Service Management Group has recognized American Dairy Queen Corporation with a Top Partnership Insight award for the brand’s service recovery program.
 
The service-driven program, termed BLAST (Believe, Listen, Apologize, Satisfy, Thank), was introduced to the DQ system in 2019 to empower all U.S. and Canadian franchisees and their team members to appropriately address fans’ concerns.
 
“With BLAST, our goal is to deliver ‘out of this world’ service,” says David Giacone, vice president of concept support services for International Dairy Queen Inc. “Since the program’s roll out, our franchisees have fully embraced the initiative and embedded service recovery into the DQ culture. Overall, we’ve seen substantial improvements in the DQ fan experience and a boost in DQ satisfaction ratings across the board. We thrive on happy customers, and we’re grateful to have such a committed team supported our efforts.” 
 
Service Management Group, a DQ Fan Feedback vendor, partners with more than 500 brands around the globe to create better customer and employee experiences that boost loyalty and improve business performance. The SMG Top Partnership Insight awards recognize programs that leverage customer and employee insights to drive action, operational improvements, and business outcomes.
 
“We’re excited to recognize DQ with a Top Partnership Insight award for its fan-focused BLAST program,” says Todd Leach, SMG Chief Customer Officer. “By listening to its customers and turning insight into action, DQ has significantly improved its problem resolution score and eclipsed the industry benchmark.” 
 
American Dairy Queen currently has more than 7,000 locations worldwide and is initiating a plan to add more than 70 new restaurants in the United States in 2019. The brand is targeting 10 growth markets including: Sacramento, California; Baltimore; Orlando, Florida; Milwaukee; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Memphis, Tennessee; Albany, New York; Fresno, California; Charlotte, North Carolina; and New Orleans. Beyond these U.S. target markets, ADQ is franchising in territories across Canada and other international countries.