Croatia ranked fourth among six countries in the region in terms of the quality of service in retail, with Macedonia topping the ranking this year, according to a large survey conducted by the regional Heraklea mystery shopping agency.

The countries were assigned scores in five areas, with their total scores expressed as percentages. Croatia’s total score this year was 73.16 percent, or 0.46 percentage points lower than last year.

The survey was conducted from May 15 to June 15, with mystery shoppers collecting data from 800 providers of various services, such as car dealerships, gas stations, banks, supermarkets, retail shops, telecom shops, cafes, or restaurants, across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.

The five elements of good service assessed were greeting customers, understanding their wishes and needs, explaining their products and services, suggesting additional products and thanking customers for visiting.

Overall, Macedonia finished on top with a score 78.96 percent, ahead of Slovenia (75.60), Serbia (74.73), Croatia (73.16), Bosnia and Herzegovina (71.34) and Montenegro (70.59).

Follow N1 via mobile apps for Android | iPhone/iPad | Windows| and social media on Twitter | Facebook.