AAI E-News

Over the last few years a number of our clients have engaged in market research, one of several auxiliary services offered by AAI. Among them are schools working to improve their image and/or increase their enrollment; retirement centers considering a new approach to long-term care; and a church conference wanting to better support its pastors. In each case, these organizations were motivated by a genuine desire to provide their constituency with service that was more accessible, more comprehensive and more relevant. All concluded that conducting market research would be an important step to this end.

On the occasion of revising its marketing plan, Adriel Inc., West Liberty, Ohio, contracted with AAI to learn more about its own image and its relations with constituents.

Adriel Inc., established in 1896, is a nonprofit faith-based organization that provides high quality care and treatment of children and their families experiencing a range of adjustment, learning, emotional and behavioral problems.

Rich Gerig, AAI principal, called upon AAI Associate Mike Wiese to head the research for Adriel. Mike is professor of marketing at Anderson University. His starting point was a question: "What are your questions?"

The Adriel staff, led at that point by Executive Director Marty Lehman, asked, "What are the primary professional trends and the best practices in our field of service?"

AAI reviewed the literature of child and family services, then spoke with six regional or national leaders. AAI assembled a list of key concepts driving current up-to-date professional child care.

According to Mike, "Entities that understand these concepts and the changes they are bringing to child care, and alter their services to meet children's needs - these entities will capitalize on growth."

The second question had to do with the needs and expectations of the courts and child and family social services when needing to refer a child to a care agency. AAI interviewed 14 professionals in child care referral, each from a different county of Ohio.

A third question had to do with Adriel's reputation among its constituents. "How well are we doing? How might we improve?" AAI was able, on the basis of its extensive research, to create a kind of balance sheet that showed what respondents named as Adriel's assets and its deficits.

Karla Gingerich, senior vice president at Adriel, cites the research project as a turning point in recent Adriel history and mentions three big changes that it has inspired. In the first place, program directors make regular calls to courts and children's services in Ohio. Second, Adriel does a far better job in tracking outcomes, documenting the average length of stay and citing the percentages of children who can be moved to less restrictive services. And third, "all of us are aware of good customer service. Every personal contact, every phone call is a part of marketing."

For more information about this project, click here.