Douglas Stafford Mystery Shopping Blog

Volkswagen Group creates new Customer Quality Director role

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:39:32 +0000

With effect from June 1, Alison Jones is promoted from her current position as Head of Operations at Audi UK into the newly created role of Customer Quality Director on the Volkswagen Group UK Board of Management. Alison will lead the Group-wide drive to improve the quality of customer experience at every touch point, and will report directly to Volkswagen Group Managing Director Simon Thomas.

The Customer Quality Director will support all sectors of the Volkswagen Group in the UK in the pursuit of optimal customer service standards, while each brand will retain front line responsibility for its customer base. Simon Thomas commented: “As a previous Head of Contact Strategy, Customer Service and Aftersales in Volkswagen and Head of Operations in Audi, Alison has extensive experience and a deep understanding of our customers’ needs.”

Performance Improvement and Mystery Shopping Company Douglas Stafford work in partnership with Audi and Volkswagen and would like to wish Alison every success in her new role. Douglas Stafford strongly believes in customer satisfaction and supplying people with a quality service. The company has been providing clients with Performance Improvement programmes for over 22 years.

Monkeys Go Nuts For The Toughest Car Challenge

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:10:42 +0000

There was plenty of monkeying around when Hyundai set its new family car the ultimate wear and tear challenge this week, over 40 Safari Park Baboons were set loose on Hyundai’s New Generation i30 Hatchback.

The car has been specially-designed for families and their ‘little monkeys’ in the back, with extra strong materials used to build the interior, easy wipe plastics, tough fittings and a special high quality steel used for the bodywork.

Baboons from Knowsley Safari Park were chosen for their well-known love of tearing park visitors’ cars apart – most famously Wayne Rooney’s vehicle when he visited the Merseyside attraction last year. And it was monkey business as usual when Hyundai parked its i30 family car in the baboon enclosure, as it was immediately besieged by dozens of the park’s primates. But 10 hours later the car emerged virtually unscathed.

The monkeys simulated the punishment that the children of a typical family subject a car to: jumping up and down on seats, pushing and prodding buttons and opening and closing storage bins. They even checked the durability of cup holders with plastic drinking beakers! Outside, the paintwork was smeared and scraped, but the hard-wearing paint protected the car from significant scratches and chips. Meanwhile, other baboons tested the fabric of seats by eating their lunch in the car and some played with their toys in the i30’s sizeable boot.

Felicity Wood, i30 Product Manager at Hyundai, said: “At Hyundai we believe in new thinking, which is why we decided to take a new approach with this durability test. You have to be pretty brave to subject a car to the most rigorous quality testers in the world, and the monkeys certainly gave our New Generation i30 a thorough examination. The fact that it survived with only a few scrapes is testament to the way a modern Hyundai is designed and engineered. We really do give a monkey’s about building tough cars!”

To give something back to monkeys for their help, Hyundai has donated £1,000 to one of Knowsley’s supported charities, the Primate Society of Great Britain, which dedicates its work to conservation and captive care of new and old world monkeys, gibbons and apes.

Performance Improvement and Mystery Shopping Company Douglas Stafford have been working alongside Hyundai for over four years. The key areas the company specialises in are Mystery Shopping, Market Research, Training and innovative Tele-Sales Programmes.

Bike Trac Recovers Charlie Boorman’s Bike

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:12:49 +0000

Despite a host of high profile recoveries already this year and maintaining a 100% success rate, Bike Trac is delighted to confirm the safe recovery of Charley Boorman’s BMW R1200GS Adventure, after the adventure TV star was the victim of bike theft.

Boorman, who is best known for his televised round the world and long distance motorcycle adventures, had his BMW R1200GS Adventure stolen in the early hours of Saturday morning. But unbeknown to the thieves, the bike had Road Angel Group’s Bike Trac system covertly fitted, allowing the authorities to track it down just hours later. Bike Trac’s Bill Taylor explained: “The system on Charley’s bike was triggered at 4.29am on Saturday and quickly tracked to a location in South West London. By using the technology that Bike Trac offers, we were able to pinpoint the bike to a specific garage, where with a police warrant we were able to recover it, partly dismantled.”

Charley Boorman added, “Naturally I was pretty shocked to learn that my bike had been stolen. In normal circumstances the chance of ever seeing a bike again after it’s been stolen is very slim. But with the knowledge that it had a Bike Trac unit fitted, I was fairly hopeful. To get the bike recovered so soon really is a testament to the system indeed.”

With a 24/7 online web portal, users can view their bike ‘live’ and review routes ridden following a ride online. On top of this, and particularly useful for lone riders, Bike Trac’s ‘Bike Down’ feature will also notify loved ones should the bike be involved in a fall or accident. This, combined with text and email alerts for movement and even the ability to view a bike’s battery level online, make Bike Trac much more than just a Thatcham approved security device.

