Presto Cleaners

International Baccalaureate Business Studies

THE CASE OF THE COMPLAINING CUSTOMER – PRESTO CLEANERS

1. Why is Mr. Shelton upset? What should be done to address his complaint?

In relation to the operations manager’s role in addressing major aspects of service quality, the following are the reasons Mr. Shelton’s disappointment towards Presto Cleaner and possible solutions to address his complaint:

Tangible component of many services is important, which, in this case, is the new computer system. Its purpose of delivering an easy, convenient and time saving way to do laundry was not met. Delays with the vendor and the software may have cost time for testing the new system and training the employees to operate the system. Problems with the new computerized system could have been avoided had Presto Cleaners postponed the launch of the new system to accommodate enough time for testing, training their employees.
Service and service quality is a process. Listed in the table below are some determinants of service quality which Presto Cleaners failed to provide Mr. Shelton leading to his disappointment of the service:

The operations manager should realize that the customers’ expectations are the standard which the service is judged. This was obviously presented in Mr. Shelton’s letter when he described how he and his wife patronized Presto Cleaners with the old system over competition despite paying a premium and comparing to his experience with the new system. A way to avoid such problem was to provide a transition period from the old system to the new system and not launch the new system full blast without the old system as back-up support. Some customers like Mr. Shelton appreciates change especially ...

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The operations manager should realize that the customers’ expectations are the standard which the service is judged. This was obviously presented in Mr. Shelton’s letter when he described how he and his wife patronized Presto Cleaners with the old system over competition despite paying a premium and comparing to his experience with the new system. A way to avoid such problem was to provide a transition period from the old system to the new system and not launch the new system full blast without the old system as back-up support. Some customers like Mr. Shelton appreciates change especially if it is geared towards improvement of the service, however, it is also easy for these customers to criticize the new system and notice its flaws as they can compare it with the old system that they are accustomed to.
Managers must expect exceptions. Despite unanimously agreeing that the new system may encounter problems, no precautionary measures were performed. This could have been avoided with the aid of a back-up support system.

2. Based on the information presented in the case; develop a comprehensive quality improvement plan for Presto Cleaner.

The following are recommended to improve the service quality of Presto Cleaners:

Test new systems before full implementation. Identify possible problems and develop precautionary measures to avoid making mistakes. There is also a need to have a back-up system to ensure smooth running operations upon implementation of new systems.
Strengthen the customer relations department by hiring more employees dedicated to handle customer issues such as complaints and claims. How Mr. Hoffner feels towards the issues raised by Mr. Shelton could probably be because all pressures in terms of customer complaints is placed just on him.
Develop an organizational culture of excellent service among all employees, from store personnel to higher management. Emphasize on doing the right things right the first time as this will minimize possible customer complaints. The goal is not to reach to the point of customer recovery; however, it is also important that the company implements a strong customer recovery action plan since unsatisfied customers are more costly for the business in terms of possibly loosing other current or potential customers.

The table below shows how Presto Cleaners can improve their quality of service guided by the determinants of service quality:

Presto Cleaners

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