Tuesday 26 April 2016

Durbanville Beauty Salons: Reviewers’ Favourites

When it comes to Durbanville beauty salons, the offerings are endless. Whose hair stylists are a cut above the rest, and which nail technicians can you trust to keep your toes in tip-top condition? Here are the four favourite Durbanville beauty salons on VavaVox to help you decide where to invest your hard-earned cash. Located in central Durbanville and surrounding areas, these businesses offer excellent services to keep you feeling beautiful:

The best Durbanville beauty salons, according to our VavaVox reviewers:

Arriba Spa and Hair Salon

Centrally located at the Cobble Walk Centre, Arriba Spa and Hair Salon offers a relaxing environment where you can spoil yourself with beauty and hair treats. Arriba are open seven days a week for their clients’ convenience and offer extras like laser hair removal.

VavaVox reviewer Marz says: “Micky helped me to look my old self again. I will never go to another hair salon or stylist ever again.”

View Arriba’s reviews.

Adorabell Hair and Beauty

Conveniently located at the Palm Grove Centre, Adorabell Hair and Beauty offers clients a total hair and beauty experience. Whether it’s a quick lunch hour mani or an indulgent afternoon of pampering and relaxation, Adorabell provides an environment to escape and unwind.

“I highly reccommend this salon, it’s a one stop shop with all beauty and hair needs as well as a barber for the gents,” says VavaVox reviewer Megan. Another reviewer loves Adorabell’s “very laidback but still professional vibe.”

View Adorabell’s reviews.

Bonheur Wellness and Beauty

Bonheur Wellness & Beauty is invested in holistic wellness and helps their clients experience true relaxation with a range of wellness and beauty services by exert therapists. This upmarket salon with a French twist offers everything from essential beauty treatments to specialist services like botox, fillers and biokineticist consultations.

“Fantastic staff and atmosphere,” says VavaVox reviewer Karla. “Always good service and peaceful.”

View Bonheur’s reviews.

Capri Beauty

This beauty and nail salon with a touch of spa serenity located in Springbokpark offers everything from waxing, manicures, pedicures and facials to permanent makeup, tattoo removal and micro-needling. Capri Beauty is also a site of learning, offering internationally recognised nail technology, eyelashes extentions and threading courses by SAQA qualified assessors.

“They are extremely friendly, helpful and professional,” says VavaVox reviewer Lucinda. “An awesome group of ladies.”

View Capri Beauty’s reviews.

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Monday 25 April 2016

Online shopping in South Africa: Who’s the best?

The recent PricewaterhouseCoopers Retail in Africa 2016 report describes online shopping in South Africa as a booming market. Increasing numbers of local consumers opt to do their shopping online. However, positive customer experiences within online shopping are important as the stakes become higher.

According to the Retail in Africa 2016 survey, 57% of South African online shoppers were influenced to purchase online by convenience. Cheaper prices also motivated consumers to shop online. 50% of consumers noted that they would purchase from an international retailer if it was more affordable.

“Digital technology continues to disrupt the retail industry. Global consumers are more empowered than ever. Retailers need to adapt to ensure they remain relevant. The speed of technology adoption has raised the stakes for both retailers and their consumer packaged-goods partners,” says Anton Hugo, retail and consumer industry leader for PwC Africa.

The physical store remains important. 47% of South African consumers buy their electronics products in-store rather than online. The Retail in Africa 2016 survey notes that only 4% of South African consumers shopped online last year, with 26% making their first online purchase within this time frame.

The best online shopping services in South Africa, according to our VavaVox reviewers:

  1. Takealot.com

Takealot has received multiple positive reviews on VavaVox, with Chantel Harmse praising the e-retailer for their “fast, efficient service” and “easy returns” that create the “best shopping experience ever.”

View Takealot reviews here.

2. @Home Online Store

@Home Online Store has been praised by VavaVox reviewers for their slick online shopping experience. “It was one of the easiest and quickest online shopping experiences I’ve ever had,” says VavaVox user ChristopherM.

View @Home Online Store reviews here.

3. The Bed Warehouse

This online furniture retailer has received rave reviews from VavaVox users for offering quality and comfort at affordable prices.

View The Bed Warehouse reviews here.

4. One Day Only

This e-tailer offers outrageous specials on diverse items for 24 hours only. Our VavaVox reviewers have experienced nothing but excellent customer service from One Day Only. “The entire experience was pleasant and seamless,” says VavaVox user Rob.

View One Day Only reviews here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Friday 22 April 2016

Best South African banks for customer satisfaction

The latest report from the South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi) positions Capitec as a clear winner when it comes to customer satisfaction in the banking sector. Business Tech reports that Capitec beat its competitors in a number of areas to become one of the best South African banks for customer satisfaction, including customer loyalty, complaint resolution and perceived value for money.

SAcsi reports overall satisfaction with South African banks at 76.3 out of 100, while Capitec scored a remarkable 83.8 out of 100. FNB’s customer satisfaction score followed close behind with 79.8 out of 100 respectively. 16 500 banking clients were surveyed across income segments by SAcsi, including Capitec, FNB, Nedbank, Absa and Standard Bank. Business and private banking clients were excluded from the study.

The best South African banks for customer satisfaction:

The best South African banks for customer satisfaction (SAcsi)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capitec truly outshone competitors in customer loyalty stakes. SAcsi measures customer loyalty by the intention to repurchase and price tolerance. “When viewed as a three year trend, customer loyalty is in decline, indicating the fierce competitiveness of the sector,” said Anrè Schreuder, CEO of Consulta and founder of SAcsi. Capitec customers’ likelihood to recommend their bank came out on top with a score of 57%.

