The other distribution is when Tesco customers go onto their website and order their products and get it delivered to their doorstep. This part of their distribution function. This will be done provide a good customer service too.
Human Resources
Tesco employee new staff and train them up like they do with all the rest of the staff they are trained so customer service is excellent. They are also trained to guide the customer where they want to go, e.g. milk and bread section, toilets etc. HR will be setting/organising working conditions for example, time spent working and time given off work too e.g. holidays. Organising work and making sure employees are happy by getting paid at the right time and the right amount.
Customer Service
Tesco have a customer service desk which is there for customers who have any enquires that need to be dealt with. Customer service is providing help and assistance to the customers. This could be to help them how to get to a certain area of the store, ask if there are any jobs/vacancies available at the specific store, what to do if they want to return a product etc. These are the main activities involved within customer service.
I.T Department
The 1.1 department provides technology for Tesco’s to run their business and also get through everyday; technology is a major part of large businesses now. Without technology Tesco wouldn’t be able to move forward with their business. The 1.1 department within Tesco’s will take care of all the EPOS systems, scanning systems and stock checking for the company - if there wasn’t any of this then Tesco would be moving slow.
Production
Tesco have their own brand name called Tesco Value; however the products made are not manufactured by Tesco’s, they are made by other companies. For example Tesco have their own baked beans, this could be manufactured by Heinz but just given another label, and sold at a lower price this activity will help them get more sales.
Research And Development
Tesco have their own products called Tesco Value. These products range from biscuits and drinks to picture frames. Research and development will look at these products and see what they can change about it. The research part of it may be that the customers want a better taste of a certain Tesco biscuit or drink; therefore the development part is when Tesco will improve the taste and before selling it will give out free sample of the biscuits / drinks for customer to taste and if they like it, they would be on the shelves very fast. The same would go for the picture frames, there may be a time when Tesco Value feel the need for a change therefore they may change the design and I or add better quality material that makes up the product.
Administration
Administration staffs mainly work at the reception of a business building e.g. headquarters or a certain area most cases at the front of a large store; they also work in offices too. The administration staffs do a lot of filing if they are working in an office, e.g. customer complaints. They also answer calls which are in most cases monitored and recorded; monitored for security reasons and recorded for training purposes of new staff. The admin staff will also sort out the posted mail that they receive, these could range from other companies sending a letter for how many products they are still to deliver and on a certain date which would then go straight to the store to let them know; another one would be customers sending in letter for many purposes e.g. complaints, what they like about the company etc.
Sales
There is a sales team however most of them don’t physically sell the product to the customer but are there to guide them on what product to buy. This is because products in a supermarket are just picked of the shelf and put into the basket or trolley to be scanned and taken home. However products that are sophisticated e.g. Linksys wireless internet, will need the help of a sales staff that will tell them what the product is about and persuade them to buy it; furthermore they will have a till next to them so they can sell the product and then move onto accessories for that product bought — this will be to get more sales.
(b) Give a description of 5 key connections between different functional activities carried out in a selected business organisation and its strategic aims and objectives.
If human resources don’t train their staff to provide excellent quality customer service at all times, then it is most likely that the customers are going to take their business or trade somewhere else. This won’t be useful to the business because it doesn’t meet their aims and objectives, it will also be seen as a lack of effort to train all staff up who are working for Tesco.
All staff have to be trained to provide the customer service that is expected of them before, after and even if customers haven’t purchased a product; this is because it will make the customers feel welcome, it will also give them a different experience of shopping hence making them want to come back. Customer service can be considered as carrying some bags to the car for the customers, physically taking them to the isle that contains the product that they want. This will also achieve their aims and objectives of the business as they will be working harder for their customer(s) then any other company and also treating the customers how they would like to be treated.
In order to get sales on all products, they must market their products well in order to get the customers. If the marketing of the product isn’t done well then the customers are not going to come in; consequently this will leave Tesco either making little profit, breaking even or not making profit at all. Most if not all customers look out for special offers on certain items, such as food and drink. In this case the marketing team must work harder to promote these offers, this will enable Tesco to get more sales on these products and as the customers are shopping they may also see a few more things they want to buy that they didn’t intend to come to Tesco’s for, so they are making more money off one person by promoting the few products. For example, a customer may get a fantastic quote on insurance for their car, so they come to the Tesco store. Once the insurance of the vehicle is done, they may see something they like, e.g. a pink striped shirt, this may end up with them buying it; therefore Tesco have made the customer purchase an item from promoting another product/service.
Tesco also have a club card which records the buying behaviour of the customer. This way they are achieving their aims and objectives and proving their missions statement right, which is to serve a life long time worth of customer loyalty. If customers are buying certain products over and over again, Tesco may give them offers or discounts, i.e. sending the customer vouchers for the product. This way they are achieving their aims and objectives by looking out for the customer and treating them how they want to be treated and also trying harder for the customer to make them feel more then satisfied.
Purchases of products from the company keep the business running. Tesco must make sure that the customers are happy; therefore the customers know that they can rely on Tesco to provide excellent quality products and also a great customer service. However if customers are being mistreated and complaints are coming in, then the customers are most likely going to take their business elsewhere. This would gradually increase in the loss of sales and also the reputation of the company will go down too.
However if customers are being treated how the staff would like to be treated (one of the aims and objectives of Tesco’s), then customers are most likely going to come back, because they want to shop somewhere they feel welcome and know they will get a great service when they ask for help.
Human resource is all about employing staff who will be able to sell the products of the store. If they need training Tesco will provide it for them. If Tesco employ staff that don’t have a clue about what they are doing and are not being trained either then the company will have less sales for products which require persuasion and a little effort, for example electrical items. Human resources will train their staff to know about their product, this would include being able to talk about it (the product), show what it can do, why it is good for their use, what they will gain from it etc.; however if the employee doesn’t know much about the product; then there isn’t much use in the customer asking questions or aiming to buy it from that company.
If human resources do train their staff properly then the sales would gradually increase and the customers are more likely to come back and shop for similar items, or items that need the use of customer service like showing the customer what the product can do. Here Tesco are treating customers how they want to be treated and making them number one priority while selling them the product; this way Tesco are achieving their aims and objectives of the business.
Information technology is a major part of big companies such as Tesco’s, this is because it takes them through everyday. Machines such as an EPOS system or a bar code reader at the checkout – if they were not to work then customers are likely to get more frustrated and also leave the store and take their business elsewhere. Therefore if the technology isn’t working then there is a problem and the customer service isn’t there anymore – this may lead to a rapid decrease in the amount of customers who come to shop at the store. However all customers are a big part of Tesco and their aim and objective is to work for the customers and treat them how they want to be treated, therefore they may give them discount for the products they have brought, such as half price on all products. They may also have a back up system that may bring the system back to its original state and let the staff work for the customers again.
