RETAIL EYES SURVEY PUTS TWICKENHAM TOP FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SOUTHEND BOTTOM

MILTON KEYNES – 4 October 2007 – To coincide with National Customer Service Week (1-7 October 2007) Retail Eyes, the fastest growing customer service evaluation company in the UK, has released results of its 2007 National Customer Satisfaction Survey. This survey is based on the results of 83,860 mystery shopping visits conducted to reveal how the various cities, towns and regions of the UK rank in terms of customer service.

This data has shown the Twickenham area has the best levels of customer service in the UK. Customer service outlets evaluated in postcodes beginning with TW had an 86.8% rating on average; edging ahead of Leeds with 86.6% and Lincoln with 86.5%. Also ranked in the top ten cities and towns nationwide for customer service in the Retail Eyes survey were Sheffield (85.4%) Dorchester (85%), Berwick upon Tweed (84.5%), Doncaster (84.3%), Torquay (84.0%), Durham (83.9%) and Paisley (83.8%).

Propping up the 2007 table were four areas in the south-east of the country – Southend-On-Sea (71.1%), Ipswich (71.3%), the Medway towns in Kent (71.7%) and Canterbury (71.9%) – plus Preston in Lancashire (72.0). However, the worst performer in the 2006 Retail Eyes National Customer Satisfaction Survey, Carlisle, rocketed up the table this to 53rd with a much improved score of 80%.

In terms of scores for the respective countries within the UK, Northern Ireland takes the crown with an average score of 81.6%. Last year’s winners Scotland slips to the third place behind England according to the analysis, with an average score of 79.9% down from a score 83.2% in 2006. Wales brought up the rear but were still very much in touch with the other home nations with an average score of 79.2%.

Breaking down the results regionally, the North-East of England pips Northern Ireland to top place with an average score of 81.9%. In third is the South-West (80.4%) followed by the South-East (80.2%), Scotland, the North West (79.6%), Wales, the Midlands (78.3%) with East Anglia taking the lowest spot with 77.6%. The national average score is 79.86%.

Within the M25, as well as overall winner Twickenham, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Croydon and Sutton all placed highly. In the capital itself, London West with 82.4% and London West Central (82.2%) appear to have the best customer service. North West London continues to be ranked last, as in 2006, but improved its score to 78.7% in this year’s Retail Eyes survey. The average in London was 81%.

Announcing the 2007 Retail Eyes National Customer Satisfaction Survey, Tim Ogle, Chief Executive of Retail Eyes, commented: “Understanding of the importance of providing high quality customer service is clearly gaining pace with companies acknowledging through greater investment in training that service is now becoming a key differentiator. The results already indicate the benefits of such investment as where in 2006 over 22 points separated the best and worst performing areas, this year the gap had narrowed to just 15 percentage points. Some of the worst performing areas last year have significantly raised their game and the narrowing of the gap is encouraging and supports our belief that service is rising to the top of most retailers’ agendas in regards to identifying where they can create a competitive edge.”

These ratings are based on the results of 83,860 mystery shopping trips conducted throughout the UK by Retail Eyes shoppers from 1 September 2006 to 31 August 2007 broken down by postcode. The mystery visits looked at items including staff friendliness, welcomes and farewells, staff knowledge, understanding customer’s needs, making them aware of promotions and offers, general interaction and customer’s propensity to recommend and advocate the places they visited. Additional details about the analysis are available on request.

Retail Eyes currently runs mystery shopping programmes for a wide variety of hospitality, leisure, travel, and high street retail companies. Unlike most mystery shopping companies, Retail Eyes employs everyday people as shoppers, rather than professionals. Anyone interested in being a shopper can sign up on Retail Eyes website at http://www.retaileyes.co.uk.


About Retail Eyes
Retail Eyes is the UK’s fastest growing customer service evaluation business and employs over 60 staff from its UK offices in Milton Keynes. Ranked at 32 in Marketing Magazine’s Market Research League Tables and 37 in The Sunday Times Tech Track 100, Retail Eyes deploys world beating technology and an innovative approach to deliver customer service evaluation and business development programmes to clients in a variety of sectors. Clients include Virgin, O2 (UK), Intercontinental Hotel Group, Spirit Group, Red Bull, William Hill, JD Wetherspoon, WH Smith, SUBWAY™, Alliance Pharmacy and HMV. For more information, visit www.retaileyes.co.uk

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