A Curtin research group dedicated to empowering neglected consumers is helping service providers drive continuous improvement in their organisations.<\/p>\n
Like many western societies, Australia is guilty of systemic snubbing of our more vulnerable citizens. One of the largest groups is the aged \u2013 and it\u2019s a common lament that as we become older we become invisible, to business, government and community groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, Australia has an ageing population, which means that older consumers are an increasingly prominent consumer group,\u201d explains Dr Graham Ferguson, from Curtin\u2019s School of Management and Marketing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYet they remain overlooked, which leads to poor service standards and levels of choice, and consumer frustration.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says that disabled consumers and those with mental health issues also have to work hard to be heard. Recognising that the situation is not only detrimental to these consumer groups, but also is unrecognised by most marketers, in 2018 he established the Unheard Consumers Research Group.<\/p>\n
Over the past two years, the group has completed a significant amount of work for Western Australian residential care, home care and retirement village service providers.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne provider had been undertaking quantitative client surveys for many years, and came to us because the results hadn\u2019t facilitated continuous improvement,\u201d Dr Ferguson says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt enables service providers to address any shortcomings in quality standards and drive continuous improvement.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cThey needed a more comprehensive, qualitative approach. It enables them to hear the core essence of the issues, and the positives, in the client\u2019s own words \u2013 and to quickly take action.\u201d<\/p>\n
He brought together researchers within Curtin Business School to undertake phenomenological data collection and analysis, to capture the authentic experience of the organisation\u2019s consumers and their families, and other stakeholders. The project outcomes delivered a positive impact, and word spread about the expertise of Curtin\u2019s \u2018Lived Experience\u2019 team.<\/p>\n
The team now has six research staff working with a range of aged care and disability services providers.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach year, we interview about 1,800 consumers, and provide valid and reliable insights to service providers \u2013 which they\u2019ll use to address any shortcomings in quality standards and drive continuous improvement.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd clients welcome us back to hear about their current experiences, in our annual follow-up research. It enables us to document how things have changed, with comparison metrics tracking performance between locations and services.\u201d<\/p>\n
Further strengthening our research focus in this area, in 2020 Curtin became one of eight universities partnering in the national Cooperative Research Centre for Longevity. Dr Ferguson hopes the initiative will attract postdoctoral researchers and research students to the Curtin team, which will ensure further partner-driven research into key industry issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlus, we\u2019ll have larger data sets and research outcomes to inform specific service practices, sector behaviour and government policy, and to improve social narratives more broadly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Better products and services<\/h2>\n
By capturing authentic lived experiences, the Unheard Consumer Research Group can also encourage the development of better products and services for under-acknowledged consumer groups.<\/p>\n
For example, one team member is exploring technologies that help people maintain their independence.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmart-home technologies and AI sensor lights can be a huge help to the elderly, and automated media appliances can reduce the sense of isolation and keep people engaged,\u201d Dr Ferguson says.<\/p>\n
He explains that many consumers are ignored in the technology development process, because companies aren\u2019t interested in tailoring products for those who are less \u2018influential\u2019 in the market place.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost marketing targets the young and healthy as aspirational models. And when marketing is targeted to older people, the representations often leave them feeling insulted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis needs to change \u2013 we need marketers to recognise unheard consumers and speak to them in authentic ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
The boomers are coming<\/h2>\n
The reasons for the under-acknowledgement of older consumers are complex. And perhaps because Australia\u2019s pre-war generation coped with a lot of hardship, they seem less inclined to speak out about injustice and inequity they experience \u2013 particularly women.<\/p>\n
But the boomers are coming.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsumers over the age of 60 have the highest net worth of any age group. They\u2019re spending more, and they\u2019re expecting more,\u201d Dr Ferguson warns.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoomers are the most prosperous generation, and they\u2019ll want to maintain their influence and their independence as they age.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the boomer voice alone won\u2019t change the overarching issue. To empower the voice of \u2018the unheard\u2019, the fundamental challenge is to supplant longstanding, negative social narratives.<\/p>\n
For older Australians, that process may now have momentum, with the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety concluding its two-year inquiry.<\/p>\n
The royal commission \u2013 the highest form of public inquiry available \u2013 was launched in 2018, following the Australian media\u2019s comprehensive expos\u00e9 of substandard service, and even abuse, in disability and aged care settings. Its just-released final report is scathing of Australia\u2019s aged care system, concluding that the system fails to meet the needs of our older, vulnerable, citizens.<\/p>\n
Corroborating Dr Ferguson’s concern about society\u2019s unheard consumers, the report confirms that \u201cthe absence of a strong consumer voice is a notable feature of aged care\u201d.<\/p>\n
The commissioners also note that, more broadly, new models of aged care must facilitate a change in the community\u2019s view of older people, and promote growing older as a \u201cnormal part of life \u2013 as a stage of life that holds the potential for happiness and fulfilment\u201d.<\/p>\n
Dr Ferguson says this is a critical concept, that the new aged-care model must derive from the whole of society \u2013 including the marketing industry. At Curtin, he\u2019s helping to address the challenge not only through research, but also in teaching and learning, by feeding his research team\u2019s outcomes back into the classroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe show students that marketing theory and practices don\u2019t recognise or address the ageing consumer. We introduce our research process and the needs that are revealed, and what the outcomes mean for service and product providers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, this offers a cache of opportunities and potential for innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Learn more about the Unheard Consumers Research Group<\/a><\/p>\n
Researcher profile<\/h2>\n