|
| F&B Column Poor systems can cost customer service Everyone knows that it is important to have good systems in place and have staff trained for those systems. If those systems are not in place, or if they fail, it can have a significant impact on customer service, and in some cases cause significant embarrassment. Such was my personal experience shopping at a significant supplier to hospitality businesses – Moore Wilson – and in particular, Moore Wilson’s Masterton store. The first indication of a problem was a call from the Police enquiring as to who was the driver of the vehicle with my registration number. Moore Wilson Masterton had laid a complaint to the police that the driver of the car with my registration number had shoplifted a suitcase. As it happened, I had been in the Masterton Moore Wilson store that day, and had indeed purchased a suitcase. On enquiry from the police I was able to provide the receipt. Shoplifting is an issue for retailers and should not be tolerated, but neither should innocent customers be faced with the embarrassment of such enquiries from the police without the store making their own enquiries in the first instance. The first system failure is that the individual who thought shoplifting was occurring should have made an enquiry, and asked to see a receipt. Simply recording a car registration number and laying a complaint with the police is not good enough. Secondly, before any complaint was laid, a check of the till receipts for the sale of a suitcase could have removed significant embarrassment all round. An under-resourced police force should not be called on to undertake investigations when a store itself could and should have undertaken its own investigation before laying a complaint. Good systems, good procedures and common sense are all important components of customer service and customer relations. While in this instance no harm was done, police time was wasted and some embarrassment caused which could – and should – have been avoided through better staff training and better procedures. Bruce H Robertson |
|
