HORSHAM, Pennsylvania; July 21, 2008 – LRA Worldwide, Inc., a leading provider of research and consulting services in the emerging discipline of Customer Experience Management (CEM), has announced the hiring of Kevin Conley to support its growing Research Practice. Conley bring more than 15 years of experience in market research, consulting and project management to LRA, with a distinct focus on the sports industry; he will immediately begin applying his expertise to multiple LRA projects in hospitality, sports and entertainment.
In his role as a Senior Research Consultant at LRA, Conley will have very specific project management and operations responsibilities on certain client accounts. He joins LRA following nearly ten years of managing key accounts for the ESPN Sports Poll, a service of the global market research firm TNS. In that role, he was responsible for all elements of the offering, including questionnaire design, reporting and analysis, sample preparation, interviewer briefings and coding. He worked with clients such as ESPN, the National Football League, Anheuser-Busch, Nextel and Proctor & Gamble.
“Kevin is an extremely valuable addition to our research practice,” said Rob Kaplan-Sherman, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Research at LRA. “He has a strong background in operations, project management, analysis and consulting. This varied skill set will allow us to grow the operational capabilities of our research practice while continuing to provide the strategic insights our clients have come to expect and value from our work.”
LRA’s Customer Experience Management research model guides clients through the process of defining the existing customer experience and identifying initiatives to help enhance or reinvent that experience in the future. The firm provides a range of services to a client base across multiple industries, helping to measure and enhance customer experience with companies in lodging (Hyatt Hotels & Resorts), timeshare (Ritz-Carlton Clubs), homebuilding (Toll Brothers), skiing (Stowe Mountain Resort), gaming (Foxwoods Resort Casino) and travel (VIA Rail Canada), among others. Of late, LRA’s work in the sports industry – with clients such as the PGA TOUR, NBA, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Houston Texans – has expanded swiftly.
“We are always seeking to add value to the customer experience insights we provide our clients,” explained Rob Rush, CEO of LRA Worldwide. “The depth of experience and expertise that Kevin brings to LRA will positively impact each and every client project, and his knowledge of market research issues in the sports industry will supplement what is our fastest-growing industry sector.”
Conley received a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers University and a Masters in Public Administration from North Carolina State University; he lives in Bethlehem, PA.
About LRA Worldwide:
LRA Worldwide, Inc. is a leading research and consulting company that specializes in Customer Experience Management (CEM). LRA helps companies and brands design and deliver the optimal customer experience across all key touch points using an integrated suite of services that measure and improve service quality, customer satisfaction, employee performance, loyalty, customer advocacy and profitability. LRA specializes in “operationalizing the brand” – turning brand promise and customer strategy into operational reality. LRA’s CEM practice areas include CEM Strategy Consulting, Standards Development & Content Management, Organizational Development & Training, Research and Quality Assurance & Mystery Shopping; these are either deployed together in a strategic manner to continually monitor and improve the customer experience or deployed individually to address a specific tactical client need.
LRA’s clients include some of the world’s leading companies and brands, including Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos, the PGA TOUR, Albertsons Supermarkets, the NBA and First Niagara Financial Group. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.LRAworldwide.com.
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