"No Soup For You!"

How do you customers feel about you? Are they happier at the store down the street?

At one time or another, we've all felt like Jerry, Elaine, Kramer or George, putting up with long lines and abusive behavior, before handing our money over from some product or service. I once generously tipped a salon worker after she waxed off half an eyebrow -- but that's a story for another time.

Although the U.S. customer service experience ranks as one of the highest in the world, according to Grass Roots Performance Measurement LLC, based in Miami, there is a huge variation in how customers rate their retail experiences depending on the city they are in.

Using mystery shoppers to collect data, Grass Roots looked at customer experiences in Phoenix, Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Seattle, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Boston and New York in these sectors: real estate, fast food, furniture stores, department stores, bars, electronics, mobile phone retailers, home improvement stores, coffee shops, banks, gas stations, drug stores and grocery stores.

Among the results: Retailers in c-store-saturated Phoenix ranked best at all-around customer service with an approval score of 85 percent.

Customers wanting a smile with their takeout were most likely to find them in Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Dallas and Phoenix, where fast-food experiences scored an 80 percent approval rating or higher. Overall, the fast-food sector was the best at spotting opportunities to push order revisions and upgrade customer choices, revealing QSRs' efforts at personalized service.

Convenience store operators may also be interested in knowing the Windy City blew the other cities away when it came to friendly and efficient service in coffee shops.

Outside the store, gasoline stations in New York City, with its share of full-service locations, scored lowest among the markets surveyed. Maybe the Soup Nazi switched channels.

No matter where retailers operate, customers will judge their service against those in the last store they visited. What are you doing to ensure customer satisfaction?

-- Barb Francella, senior editor, Convenience Store News

Comments

[C-Store Guy]

I remember reading somewhere that a person who has a great shopping experience might tell 3 people, a person who has a poor shopping experience will tell 10 or more people.