Stella Kochen Suskind participates in the International Meeting on Technology and Innovation for Persons with Disabilities Pioneer in Brazil in customer service evaluation with “secret shoppers” Stella Kochen Susskind, president of Shopper Experience, will attend the International Meeting on Technology and Innovation for People with Disabilities sponsored by the State Secretariat of Rights for People with Disabilities of São Paulo. The executive will give a lecture on “Accessibility, Education and Social Inclusion”, on December 8 at 10 a.m. The event takes place from December 8–10 at the WTC Convention Center (Level C – Avenida das Nações Unidas, 12.559). São Paulo, December 2, 2009 – Invited by the State Secretariat of Rights for Persons with Disabilities of São Paulo, the executive, Stella Kochen Susskind, President of Shopper Experience, will participate in the panel “Accessibility, Education and Social Inclusion”, which is part of the International Meeting on Technology and Innovation for Persons with Disabilities. Aiming to promote technological innovation in the development, manufacturing and marketing of products and services to increase the independence and quality of life for people with disabilities, in addition to providing subsidies for public policy development and strategies focused on guaranteeing equal opportunities, the fight against discrimination, the event takes place in December 8–10, at the WTC Convention Center (Level C – Avenida das Nações Unidas, 12.559). Stella Kochen Susskind will give a talk on December 8, 10 a.m. Pioneer in Brazil in customer service evaluation with “secret shoppers”, Stella Kochen Susskind has developed an unprecedented inclusion project – the executive has trained over 300 people with disabilities to work as “secret shoppers”. Launched in August 2009, the first step of the project was the partnership with the Programa Trabalho Eficiente (Efficient Work Program), from the Brazilian Association of Children with Disabilities (AACD), which recommended professionals interested in joining the staff of researchers at Shopper Experience to test different products and services. Mara Gabrilli, councilwoman and president of the Mara Gabrilli Institute; New Horizon Institute, Lar Escola São Francisco; Alex Victim, president of Plura Consultoria e Inclusão Social; and Cid Torquato, Coordinator of Institutional Relations of the Secretariat of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities partnered with Shopper Experience to recruit and screen these professionals. According to Stella, statistics have shown that investing in accessibility can be more than an act of citizenship and social responsibility. This investment can turn into good business; 14.5% of the population in Brazil has some kind of disability, i.e. 24.5 million people with an estimated consumption potential of R$ 5 billion. “Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that 10% of the world population has some kind of disability, something around 610 million people, of which 386 million are economically active. Even considering this scenario, I have found resistance from Brazilian companies in joining the project to include individuals with disability when they hire Shopper Experience research services. The fact is that brands and businesses are not ready to service customers with disabilities,” stated the executive. Stella added that the team at Shopper Experience is committed to overcoming barriers and already sealed some important partnerships, particularly from companies in the retail and financial industry. Also taking part in the panel “Accessibility, Education and Social Inclusion” are: Alex Vicintim, president of Plural Consultoria e Inclusão Social; Carla Mauch, general coordinator of Mais Diferenças – Educação e Inclusão Social; Ángel Garcia Crespo, Deputy Director of Faculty Planning at Universidade Carlos III and Social Responsibility at the Centro Espanhol de Subtitulação e Áudio-Descrição (CESyA – Madrid, Spain); José Antonio Borges, Accessibility Projects Coordinator at - Núcleo de Computação Eletrônica (NCE- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro); and Stella Kochen Susskind, president of Shopper Experience. Shopper Experience With differentiated products, Shopper Experience works with Customer Experience, Secret Shoppers and In-Company Workshops. The company–which aims to provide knowledge about customer experience with products and brands—has created the framework to act with diversity, i.e., invest in education and training of a network of differentiated mystery shoppers who provide managers with a more efficient ‘retro’ feeling when behind the counter. Among Shopper Experience’s assets is the deep knowledge of consumers’ and clients’ universe. ——————————————————————————————————— MORE INFORMATION: www.printeccomunicacao.com.br Printec Comunicação Vanessa Giacometti de Godoy [email protected] Betânia Lins [email protected] Phone #: +55.11.5182-1806 // Fax #: +55.11.5183-2233