STW Buys Stake in VoC Firm Feedback ASAP

In Australia, marketing firm STW Communications has taken a 40% stake in 'voice of the customer' (VoC) specialist Feedback ASAP, as part of its joint venture agreement with field marketing agency Smollan. Financial terms were not disclosed.

STW and Smollan formed the joint venture in July, in order to conduct mystery shopping and customer auditing activities in Australia and New Zealand.

Feedback ASAP uses mobile phone technology to track customer satisfaction and loyalty, while also developing its own customer tracking tools. The firm was founded by Phil Prosser, who previously set up mystery shopping company GAPbuster Worldwide in 1994, which by 2009, employed 270 staff and 200,000 shoppers.

His current firm services organisations from the insurance, appliances, health club, car rental, call centres and retail sectors, and also provides services to companies operating loyalty programs.

STW's existing capabilities in the field marketing arena extend from creative ideation, mystery shopping and customer auditing, through to retail and merchandising. CEO Michael Connaghan says that Feedback ASAP's business model fits perfectly with STW's own offering in the areas of field marketing, mystery shopping and customer auditing.

'Phil Prosser is a pioneer globally in the customer experience management, and his vision and forward-thinking approach will be a real asset to STW's growing expertise in this area,' states Connaghan.

Web sites: www.stwgroup.com.au , www.smollan.co.za and http://feedbackasap.com .