A New Recipe for CX Success with Auntie Anne’s
Auntie Anne’s understands that the guest experience and the employee experience are closely connected. But as a quick-service restaurant chain connected through millions of pieces of data and feedback, it became nearly impossible to understand exactly how the two are connected...
Not many of us can resist the enticing and familiar waft of a fresh batch of Auntie Anne’s pretzels. But no matter how phenomenal a product is, there’s always room for a business to take its customer experience (CX) to the next level—and that’s why Pearl-Plaza stepped into Auntie Anne’s kitchen to cook up a new CX strategy.
Keep reading to learn how the partnership between Pearl-Plaza and Auntie Anne’s drove some pretty sweet results for the business.
Food for Thought: Smarter Data
Auntie Anne’s understands that the guest experience and the employee experience are closely connected. But as a quick-service restaurant chain connected through millions of pieces of data and feedback, it became nearly impossible to understand exactly how the two are connected. Although mystery shopping was the brand’s previous method of receiving feedback, that tactic alone no longer cut it. Auntie Anne’s needed a comprehensive approach, one that would fuel a CX that’s not only meaningful, but delivers results, as well.
Before Pearl-Plaza, Auntie Anne’s was drowning in data that was siloed and sporadic, which didn’t allow for insights that spurred meaningful change. By linking up with Pearl-Plaza’s XI Platform, they were able to compile and organize data and rank stores on key metrics, like friendliness and value. Not only did this provide personalized insights to individual stores, but also drummed up friendly competition between franchises. Through this, Auntie Anne’s was able to implement new, successful processes at underperforming stores.
Don’t Glaze Over the Small Details
According to Forrester, customers who have great experiences are 3.6x times more likely to spend more money with the brand. Research also shows that 3% of total CX-fueled revenue is generated by word of mouth from happy customers. These highly engaged stores also helped achieve higher OSAT, or overall satisfaction, year over year, which resulted in higher sales. In the three years after implementing Pearl-Plaza, Auntie Anne’s experienced a 6 point increase in their OSAT score.
The implementation of an intelligent tool such as the XI Platform directly increased Auntie Anne’s bottom line, more than justifying the technology investment for skeptical, higher-up business executives.
Roll the Guest and the Employee Experience into One
With any company, the guest experience is only half the battle. Getting employees to champion a new CX strategy is key to a full experience transformation.
That’s where Auntie Anne’s made it personal by implementing a “Guest Care Wall of Fame” to showcase how employees are being praised for their customer experience efforts. The company also inducted franchises into its “20/70 Club,” celebrating stores that receive 20 survey responses per month and achieve an OSAT score of 70 or above.
These initiatives create HR benefits, too. According to industry research, it can cost up to $2,000 to onboard and train a new employee. When employees are more engaged, they perform better and stay longer, resulting in a cost reduction in employee turnover and training costs across all Auntie Anne’s franchises.
With a robust CX-program in place and the right intelligent tools, companies like Auntie Anne’s can save dough and dip into new levels of success, ones that produce more business value and profit across the board.
To read more about Auntie Anne’s sweet customer experience, check out this free webinar in which Chief of Operations Savannah Harper discussed how they leverage customer feedback across their entire organization!
