Lorien Acquired by TTi for Auto Customer Focus

In the UK, auto research specialist Lorien Customer Focus has been snapped up by US training firm TTi Global, with the aim of helping clients measure the impact training is having on customer retention.

Langley, Berkshire-based Lorien, which was launched more than 25 years ago, specialises in customer satisfaction research and loyalty measurement, employee engagement and satisfaction research, mystery shopping, and call centre performance monitoring.

Additionally, the firm has a team which designs and delivers training programmes - such as those for brand and culture awareness, product launches, and customer service skills.

The company - which employs more than 50 people and delivers solutions for clients in 26 countries and 21 languages - delivers both market research and customer service training programmes to a number of high profile automotive clients.

TTi (Technical Training, Inc), with 1,350 employees in 12 countries, provides workforce recruitment and technical training, operations outsourcing and specialised training programs to numerous automotive customers, as well as companies in the hospitality, retail and consumer goods, and services sectors.

Global President and CEO Lori Blaker says that the integration of the two firms will help companies track the impact that training is having on customer satisfaction and retention.

'This is a powerful combination that will enable us to demonstrate the connection between a trained workforce and the customer experience,' Blaker adds.

Lorien will continue to operate with the same name, management and staff, and remain in the UK, where TTi Global already has an office.

'There are tremendous synergies between these two companies,' Lorien CEO Archie Sinclair states. 'Combining our expertise and resources with those of TTi Global enables us to put our market intelligence to work in an even greater capacity.'

Terms were not disclosed, but TTi is projecting $73m in combined annual revenue.

Web sites: www.lorienconnect.com and www.ttinao.com .