The event, which was held at the Cambridge Union Society, was attended by representatives from city centre businesses who had all signed up to have their staff and service rated anonymously in Cambridge BID’s stringent Mystery Shopper programme.
Just over 180 businesses took part in the programme this year, including 10 University College B&Bs. Round One of the mystery shopping, which was conducted by independent market research company Storecheckers, took place in March and April assessing selling skills, staff attitude, store standards, welcome, goodbye, appearance and local as well as product knowledge. Round Two took place in June and early July, assessing the same criteria.
As with last year, there were two categories for Overall Winner – ‘In A Shopping Centre’ and ‘Outside A Shopping Centre’. The Overall Winner in a Shopping Centre was Build-A-Bear in the Grand Arcade while Finn Jordan beauty salon and Prohibido Lingerie shared the Overall Winner outside a Shopping Centre award. All three winners scored the maximum 100% on both their mystery shops, proving customer service is at the heart of everything they do.
The 12 individual category winners were:
- Café: Burleigh Bake Shop
“The staff were very cheerful and were serving all the customers in a friendly manner. My food was quickly prepared and I was asked if I wanted a drink to go with it and if there was anything else I wanted.” - Restaurant/Late Night Venue: Bella Italia (The Grafton)
“As the service was truly brilliant, I wouldn’t hesitate to come back to the restaurant.” - Independent Business – Fashion & Beauty: Prohibido Lingerie and Finn Jordan
“I received a fantastic customer service – I was treated as a person and not just a customer. General conversation was made, and questions were asked so that service could be tailored to my needs.” (Prohibido Lingerie)
“I found the staff member to be very friendly, very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. Time was taken to get to know me and make me feel special and valued.” (Finn Jordan) - Independent Business – Other: Podarok
"The service was outstanding and I would highly recommend the store to friends. The store stocked a wide range of gifts and the server knew information on everything; nothing was too much trouble for her." - Service Based Business: Gonville & Caius College Conference Office
“The team member was very efficient and thorough whilst remaining friendly, polite and good-natured throughout. Any questions she could not answer were noted down and she assured me she would find out…I later received an email following up on the call.” - Leisure & Tourism: Visit Cambridge & Beyond Guided Tours
"The staff member’s attentive service was above and beyond what I would have expected." - National Business - Fashion: Rohan
“Great service was given in the visit – none of my questions seemed too much hassle and I was also asked to sign up for their newsletter so all new products and promotions would get emailed to me.” - National Business – Other: Build-a-Bear (Grand Arcade)
“The service I received was fantastic. The staff member was engaging, very enthusiastic and genuinely happy to help.” - National Business – Shoes & Accessories: Ernest Jones (Lion Yard) and Thomas Sabo (Lion Yard)
“The assistant was friendly and knowledgeable; she took time to work out my needs as a customer and showed me suitable products." (Ernest Jones)
"The staff members were excellent – they showed me various items, built rapport and were attentive and engaged throughout. I would definitely recommend." (Thomas Sabo) - Lion Yard: Specsavers
"The staff member I dealt with had excellent knowledge of the products and offers, and she handled my queries well." - Grand Arcade: Build-a-Bear
“I wouldn't hesitate to go back for the same service and I believe that I would leave with a product which would be really suitable.” - The Grafton: Bella Italia
“Based on the positive customer service, and the good food and information I received, I would return and advise friends and family of my good experience. I felt genuinely welcomed throughout the visit.”
Storecheckers also developed a bespoke report to assess the unique B&B offers from 10 of the Cambridge University Colleges, which included King’s, Trinity Hall, Sidney Sussex, Jesus, Christ’s, St John’s, Downing, Gonville & Caius, Robinson, St Catharine’s Colleges. This year twice as many colleges entered as last year. The winner of the University College B&B Special Recognition award was Robinson College. The mystery shopper commented: “Without exception, everyone I met was courteous and friendly.”
Ian Sandison, Chairman of Cambridge BID, said: “The Cambridge BID Mystery Shopping programme supports our businesses in providing excellent customer service to visitors and residents alike – and our Awards then recognise and celebrate their very deserving achievements.
“With Cambridge now topping the Retail Vitality Index – ahead of Westfields London, Knightsbridge, Bluewater and Canary Wharf – we are seeing the ripple effect from the excellent level of customer service being set in our city. Congratulations to all our very worthy winners.”
The awards were presented by The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City of Cambridge, Councillor George Pippas, who said: “I am delighted to be presenting these awards to such a wide range of city centre businesses, all showing the same dedication and commitment to their customers by simply offering excellent service.”
A new Business Plan was also launched at the event, detailing Cambridge BID’s proposed direction for a second five-year term, from April 2018 - March 2023. Businesses vote to re-elect Cambridge BID in a formal Renewal ballot during October (next month). If enough yes votes are received, in terms of majority by number and majority by rateable value, some 1100 business will come together to create a pot of over £4.5million of additional private sector funding, which will then be invested in Cambridge over the next five years.