In the absence of an off-the-shelf sample size calculator, we can use a simulation approach to explore the effects of a range of sample sizes on the power to detect a desired treatment effect with sufficient confidence.
read moreOur client, a manufacturer of consumer goods, became aware through customer feedback that a batch of one of their products contained an unusually high level of defects. The manufacturer wanted to take steps to avoid a repeat of this incident, but with full inspection of every product being prohibitively expensive, what could they put in place to reduce the risk of future bad batches entering the market?
read moreOne of the major challenges all retailers face is how to manage their operations to maintain efficient stock control. Using a statistical approach, historic sales figures combined with data on relevant external drivers can provide accurate forecasts of future demand.
read moreCustomer retention is one of the biggest challenges facing businesses in a wide range of industries, from subscription media and mobile phone operators to fitness clubs and insurance providers. Our client, a national UK business with a customer base of over 800,000, wanted to understand what drives customer retention and attrition.
read moreCompanies who operate call centres such as telesales, market research or utility companies all monitor the calls that their staff make to ensure that they are complying with the relevant protocols. Using statistical techniques, these companies can sample a subset of calls that will accurately monitor call quality whilst minimising cost.
read moreMany businesses use online marketing strategies to increase the number of visitors to their websites. To test the effectiveness of these strategies, A/B split testing can be used to identify whether they increase visitor conversion to sales. Careful design of the test allows a company to minimise any potential costs and disruptions as well as better understand the demographics of their customer base.
read moreWhen choosing to establish a new subsidiary in a foreign country, firms must consider many factors both short-term (such as labour and material costs) and long-term (economic stability). Using a statistical model that considers both the profile of the firm and the political, economic and social characteristics of each country, it is possible to choose a destination that minimises risks and maximises profit.
read moreBusinesses often want to target promotional offers to a particular subset of their customers. For example, a mobile network provider may wish to target customers who make longer calls. Customer segmentation is a statistical method that divides a market into subsets of customers who share similar characteristics.
read moreEnergy suppliers have a regulatory duty to help combat fuel poverty through the take-up of energy efficiency practices. However, information on an individual's energy use is not always available. By combining a variety of Official Statistics in a statistical model, it's possible to identify areas in the country that are at greatest risk of fuel poverty and where the take-up of efficiency measures is likely to be low.
read moreA bank would like to keep customer waiting times below 5 minutes in order to ensure an appropriate level of customer service. The wait time depends on two main factors: the time of day and the number of tellers of operating. By carrying out an operational analysis, it is possible to calculate the optimal number of tellers required throughout the day.
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