Compass Group UK & Ireland
Turning legacy feedback into 40,000 annual responses driving business change
The Challenge
Compass Group UK & Ireland operates contract catering across incredibly diverse environments - from corporate offices to military bases. Understanding customer preferences at this scale requires comprehensive feedback across all their settings.
Their existing “Did We Make You Smile” (DWMYS) customer feedback programme had served its purpose, but hadn’t evolved alongside changing customer behaviors. Like many legacy systems designed for desktop access, it faced challenges in a mobile-first world.
The Evolution Needed
Mobile Accessibility
The survey wasn’t optimized for mobile completion - a significant barrier when customers are often on the move in contract catering environments.
Response Volume
Lower completion rates limited the insights available per venue, making it difficult to identify clear patterns or validate decisions with confidence.
Programme Visibility
Without strong on-site promotion, customers weren’t always aware they could share feedback or that their input would drive real change.
Four Compass divisions had evaluated the programme but chose not to adopt it, preferring to wait for a solution better aligned with contemporary customer expectations.
Compass needed to modernize DWMYS to match how customers naturally interact with feedback systems while scaling it across their diverse operations.
Our Approach
We proposed starting fresh with a fundamentally different strategy:
Engineered for Maximum Accessibility
Rather than asking all questions of all customers, we designed a survey engineered to encourage high completion rates on key questions while giving customers the option to provide additional detail if they had time.
The flexible design works across multiple touchpoints:
- QR codes and URLs promoted on-site
- Emailed survey links
- Traditional comment cards
- Touch screen kiosks in venues
This multi-channel approach makes feedback incredibly easy to provide - customers can respond immediately while the experience is fresh, using whatever method is most convenient.
Breaking Down Barriers to Completion
We identified every friction point and removed it:
- Made it mobile-friendly so customers could respond on their phones
- Reduced required questions to core metrics
- Used progressive disclosure for optional detail
- Created clear visual progress indicators
- Ensured fast loading on all devices
The result: customers actually complete the survey instead of abandoning halfway through.
Programme Rebranding & Promotion
We helped rebrand DWMYS with clearer messaging and stronger on-site promotion. Customers need to know their feedback matters and that providing it is quick and easy. Visible promotion across venues dramatically increased awareness and participation.
The Results
3x Response Volume Increase
Response rates increased three-fold compared to the previous programme - generating over 40,000 responses annually across six Compass divisions.
Expansion Across the Business
Starting with just one division, the programme proved so valuable that it expanded to six Compass divisions - including four that had previously chosen to wait. That’s the clearest endorsement possible: divisions that said “not yet” to the legacy programme enthusiastically adopted the modernized version.
Central Business KPI
DWMYS became a central KPI for Compass. The programme generates the customer intelligence that informs operational changes, menu development, training priorities, and strategic decisions across their contract catering business.
Dashboard-Driven Engagement
Online dashboard reporting enabled the entire business to engage with results in real-time. When Compass looks to change aspects of their catering offer, DWMYS data is the go-to source for understanding customer preferences and validating decisions.
What Compass Says
“Service Monitor instantly got to grips with the nuances and challenges of our business and helped us forge a successful customer feedback strategy. We have improved usability of our system for both customers and operators alike, which has seen our response rates increase three-fold. The technical support and monthly reporting has been great too!”
David Tester
Head of Marketing, Compass Group UK & Ireland
Ongoing Development
The programme isn’t static - we monitor and enhance it regularly to ensure it continues meeting business needs as priorities evolve. That’s the difference between delivering a service and being a true partner.
We’ve worked with Compass for 5 years, continuously refining the programme based on results and changing requirements. The DWMYS programme remains central to how Compass understands and responds to customer needs across their contract catering operations.
Client Background
Compass Group UK & Ireland provides catering and facilities management across diverse environments. Their unique customer relationship means they’re serving their clients’ employees, making consistent quality and customer satisfaction essential to maintaining contracts.
Understanding how customers receive their catering offer helps Compass ensure they’re delivering services that meet requirements and keep clients happy. The DWMYS programme provides that intelligence at scale.
Ready to modernize your customer feedback programme into actionable business intelligence? Contact us to discuss how we can engineer surveys that customers actually complete and businesses actually use.