Five overall winners were toasting their success last week at Cambridge BID’s eighth annual Awards evening.
The event, held in the Cambridge Union Society, was designed to celebrate the very best customer service in the city. It was attended by representatives of businesses that participated in Cambridge BID’s 2021 Mystery Shop programme - including eateries, attractions, accommodation providers and retailers.
Mystery Shopping Awards, Overall Winners 2021
Independent market research company, Storecheckers was commissioned to implement the programme and covertly assess standards of customer service against criteria such as selling skills, staff attitude, store standards, welcome and goodbye, local knowledge, product knowledge and appearance. Round one of the mystery shop took place in July with the second round in October. Exceptionally, five businesses achieved full marks across both rounds of mystery shopping: La Raza; Novi; Gonville & Caius Conference Office; Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery and the Cambridge BID Ambassador Team.
“I’m pleased to say that Cambridge was once again amongst the top performing centres in the UK for service and customer experience. The mystery shopping average scores in 2021 were at their highest level in five years” commented Jeff Caplan, Managing Director of Storecheckers.
“A key stand-out in this year’s results was the fact that average scores were higher than in 2019 even though the evidence showed that the same number of staff within businesses were having to serve 25% more shoppers – an average of 5.8 customers were present during visits in 2021 compared to 4.7 customers in 2019.”
A total of 17 businesses were announced as winners across 14 categories:
Best Overall Customer Experience 2021
Late Night Venue: La Raza and Novi were joint winners
La Raza - “This is a bar/restaurant that I will without doubt recommend to family and friends who visit the city. The experience was excellent from start to finish - a really special place.”
Novi - “I will definitely be returning to this venue, this is absolutely one of Cambridge’s hidden gems of customer service and somewhere the city’s visitors have to visit. I cannot recommend this cocktail bar enough. It was something really special, but the cherry on top was the amazing service.”
Restaurant: La Raza
“The service was quick and so helpful. They were really attentive and checked in on me throughout my visit. They gave great recommendations for food and drinks and made sure I would be satisfied with my meal. They were knowledgeable about the menu and the restaurant. They encouraged me to return, giving me their leaflet. Stand-out service.”
Café: Fitzbillies (Trumpington Street)
“The service was friendly and helpful as well as quick. They checked in with me to check I was enjoying my meal and I was encouraged to return.”
Independent Business – Fashion & Beauty: Boudoir Femme and Laird Hatters were joint winners
Boudoir Femme - “They not only embodied the ethos of the store but also were extremely knowledgeable about the stock and were passionate about it. This showed in the level of service they provided.”
Laird Hatters - “I would one hundred percent return. Nothing could have been improved today. The time that was taken to talk through things with me, the trying on of the hats, everything was perfect.”
Independent Business – Other: Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery
“I felt very welcomed and involved at all times and felt that all the staff members genuinely wanted to assist me. I would very strongly recommend the store to family and friends based on this experience.”
National Business – Fashion: Gant
“The service I received was really focused, attentive and friendly. It was clear this person loved working for the brand and they acted like a brand ambassador. The staff were friendly, polite and courteous at all times.”
National Business – Shoes & Accessories: Kurt Geiger
“I found the staff member very attentive and friendly and they made good recommendations based on my needs. I felt really well taken care of during this visit, and on the strength of the service I'd be more than happy to recommend it to my friends and family.”
National Business – Other: Molton Brown
“The service I received was perfect, I was listened to, helped and told about the products very honestly. All staff were upbeat, helpful and friendly and did all they could to make sure I left the store happy and with great answers to all my questions.”
Professional Business – Open Door: Metro Bank
“I would recommend the bank and this branch based on the helpful, friendly and comprehensive knowledge of their services that assistant#2 gave me. They asked me lots of questions to help me find the right account.”
Professional Business – Other: Gonville & Caius Conference Office
The staff member was friendly and helpful. They were invested in my enquiry and showed great compassion and rapport with regard to my request.”
Leisure / Attraction: Cambridge BID Ambassador Team
“The whole interaction was very pleasant, friendly and uplifting. I was given great suggestions and information and found the Ambassadors to be extremely helpful.”
Market Traders: Il Molino UK and Hallouman were joint winners
Il Molino UK - “The staff member had an immediate understanding of what I had asked and confident explanation and suggestions were given.”
Hallouman - “The person was working as quickly as they could and not wasting time. They still managed to be attentive and have a full conversation with me which really made me feel valued.”
Overnight Accommodation: Regent by Citystay
“All of the staff were very smartly dressed. The staff very friendly and knew the answers to all my questions. I was made to feel welcomed and valued.”
University B&B: Gonville & Caius College
“The staff on duty were very friendly and extremely efficient… All the public areas were immaculately clean and dust free, with hand sanitizer to be seen at many points. I could not find fault with the cleanliness of these buildings.”
“Excellent customer service plays a vital role in helping high street businesses to compete with the convenience of online shopping. With the impact of COVID over the last two years I am absolutely delighted to see that businesses here in Cambridge continue to deliver such high standards of customer service, providing a positive experience for shoppers and visitors.” commented Ian Sandison, CEO of Cambridge BID.
“In the last consumer survey conducted by Cambridge BID in early 2021 we found that more than 91% of respondents were likely to return to a local business if they received good service, with nearly 40% describing customer service as essential to their decision-making. This underlines how important our Mystery Shop project is to businesses as it provides valuable snapshot information about how their customers view them and is supported by feedback sessions and training videos. At Cambridge BID we’re committed to helping businesses improve their customer experience year on year, and we’re delighted that over 140 businesses have once again taken part in our mystery shop programme.”
Following the award presentations, which were made by The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City of Cambridge Councillor Russ McPherson, participants enjoyed the opportunity to network over drinks and canapes. All participants will receive personalised feedback over the coming weeks, before the 2022 Mystery Shop project starts.
