As a result of VAT rising to 20% in 2011, retail sales fell 0.7% in February, compared to the same period in 2010. The year ahead is likely to be difficult for businesses, therefore good customer service will be more important than ever to secure sales in the retail industry.

Consumer confidence surveys conducted recently, as cited by the Guardian, suggest that households are unable, or less willing to spend money in 2011. However, retailers can boost their sales and gain resilience to the economic climate if their customer service levels are high and their staff well trained.

Performance improvement specialist Douglas Stafford, has worked with a number of leading retailers such as French Connection and Claire’s Accessories, running mystery shopping and training programmes to increase their customer satisfaction levels.

“Every programme Douglas Stafford provides its clients is bespoke and tailored to their exact needs,” says Penny Seaton, Account Director at Douglas Stafford. “As a result, the costs are kept to a minimum for the client, and we are able to provide valuable, measurable results to ensure our clients are successful in generating sales.”

For cost effective solutions to increase customer service standards and boost sales, visit www.douglasstafford.co.uk

Motor group Arnold Clark opened its first showroom 57 years ago in 1954. From a single showroom to a £2 billion business with over 8,000 employees one thing has always remained constant – the company’s aim to deliver a high level of customer service.

The success of the company can largely be attributed to the determination of founder Sir Arnold Clark to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction throughout its new and used car sectors.

As a result of his accomplishments and business success, Sir Arnold has been awarded a lifetime achievement award by the National Business Awards.

“The simple philosophy on which the company was founded over 50 years ago has become the mission statement of the company today – to offer genuine value for money and create high levels of customer satisfaction,” says Sir Arnold Clark.

Having successfully worked with mystery shopping expert Douglas Stafford on a number of previous occasions, in 2010 Arnold Clark contracted the company to provide an increased number of covert shops throughout its 145 dealerships.

Arnold Clark believes the programmes will be a very valuable aid for monitoring its business performance and improving customer service, in turn enhancing the company’s selling potential.

“We conduct physical mystery shops on a quarterly basis across the company’s Scotland and Northern UK branches.” says Dan Spicer, Project Manager at Douglas Stafford.

“We aim to highlight the sales teams’ strengths and weaknesses and to provide a structure for future business improvement.”

For more information on how Douglas Stafford can improve your business performance, visit www.douglasstafford.co.uk

It is expected that house sales will increase in the next three months – with 12% more surveyors predicting a welcome rise in activity within the market.

A spokesman for RICS told the Guardian: “Widening regional variation in the UK’s housing market became increasingly noticeable during February, led by an improvement in London, while large parts of the north, east and Midlands continued to experience a more downbeat picture.”

Business performance expert, Douglas Stafford has helped a number of estate agents and housing companies, such as Miller Homes and Taylor Wimpey, to increase their sales and customer service levels. With the market showing promise of slight recovery, it is crucial to ensure company performance is at its highest.

“By analysing the performance of sales teams, identifying areas of improvement and putting the necessary frameworks in place to train employees, we are able to significantly improve our clients’ customer service.” says Dan Spicer, Douglas Stafford’s Taylor Wimpey Project Manager.

“Buying a house is a huge commitment, so sales teams’ selling techniques must be as efficient as possible in order for a company to be successful, especially at a time when the housing market is so challenging.”

For more information on how Douglas Stafford can improve your business performance, visit www.douglasstafford.co.uk

Compiled from 53,000 mystery shopping results, benchmarking statistics allow Douglas Stafford’s clients the opportunity to gauge their position in an increasingly competitive market.

An independent article in Car Dealer Magazine has labelled the mystery shopping company “Industry experts” and highlighted the benefits Douglas Stafford’s benchmarking statistics has provided The Co-Operative Motor Group. The company passed the 90% mark in over half of the criteria set.

“Throughout 2011 the market will be tough, so having access to market data is more important than ever before,” says Nigel Cook, Chief Executive at Douglas Stafford. “The ability to benchmark a company’s selling process against its mystery shopping results, and again with its competitors, is crucial in the current economic climate.

“Accurate, competitive data will help our clients improve performance and provide a better gauge of how well customer service is being delivered.”

Douglas Stafford provides 46% of the Automotive Industry with performance improvement services. Compiled using mystery shops conducted for 14 major car manufacturers, a comprehensive, customised set of benchmarking statistics is provided to clients for analysis.

National average results have improved year on year, as clients extend contracts with the company and continue to refine business performance and selling processes. In 2011, the results reached an all time high, with one leading car manufacturer scoring 100% in one area and higher than the national average in the majority of others.

For more information on how Douglas Stafford can improve your business performance and provide you with measurable results and statistics to maintain high levels of customer service, visit www.douglasstafford.co.uk.

Douglas Stafford has a number of clients who operate in Japan and the company would like to show its support to them and the citizens of Japan, who have been affected by the recent natural disaster.

The company carries out mystery shopping services for Japanese car manufacturers, Honda and Toyota and a number of other clients with links to Japan, such as automotive company Hyundai which has recently celebrated the 21^st anniversary of Hyundai Japan Co.

