Authority Magazine Interviews Tricia Houston, KS&R Discovery & Design Vice President

Authority Magazine is a media publication that shares empowering stories and actionable insights from Business, Pop Culture, Wellness, Social Impact, and Tech leaders. The Magazine interviewed KS&R Discovery & Design Vice President Tricia Houston about building long-lasting customer relationships. 

Tricia Houston of KS&R On How to Build Lasting Customer Relationships: An Interview with Rachel Kline

“Expectation Setting is key. Don’t create unintentional gaps by promising more than you can deliver. Don’t lose sight of your core. Remember that you can’t please everyone and celebrate what makes you unique to avoid swimming in the sea of sameness.” said Tricia Houston, Vice President of Discovery & Design.

Building lasting customer relationships has many benefits, including increased revenue, positive word-of-mouth recommendations, and saving on acquisition costs. But how does one do this? In this interview series, we are talking to Product Managers, founders, and authors who can share their “Five Tips For Building Lasting Customer Relationships”. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Tricia Houston.

Tricia Houston is the Vice President of Discovery & Design at KS&R, where she leads strategic initiatives and drives growth through her expertise in market research and analytics. Previously, she founded The ExperienceBuilt Group, where she reimagined processes, enhanced services, and worked directly with frontline employees on training and development. With over 20 years of experience, Tricia is recognized for delivering actionable insights and fostering innovation in the research industry.

Thank you for doing this with us! Before we begin, our readers would like to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to this career path?

After making a significant career move this year, I’ve done a good bit of personal reflection about what really drove me to take the path I’m on. I think it really comes down to being comfortable in roles that push the boundaries or may be less defined.

My first job out of school was at an experiential marketing agency led by a husband-and-wife team — Dill and Susan Driscoll, both industry veterans, who were on a mission to make a positive difference in people’s lives. They both dreamed big, cared even bigger, and were never stopped by phrases like “that’s never been done before.” Those mindsets stuck with me and have helped me carve a path from marketing, to marketing research, and now focused on experience design.

Can you share with our readers the most interesting or amusing story that has occurred to you in your career so far? Can you share the lesson or takeaway you took from that story?

Certainly, the most interesting thing I got to do was travel around the world in 95 days for a safe drinking water awareness program called “The Blue Planet Run.” This is a hallmark example of when someone came to Dill with a crazy idea that had never been done before and he assembled a team with the vision and know-how to make it happen. My role was to help with media and communication, but the stars of the show were the actual runners who did 10-mile legs passing a baton as they went.

After seeing this program come to life and being part of all the on-the-ground details, I’ve never shied away from a large-scale logistical challenge. It taught me that with visionary leadership and the right team, you can accomplish some amazing things.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

What is cool about my work today is that I get to put my logistics hat on to solve mixed-method research challenges. So, no runners or batons to pass, but LOTS of moving parts and stakeholders. We often support clients as they are iterating or launching a new service or format innovations. This means we’re often at a pilot location or an innovation center gathering feedback from multiple audiences — customers, team members, corporate stakeholders, etc.

These types of projects really help companies connect at the ground-level with what it’s like to be their customer. For example, if they are launching a new app, it can be eye-opening for stakeholders to watch users experience the app for the first time with fresh eyes. Especially for complicated processes, like in healthcare, this can build a lot of empathy among the team creating the app and help them push toward creating a less stressful user experience.

I can also share that we’re working with a really neat organization in the food service space called GLEAM. They are a volunteer-led, non-profit whose purpose is to provide mentorship and leadership development to those in the restaurant and foodservice industry. Their belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to learn from engaging with others really resonates with me, since my mentors have had such an impact on me. We’re partnering with them to help reimagine what mentoring 2.0 can look like. I’m excited to see what comes out of the partnership!

Click here to read the full interview

About KS&R

KS&R is a nationally recognized strategic consultancy and marketing research firm that provides clients with timely, fact-based insights and actionable solutions through industry-centered expertise. Specializing in Business Services, Telecom, Entertainment & Recreation, Healthcare, Retail & E-Commerce, Technology, and Transportation & Logistics verticals, KS&R empowers companies globally to make smarter business decisions. For more information, please visit www.ksrinc.com.