Findlay, Ohio-based Corporate Research International has released the third-quarter 2008 results from its RealPeopleRatings.com survey, a customer-service evaluation measuring customer perception of brands and customer service.
In the c-store category, Speedway took first in customer service, followed by BP and Circle K.
Winners in other industries included Olive Garden, Papa Murphy’s Take ‘n’ Bake Pizza, Speedway, Nordstrom, Stride Rite, Ace Hardware, Staples, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Publix, Walgreens, Southwest Airlines, Credit Unions, Best Buy and Marriott.
The RealPeopleRatings.com mystery-shopper survey was launched in 2005 by Corporate Research International, a market research firm specializing in mystery shopping and customer satisfaction surveys.
The company sends the quarterly surveys as online opinion polls to its pool of panelists. For the most recent round, 3,000 panelists participated.
Respondents are asked to rate their perception of each business’s customer service on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest rating. If a respondent did not have experience with the business, the panelist did not enter a score for that establishment.
"It’s increasingly important in today’s marketplace for companies to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction to keep their customers coming back," said Michael Mallett, CEO of Corporate Research International. "Every interaction customers have with a business impacts overall perception, so an ongoing effort to maintain all areas keeps scores high. Looking at the customer experience from all angles is ultimately what keeps customershappy."
Some of the industries and their winners included:
Full-service Restaurants
Pizza Restaurants
Supermarkets