Network Rail Appoints Retail Active as its Mystery Shopping Partner

Retail Active, one of Europe’s leading mystery shopping companies has been appointed to operate Network Rail’s 'mystery shopper ' customer service evaluation programme.

The research will take place at 17 of Network Rails prestigious stations throughout the UK with the purpose of identifying strategic opportunity to enhance the sales and service at over 550 businesses and 150 leading high street brands.

Retail Active will operate ‘Service Excellence’, which aims to evaluate and improve existing customer service standards.

Julian Chamberlain Managing Director of Retail Active stated that the Oxfordshire based secret shopping company competed against a shortlist of three other leading research companies. ‘We are delighted to have been awarded this business and look forward to making a meaningful and lasting difference to Network Rails business objectives.

Retail Active is growing fast and I am confident that our ability to deliver this project with flawless execution meant that we are the right choice all along. Our performance last year has outperformed all expectations and 2012 is set to be our most exciting yet.

Working with Network Rail enables us to showcase our true capabilities as the leading Mystery Shopping and Brand Audit Company. We will be assessing customer service to keep customers coming back. Our regular evaluations and feedback will help Network Rail to develop and maintain good customer service practices with their business partners for years to come."

Retail Active is part of the Sequential Solutions Group and the leading Mystery Shopping Company in the UK. Each year tens of thousands of secret shoppers visit businesses throughout Europe to test their service and customer experience.

RETAIL ACTIVE JOINS MSPA EUROPE

Retail Active Mystery Shopping has attained the prestigious European membership of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).

The MSPA is the professional trade association dedicated to improving service quality using Mystery Shopping and Customer Experience measurement strategies.

To become a member of such a highly regarded organisation Retail Active had to demonstrate its professional standards and ethical approach to business.

Members span the globe with only a handful of carefully selected companies representing mystery shopping for the United Kingdom.

On the achieving membership Managing Director, Julian Chamberlain commented “Being accepted by MSPA is a huge privilege and one we take very seriously indeed. We recognise the importance and professional standing of MSPA. This is an association who tirelessly works to raise ever higher standards in our industry. Retail Active aim to be at the forefront of excellence and we are delighted to be endorsed by them.”

Retail Active, Start Electron, Fermi Avenue, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QR
+44 (0)1235 438413
www.retailactive.com

Press inquiries: John Hemmingway 0115 960 5734 - 0786 764 1983 – john@jhcomms.com

Mystery Shopping – What is it and how does it work?

Mystery Shopping is a service offered by market research companies to measure the quality of customer service. Mystery Shopping began in the USA during the early 1940’s where it was then used to measure employee integrity, but these days Mystery Shopping is used to improve the quality of customer service and to evaluate the performance of their staff.

Today companies are using Mystery Shopping programmes to help improve their business and to get a more in depth view of how their staff interact with their customers.

Any company wanting to learn more about customer satisfaction, advocacy and operational execution can use a Mystery Shopping programme. Typical businesses using this type of consumer insight information are:

* Petrol Stations
* Restaurants
* Travel Companies
* Supermarkets
* Leisure Operators
* Automotive Companies
* Spas
* Banks
* Cruise Lines
* Many more

Customer service is an important aspect in any business as it lets the company keep up with its competitors. Ensuring satisfaction in every shopping experience is vital to success. Mystery Shopping facilitates your company to ensure that the efficiency of your customer service meets the requirements set out by yourselves.

Mystery Shopping not only looks at how well your staff are doing, but also at how you can maximise the strategic value of your business.

With each Mystery Shopping programme, mystery shoppers are employed and given an assignment where they collect information about your business in a professional and objective manner. The results are then recorded and used to create detailed consumer insight. This raw data is returned to the market research company where they will report the detailed findings back to the client. Often the reportage is created using sophisticated software to highlight information of a strategically important nature.

Mystery Shopping programmes can range from simple questionnaires to elaborate market research projects, supported by cutting edge metrics and business tools. Research can be captured using written word, audio or video recording depending on the requirement of the client.

A Mystery Shopping company that makes a real and lasting difference to your business is hard to find. One company worth mentioning is Retail Active.

Retail Active is a Mystery Shopping Agency with a difference. They will help you to define measures that will drive you and your people to do the right thing. Retail Active Mystery Shopping programme makes a critical business contribution to some of the world’s most recognisable brands. All of their clients have seen significant, measurable and cost effective improvements by working with them. Retail Active will help you take your business to the next level of success.

With Retail Active’s Mystery Shopping programme, the information gathered is extensive and can be gathered in a number of ways.

* Employee Satisfaction Surveys
* On-line Customer Satisfaction Surveys
* Video Mystery shopping
* Retail Audits
* Brand Audits
* Telephone Mystery Calls
* Facilities Audits
* Price Surveys
* Competitor Benchmarking

If you would like to know more about Retail Active Mystery Shopping Programme, you can visit their web site www.retailactive.com, alternatively you can contact them on 01235 438413.

Retail Active
Sequential Solutions Ltd
Start Electron
Fermi Avenue
Harwell Science and Innovation Campus
Oxfordshire
OX11 0QR
www.retailactive.com