterprise feedback management · effective segmentation schemes ·· measuring customer lifetime value · effect of loyalty on market share · quantifying emotional connection of brand · is one number all you need: pros & cons of a single-measure loyalty metric · measuring effect of "brand" on customer attitudes · how technology has impacted customer feedback

II. THE LINKAGE – the analysis, modeling & linkage

Sample Topics:

Linkage analysis: linking loyalty to growth · using six sigma to put the VOC to work · attitudinal effects on feedback · econometric modeling · linking the information to financial results developing a business blueprint · connecting satisfaction to operational & financial results · when sophisticated linkage isn't an option: making small victories

III. THE ACTION – using linkage to impact the business, the customer strategy, translating the data to action

Sample Topics:

Proving linkage is a worthwhile investment · reporting the results in a poignant way · overcoming mid-management's resistance to change · using data to drive action: a marketer's perspective · balanced scorecards · driving action when you can't manage the implementation efforts · designing a cross-functional implementation team · linking employee engagement to business results · making better investment decisions based on linkage results · achieving financial results from your customer-centric programs · improving the total customer experience

IV. PUTTING EMPLOYEE FEEDBACK TO WORK- leveraging voice of the employee for customer-centric growth

Sample Topics:

Can your employees make or break your company? · linking employee engagement and customer satisfaction · teaming up with HR to get the feedback you need · making employee feedback actionable  · proving employee loyalty drives customer loyalty · keeping employees aligned with customer strategy · keeping employees aligned during internal change

Submission Guidelines & Deadline