Health and nutrition 35


Skills and training
Our plans to recruit at least 90,000 new Partners over the next five years will require significant investment in training. We acknowledge that doubling the size of our business, without compromising on customer service, is a major challenge, so developing the skills of new and existing Partners will be critical. The appointment of Partnership chairman Charlie Mayfield to the UK Commission on Employment and Skills (UKCES), launched in April 2008 to encourage employers to invest in workforce skills, can only support our ambitions.


Customer feedback
To consistently offer our customers what they want, we need to find opportunities to listen to them, be open to feedback and act quickly on what they tell us, particularly if we've got something wrong.

We use formal methods of feedback, such as customer surveys, panels, focus groups, online feedback forms and regular mystery shopping, to give us a good snapshot of customer satisfaction (see Stakeholder engagement on page 6). Our regular brand perception research shows we are performing well against our competitors on ethically sourced products, local and regional sourcing, fair treatment of staff and suppliers, and avoiding unhealthy additives or ingredients, but packaging and making healthy options easier to find are areas where we need to improve. Focus groups have shown that the nutritional value of food is equally important to our Partners.


Further information > www.food.gov.uk Food Standards Agency
> www.thecollege.co.uk Specialised Chef's Scholarship
> www.face-online.org.uk Farming And Countryside Education
> www.waitrose.com/nutrition Waitrose health and nutrition information
> www.drinkingandyou.com and www.waitrose.com/drink/drinkingandyou Responsible drinking websites


Tracking satisfaction
Waitrose has replaced its Customer Relationship Index with a Customer Loyalty Index, based on a customer satisfaction tracker derived from shop-level customer surveys. Used in conjunction with our Mystery Shopper programme, this provides a fuller picture of the customer experience, covering both perception and reality, and helps us to identify shop-specific causes of satisfaction and dissatisfaction that can be passed directly to the shop manager.

Waitrose has also achieved considerable success in a number of external customer satisfaction surveys. See page 40 for further details.


Selling through service
We want to provide a level of choice, value and service that really sets us apart from our competitors. We aim to delight our customers by understanding their individual needs, meeting and – where possible – exceeding their expectations, and ensuring that each one receives the same high level of service.

Through our 'Fresh on Service' initiative, we encourage Partners to use language and behaviour that communicates our enthusiasm for food, and our knowledge about our products. Specialist training programmes for fish, meat, cheese and wine have enabled almost 1,000 Partners to learn more about sustainable sourcing and animal welfare through visits to suppliers, as well as important information on cooking and nutrition. They, in turn, can share their expertise with colleagues, ensuring all Partners are better placed to help customers to make informed choices.

"The service ethos is deeply engrained in how we work, and great customer service and quality products remain the cornerstones of what we do."
Mark Price Managing Director, Waitrose

(Picture of a Waitrose counter assistant)