Each and every week the Square Holes team are deep in the bowels of a number of projects, working to mine all of the insights that we can to help grow businesses and support thriving cities.

These insights are used by businesses and organisations to innovate their offerings, move into new markets, track their impact and hone their products and output. Each week we will be sharing a broad insight that we have learnt for you to use in your own work.

Let us know what you find valuable!

Mahalia: NFPs MVP

In a week that saw the largest cut of the budget to NDIS, the work of NFPs (not-for-profit) is never more needed. Having worked in the NFP sector in the past, I know first-hand that many of these organisations are expected to provide a big impact with little funding. Market research is a tool many NFPs use in order to get the most bang for their buck when it comes to providing services that meet the needs of their community. Square Holes is proud of the more than $1 million we have invested into arts, cultural and community partnerships since our inception, as we believe that arts and culture are crucial to a flourishing city.

Dylan: Service with a smile

I’ve been thinking about customer experiences and service quality this week, with a lot of reflection on the SERVQUAL model. One of the more interesting aspects of the SERVQUAL model is that it reminds us service quality isn’t defined internally – it’s defined by the gap between what organisations think they deliver and what customers actually experience. Businesses often focus on operational efficiency, but customers tend to remember the human elements most: responsiveness, empathy, reliability, and whether expectations were genuinely met. What makes SERVQUAL valuable is less the framework itself, and more the discipline of continuously listening, measuring, and reflecting on customer perceptions. In many ways, strong service is not about perfection, it’s about consistently reducing the gap between intention and experience.

Jason: The price of value

As prices go up, value is needed more than ever. A consistent theme across our research in recent years. From products to experiences, things seem to be getting more and more expensive. The best way to reduce frustration around the added cost of a beer, a night out, dinner or a ticket to a show is to make the experience better than ever. While it might not be cheaper, it is better. This can be hard, as “better” is subjective. What can happen — the perfect storm — is that businesses actually decrease value, because value is expensive to deliver. Which brings me to a thought…

What kills a business?

(1) Lack of clear value (beyond price), leading to a
(2) lack of customers, leading to
(3) declining cash flow, creating a perceived need to further
(4) cut value to customers — looping back to (1).

What ensures a business thrives in a challenging market?

(1) Clear value beyond price, leading to
(2) loyal and growing customers, leading to
(3) stronger cash flow and confidence, enabling
(4) continued investment in customer value, experience and innovation — reinforcing (1).

The challenge is that value is expensive to deliver. But in tougher economic periods, value often matters more than ever.

Square Holes is a cultural insight studio.

We design mixed method explorations of people and culture beyond the category,  uncovering the patterns, tensions and shifts shaping behaviour to inform strategy, inspire innovation and enable confident decisions. Our studio model brings together the right mix of thinkers, researchers and specialists for each exploration. If you’re navigating change, entering a new market, or seeking deeper understanding of people and culture, let’s start a conversation >