Bad customer service is seldom forgotten. In fact, customers on the receiving end often discuss the experience with friends and family. For many retail store employees, it is a sad fact that inattention to customers, downright unhelpfulness and even rudeness is the standard.

According to the 2007 Harris Poll, 80% of customers said they would never return to a business after a negative customer-service experience. That's up from 68% in 2006. Can you afford to lose 80% of your customers?

A Closer Look can help your organization financially prosper. To stay competitive in this tough economy, you must win the customer's business for the short or long haul by employing exceptional customer service procedures.

Our 160,000 mystery shoppers will help you retain your customers by verifying that your employees:

• Greet the customers
• Are efficient and knowledgeable
• Use the appropriate closing techniques
• Ring up transactions quickly and accurately in a friendly manner
• Make eye contact with customers
• LISTEN to every customer

A Closer Look will give you the customer's perspective for your retail store. We would all like personal and unobtrusive service when we enter any retail environment, but does this happen? To win the customer's business for the short or long haul, we need to know what the customer's perspective is. Are the sales associates helpful and knowledgeable? Do they make it easier for customers to find what they are looking for? Do they use the appropriate closing techniques? Customers want to shop in an organized and comfortable setting. They want transactions rung up quickly and accurately in a friendly manner. A Closer Look will give you a look into your retail setting and let you see the complete customer experience in our suite of mystery shopping services.

From the retailer's perspective, companies want to make sure that merchandising is complete and current, and that sales associates are suggesting promoted items. With our cutting-edge technology, A Closer Look not only provides you with a narrative of the customer experience, we can also include the photos to support that narrative. A picture may or may not be worth a thousand words, but A Closer Look can show you the view from your customer's perspective.

It is easier to keep a satisfied customer than to gain a new one. A Closer Look's suite of products and services can provide your company with all the elements needed to help retain current customers as well as making it more likely that new customers who walk in the door will become loyal ones.