Customer Service On Asda.

∙        Whether they are buying as an individual or as a business.

∙        How long they have been buying, e.g. are they new customers or regular customers.

∙        What goods or services they want to buy.

∙        How many or how much they want.

∙        How much they are planning to spend, now and in the future.

∙        Where customers are located and what their delivery needs are.

∙        What future goods or services they may require.

Asda also identify and analyse the characteristics of their customers. The main characteristics that are identified are:

∙        Age

∙        Gender

∙        Income

∙        Lifestyle

∙        Location

The main features of the customer service provided by Asda are:

 That Asda have 200% brand and produce guarantee, that means that asda are so confident in the quality of their brand food that if the customers are not delighted with their purchase they will give you a refund and replace it. Asda have a 100-day promise that is their commitment to the customers. They will replace or refund it within 100 days of purchase, (excludes purchases of computer equipment, games hardware and software and mobile phones which can be replaced or refunded for up to 28 days. The customers are asked to provide a valid receipt or other proof of purchase. Asda also have what they call a 3-2-1 guarantee, which means in addition of their 100 day promise, they have introduced the free guarantees for the customers peace of mind should the product level a fault, these are:

∙        3 years on all TVs, Video recorders and DVD players.

∙        2 years on all other electrical items from asda.

∙        1 year on all computer equipment games hardware and software and mobile phones.

Asda have also what is called Brolly patrol, this when the greeter is trained to offer customers the facility of being led to their car under the shelter of an umbrella. This is particularly used for customers with small children, the elderly or those customers who look to be struggling with their shopping load. Asda also bag pack, all their checkout staff will be happy to help customers to pack their bags. The checkout operator will ask the customer if they need assistance. Asda have a Space hog which is a high-tech traffic warden, which speaks out whenever a vehicle pulls into one of the spaces designated for disabled customers, and asks people to only use their space if they need it. The purpose is to make people who park illicitly to think twice about it, and also to reassure disabled customers that asda are making every effort to protect their spaces. Asda also have Braille Guns, they were introduced into new stores in 1998. They are dynamo guns used to label products in Braille for blind customers. As tinned products in particular all feel the same to somebody who is blind, it is invaluable for them to have these products marked on a label in Braille which can then be stuck on to the product concerned so that they can identify them correctly. This can be done either as somebody goes round the store with the blind person or at the customer service desk, after the shopping has been purchased. Asda is the only retailer to offer this service across all the stores and a number of stores have been received a remarkable amount of positive PR as a result. Asda has Electric Scooters; this is a scooter, which has an elevating seat, enabling disabled customers to reach products on the top shelf as well as products, which are lower down.

In Asda the different ways in which staff deal with customers is by:

∙        Helping customers, including those with special needs.

∙        Providing information about products.

∙        Answering telephone calls or face-to-face queries

∙        Dealing with complaints.

In Asda staff may communicate with customers verbally (by telephone or face-to-face) or in writing. When Asda communicates face-to-face or by telephone, they use the following:

∙        The importance of tone, manner, language and body language.

∙        How to establish and meet customer needs.

∙        How to finish a conversation appropriately.

∙        The importance of answering the phone promptly.

∙        How to gather and record information.

∙        The importance of following up problems.

When Asda communicate in writing they use the following:

∙        The importance of following house style, tone, accuracy, grammar, spelling and punctuation.

∙        The importance of following up customer queries or complaints.

The main ways that Asda measures customer satisfaction is by the following:

∙        Analysing sales performance e.g. sales levels, number of customers, records of products bought, 'loyalty' card records.

∙        The number of complaints and/or the number of returned goods.

Asda also measures customer satisfaction by carrying out market research to collect feedback from customers, this is done by:

∙        On the spot questions by staff

∙        Observation, e.g. mystery shoppers.

∙        Questionnaires through the post.

∙        Customer panels or interviews.

The specific legislation which protects the customers of Asda are some of the acts like the trade description act, the trade description act makes it a criminal offence to make false statements about goods offered for sale, it is also an offence by making misleading statements about services. There is also the sale of goods act, this act states that customers are entitled to expect any goods that the customer buys from a shop to be:

∙        Of 'satisfactory quality', this means they must meet the standard that a 'reasonable' person would expect given the description and the price.

∙        'Fit for the purpose', the goods must do what they are supposed to do or what the shop claims they can do: an umbrella should keep the rain out, a watch should keep accurate time.

∙        ' As described', the goods must be what they are claimed to be: a 'packet of crisps' must be in a packet.

If any conditions are not met, the consumer is entitled to a full or a part refund, depending on how soon the fault appears, how serious it is and how quickly the matter is taken up. Also the buyer can accept a replacement, but can also insist on a refund if a replacement is not wanted. The buyer does not have to accept a credit note for spending on other purchases. Asda is not entitled to put up a note saying 'NO REFUNDS'.

There is also a Consumer protection act, this act falls into three parts:

∙        The customer can take to court an importer who supplies a defective product, which causes loss or damage.

∙        It is a criminal offence for a trader to sell unsafe goods.

∙        It is a criminal offence for a trader to mislead consumers about the price of goods or services, e.g. saying '£20 off' when there is no reduction at all.

My key improvements to the customer service provided by Asda would be the following:

• The reliability of the products or services
• The friendliness of staff- do they smile or not?
• The availability of goods and services. Are the goods in stock when needed?
• The speed of delivery. Are the goods delivered on time and to the right address?
• The exchanges and refunds. Is the policy made clear to customers?
• The access to buildings (for special needs customers) and customer safety. Do the premises comply with Health and Safety regulations?
• The environmental policy. Customers like environmentally friendly businesses. Does the business have a published policy?