FINDLAY, Ohio -- Corporate Research International has released its inaugural customer service opinion report, Real People Ratings Best of 2005.
Real People Ratings was launched this year by Corporate Research International, a market research firm specializing in mystery shopping and customer satisfaction surveys.
2005 results for the Convenience Store and Fast-Food categories (respondents rated their perception of each business's customer service on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest rating):
Convenience Stores
BP (6.83) Chevron/Texaco (6.81) Shell (6.79) Diamond Shamrock (6.72) ConocoPhillips (6.61) Circle K (6.53) Stop-N-Go (6.48) Cornerstone (6.47) 7-Eleven (6.47) Shamrock (6.45) CITGO (6.45) Marathon (6.44) The Pantry Inc. (6.32) Ultramar (6.26) Beacon (6.19) Getty Mart (6.12)Fast-Food Restaurants:
Subway (7.42) Quizno's (7.20) Sonic (7.09) Chipotle (7.09) Schlotzky's (7.05) Boston Market (7.05) Wendys (6.83) Arby's (6.75) Dunkin Donuts (6.57) A&W (6.46) Dairy Queen (6.40) Captain D's (6.37) McDonald's (6.36) Burger King (6.24) Long John Silver's (6.21) Taco Bell (6.16) KFC (6.17) Carl's Jr. (6.09) White Castle (5.79)Other Categories (top 3):
Full-Service Restaurants
1. Olive Garden
2. Texas Roadhouse
3. Cracker Barrel
Pizza Chains
1. Cici's Pizza
2. Papa Murphy's
3. Papa John's
Department Stores
1. Nordstrom
2. Saks Fifth Avenue
3. Bloomingdale's
Home Improvement
1. Ace Hardware
2. True Value
3. Lowe's
Sporting Goods
1. Dick's Sporting Goods
2. Foot Locker
3. Finish Line
Electronics
1. Best Buy
2. Radio Shack
3. Circuit City
The company sends the quarterly online opinion polls to its pool of mystery shoppers, or auditors. The survey was conducted in May, August and December 2005 each time generating more than 8,000 responses. The lists were selected to be a representative sample of national, regional, large and small chains, it said.
"The results of this survey have important implications because they reflect the everyday consumer's perception of each establishment rated," said Mike Mallett, CEO of Corporate Research International. "It shows how important it is for companies to be consistent in their marketing and customer service across the board. The compilation of these things is what forms the brand perception in the consumers' mind."
Findlay, Ohio-based Corporate Research International specializes in mystery shopping services and interactive consumer voice and web response surveys.
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