Focus Groups Guided by a moderator, focus group participants are free to discuss topics and interact to develop ideas that may not have been previously anticipated. Focus groups are often used as exploratory research. A bank wanted to know how widely accepted an on-line banking system would be among its customers and what features the customers found most appealing. The information gathered from the focus groups was used to develop a telephone survey of a wider sample of the bank's customer base. Using multiple focus groups can provide an adequate sampling of a specific portion of a customer base to give conclusive information. A public utility company was interested in learning how their maintenance plan was perceived among landlords. Using focus groups, the company was able to determine what features of the plan were most useful and ways that the service could be improved. In addition, a discussion of promotional methods resulted in new ways of informing customers about the service. Services provided: Northeast Marketing Group will work with your company to develop a moderator's guide designed to gather the information you need. We will recruit the participants, arrange facilities in a convenient location, provide private viewing by members of your staff and supply you with audio and videotapes of the focus groups, written report and presentation with recommendations