Mario Dolcezza believes many garden centres outlets are not customer-focused and need to up their game in the current economic climate or customers will shop elsewhere.

Mr Dolcezza, who's Bristol-based company Diciamo works to help businesses engage with their customers, said: "Right now the level or service at garden centres Is not as good as it should be. In some cases it is woeful. This is because staff take no ownership of customer service."

He added that some staff even seem to consider customer service or simple courtesies, like saying 'hello' or 'thank you' as a "hindrance".

However, Mr Dolcezza believes he can help these firms offer better service and is offering garden centres across the UK a complimentary visit from him and a free mystery shopper report.

He explained: "I will personally visit the first five garden centres that contact me through our website www.diciamo.co.uk in September and October, and are serious about improving their customer experience."

Mr Dolcezza also stresses the need for garden centres to focus on their existing customer base and asks them to consider what they would do if there were no new customers. He said: "Most companies see growth as their primary objective and expect this to come from the addition of new customers. This is part is true, however they are missing a really solid opportunity by not exploring the growth potential of their existing customer base... Garden centres need to engage with their customers to make them feel valued and build customer loyalty."

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