Like Bike Trac, Mystery Shopping and Performance Improvement Company Douglas Stafford have consistently been at the forefront of technological advancements during its 22 years of business. Its in-house Information Technology team provide clients with the very latest in on-line reporting tools and the option of digital HD quality video mystery shopping. Douglas Stafford has also worked in partnership with BMW for over 10 years.

Lexus Recruits Chiwetel Ejiofor for new campaign

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:13:50 +0000

Chiwetel Ejiofor, award-winning screen, television and stage actor, has been appointed by Lexus as the voice of its new ‘Creating Amazing’ campaign, a marketing strategy designed to express excitement and innovation in the prestige brand that will support the launch this summer of the new GS Executive sports saloon and RX luxury SUV models.

Ejiofor will be heard in ‘Creating Amazing’ television and radio adverts that will be part of the multi-million-pound campaign, produced for Lexus by national advertising agency CHI.

Creating Amazing has been designed to capture and project Lexus’s commitment to achieve the “amazing” in the styling, technology and performance of its cars. This is reflected in a distinctive design in the new GS and further development of the Lexus Hybrid Drive technology to deliver a combination of low emissions and fuel efficiency in the premium car market.

Ejiofor has long been acclaimed by critics as one of the finest actors of his generation. In the cinema he has enjoyed major roles in Hollywood, including last year’s action movie Salt with Angelina Jolie. Ejiofor is equally accomplished in theatre, most notably receiving the prestigious Olivier and Evening Standard best actor awards for his performance as Othello in London in 2008.

Richard Balshaw, Lexus Director, said: “Chiwetel is the perfect choice for the campaign. He has a distinctive, rich and engaging voice that we know will connect with listeners and help make our ‘Creating Amazing’ advertising memorable and effective in reaching our target customers.

“Lexus is entering an exciting new era in which our vehicles and our brand will achieve a stronger identity through advanced styling and stronger, environmentally efficient performance, allied to the quality, luxury and industry-leading customer service for which we are already renowned.”

Mystery Shopping and Performance Improvement Company Douglas Stafford has been working in partnership alongside Lexus since 2005. During its 22 years of business it has consistently been at the forefront of technological advancements. It works with many national and international organisations from its Head Quarters in Portsmouth.

Mercedes-Benz launches its new Chauffeur Website

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:57:49 +0000

Mercedes-Benz UK has launched its first chauffeur website as part of a new campaign designed for the professional driver market. Click to go to Mercedes Benz Chauffeur webpage.

The new dedicated chauffeur section, which is within the Mercedes-Benz Fleet site, is designed to be an easy-to-use tool to highlight useful information on vehicle and finance offers, service packages, accessories and even a photo service option that enables chauffeur companies to source high quality images of Mercedes-Benz models for their websites and brochures.

Nick Andrews, Head of Fleet at Mercedes-Benz, said: “This new website highlights our commitment to make Mercedes-Benz UK much easier to deal with for the chauffeur market. We are working hard to create dedicated offers and give focused support to the professional drivers, all of which have been designed with our customers’ business in mind.”

Performance Improvement and Mystery Shopping Company Douglas Stafford are currently working in partnership with Mercedes-Benz.

Douglas Stafford has been providing clients with performance improvement programmes for over 21 years. We have built up a wealth of expertise in this specialist field that continually provides benefits to all our clients.

BMW prepares Olympic Torch for London 2012

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:30:29 +0000

The BMW Group’s Energy and Environmental Test Centre in Munich has been put to work testing the Olympic Torch ahead of its 70 day Olympic Relay around the UK.

The Test Centre which brings some of the world’s most extreme weather systems into one building is normally used to examine the performance of BMW Group vehicles. The three wind tunnels and two climatic test chambers are able to imitate hostile environments from around the world in one single laboratory. With a temperature range of -20C to +55C, BMW can replicate the Arctic Tundra and the Sahara Desert, while the wind speeds of up to 280 km/h are greater than those generated in most hurricanes.

BMW, as the Official Automotive Partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and an expert in efficiency and state-of-the-art testing, was an obvious choice to house a bespoke range of tests developed by LOCOG and the engineering partner of the Olympic Torch, Tecosim.

As the Olympic Torch travels around the UK, it will have to stay alight in all British weather conditions including freezing temperatures at the summit of Snowdon, winds on the Shetland Islands and the summer heat of the South coast of England, not to mention the inevitable summer shower. The Olympic Torch will be more than prepared to deal with all weather conditions. The Torch stood up to some extreme weather conditions at the BMW facility, enduring -5C to +40C temperatures, +50mph winds, snow and rain. The Olympic Torch stayed lit throughout.

Mystery Shopping and Performance Improvement Company, Douglas Stafford, have been working in partnership with BMW for over 10 years and are proud to be associated with the company. Douglas Stafford are in full support of BMW and their Sponsorship of the 2012 Olympics.

