50% of Debenhams customers say that a member of staff 'went above and beyond their expectations'

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Debenhams has received feedback from over 230,000 of its customers using a customer insight programme.

Powered by customer experience company Empathica and used in all 161 stores, the insights have enabled Debenhams to get a clearer view of what their customers value from their experience as well as helping the retailer to drive in-store improvements based on real customer feedback.

Kate Whittaker, Strategy Manager at Debenhams, said, "The idea was to replace our mystery shop programme to get feedback from actual customers, rather than paid-for mystery shoppers, on all aspects of their experience with Debenhams, in real time.  Since the launch of the programme, we have increased the overall customer satisfaction level from 47% to 56%, and we are focused on continuing to improve this score."

Debenhams customers are prompted to leave feedback using the till receipt to direct them to the online survey. There they are asked for their thoughts on the product range, value for money, the quality of service provided by staff, the shop displays and other customer experience-related questions. The data is then collated and analysed by Empathica, who send it to a secure online reporting site. Debenhams can access this site 24/7 at various levels within the organisation – head office can log on for insights on all areas of the business whilst individual stores have their own, action-focused reports to drive improvements at the location level.

The data collected not only allows Debenhams to understand their overall customer service level, but enables store managers to look at individual staff performance. Customers are asked if there was a member of staff that particularly influenced their in-store experience.

If the customer indicates that there was such an individual, they are then asked who the employee was and what made their experience exceptional. An email is then sent directly to the store manager so that they can congratulate the individual staff member. 

This initiative is known as the 'Customer WOW' and helps build programme momentum by focusing and motivating staff through appreciation of their continual efforts in providing great customer service. Whittaker said: "We currently get approximately 50% of customers telling us that a member of staff went above and beyond their expectations."

To build on the Customer WOW programme and to foster customer advocacy, Debenhams uses Empathica's social media tool GoRecommend. GoRecommend prompts customers who have indicated high intent to recommend to actually do so and voluntarily trumpet their great experiences with Debenhams to their friends via Facebook, Twitter and email. Within just a few months of launching GoRecommend, Debenhams customers' recommendations have reached over 1.3 million of their Facebook friends.

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