Shopping Centers under the microscope
The changing tastes and expectations of retail market participants pose new challenges for facility managers. To be able to compete effectively, managers need to know how to create an offer that responds to them. For this purpose, Apsys has been using and introducing new proprietary tools for years to monitor and verify, on the one hand, customer satisfaction, and, on the other, the satisfaction of owners and tenants of commercial facilities.
Providing high-quality customer service in shopping centers has always been one of the priorities for owners and managers of shopping centers. However, the last two years have shown the strongest that care for the highest quality of service is the best way to encourage consumers to shop in brick-and-mortar stores and spend their free time in commercial facilities. It is one of the key elements in building positive customer experiences and the most important advantage of shopping centers over online shopping.
Centers under the microscope
Customer experience and the highest quality of service have always been the hallmark of facilities managed by Apsys Polska. This is one of the reasons why, four years ago, the in-house think tank Apsys Lab created an innovative "At your service" program, under which an annual audit of services, services and amenities is carried out. It allows you to verify the direction of management activities, as well as draw conclusions for the future and improve the offer.
Over 60 different services and amenities offered by commercial facilities have been divided into 6 groups to be assessed (attractiveness of the center, for motorists, for families with children, shopping facilities, information for customers, for a wide range of customers). They became the basis for the creation of a research tool - a questionnaire, which is the basis for an audit carried out once a year by an external, independent auditing company.
"Thanks to the cooperation with a professional external entity - SANA - we obtain objective audit results. The analysis of the information obtained in this way allows us to observe how customer expectations change over the years and to verify whether the facilities and solutions we introduce meet these requirements. At the time of the program's inception, the presence of entertainment and additional attractions in the facility was of key importance for visitors to shopping centers. The pandemic reality has changed not only shopping habits, but also consumer requirements. Currently, the quality of customer service is more important than before, including care for sanitary safety and the availability of various services that facilitate everyday life, such as laundry services, post office, key duplication or shoe repair. Our research shows that in the coming years, building customer loyalty will gain in importance, as well as the aspect of locality understood both as the presence of brands and manufacturers from the region, and purchases in facilities closest to the place of residence," explains Anna Paziewska, coordinator of the "At your Service" program at Apsys Polska.
In the latest edition of the audit, changes were introduced compared to previous years. A small part of the assessed categories remained withheld due to the sanitary restrictions still in force (e.g. points regarding interaction with staff due to the necessity to wear masks or the possibility of renting prams). There were also new research factors in two categories - "first impression" (attractiveness of a shopping center). full commercialization, a high level of customer service or a clear no-smoking sign at the entrance and in the category "for a wide range of customers", where the presence of local brands or information about them on the website was audited for the first time this year. The Covid-19 index was also tested for the second time. This year, 22 aspects were checked regarding both the restaurant part (including the legibility of markings specifying the required social distance, a visible disinfection zone or maintaining the required distance between tables), shopping center passages (availability of disinfectants, their appropriate number and exposure), toilets (e.g. availability of instructions for washing and disinfecting hands), as well as the appropriate behavior of cleaning staff, security staff and information desk staff. In all facilities managed by Apsys, the Covid-19 ratio was on the average level of 98-99%, which is a very high result confirming the centers' readiness to provide clients with sanitary safety.
The overall results of the centers were divided depending on the classification of the facility into one of three types - Client Comfort, Premium Client and Golden Standard. The average results of the quality of services provided in the centers of the Client Comfort group (CH Rondo, Osowa, Galeria Gniezno, Galeria nad Jeziorem, Nowe Czyżyny, Nowa Górna, Pasaż Łódzki, Tulipan, Kometa, Nowe Bielawy, Galeria Bemowo) were donkey 97%; Premium Client (Galeria Przymorze, Focus Mall Piotrków, Focus Mall Rybnik, CH Korona, Platan, Focus Park Zielona Góra) - 91%, and Golden Standard (Manufaktura, Posnania, Galeria Katowicka, Janki, Alfa Białystok, Bonarka) - 93%. This year's results in most of the assessed groups were better or the same as in the previous year. Client Comfort Centers recorded the greatest improvement, by 11%, in terms of facilities for families with children. Premium Client centers improved the result in terms of shopping amenities by as much as 20% (to 85%). Golden Standard Centers also scored 20% (up to 91%) higher in terms of facilities for children.
- The last two years have shown that the program is flexible and easily adaptable to the current market situation - freezing some categories or adding the Covid-19 factor, despite the inability to compare results and create rankings, allows for drawing conclusions and recommendations for further work. This is one of the reasons why, in the last edition, new research factors were also added in two categories, so that the obtained results would allow to undertake actions that actually respond to changing market conditions, sums up Anna Paziewska, Apsys Polska.
Components of success
Such good audit results would not be possible if it were not for the daily work of many people involved in the functioning of shopping centers - management teams, technical services, cleaning and security. Their everyday work is one of the many important components influencing how customers perceive a given shopping center, whether they are willing to go shopping, spend their time, whether they consider a given facility to be modern, comfortable and meeting their needs. Therefore, for the purpose of examining the quality of technical services provided in managed facilities and improving the quality of these services, in 2021 Apsys decided to develop and implement an additional monitoring and information tool. In a dedicated survey, on a four-level scale, as many as nine areas of cooperation with service companies are assessed, including communication, satisfaction with cooperation, application of health and safety rules, reaction time, timeliness and effectiveness. Both quantitative and qualitative factors are verified. In the fourth quarter of 2021, 43 people assessed 79 service companies, completing a total of about 260 surveys. In 2022, the process continues and the first surveys have already been completed.
- This solution allows us to collect information from a larger number of sites in which the websites operate, to summarize opinions and to list the comments or suggestions submitted. We have implemented the evaluation system not only for analytical purposes, but also for the purpose of verifying cooperation with service companies. We want to ensure good cooperation as well as satisfaction and satisfaction on both sides. As in the case of satisfaction surveys of owners and tenants of shopping centers, analysis of the survey results allows us to take appropriate action and constantly improve the quality of services. This is extremely important because the way in which service companies operate in shopping centers has a significant impact not only on our work as a manager, but also on how a given facility is perceived by customers visiting it, says Piotr Karbowy, Technical Director of Apsys Polska.
Author: Apsys Polska
