Leading the way by going east

Jan 31 2008 by Henryk Zientek, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A FIRM in Huddersfield carrying out customer satisfaction surveys has opened two new overseas offices.

The Leadership Factor, based at Taylor Hill, has set up offices in Ukraine and Japan.

This brings to eight the number of countries in which the company has a special office.

At the same time it has appointed Martin Donohoe as UK head of sales and marketing to build on growth in the domestic market.

The company carries out detailed customer satisfaction surveys for major clients, including Royal Bank of Scotland, Visa, Tesco Personal Finance and Manchester United.

The Japanese office will aim to promote online services to capitalise on the high level of internet use in that country.

Meanwhile, in the Ukraine a team of 25 will spearhead the drive to promote customer service research among domestic and foreign-based firms.

Company founder Nigel Hill said: “I am delighted to make this announcement. Both the new offices and Martin’s appointment mark a significant and exciting time for us as a company as we look to underpin existing growth while expanding to encompass new markets.

“Japan and the Ukraine make fantastic additions to our burgeoning list of host countries, the UK, the USA, Australia, Spain, France and Portugal.”

Said Mr Hill: “Our motivation is to continue to build an international presence that will best serve our expanding list of blue-chip, multi-national and domestic clients.

“We will also look to conduct surveys across multiple countries, giving us unparalleled insight into different languages and cultures.”

The Leadership Factor opened a Russian office last August in a move prompted by a rise in the number of UK firms setting up operations in Russia.

The company was founded in 1996 by Mr Hill, who has worked in the industry for over 20 years.

Since then it has become the world’s leading provider of training seminars on customer satisfaction measurement and improvement.

It conducts more than 300 satisfaction and loyalty studies every year, more than any other similar UK business.