http://www.therealisegroup.com.au/ Go4 News Go4 Multimedia. Donovan Craig <donovan@go4.com.au> http://www.therealisegroup.com.au/news/newsitem.html?news_id=9 Customer service in Australia has improved, according to the latest benchmarking data from The Realise Group, compiled from over 36,000 mystery shops conducted in the 2009 – 2010 Financial Year. Key areas of improvement were in selling, building rapport and improving customers’ perception. An average of 86% of staff members in all sectors led the way by making customer service their top priority. This is an increase of 5 percentage points from 81% (FY 2008 – 2009 results) to 86% (FY 2009 – 2010). ‘Customers feeling welcome’ rose by 2 percentage points from the previous year, scoring a high 88%. Latest News Luke Moulton <luke@go4.com.au> http://www.therealisegroup.com.au/news/newsitem.html?news_id=6 Retailers are not doing enough in the current economic downturn to maximise the number of in-store purchases made by customers, according to the latest benchmarking data compiled by The Realise Group from almost 40,000 mystery shops conducted in the 2008 &ndash; 2009 Financial Year. Results from similar benchmarking exercises conducted in 2006 and 2007 revealed that there were significant improvements overall from 2006 and 2007, but that many standards have slipped since 2007. View full details here (50kb pdf file) Latest News Luke Moulton <luke@go4.com.au> http://www.therealisegroup.com.au/news/newsitem.html?news_id=5 The traditional reaction during an economic downturn is to tighten spending wherever possible. At first glance, mystery shopping may seem like a luxury that retailers can do without until things start looking up, but those that go the extra mile to understand and connect with their customers during this time will forge a much stronger position in the future. A new study conducted by StollzNow Research reveals that the provision of outstanding service remains the number one reason why Australians recommend companies to others. Even in an economic downturn, 28 per cent of consumers will remain loyal to companies that provide them with the best service. Commissioned by RightNow Technologies, the survey polled 500 Australian adults to investigate what impact the current economic climate would have on consumer spending and customer service. It was revealed that 79% of consumers have stopped doing business with an organisation because of a bad experience and 71% tell others about their negative customer experiences with the main aim (69%) being to prevent other consumers doing business with the company at fault. With the prevalence of blogs and public online feedback, negative reputation can persist like a virus. Combine this with lost business and an operational burden and you will notice the impact on your bottom line, which becomes more obvious during these tough times. Fortunately, positive feedback and recommendations from satisfied customers gives you the opportunity to seize more market share and gain customer loyalty that will place you far ahead of your competitors when the economy rebalances. The benefits of a good mystery shopping program allows you to strike while the iron is cold, for the following reasons: An alternative to more large scale and expensive forms of market research. Retailers or franchisors may have a simple set of KPIs which can be measured easily without the need for a suite of high-level market research analyses. Mystery shopping can provide them with more bang for their buck and cut out reports and evaluations which may be impressive but unnecessary.&nbsp; Helps you to tune in to what your customers want. A good mystery shopping program is a cost effective way to find out if your customers are getting what they expect, and more. Mystery shoppers&rsquo; unbiased opinions about value for money can help retailers look more closely at adapting their products or services to meet customers&rsquo; changing habits.&nbsp; Helps to educate and retain staff. You can&rsquo;t afford to lose good people in bad times. A holistic mystery shopping program should offer communication tools such as newsletters to recognise the achievements of high performing staff, incentive programs for motivation and coaching tips to provide guidance. These help to preserve staff morale and keep them connected and committed to excel amidst tough times.&nbsp;&nbsp; Supports promotional programs. Your share of voice will increase as retailers retreat from their marketing expenditure. Identifying opportunities and making improvements following the review of mystery shopping reports reinforces promotional efforts and ensures your frontline staff are prepared when customers step into your store after hearing your promises loud and clear.&nbsp; Evaluates the effectiveness of training. The economy may be stagnating, but your team must not! Training and development are essential in every business, but it can be an expensive investment. Mystery shopping ensures that you have made a wise investment in the right training provider, content etc, so you know your money is well spent. Latest News Luke Moulton <luke@go4.com.au> http://www.therealisegroup.com.au/news/newsitem.html?news_id=4 The achievements of 7-Eleven and Bakers Delight have been recognised by the Franchising Council of Australia in the MYOB Excellence in Franchising Awards 2008. 7-Eleven won the prestigious Franchisor of the Year (Overall) Award as well as the Retail Franchisor of the Year Award for the launch of a new business plan to their franchisees and staff called &lsquo;Energising Everyone&rsquo;. &lsquo;Energising Everyone&rsquo; aims to set world class benchmarks in the Australian convenience retailing industry through state-of-the-art franchisee and staff support systems, superior product marketing and cutting edge store design. Bakers Delight won the Media Campaign of the Year Award for their commitment to the community and leadership in providing marketing support to their franchisees. Bakers Delight&rsquo;s media campaign for 'The Top Sports Grant' offered primary and secondary schools the chance to win one of 20 grants worth $5,000 each to buy sporting equipment and uniforms, upgrade facilities, training or any other sports-related items schools may need. With very little mass media to drive awareness and subsequent results, the grass-roots program championed by Australian sporting legend Andrew Gaze was an unprecedented success. The Realise Group would like to congratulate our clients for their outstanding achievements! Latest News Luke Moulton <luke@go4.com.au>