Argos corporate news
Argos to take customer service to a new level with extended customer feedback trial
20 November 2008
Argos, the UK's leading multi-channel retailer, is extending its successful customer feedback trial at the end of this month. The trial, which is one of a number of new customer initiatives, demonstrates the retailer's continued focus on delivering great customer service, and will mean customers can give real-time feedback on the service they received in 140 stores by the beginning of December.
Argos is working with CFS Europe to gather the feedback which is collected via a small device usually located either by the collection point or on the way out of the store. Feedback, which consists of answering five short questions, can be tracked to a specific time, and managers receive a report each week based on every hour of every day. If needed, the data can also be pushed manually at any time.
The 140 stores taking part in the extended in-store trial will include all central London locations, plus five stores in each other geographical location. At present, the in-store trial is limited to UK stores but it is likely to roll out to all 700-plus stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland between March and September next year. In the meantime, customers who have shopped in any other store can share their experience online, as all receipts and a website banner will carry customer feedback information.
John Douglass, Argos Retail Operations Director, said "The customer feedback trial has been incredibly successful in the stores that conducted the initial trial, so we're confident of seeing a similar outcome in the next phase. Not only have we had a fantastic response from customers in store – higher than we expected – but the online response has been good too.
The feedback is an invaluable tool for store managers in understanding what customers want and where the opportunities are to improve service in their particular store at any one time. In each of the initial trial stores, we've seen improvements week on week in customer satisfaction rates as managers act on the information customers are giving them, so we're confident we can really take our customer service to the next level using this method."
The customer feedback trial is just one of a number of customer-focused initiatives Argos has been trialling over the past three or four months. These include testing new, clearer customer screens at collection points in some stores (showing details of the order progress as well as services offered in store) and simplifying the collection process, changes which are likely to be rolled out to all stores next year. In addition, Argos has launched a new ‘Argos Smiles’ recognition scheme for store colleagues. This allows both customers and colleagues to recognise any member of staff who has delivered great customer service, earning them an immediate scratch card prize and entry into a monthly prize draw.
-ENDS-