Click here to view Capitec reviews on VavaVox.

Click here to view the complete article on Business Tech.

 

 

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Wednesday 20 April 2016

Robot Customer Service on the Rise

Robots have been making headlines recently as they are becoming more prevalent day-to-day with their increased use in apps. Robot customer service is specially designed to automate responses to users, taking over these “boring jobs” from humans.

On the one hand you have users looking for real responses, yet receiving synthetic ones. And on the other, we have apps like Kik, an app that allows users to play games and interact with brands instead of talking to real friends. So, where do we stand?

We have compiled a comprehensive list of pros and cons to help you understand the rise of these automated systems.

Cons of robot customer service

Microsoft recently tested out their Artificial Intelligence robot, named Tay, on Twitter. She is designed to have the appearance of a teenage girl and generates her responses from what she learned through conversations with other humans on Twitter.

Online, people tend to lack inhibitions and therefore they’ve said some odd things to her, which she in turn incorporates into her language. This resulted in Tay saying some inappropriate things less than 24 hours after stating how much she loved humans. The Telegraph reported that she made some controversial political claims about Hitler and Donald Trump. She has since been taken offline.

The obvious problem here is creating real, meaningful interactions with customers. We have often seen how some of the best customer experiences are things that cannot be automated, but require a thoughtful touch.

Positive points for robot customer service

With bots around to do basic and sometimes banal jobs, it leaves more room for growth as humans. Jobs seen as tedious, like customer service and dealing with complaints, may get repetitive over time. However, with the use of bots they won’t tire of answering the same menial questions daily.

This allows us to focus on much more sophisticated tasks, shortening the time it takes to do things, and radically increasing productivity.

Bots are also bringing companies and their clients closer together, opening up new channels of communication. For example, Gareth Kay, co-founder of Chapter, a business consultancy in San Francisco said, “Facebook, with its ecosystem, is going to have a much more dramatic impact in bringing bots to a broad audience and brands who want to use it as a platform.”

Robot customer service done right

Another tech company that makes use of bots is Slack. They have since partnered with Taco Bell and allow users to order their lunch through the application without leaving their computers. The whole process will be done through a conversation with a bot.

Uber is following in these strides, as you can now order your Uber from the Facebook messenger app without closing it. Everlane, a clothing line, has also become part of it, allowing users to track their order on Facebook.  Bloomberg states that “WeChat users throughout Asia communicate regularly with bots to search for jobs, shop for clothes, or just kill a few minutes trying to outwit an artificial-intelligence being.”

Bots are opening up a whole new era of communication, which is a huge step forward in technology with great benefits if successful. And so we wait in anticipation for the release of Facebook’s chat bots. But how far will it go, and to what extent will bots replace human relationships?

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Tuesday 12 April 2016

Customer complaints: Who received the most?

According to the latest report by the Consumer Goods & Services Ombudsman (CGSO), MTN received the highest number of complaints from mobile network consumers between 2015 and 2016. EWN reports that the 2015 strike lead to the high number of MTN customer complaints. Subscribers faced lengthy delays in having their queries attended to by call and service centres.

Click here to view MTN customer complaints and compliments on VavaVox.

The CGSO recorded 613 MTN complaints from consumers between March 2015 and February 2016. These form part of 3 465 cases opened with the Ombudsman against suppliers during this time period. The JD Group followed MTN with 172 customer complaints, encompassing brands like Incredible Connection and Joshua Doore.

Other mobile network providers also ranked in the CGSO report. However, the CGSO states that they stopped dealing with complaints about other network providers. These providers allegedly refused to work with the CGSO and complaints were only recorded until July 2015.

The highest number of customer complaints in SA (2015- 2016):

The highest number of customer complaints in South Africa

Click here to view the full article on EWN.

 

 

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Pet Pamper Spots in Cape Town: Top 4

Your pet is part of the family and deserves to be pampered every now and then! Cape Town offers a range of locally and internationally sourced products to keep your furry friends happy, as well as expert grooming services to keep them looking perfectly polished at all times.

The best pet care businesses in Cape Town, as reviewed by VavaVox users:

1. Pawstar Pet Grooming (Goodwood)

This grooming parlour keeps dogs, cats and even small animals like guinea pigs in peak condition. VavaVox user greatdanemom recommended Pawstar Pet Grooming for their “exceptional service, individual care and utmost respect for our furry friends.”

View their reviews here.

2. Cutie Pie Doggie Parlour (Brackenfell)

“Fantastic first experience. Best place to take your fluffy children!” said a VavaVox reviewer. Cutie Pie Doggie Parlour offers expert pet grooming, including special care grooming for elderly or nervous pets as well as gland removal and styling of notoriously tricky breeds. Browse their range of accessories for cute outfits and cozy bedding options.

View their reviews here.

3. Absolute Pets (Sea Point)

A VavaVox reviewer had great things to say about the Atlantic Seaboard branch of this pet store: “Thank you to the friendly staff who are knowledgeable about pets and create a great shopping experience.” Absolute Pets offers a range of services as well as selling toys, treats and bedding. Many branches feature a spa where furbabies can get a wash and trim. Be sure to join their rewards programme for special promotions and saving opportunities!

View their reviews here.

4. Perky Pets Superstore (Diep River)

“The shop assistants were awesome. Great service and friendly faces all around!” says VavaVox user Arehan. Perky Pets stays on top of the latest pet care trends. They send buyers all over the world to source top quality products and educating shop assistants to answer all animal-related queries.

View their reviews here.

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