We’ve been heartened and encouraged by the results of a customer survey carried out in Emmaus Cambridge over the summer.

During June and July, team members from The Cambridge Building Society visited our shops and community to conduct a customer survey on our behalf, and we’re delighted with the feedback.

A huge 98 per cent of the 120 customers interviewed said they were highly likely to recommend Emmaus Cambridge to others, while 68 per cent felt that our pricing was just right.

We had 28 comments praising our staff and companions for being friendly, welcoming, helpful, polite and efficient, and the same number of customers were complimentary about our stock, for its variety, displays and quality of goods.

We also received 26 comments commending our community support in helping people who have experienced homelessness to get back on their feet by providing them with a home, personal support and work and training opportunities.

“Incredibly encouraging”

Our Chief Executive Officer, Donna Talbot said: “We are delighted with the findings of this customer survey, kindly carried out by the friendly staff at The Cambridge Building Society. Our customers have told us we are doing a lot of things right, which is incredibly encouraging to hear. They particularly pinpointed our community as being a friendly, and welcoming place to visit and having a good variety of ethical stock at affordable prices.

“They also praised Joan’s Café for its renowned cakes and good value for money, as well as highlighting the relaxing ambience of our gardens and general environment. While we have been encouraged by all the positive comments, the customer survey was an opportunity to hear honest feedback on what we could do better, so we are very grateful to receive constructive feedback too. We’ll be taking on board this information and reviewing how we might be able to make changes to ensure we give the best customer experience possible.

“A huge thank you to our customers for kindly taking the time to partake in the survey and to The Cambridge Building Society for using their Charity Partnership volunteering hours to complete this valuable and insightful task.”

Key findings

Operations – 14 customers said they found our operations ‘well run’/’organised’, ‘clean and tidy’ and having ‘a good layout’.

Gardens – 10 customers described them as being ‘lovely’ and ‘enjoyable’

Environment/atmosphere – 10 customers described this as ‘peaceful’, ‘relaxing’, ‘welcoming’ and ‘therapeutic’.

Café – 9 customers commented that the café was either ‘great’, ‘excellent’, ‘cakes are very good’ and ‘good value’.

Sustainability – our recycling and sustainability was praised by 8 respondents.

Frequency of visits

38 customers (32% of responders) visit at least once a week, followed by 36 customers (30%) saying they visit once a month.

Main reason for visiting

Mainly customers visit Emmaus Cambridge to shop. Other activities in order of popularity were:

  • Eating/drinking
  • Donating goods
  • Supporting charity
  • Specifically buying preloved items
  • Visiting gardens
  • Donating money

Pricing

The majority of customers surveyed, 80 respondents (68%), said our pricing was just right. Around 12 people said they felt the prices were too high, while the same number said they were priced too low.

Recommendations

98% of the customers who were interviewed said they were highly likely to recommend Emmaus Cambridge to others.

Areas suggested for improvement

Some of the suggestions for improvement made by customers included employing more staff, having more space in Joan’s Café, fairer pricing, introducing an outside seating area, increasing opening hours and selling more homegrown produce.

There were also suggestions for less cluttered clothing rails, more signage encouraging visiting the gardens, making the site more user-friendly for disabled visitors and running talks/activities/courses showcasing our vital work.

Some customer comments

“They provide the companions with self-worth, dignity and give them respect. I love the way you help and support the companions.”

“Thinking of the environment, recycling and solar panels.”

“Treasure Cave. Good prices compared to other charities.”

“Everything here is perfect! The staff are friendly people.”

“Well organised in the shops, it’s getting better all the time. Staff are really polite and friendly.”

“You have a lovely garden; the staff are great, and I can’t get over how polite people are and happy to help.”

“Tidy and clean, helpful staff and easy disabled parking.”

“Friendly staff, well made and priced items with lovely gardens and community spirit.”

“Supporting people in need, I like that you are often expanding and adding different departments to your store. I love the cafe, it is good value for money.”

“Providing purpose and shelter for people in need.”

“It’s a joy to come here.”

“I can visit here on my own and still feel very comfortable.”

“It’s a very special relaxing place.”

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