Case Study: Shell achieves higher customer satisfaction and a £2 spend increase with Service Management Group (SMG)

Drivers are willing to pay more for a higher level of service at the pump

Shell faced fierce competition and rising customer expectations even for routine fuel purchases, so it partnered with Service Management Group (SMG) to better understand the guest experience. Using SMG’s customer experience insights (the SMG Top Partnership Insight), Shell tested a forecourt attended service model at select UK locations to see whether treating drivers more like guests would move the needle on satisfaction and loyalty.

SMG’s data showed clear gains when customers used the forecourt attendants, so Shell reintroduced attendants, coached them to offer fuel-efficiency advice, and used SMG’s measurement to expand and evaluate the approach. The results were measurable: Overall Satisfaction was 28 percentage points higher when the service was used, customers spent an average of £2 more, and scores for Treated Like a Guest, Staff Suggestions, and Likelihood to Recommend all rose—validated by SMG’s analysis.

Shell