“Among the many HappyOrNot feedback comments, one of my favourites is about Liberty, a staff member at our Onehunga store,” says Cash Converters manager Karun Sharma. “The customer noted that, ‘Liberty is very kind and humble – and she looked after me like one of her own.’”
Since February 2019, all customers visiting Cash Converters stores in New Zealand have had the opportunity to provide point of service feedback via a HappyOrNot smiley terminal. This provides the option of pressing a smiley face that best matches the experience they’ve had in store – with options for very happy, happy, unhappy or very unhappy. They can choose to leave more detailed feedback if they wish. Many do.
HappyOrNot is the global leader in gathering real time data on customer and employee satisfaction. Customer feedback is delivered to stores and senior management in real time, enabling us to analyse situations and make immediate improvements.
Cash Converters customers love the concept. In the first three months we captured more than 48,000 feedbacks countrywide, with the number of responses growing every month. To date, we have captured more than 339,000 feedbacks.
“HappyOrNot works really well for our customers and our staff,” says Karun, who first worked with HappyOrNot as manager of our Onehunga store and is now leading the team at our Otara store. “I wasn’t sure about it at first but then I quickly saw how well it works for everyone. Customers really like being able to give instant feedback and staff really enjoy getting feedback and because of the way it is linked to our KPIs it’s a challenge that everyone is engaged in.”
HappyOrNot, which is delivered in partnership with New Zealand provider Push My Button, enables us to see trends forming at the local and national level. We can rapidly identify common ‘pain points’ and performance slumps, drilling down to days of the week and even hours of the day. This helps us swiftly identify and address the causes of any issues. We can also quickly identify if any change in approach is having a positive or negative impact on our customers.
This has enabled us to make changes that benefit our customers. At the local level, our stores have a new KPI, the HappyOrNot Index for customer experience. Through the simple reporting platform, every manager can see the results across the entire network, creating a healthy competitive landscape to improve individual store results.
At the national level, we can compare our overall results with the global market, using the HappyOrNot Global benchmark data, based off more than 500 million retail feedbacks across 117 countries. “We have a live screen in the back office of each store, so we can see all the responses and any comments as they happen,” says Karun. “It gives you ideas about what you can do better and opens your eyes to anything that needs addressing. Previously we had a mystery shopper but this is much better – because it’s live, all day every day, so you can respond to customer suggestions and tackle any problems as soon as they happen.”
Karun also shares results from his store and how the team is tracking against other stores with his team on a daily basis.
“We have a staff group and I read out the comments people have received every day and share our store’s percentage of comments and scores for the day or week. My people really enjoy the challenge, seeing how you are tracking against other stores and they get a real buzz out of good feedback. I’ve seen a real change in mindsets – people want their team to be leading the table – resulting in a healthy competitiveness.
“When someone’s name is mentioned a lot in happy responses, then it comes up in bold. I find that even if someone gets a ‘not happy’ feedback then that motivates them. They can’t wait to serve that customer again and get a more positive feedback.”
HappyOrNot now receives an average of 22,000 feedbacks each month and has reduced the number of dissatisfied customers by 21 per cent.
“It has boosted productivity,” says Karun. “It is so effective, there is a tangible difference – by getting real time feedback and being able to benchmark their performance against others, our staff have the tools to deliver an even better service – and good service translates into more customer visits.
“It only takes moments to leave a comment – like the simple one about Liberty – but it’s a really effective tool to enable customers to have real input into how we do things.”
About Cash Converters
Helping Kiwis for over 25 years. Cash Converters is New Zealand’s favourite place to Buy, Sell and Borrow. Cash Converters is the world’s largest second-hand dealer, and a market leader in pawnbroking and small loan services.
Cash Converters began in New Zealand in 1993 and today operate 24 stores, employing more than 380 people. There are 12 corporate owned and operated stores in Auckland and Christchurch, and 12 franchise operated stores throughout the rest of the country.
Cash Converters help thousands of everyday Kiwis with responsible financial solutions and continue to help more every day.
Visit: www.cashconverters.co.nz
About HappyOrNot Partner Push My Button
Push My Button is the official HappyOrNot reseller for New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. With headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand, and offices in Brisbane, Australia, Push My Button looks to empower organisations to increase customer satisfaction via simple intuitive methods. With many years of experience in Retail, Local Council, Services, Education, and Healthcare industries, Push My Button has been helping companies and public organisations to improve Customer Experience and Satisfaction Management for over 6 years.
Visit: www.pushmybutton.co.nz
About HappyOrNot
Creator of the globally recognized four Smileys, HappyOrNot enables companies to identify and optimize experiences across all touchpoints through relevant, in-moment feedback data. With the ability to track, validate, and compare ongoing performance, companies are empowered to continuously improve experiences and drive operational success. Founded in 2009, today HappyOrNot serves 4,000 brands across 135 countries, like Elkjøp, Levi’s Stadium, Autogrill, and London Heathrow Airport, and has collected and reported on over 1.5 billion feedback responses. Headquartered in Finland, HappyOrNot also has offices in the U.S. and around the globe, and a reseller network of over 100 companies.
Visit www.happy-or-not.com.