Four Seasons is Tops in Customer Engagement, According to 2008 Service
Industry Study
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to Customer
Engagement, the Four Seasons, J.Crew, Merrill Lynch and Texas Roadhouse
receive the highest ratings, according to PeopleMetrics, a leading customer
and employee research firm.
The PeopleMetrics (www.people-metrics.com) study looked at 100 brands
across four sectors (Hotels, Retail Stores, Banking and Casual Dining) and
ranked Customer Engagement based on feedback from approximately 10,000
customers throughout the United States. The Four Seasons hotel ranked first
overall across all categories in the study. Other high performers were the
Ritz-Carlton, Williams-Sonoma and Costco.
PeopleMetrics Customer Engagement ranking is determined by behavioral and
emotional elements. Engaged customers, according to PeopleMetrics, do the
following: 1) promote the company or brand, 2) intend to return in the future,
3) go out of their way to do business with the company, and 4) feel passion,
even love, for the brand and experience.
Executive Vice President of PeopleMetrics, Kate Feather, who led the
study, noted that PeopleMetrics Customer Engagement measurement is "very
stringent," and, as a result, "it is a strong and reliable predictor of
customers' behaviors and attitudes."
The PeopleMetrics study also looked at possible links between Customer
Engagement and financial performance. Overall, companies with more engaged
customers outperformed those with less-engaged customers in terms of gross
margin, earnings per share and return on equity. The study included only
publicly traded companies with the exception of the Four Seasons, where
historical financial data was used for comparison purposes.
The study also considered what national chains can do to build a more
engaged customer base. In particular, the study revealed a strong link between
engaged customers and engaged employees.
"We know Customer Engagement matters in terms of financial performance,"
noted Feather, "but it's interesting to see that the high performing companies
in our study are also deeply invested in building more engaged
employees....they see that more engaged employees are creating better customer
experiences and, as a result, more engaged customers."
For more information on this study or PeopleMetrics national employee
engagement study, contact Frank Rowe, PeopleMetrics Vice President,
frowe@people-metrics.com or 215 979-8030.
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Kate Feather
http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=61923
Sean McDade
http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=61920
SOURCE PeopleMetrics
Frank Rowe, VP of PeopleMetrics, +1-215-979-8038, Fax, +1-215-979-8049,
frowe@people-metrics.com
