To assess the quality of customer service within a business, staff should communicate with the consumers. This can be done by approaching the customers in a respectful manner and asking them how they feel about the quality of customer service; and asking the customers their opinions and suggestions on how to improve the quality of service. However, some customers may not feel comfortable being approached in public and for that there is a solution. The manager may give out questionnaires to each customer to fill in. this is a good method of finding out what they really think about as it is very personal and there are no objections to their answers.
The needs and expectations of customers influence the way every IKEA co-worker works.
Surveys like the customer satisfaction index (CSI), customer’s letters and comments, and discussions with customers and IKEA co-workers have showed that customers have four key expectations:
- Customers want to know that they are getting the best possible deal.
- Customers expect the IKEA store to have the product that they came to buy.
- Customers expect to experience a nice shopping environment where they can easily find what they are looking for.
- Customers expect friendly and helpful assistance to be available when they need it.
These four expectations create the common base for customer service the IKEA way. If you can fulfil all four, then you will satisfy nearly all of your customers’ expectations.
The aim is to meet these expectations is such a consistent way that the IKEA retailer can issue a promise – the IKEA customer promise.
Task 2
Describe different communication types and how these are used to best effect.
Communication is the key
Customers tend to have a disappointing shopping experience, if a store does not meet their expectations – and expectations are constantly changing. That is why you need to continually monitor and improve the meeting with the customer.
The best way to meet and exceed your customers’ expectations is to communicate – with customers and co-workers.
Talk to customers, listen to them, and let them know how much you value their views. Your customers’ opinions are more than important – they are crucial!
Customer’s satisfaction is vital for the long-term success of the IKEA store. Once you understand this, and believe in it, you can start to communicate with customers. If you simply pretend to customers that you are interested in their views, then you betray your partnership and risk the future success of the store.
Fulfilling the IKEA customer promise is about working together to make a difference in areas where the customers say they want to see improvement. To do this, the IKEA retailer needs constant communication with customers and needs to be proactive to ensure customer satisfaction.
Task 3
Undertake research to investigate customer requirements and satisfaction levels
Prove of investigation customer filling questionnaire.
Prove of questionnaire forms which were filling on the day.
One of the best ways to find out what the customers think of the shopping experience is to talk to them in the store. There are also a number of tools designed to measure customers’ perceptions. By constantly monitoring what customers think, you can anticipate possible problems and put solutions in place before the problem damage the success of the store.
As a co- worker in Ikea, I was able to investigate the negative and positive impacts of customers. The questionnaire gave an overview of the quality of service based on the store, personal service and services in general. According to the questionnaire most people like to shop at Ikea because the store is well structured according to which department you are in need of the most and of the friendly staff. The negative impacts on customers are the annoying ‘Bargains’ announcement, which state in the questionnaire- ‘It ruins the Ikea experience’. This shows that customers do not want to be reminded again and again of an area of the store that they already know exist. It also illustrate that customers do not want to be rush their shopping experience, they rather spend their time enjoying the commodities.
- I’ve Attach the questionnaires with this assignment.
Task 4
Explain the benefits of improved customer service to a given business and services operation
IKEA stores all over the world share the same business objective to maximise sales and optimise long-term profitability.
That is why, to reach the business objective, the operational objective of every IKEA store is to convert visitors into satisfied customers who will buy as much as possible every time and return to the store again and again.
The only way to ensure long-term growth is to increase the number of loyal IKEA customers.
- Good and improve customer service encourages existing customers to visit the IKEA stores again and again – and it increases the chances that they will recommend that IKEA stores to their friends and families.
- Good and improve customer service means more customers, who each will buy more products or service and so the organisation will increase sales and profits and keep coming back.
- Good and improve customer service also means the IKEA stores has to provide service for more and more customers every year.
- Good and improving customer service, consumers will be persuaded in purchasing more goods as the level of service is much better and more appealing. Customers will be able to step away from the shadows and feel more confident to ask a member of staff rather than just standing around and waiting for a staff to come to them.
By delivering customer service the IKEA Way, co-worker can deal with the increasing demand and ensure that the IKEA offer is available to as many people as possible.