Aldi:
Introduction:
Aldi is a private retail company, and are two discount supermarket
chain's (Aldi Sud and the subsidiary, Aldi Nord) owned by a German
Family who have now accumulated over 10000 stores within 20 different
countries with a combined turnover of over 50 billion Euros. In
Germany, Aldi Nord’s operations include 2,500 stores in Northern,
Eastern, and Western Germany consisting of 35 regional companies,
whereas Aldi Sud operates 1,600 stores in both Southern and Western
Germany, consisting of 32 individual regional companies. On an
International scale, Aldi Nord operated in countries: France, Portugal, Denmark, Benelux
countries, Poland and Switzerland, whereas Aldi Sud operates in the UK, Ireland, Australia,
Switzerland, Hungary, Italy, China, Austria and Slovenia. As of 2017, Aldi Nord (Trader Joe’s) and
Aldi Sud (ALDI) both operate in America with 1,600 store between the two of them, the United
States is the only country outside of Germany that has both Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud operating.
History:
The mother of Theo and Karl Albrecht started a small grocery store business, called the Albrecht
grocery store in Essen in 1913. The Albrecht brothers then took over their mother’s business in
1945 where they expanded and owned 13 stores by 1950. During this stage, the brothers vision
was to lower the maximum rebate of 3% before selling their products in order to lower prices.
Their business was split legally in 1966 into Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud, due to a conflict between
the two brothers on whether their business should sell cigarettes. The business was then passed
down the Albrecht family, after the death of Theo, one
of the founding brothers, son. In 1967, Aldi Sud began to
expand on an international scale, followed by Aldi Nord
in 1973.
What do they sell/provide:
Aldi is known for selling groceries and household
essentials, however they also provide products in their ‘specialbuys’ selection under the
categories of: electronics, clothing, toys, fitness equipment, and pet goods, cycling and more.
How do they provide customer service:
Aldi provides customer service by acquiring helpful and knowledgeable staff who are able to
provide customers with the knowledge of a certain product they show interest in, as well as
effective selling skills to lure the customer into buying a product without coming off rude or
annoying to the customer. Before a customer’s transaction when they enter the supermarket,
they should be greeted and treated politely and helpful. When carrying out the transaction,
employees should be focused, quick and effective rather than taking it slow and having a chat
with another employee so customers feel like they aren’t being dismissed or not important in
any way. Another way Aldi has provided customer service would be selling quality products for a
good value for money as their products are well known for their low prices and is one of the
cheapest grocery stores within the US which satisfies customers.
,Amazon:
Introduction:
Amazon is a multinational public technology company that is based in Seattle, Washington. Their
operations consist of e-commerce online retailing, digital streaming, artificial intelligence, and cloud
computing. Their e-commerce website is available in twelve different languages, making it accessible
to many different countries, this has led the website to become the fourteenth most popular
website worldwide, and the third most popular within the United States. Amazon online retail
website operations include having third-party sellers which allow independent sellers to sell their
own products and merchandise on the amazon website. Amazon receives a profit from their website
by taking a small percentage of the sale price of each product sold, they also receive an income from
allowing other businesses to pay to advertise their products on the Amazon webpage to be a
featured product on the websites homepage.
History:
The firm was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, who started his business off as an online store selling
books, when gaining success, he then expanded the business and began selling video games,
software, electronics, furniture, food, clothes, toys, jewelry and more. By 2018, over 100 million
people worldwide were subscribed to its Amazon Prime two-day delivery service. Up until recently,
in 2021, Amazon has opened two centers in Italy by investing more than 278 million dollars in order
to expand their business.
What do they sell/ provide:
They sell products including: the Fire Tablet, Fire TV, Echo, Fire OS, and kindle. Their services consist
of their online e-commerce website, Amazon, as well as Amazon App store, Amazon Alexa, Amazon
music, Amazon Prime video, Amazon Prime, and Amazon Web Services.
How do they provide customer service:
Amazon provides customer service by hiring kind, knowledgeable, patient staff who are able to
handle customer complaints or queries when reached out to online. This way they are able to solve
the problem the customer is facing while being polite which will reassure the customer. The staff can
be contacted by a customer through online chats, blogs, email, or phone calls to the contact centers.
Another way they provide customer service is by implementing a ‘one click ordering’ process which
makes the customer’s online purchase experience be hassle free, not having to type in their personal
details and verify personal information every time they make a purchase.
How are the two businesses contrasting:
The two businesses differ as, firstly, Amazon provides online based services, whereas Aldi is mainly a
walk-in supermarket that also provides an online shopping platform. Within their companies,
Amazon provides different products and services such as selling virtually anything on their online e-
commerce store, as well as digital streaming, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing operations,
whereas Aldi sells groceries and household essentials. These differences allow the two business to
have contrasting qualities they are known for, for example, Aldi as a supermarket is well-known for
their cheap prices for a good quality whereas Amazon is well-known for their fast Prime shipping
services.
Secondly, customer service wise, Aldi’s customer service takes place face to face between a sales
employee and the customer by greeting them when entering the store, providing information about
a product by answering customer questions before a purchase, and checking out efficiently and
politely at the cash register. