Clarkston Consulting Named Customer Satisfaction Leader in CGT Readers’ Choice Survey 2018
CGT | February 1, 2018
“The future of IT is that there should be no IT,” said Bala Subramanian, chief digital officer (and formerly chief technology officer) at Best Buy, while speaking on a panel at the annual National Retail Federation show in New York in January.
Lest you get the wrong impression, Subramanian was making the point that information technology has become so integral to the business of consumer goods — and so vital to its success — that it no longer makes sense to talk about IT as a distinct function.
In that type of reality, identifying the best IT tools and solution providers has become more of a mission-critical exercise than ever before. As industry luminary Andy Walter says, what’s needed aren’t vendors that just sell software and services, but true partners “who will co-invest with you” to mutually build the businesses.
With this premise in mind, CGT undertook its 18th annual Readers’ Choice Survey, our yearly effort to find out which solution providers are having a significant impact on the consumer goods industry.
In addition to the list of Top Providers in each category, CGT recognizes three companies for special recognition:
- Best in Category: The provider that received the highest total score in its category.
- Customer Satisfaction Leader: The provider that earned the highest average user satisfaction rating in the category (after qualifying by receiving an acceptable number of votes).
- SMB Market Leader: The provider that received the highest total score in the category from respondents whose companies generate annual revenue of $1 billion or less (small or mid-sized business).
Customer Satisfaction Leader: Clarkston Consulting
Clarkston claims to have a 14-year average client satisfaction rating of 97%. Since the consultancy’s Readers’ Choice customer satisfaction score was a full point higher than the category average, CGT has no reason to argue. Clients include L’Oreal, Coca-Cola, Pfizer and Seventh Generation.
The company has been building out a new management practice first launched in 2016 to help clients develop a detailed understanding of why companies struggle to innovate and how breakthrough innovation actually occurs. Another key focus is digital transformation: Clarkston has been hiring new staffers to focus exclusively on helping customers understand and adopt new digital solutions.