Retail Industry Mystery Shopping (RIMS) Programme – PREMIUM Service GEMSof the Luxury Watches & Jewellery/ Premium Gifts SectorThis feature of Retail Industry Mystery Shopping (RIMS) Programme sharesthe experience of two PREMIUM Service GEMS from the Luxury Watches& Jewellery/ Premium Gifts* sector – Bell & Ross and Cortina Watch. Here,you will fi nd the various service approaches adopted by the two luxurywatches retailers in their on-going quests to provide excellent service to theircustomers.BELL & ROSSBell & Ross has participated in the RIMS from November 2010 and hasachieved the status of PREMIUM Service GEMS three times since. Bell &Ross is the top performer in the May to July 2012 RIMS mystery audits witha 92.6% score across all 8 key service attributes of Approach, Appearance,Ambience, Assistance, Attitude, Acquisition, Aftersales and Advocacy.imperative that we continually strive to improve and differentiate our boutiquethrough excellent service and attention to details. We will continue to look forways to improve our customer service experience at our boutique.”CORTINA WATCHCortina Watch, on the other hand, has participated in the Retail IndustryMystery Shopping programme since May 2010 when it achieved PREMIUMService GEM status on its very fi rst audit. It has continued to performwith commendable service standards in the Luxury Watches & Jewellery/Premium Gifts sector in the subsequent audits. Achieving yet again thePREMIUM Service GEM in the November 2011 – <strong>Jan</strong>uary 2012 audit periodis indeed an affi rmation of their longstanding dedication to service excellence.OVERCOMING KEY CHALLENGES INTHE LUXURY WATCHES & JEWELLERY/PREMIUM GIFTS SECTORMr Benjamin Lim, Operations Manager, Luxury Timepiece, FJ Benjamin(<strong>Singapore</strong>) Pte Ltd, shares that the key challenge Bell & Ross faces in salesand service delivery is maintaining consistency in their service approachtowards customers across the sales team. Very often, many sales staffwould tend to pre-judge walk-in customers, and provide better service tothose perceived as potential customers. At Bell & Ross, all staff has beentrained to treat anyone who walks into the store as a potential customerregardless of appearance.The team is continuously reminded that excellent service is the keydifferentiating factor for Bell & Ross. Bell & Ross recognises their staff’scontribution and the value they bring to the boutique, thereby giving them asense of pride, motivating them to maintain high service standards over time.REFLECTING AND IMPROVING ON RIMSRESULTS FROM LESSONS LEARNTAfter each RIMS audit, Bell & Ross will scrutinise the comprehensive reportthat is provided to them, identifying shortcomings and areas requiringimprovement. The team will then look for ways to correct any mistakesrecorded and make improvements.In one of the audits when Bell & Ross did not achieve PREMIUM ServiceGEM status due to a low score in Approach, the team made the necessaryimprovements. The team proactively engaged customers who visit thestore and offered in-depth and professional product information afterunderstanding their needs. This has translated to closer relationships withtheir customers and improved sales. The management makes it a point notto simply focus on the weaknesses, but to also commend the team on areasthat they performed well in and this has spurred them on to fi nd ways toachieve even better results.Bell & Ross feels that today’s customers expect more than a greeting anda smile. Little gestures like offering a cup of coffee or tea go a long wayto putting the customer at ease and help to encourage them to discusstheir needs more comfortably. The team continues to conduct themselveswith the highest level of professionalism while making the customers feelcomfortable in the boutique.As Mr Benjamin Lim puts it, “We are very delighted and honoured to receivethe Premium GEMS award as this serves as a testament to the good work andefforts put in by the retail team. In today’s competitive retail environment, it’sMANAGING QUALITY SERVICE STANDARDSWITH MANPOWER CHALLENGESIn recent years, Cortina Watch expanded its business and increased marketpenetration by growing their number of boutiques. This has given rise tomanpower shortage, directly impacting the quality of service provided by itsstaff. The need to recruit new staff and constantly train and motivate them tocultivate the Cortina Watch culture, ensuring that the RIMS service attributesare continuously adhered to and executed satisfactorily across all boutiquesis a major challenge for Cortina Watch.TRAINING AND MOTIVATING STAFF WITHTHE RIMS RESULTSBut their efforts have paid off. There have been notable improvements inthe service culture of Cortina Watch since they fi rst embarked on the RIMSjourney in May 2010. The management believes in 2-way communicationand always shares the RIMS results with all boutique staff, refl ecting on pastversus the current results. There is constant fi ne-tuning of the service deliveryand sharing of experiences among boutique staff, focusing on improving theweak areas.Training on the RIMS service attributes is also compulsory for all newboutique staff. Posters of these attributes are put up at the retail offi ces,and boutique managers constantly remind staff of these attributes atmorning briefi ngs. To encourage the practice of the RIMS service attributes,Management would sometimes provide attractive perks for boutique staffto continuously maintain high service levels. The organisation’s approachto encourage active participation is to profi le RIMS as more fun than chore.As Ms Jacqueline Lim, HR & Admin Manager, Cortina Watch Pte Ltd shares,“At Cortina Watch, we work and grow our service skills together as a team.We constantly review and improve our performance with Management’sfull support on our Retail Industry Mystery Shopping initiative to provideexemplary service to customers. Going forward, we are confi dent that wewill achieve the status of PREMIUM Service GEMS many more times in theRetail Industry Mystery Shopping programme.”* The Retail Industry Mystery Shopping Programme conducts mystery auditsat participating retail outlets twice a year, once in May – July and anotherin November – <strong>Jan</strong>uary of the following year. <strong>Retailer</strong>s participate in theirrespective sectors such as Luxury Watches & Jewellery/ Premium Gifts,Department Store, Cosmetics, Fashion and Accessories etc. The PREMIUMService GEM status is awarded to the top performer of each sector, with atleast a 70% overall score in the company index.14 The <strong>Retailer</strong>
THIRD ANNUALAn i2i eventofficial partner19-21 MARCH MARINA BAY SANDS SINGAPOREGlobal retail intelligence, Asia market focusOver 85 retail leaders to share their insights, including:QUOTEDISCOUNTCODER370-<strong>SRA</strong>-DIS25 RATO CLAIMYOUR 25%DISCOUNTPHILIPCLARKEChief ExecutiveKENTWONGManaging Director,Chow Tai FookTORUSHIMADASenior ExecutiveOfficer andDirector, RakutenSCOTTPRICEChiefExecutiveMIMITANGChiefExecutive,GucciANDREWWUGroup PresidentGreater ChinaJIMMCCALLUMCALLUMChief Executive, RobinsonsGroup of Companies(<strong>Singapore</strong> and Malaysia)and Head of Asia, Al Futtaim GroupRICHARDPERRYGroup BusinessProcess DirectorFounding PartnerCo-sponsorKey PartnersPartnerwww.worldretailcongressasia.com | +44 (0)845 056 5069 | info@worldretailcongress.comThe <strong>Retailer</strong> 15
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