Customer Diagnostics (Pty) Ltd is a management consulting company which partners its clients to create and implement practical strategic plans.

We specialise in designing and delivering: -

• Customised, comprehensive and confidential customer research & analysis.
• Facilitation services - Our specialty is in creating shared, practical strategic action plans at the corporate, business unit and team levels. We develop customised processes to deliver the outcomes desired by our clients.
• Implementation of processes to "get things done". These services and insights maximise the chance that teams deliver agreed strategic action plans efficiently and effectively.

To date, our focus has been in the following industries / sectors: financial services, food and agriculture, industrial, manufacturing, project management, IT and NGO sectors in Africa including, South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Nigeria.

Customised comprehensive and confidential customer research

Services include conducting face-to-face customised, confidential and comprehensive customer service research, which is aimed at measuring customer (internal & external) needs and perceptions. The main (though not exclusive) focus is on qualitative information as well as competitor analysis. Experienced business professionals conduct these surveys. This customer information is used as a basis for recommending actions to improve customer service and sustainably improve profitability. The output and recommendations are practical and constructive and should be used to drive business, marketing, sales and training strategies.

Facilitation and change management services.

Customer Diagnostics provides facilitation services ranging from corporate, business unit and team strategic planning to multilevel and departmental workshops. We design and implement processes to deliver the specific outcomes desired by our clients. This includes using a range of techniques to identify the current reality, to create shared goals & focus areas for the company or department and detailed and implementable action plans & structures. There has also been an increasing use of the use of Open Space Technology & other change methodologies to release and harness the energy of a group.

Clients use facilitation services on a stand-alone basis or to complement the customised research. I.e. this process converts unique customer insights into strategic action plans.

A benefit of the facilitation services is that delegates leave the conference or workshop with their strategic action plan in their hands. I.e. there is no excuse for not starting with implementation immediately.

Several clients have found a great improvement in their strategic alignment with business partners or clients (external or internal) through a shared change management and facilitation processes. Bringing diverse groups of people and organisations together has been one of the benefits that many clients have valued. Increasingly, the focus on the people side of managing and leading change has resulted in project success.

In general the feedback on the facilitation services is that it has been sensitive, fair and firm, practical, unbiased and inclusive.

In recent years, the company has been increasingly involved in developing, facilitating and providing guidance and assistance with implementing complete business transformations, merging of companies and company restructuring.

Getting things done

The Achievement Network is an international organisation that provides a practical and structured approach to Getting things Done. The focus is on goal achievement by individuals, teams and whole organisations. This service can be used on a stand-alone basis or to complement the facilitation service. Clients receive practical experiential training and access to a process that ensures that the plans that they put in place are implemented. I.e. delivery is assured. Alan Kirschner has the highest international accreditation as a trainer and consultant facilitator of the Achievement Network.

Experience / references

These include: -

• Nedbank Group Ltd: Open Space Facilitation Services, strategic planning facilitation.

• AFGRI Ltd: Open Space facilitation services, strategic planning facilitation, customised research, general consulting & "Getting things Done".

• Sasol Ltd, Sasol Polymers and Sasol Technology (Pty) Ltd: Strategic planning facilitation services, alignment workshops and "Getting things Done".

• Hollard Insurance: Open Space Facilitation Services and strategic planning facilitation.

• Santam Group: Strategic planning facilitation, "Getting things done".

• Centriq Insurance Holdings: Client research, strategic planning facilitation and "Getting things Done".

• FIA: Strategic Planning facilitation for the merger of (initially) SAFSIA and IBC and then merging LUASA with FIA and "Getting things Done".

• SHA: Facilitating the merger process of SHA and Admiral and "Getting things Done".

• Fluor SA: Strategic planning facilitation services, Facilitating alignment workshop with clients and "Getting things done".

• BMG: Facilitation services and Client and internal staff Research.

• Emerald Insurance: facilitation of merger process with Santam Corporate, "Getting things done".

• Many other references available on request.

Alan Kirschner founded Customer Diagnostics in 1999. He has more than thirty years business experience including the positions of MD of two companies in the Chemserve Group (a listed company at the time), and successful line management experience in industrial marketing, operations management, consulting, project management and technical management within AECI, ICI (UK) & Polifin. He is a qualified chemical engineer and has completed numerous formal training programs including an executive development programme at Wits Business School and a range of skills & change management programmes. For further information, please make contact with him at one of the numbers below.

Contact details

Alan Kirschner

Managing Director - Customer Diagnostics (Pty) Ltd
Phone: +27 (0)11 465-5182
Fax: +27 (0)11 465-2041
PO Box 899, Fourways, 2055, South Africa
E-mail: Send a message