CFI Group Revenue and Competitors

CFI Group, an Ann Arbor-based management consulting firm, and Compuware Corp., a Farmington Hills-based software firm, have come together to float a new company called ForeSee Results. The firm, launched in January and based in Ann Arbor, will measure customer satisfaction of Web sites. At the core of ForeSee is a product called CS Monitor that's based on the American Customer Satisfaction Index developed by CFI and the University of Michigan Business School. It primarily measures the impact of a Web site's features and highlights characteristics that would ensure the return of a customer to the Web site. Most tools available today measure the popularity of the site on the basis of page views and page hits or how many items were sold on the Web site, said Larry Freed, ForeSee's president and CEO. "What this methodology does is it takes all that counting to the next step of measurement and really looks at how satisfied are the customers, how likely are they to return." The data is collected using pop-up screens and is voluntary for the user to answer. The technology randomly surveys visitors to a Web site. Not everyone who visits the site will be offered the survey. The approach of randomly popping up a survey to an evenly distributed group of users is the best way to minimize any survey bias, said Claes Fornell, chairman and founder of CFI Group and a U-M business professor. "The cost of this survey is minimal compared to mail or phone surveys." The CS Monitor is a subscription-based service that costs about $30,000 for a year. The CFI group brings its well-known statistical software to the venture, while Compuware is providing capital and knowledge of the technology industry, Freed said. CFI, which has helped shape the behavior of corporate giants like UPS, Sears and McDonald's, is a leading company in measuring customer satisfaction. ForeSee Results decided to set up shop in Ann Arbor because of the availability of a skilled workforce in the area and its proximity to both CFI and U-M. The three-month-old company already has a list of high-profile clients, including auto parts maker Visteon Corp., government Web portal FirstGov.gov, NASA and news Web sites for The Detroit News and Crains Detroit Business. Customers visiting these sites are asked about 14 questions and roughly 300 respondents are measured for the first set of results, said Fornell. ForeSee, which employs 25 staffers, hopes to grow to 60 people in the next 12 months. Offices are located on Plymouth Road in Ann Arbor's north side.