Audi AG acquires Motorcycle Manufacturer Ducati

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:36:32 +0000

Volkswagen‘s Audi arm has bought Italian motorcycle firm Ducati for an undisclosed sum.

Audi AG is acquiring Italian sports motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. The purchase will be completed when approval from the necessary regulators is received. Ducati is known worldwide as a leading brand in motorcycle manufacture, with outstanding expertise in engine development and lightweight construction. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management for Audi AG, said: “Ducati is known worldwide as a premium brand among motorcycle manufacturers and has a long tradition of building sporty motorcycles. It has great expertise in high-performance engines and lightweight construction, and is one of the world’s most profitable motorcycle manufacturers. That makes Ducati an excellent fit for Audi.”

Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council of Audi AG, explains that the employee representatives of AUDI AG support the Company’s growth strategy. “We must use the opportunities offered by globalization for Audi – and that’s exactly what we’re doing. Everyone at Audi is looking forward to working with our new colleagues from Ducati,” he said.

Ducati is a globally active company and has manufacturing operations at its headquarters in Bologna and at its own factory in Thailand. In 2011, Ducati sold around 42,000 motorcycles and generated revenue of around €480 million.

Mystery Shopping and Performance Improvement Company Douglas Stafford, has been working in partnership with Audi since 2005. The addition of Ducati will strengthen the German manufacturer’s stronghold on the market, and is another building block and expansion towards the company’s growth.

Beaulieu’s Fifties Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:45:25 +0000

In celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu is holding a 50’s themed family event from 2^nd – 5^th June.

Over the four days there will be a drive-in of 50’s vehicles at the event including cars, motorbikes, commercial and agricultural vehicles. Visitors will be able to see these vehicles displayed at Beaulieu parkland and watch them driving in a cavalcade around the attraction. All owners of 50’s vehicles are invited to join the drive-in free of charge, but must apply for a place in advance. There will also be 50’s funfair rides, such as a carousel, dodgems and swing boats. Live music will also add to the atmosphere, with jazz duo Riverboat Days playing over the four days, and the whole attraction will be decked out in Great British themed decorations, including bunting and flags.

The museum also has an exciting new attraction BOND IN MOTION, running for one year only, which celebrates another very British anniversary – the 50^th year of James Bond films. The exhibition displays 50 original vehicles from the James Bond films and visitors can also watch exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and clips of the most memorable vehicle stunts from the franchise.

Advance tickets can be bought online at www.beaulieushop.co.uk

The event is open from 10am every day, with plenty of free parking available.

Fitness First putting their Performance Improvement first

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:38:22 +0000

Fitness First is putting customer service firmly at the top of its list of priorities. Since February this year, a new senior management team has been in place, ensuring that customers receive the best level of service possible.

More than 190,000 members joined Fitness First in the last 12 months and internal surveys by the company showed the majority of people are satisfied with the administrative process of joining and leaving. But the company now wants to make sure everyone is happy with the process, and now insists membership consultants undergo extensive training.

Included in the training is specific guidance on the regulations that protect consumers, which the company says is now encouraged and expected to be followed by all Fitness First employees.
Making sure customers receive the best possible service is something the company is eager to focus on more than ever.

New improvements to the service include a ten-day cooling off period for members, improved billing systems and easier to understand terms and conditions. Fitness First has also recently worked with The Plain English Society and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to re-write contracts to make sure all communications are clear and not misleading. Customer service is a huge part of business and Douglas Stafford is helping to improve the service from Fitness First in a number of ways.

Mystery Shopping and Performance Improvement Company, Douglas Stafford, has helped to improve customer service by introducing a new certification process consisting of training and development programmes to ensure thousands of staff are equipped with the required skills, knowledge and behaviours to meet the requirements of Fitness First. Numerous mystery shopper activities have also occurred, and will continue to take place.

Feedback from customers has proved important and Douglas Stafford is working in partnership with Fitness First to ensure they are performing to the best of their abilities.

Skoda’s Success

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:33:25 +0000

Skoda have recently stolen first, second and fourth place in the 2012 Auto Express Driver Power Car Ownership Survey.

“Skoda’s advertising says that it’s the manufacturer of happy drivers – this year’s Driver Power survey shows it’s right,” said Auto Express editor-in-chief Steve Fowler. He also commented saying: “We know car buyers are seeing in-car technology as an increasingly important part of their car and car buying, while car makers are putting more efforts into gadgets and gizmos.”

This year’s Car Ownership Survey Awards had a new category in which car buyers had to rate the standard and quality of their in-car gadgets.

Skoda’s success was led by the Yeti SUV in first place, followed by the superb family car as runner-up and the Octavia in fourth.

The Performance Improvement and Mystery Shopping Company Douglas Stafford would like to congratulate their partners at Skoda on their recent success at the Auto Express Driver Power Awards.