/our friends

Gala Coral

/Sales Through Service at Coral Bookmakers

“From the outset we were impressed by CragRats’ approach to the brief, our business and its needs. They went on to create a
fantastic product that zoned in on what we wanted to achieve. The events were delivered with an amazing degree of
professionalism and passion that have really helped staff take on a new way of working”

Steve Humphries, Retail Marketing Manager – Gala Coral Group

/challenge

Coral is one of the UKs largest high street bookmakers, with over 1600 shops. As part of a strategy to maintain their position at the forefront of the industry, Coral wanted to find a way to increase sales by delivering excellent  customer service.

This decision came about after discovering that the shops meeting or exceeding financial targets were also those delivering the best customer service. Once this link had been identified, Coral decided that they needed a training programme to help staff maximise sales through service across the business.

/approach

CragRats visited 100 Coral shops across the country to gain an in-depth understanding of the business. The sample accounted for variations in size, location, economics and performance. Particular attention was paid to how the best shops achieved their success.

In each location CragRats talked to the Shop Manager, staff and customers. Questions focused on: customer service, management style, team interaction and how customers reacted to being ‘sold to.’ CragRats used the results to inform a training strategy, ensuring that it was in line with staff values.

The research revealed that shop managers were key influencers within the business. This led CragRats to focus the training programme on the development of their management skills and their ability to engage with staff and customers.

An intensive consultation process then followed between CragRats and Coral’s steering group. It was decided to deliver; one event for key staff at Head Office, two events for area managers and over 40 full day events for shop managers at regional venues throughout the country. CragRats also ran a number of pilots to test the project and make final adjustments.

At the events CragRats facilitators worked with shop managers to help improve team interactions. They also looked at improving the quality of engagement staff had with customers. Staff members were given the confidence to introduce customers to products or services in a natural and comfortable way, with the overall intention of enhancing a customer’s betting experience. CragRats also created and produced training materials to accompany the programme. These included DVD, film and printed resources, and were used during and post training to help  managers engage with their staff and deliver the sales through service message.

/results

Sales for the products that the training focused on at least doubled in every shop that took part in the training. The greatest improvement was a seven fold increase in the sales of a particular product reported in one store.

Improvements to how customers are greeted and treated have been recognised.

Coral reported a month-on-month increase in the numbers of women visiting their shops. There has also been a notable reduction in staff turnover – for the first time ever it is below 20%.

Results from delegates on the day noted that:

• 99% feel more motivated about sales through service
• 98% said the event helped to gain ideas about how to engage staff and customers
• 98% felt they had a clearer idea about how to match products to the needs of customers to grow sales
• 99% will use approaches from the training in their own roles

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