Churchill Downs Incorporated and LRA Worldwide to Conduct Mystery Shopping Program at all CDI Facilities
Churchill Downs Incorporated, the parent company of legendary Churchill Downs racetrack, has partnered with LRA Worldwide, Inc., to design and execute a “mystery guest” secret shopping program at its racetrack and off-track betting (“OTB”) facilities in 2006.
Horsham, PA (PRWEB) January 30, 2006
Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI”), the parent company of legendary Churchill Downs racetrack, home of the Kentucky Derby, has partnered with LRA Worldwide, Inc., to design and execute a “mystery guest” secret shopping program at its racetrack and off-track betting (“OTB”) facilities in 2006. LRA, a leading provider of Customer Experience Management (“CEM”) solutions, will customize a “mystery guest” inspection protocol to measure compliance with CDI’s particular guest service requirements, and will hire, recruit, train and monitor the team of consultants needed to properly measure the CDI guest experience.
The “mystery guest” initiative comes on the heels of a coordinated effort between CDI and LRA to create and implement a more consistent, favorable guest experience at all CDI properties in 2005. These efforts resulted in the INSPIRE service model that is now the focus of all CDI associate orientation and training. The INSPIRE program was designed to create a base platform for guest service delivery across a set of diverse properties. The INSPIRE title itself was a play on the iconic Twin Spires that rise above the Churchill Downs racetrack.
“LRA helped us create a guest service delivery model that was truly unique,” explained Laura Botner, CDI’s director of marketing. “The INSPIRE program provides us with assurance at the corporate level that the optimal guest experience is being clearly defined and articulated, while taking care not to diminish the individuality of each property. Who better to develop a flexible and innovative quality assurance ‘mystery guest’ program than the trusted partner who helped develop our guest service vision to begin with?”
In the past three years, LRA has exponentially grown its client base in the sports and entertainment industries. In addition to CDI, LRA works with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, The PGA TOUR, Troon Golf, and the National Basketball Association, as well as a number of stadiums, arenas and ballparks throughout the country on various CEM projects.
“This is the natural evolution of our work with Churchill Downs Incorporated on the INSPIRE program and we are very gratified that they have chosen LRA to help fulfill our shared vision of the CDI guest experience,” said Bush Bell, an LRA vice president and the project manager leading the effort. “At LRA, we are firm believers in the old saying ‘what gets measured, gets done,’ and the mystery guest program will help facilitate the adoption of the INSPIRE program at the track and OTB outlet level.”
“We have committed to making our guests the focus of everything we do at Churchill Downs Incorporated,” said Tim Scott, senior vice president of marketing for CDI. “With that in mind, LRA, with its proven CEM methodology, has been an ideal partner. We anticipate that LRA will continue to help guide our future guest-focused initiatives.”
About Churchill Downs Incorporated:
Churchill Downs Incorporated, (“CDI”) headquartered in Louisville, Ky., owns and operates world-renowned horse racing venues throughout the United States. CDI’s six racetracks in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Louisiana host many of North America’s most prestigious races, including the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, Arlington Million and Louisiana Derby. CDI racetracks have hosted six Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships. CDI also owns off-track betting facilities and has interests in various television production, telecommunications and racing services companies that support CDI’s network of simulcasting and racing operations. CDI trades on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol CHDN and can be found on the Internet at www. churchilldownsincorporated. com.
About LRA Worldwide, Inc.:
LRA Worldwide, Inc., headquartered in Horsham, PA, is a leading consulting, training and research company that specializes in Customer Experience Management (CEM). LRA helps companies and brands design and deliver the optimal customer experience across all key touch points using an integrated suite of services that measure and improve service quality, customer satisfaction, employee performance, loyalty, customer advocacy and profitability. LRA specializes in “operationalizing the brand” – turning brand promise and customer strategy into operational reality. LRA’s tactical CEM practice areas include Customer Experience Strategy Design, Standards and Practices Development, Organizational Development & Training, Customer and Employee Research and Quality Assurance Mystery Shopping; these are either deployed together in a strategic manner to continually monitor and improve the customer experience or deployed individually to address a specific client tactical need. LRA has deep sector expertise in the automotive, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, leisure & real estate, retail, consumer goods & services, sports and entertainment, and travel and transportation industries. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www. LRAworldwide. com.
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