Copeland Stands Out When Backed by Emerson Climate Technologies

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Today, there is a dedicated sales force calling directly on contractors. “That's been invaluable for new product development,” Labbett says. “We do focus groups and we've expanded our relationships with them, and it's helped us to understand their needs.”

In the interactions that its salespeople have with contractors and end-users, they always stress the value of the local wholesaler. Labbett notes that there also is a dedicated group of salespeople calling on major retail and food service customers, promoting Emerson products and services. “We have these relationships across the channels to help us understand what's going on in the marketplace and the value we provide,” Labbett says.

Most recently, a large national retail chain began installing Copeland Scroll Digital™ compressors for its commercial refrigeration needs. “It started with showing the customer how Emerson can help them save money and make their systems more dependable. Once they were convinced that this was the right technology for them and the compressors were installed in stores, we worked with our wholesalers to make sure that they had backup compressors in stock in the cities where the customer's stores are located. Our Educational Services group then trained all of their contractors nationwide. Today, these contractors not only understand the technology and have the information and tools to support it, they also have access to digital scroll replacement compressors when and where they need them,” Labbett says.

Because of the breadth and depth of the organization, Emerson Climate Technologies is able to provide wholesalers with trends within the industry and understand their impact on the channel. Most recently, Emerson has stayed close to its customers on such issues as the R-22 refrigerant transition, the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009), Energy Independence and Security Act (2007) and other future regulatory changes affecting our industry. “You can't overcommunicate on these topics,” Zellmer says. “And we hire bright people who quickly become integrated with the industry and help our customers be more successful in a challenging environment.”

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Michael Maynard is a business writer based in Providence, RI. He writes frequently on HVACR, construction and architecture issues. Contact him at michael.maynard@lycos.com.

Best Practice

Voice of the Customer

Definition and Example: Voice of the Customer is a formal process within Emerson Climate Technologies that involves customer feedback on the development of new products. As an example, the company recently conducted a focus group for the new compressor controls with 12 contractors in six states.

Significance: This best practice helps to alleviate contractor pain points by ensuring that products are designed and manufactured for easy installation and service.

Benefits: The major benefit is validation that a new product will be accepted by contractors and the marketplace at large and easy for wholesalers to promote and sell.

Procedure:

1. Identify what decisions or actions will be taken with the research output.

2. Define the research learning objectives. This is to provide a focus on what aspect of the customer's point of view you are interested in … and why.

3. Identify which customer segments and/or customers will be the “best” participants, based on what you can learn from them.

4. Develop a recruitment list and recruit people to participate in the research, sharing with each person the purpose of the research and why their opinions are valued. It is customary to offer an incentive for participating — something of value to the customers in recognition of their professional cooperation and time.

5. Develop a discussion guide to serve as an outline of what you want to cover during the focus group.

6. Develop stimulus materials or tools that can help participants understand what you are seeking their opinions about as well as express their reactions in a thoughtful and consistent way. Examples might include concept statements, visuals of the product features and worksheets.

7. Use an independent or “third party” person to moderate the focus groups and ensure objectivity.

8. Record the focus groups to correctly capture all participant comments and reactions.

9. Have a follow-up meeting to review and discuss the findings and take action on incorporating the Voice of the Customer input into the product development process.

People involved: Emerson sales, marketing and engineering representatives; wholesalers, contractors and end users (customer mix varies).

Timing: During the past five years, Emerson's dedication to Voice of the Customer has yielded successful new product launches, including the Copeland Scroll^® Outdoor Condensing Unit, Comfort Alert^®, Copeland Performance Alert™, Copeland Discus Digital™ and the development of its Online Product Information Tool. This best practice reduces time to market and improves the probability of success for the product launch.

Contact: Bob Labbett, vice president of Marketing, Distribution Services, Emerson Climate Technologies, 937/498.3919, Bob.Labbett@emerson.com

Emerson Climate Technologies at a Glance

Top Executive:	Edgar M. Purvis Jr., Executive Vice President and Business Leader
Headquarters:	Sidney, OH
Operations:	More than 40 locations worldwide
Annual Sales:	$3.8B (2008 Fiscal)
Major Brands:	Browning, Copeland, CPC, Dixell, Emerson, Fusite, Intelligent Store Architecture, Therm-O-Disc, UltraTech Communicating System, Vilter, White-Rodgers
Website:	www.EmersonClimate.com