GETTING THE SERVICE RIGHT
A NEW INITIATIVE SEEMS IDEAL FOR THE INDEPENDENT FISH & CHIP OPERATOR...
The new How's My Service? Cards provide an opportunity for you to gain some valuable feedback for Fish & Chip shops with restaurant areas.
There's been some mighty national press coverage of major surveys into the state of customer service in the UK over the last month. You can hardly turn a page, listen or view a TV or radio news report without hearing somebody from the likes of Which?, the Institute of Customer Service or the CBI explaining away why the Great British Public isn't as happy as it might be when parting with its pounds.
And one key point crops up time and again - that it's high time that those trades where service standards count stop regarding customer complaints as a pain. Indeed, complaints should be viewed as 'free research' and so welcomed as they bring shortcomings to your attention for action.
With this in mind it's interesting to note a new initiative from How's My Ltd., the same people behind the "How's My Driving?" stickers (a familiar sight on the back of trucks and buses across the UK). They have just launched a range of "How's My Service?" comment cards for food retailers and restaurants that encourages customers to say exactly what they think about a business, either directly to it, or to an independent source. Of course this is much more suited to shops with restaurant areas but the idea very much 'has legs.'
How's My says that making an extra effort to listen to customers will ensure they keep coming back time after time. It cites research in a US coffee shop chain that proved dissatisfied customers visited for just one year, making 47 visits and spending a total of £100, whereas the highly satisfied customers stayed loyal for more than eight years, made 86 visits per year and spent over £1500 in total.
The new "How's My Service?" independent feedback cards are available in over 20 designs, both traditional and contemporary, to suit a range of catering applications (cards are available in boxes of 120 and are priced at £49.95 + vat per box plus P&P, call 01279 415480 for details).
All designs carry the How's My? trademark and feature an easy-to-use scorecard device to grade the levels of service, food and drink offers, and the surroundings. They also have plenty of room for personal thoughts and comments, encouraging positive ideas and suggestions. A box for personal contact details will appeal to customers who prefer to discuss their catering experience face to face, while those wishing to remain anonymous can email their thoughts directly to How's My.
Of course, the received wisdom on complaints cards is that you get a very polarised picture of things, meaning you're likely to get feedback from two distinct groups in the very most and very least satisfied customers. But for the independent Fish & Chip operator without the resources to run comprehensive surveys of everyone who comes through the doors (far less employ teams of mystery customers) an initiative like that from How's My? Will at least bring any major or recurring service issues to your attention. Running its cards regularly over a good period of time would also allow you to spot trends and measure your own initiatives put into place to improve service. Very much worth a try, we say.
