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Posted on Thu, Feb 10, 2011 : 10:10 a.m.

ForeSee Results plans to add 70 jobs in Ann Arbor this year as strong revenue growth continues

By Nathan Bomey

Ann Arbor-based ForeSee Results said this morning that it plans to add about 70 jobs this year at its headquarters in response to surging demand for its customer satisfaction measurement services.

The firm reported sales growth of more than 25 percent for the ninth consecutive year, which makes it one of the fastest growing companies in Washtenaw County.

Larry Freed 1.JPG

ForeSee Results CEO Larry Freed said the company's diversified services are critical to its growth.

Nathan Bomey | AnnArbor.com

The company, which employs 190 workers in Ann Arbor and 212 workers overall, plans to add 80 total jobs this year.

The new jobs include 21 already added in January, the company said. ForeSee had about 150 people employed at its Ann Arbor headquarters a year ago.

ForeSee helps corporate clients like Best Buy and Target conduct online surveys to better understand how customers are using their websites and where they can make improvements. The firm conducted 13 million surveys in 2010.

ForeSee originally licensed American Customer Satisfaction Index technology developed by University of Michigan professor Claes Fornell when it launched the week of 9/11 in 2001.

“There are two major reasons behind the rapid growth of ForeSee Results,” said Fornell, ForeSee's chairman, in a statement. “First, as more and more companies are concluding that it is very difficult to have financial success without highly satisfied customers, the demand for accurate and insightful customer satisfaction measurement is getting much stronger. Second, Foresee Results has developed a technology that delivers exceptionally valuable information in real time.”

Partly fueling the company's growth is a diversified portfolio of services that now includes in-store satisfaction surveys and measurement of mobile website performance. Also, in 2010 the company added a service that helps companies measure the success of their social media marketing efforts.

Larry Freed, ForeSee's CEO since it launched, suggested that a one-stop shop for customer satisfaction measurement services is what the marketplace wants.

“In a cross-channel world, it’s critical to understand how customers' experience with a company in one place affects their loyalty, brand affinity, and intent to purchase in another place,” Freed said in a statement. “We’re helping many of our clients measure the customer experience in stores, in call centers, on websites, and even with interactions on mobile phones or social media. The result informs resource allocation to initiatives that will have the greatest return on investment.”

The venture capital-backed firm, which is based at headquarters on Green Road on Ann Arbor's north side, said its newest clients include ESPN, Kohl's and Rite Aid.

Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.

Comments

True news

Fri, Feb 11, 2011 : 9:35 p.m.

Double check the number of employees current vs. past ('07 - '09 and now) are they really adding jobs? How many employees have been let go during the same time period? Could it be that they are adding new jobs simply to qualify for the state money and / or reduced taxes granted to ForeSee when the company threatened to leave the state a few years ago?

Tom Joad

Thu, Feb 10, 2011 : 6:28 p.m.

The customer is always right

Soothslayer

Thu, Feb 10, 2011 : 6:26 p.m.

I hate those pop up ads. "We're really interested in your opinion do you want to spend some more time..." (snip) Nope. [X] Close

ERIC MEYERS

Thu, Feb 10, 2011 : 4:51 p.m.

Wow 70 jobs. Not very helpful in this sad economy.

Bababooey

Thu, Feb 10, 2011 : 5:39 p.m.

It's actually extremely helpful and a great sign that the tech economy is growing.

CommonThought

Thu, Feb 10, 2011 : 3:18 p.m.

Glad to see more high end jobs coming to the area. However, it would be nice to see more jobs for people who don't have 3-5 years experience in certain fields.