Research finds staff name badges raise customer satisfaction by 12% - overnight
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Research finds staff name badges raise customer satisfaction by 12%
Customer service expert says: ‘What a difference a name makes’
New research carried out in three countries has found that in both retail and hospitality businesses, something as simple as wearing a name badge can make a huge and immediate difference to customer satisfaction levels.
The study, carried out by mystery shopping and customer experience experts Shopper Anonymous (www.shopperanonymous.co.uk), found that when a range of businesses introduced name badges for all staff, customer satisfaction ratings rose by a remarkable 12% almost overnight, in comparison to those that didn’t require staff to wear badges.
The figure came out of the study of 116,000 mystery shopper reports carried out over the last eight years in the UK, Australia and New Zealand by Shopper Anonymous.
Mystery shoppers wanted staff to be wearing badges so they could distinguish between staff and other shoppers if uniforms weren’t being worn; said they trusted staff wearing name badges and that they were more likely to build up a relationship conducive to making a sale with someone who wasn’t anonymous.
Founder and Managing Director of Shopper Anonymous, Jonathan Winchester, says the findings carry a stark message for both retailers and those running hospitality businesses:
“Who wouldn’t want to see an almost immediate rise in satisfaction from their customers? It’s a no brainer, isn’t it? It may seem like a minor thing but customers like to know who they’re being served by and it makes it easier for the staff member to build rapport, thus making it easier to sell on. Badges also make staff more accountable for their actions and attitude as customers know who to complain about.
“I often hear business owners saying ‘my staff don’t want to wear name badges’ but it should be part of conditions of employment, and management need to lead by example; after all, the manager is the first person customers want to be able to identify!
“A lot of businesses really don’t know what customers think of staff or servicee, or whether they come away with a positive or negative impression as they’ve never been mystery-shopped. It’s only by regular checking through a programme of mystery shopping that you discover the valuable insights and small changes such as introducing name badges that can make huge differences to the business.”
Jonathan’s top tips for introducing name badges into your business:
- First names only: this helps allay security fears
- Don’t make the badges too shiny: they need to be readable under bright over-head lighting
- Make sure staff understand the benefit of wearing badges and make their importance part of staff training.
- Senior staff need to lead by example by always wearing one.
- Ask your mystery shoppers to specifically look for name badges when dealing with staff, and reward those identified and successfully mystery shopped.
- Also reward those who remember to wear their badge with spot prizes and team awards.
Case Studies from Shopper Anonymous clients:
John Sinclair, Owner, Craigies Farm Shop, Edinburgh
“We’ve been wearing name badges for about two years now, and introduced them when mystery shoppers questioned why we weren’t using them. We immediately saw staff become much more accountable for their actions and customers told us it made the staff far more approachable.
“Good customers like to know who they’re talking to and I sometimes wish they would wear name badges too, as most customers seem to feel that you should know who they are! Wearing name badges has helped make our loyal customers friends and our friends loyal customers.”
Guy Hodge, Operations Manager at Imago’s Burleigh Court Hotel and Conference Centre in Loughborough:
“There are a number of benefits to ensuring our employees wear name their badges all of the time. In particular they help to identify good and bad performers within the team; good performers can be singled out for recognition and reward, whilst bad performers can be helped with additional training. It is also easier to deal with any problems or issues that customers may raise if management has the correct names of the employee right from the start.
“In addition, I believe that name badges can often put a little pressure on staff to behave well, ensuring that they inevitably take a little more responsibility for their behaviour. I think guests expect staff in hotels and restaurants to wear name badges. They certainly help to break down barriers and aid communication.”