The team at Douglas Stafford would like to extend their thoughts and condolences to all those affected.

As a result of efforts to recycle office materials throughout the Douglas Stafford offices, the mystery shopping company has been awarded a ‘Certificate of Environmental Accomplishment’ by Shred-it, a company which provides environmentally friendly solutions to office waste disposal.

Participating in Shred-it’s shredding and recycling programme has saved 18.2 trees from destruction in 2010. This is one of many schemes the company involves itself in to be as ethically, environmentally and socially responsible as possible, and it has been congratulated on the positive impact that taking part in the initiative has made towards saving the environment.

The company doesn’t stop at environmental efforts; Douglas Stafford organises fundraising events and employees work hard throughout the year, to raise money for two local charities, The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and Smile4Wessex. The company is currently holding a social networking campaign where one lucky person can win an Amazon Kindle and £250 will be given to the charities if 500 ‘likes’ are achieved on Facebook.

Chief Executive, Nigel Cook also believes in maintaining an ethically responsible ethos, and in the recent snowfall in January, brought his 4×4 across from the Isle of Wight to rescue stranded employees on their travels to work, had pizzas delivered to the offices for those who made it in to boost moral and spent a number of hours after work shuttling employees back to the safety of their homes.

For more information on Douglas Stafford’s charity efforts, visit www.douglasstafford.com

The 81^st International motor show in Geneva saw the unveiling of a number of cars embracing revolutionary, environmentally friendly technologies. Selling techniques are going to become evermore important to make this new style of motoring a success.

Whilst the cars may be in a stage of concept, companies must begin evolving their traditional sales methods to bring them into a new era of motoring. With petrol prices hitting a record-breaking £6 per gallon this month, the popularity of hybrid, economical vehicles is ever-increasing and sales teams must adjust their sales pitches to reflect market trends.

Sales teams must focus their efforts more effectively, and tap into resources often left untouched by dealerships. By taking part in training schemes offered by leading performance improvement company, Douglas Stafford, and enlisting in the company’s Showroom Appointment Initiative, companies can reduce the risk of being left behind in a period of extraordinary development.

Taking advantage of the benefits Douglas Stafford provides will allow dealerships to maintain high levels of sales in a market that may no longer favour the type of vehicles they offer.

Whether a new, economical way of driving fits your company ethos or not, dealerships can move with a new trend in the market, by increasing business performance and improving customer service levels – ensuring sales figures continue to improve as economic and market changes occur.

Three key team members of mystery shopping and performance improvement company Douglas Stafford, have attended the award-winning training programme windscreen repair experts Autoglass provides its employees.

The lengths Douglas Stafford’s mystery shoppers go to in order to provide accurate feedback for clients is significant, so when real customers are not being used, the shoppers break their own car’s windscreen using a specially devised tool.

“We felt it was important to educate ourselves and film the training Autoglass provides its employees in order to improve how we score their business performance,” says Kevin Jennings, Douglas Stafford’s Field Scheduling Manager.

“We were shown every detail of what the Autoglass technicians are meant to do and we were surprised at the number of procedures involved in a windscreen repair or a replacement.”

Douglas Stafford has been working with the company since 2007 conducting mystery shops aimed at increasing business performance and customer satisfaction levels.

The footage recorded during this recent course will be used to educate all of the company’s mystery shoppers on what to look out for in future shops.

“We were really pleased to be invited to visit the award-winning training centre, and go on the training programme which Autoglass runs for its employees and it shows just how good the relationship is between the two companies,” says Dan Spicer, Project Manager at Douglas Stafford.

“It was really interesting to see exactly what their procedures are and it will also help us to improve how we conduct mystery shops for Autoglass in the future.”

 Mystery shopping provides organisations with the chance to see what its customers experience, from their viewpoint. This valuable insight allows a company to analyse how it performs, as a means of improving customer service.

Two decades of technological developments has seen the process of conducting mystery shops improve significantly. When a mystery shopper enters a store, the procedure is now totally covert; the video recording equipment used is small and undetectable, producing high-resolution recordings through a camera lens the size of a shirt button.

Throughout its 21 years in operation, leading mystery shopping company, Douglas Stafford, has developed and refined its on-site mystery shopping services. With a portfolio of clients including Audi UK, Fitness First and Taylor Wimpey, the company conducts over 53,000 mystery shops per year.

“On-site mystery shopping allows companies to expose their strengths and weaknesses.” says Douglas Stafford’s Operations Director, Ben Sargeant. “It provides managers with an invaluable insight into the experience customers have with their company.”

Once the shop has taken place, a full report is created and footage provided for the clients viewing, either online or on a DVD. The feedback covers every aspect of the findings and is designed to maximise the company’s opportunity to improve sales efficiency and performance.

A team of quality controllers ensure 100% of on-site shop results are accurate to ensure clients receive the highest quality of service possible. The level of technology the company uses, combined with a close attention to detail, makes for a seamless process from initial consultation to final result.

For more information on Douglas Stafford’s services see www.douglasstafford.co.uk/pages/services-overview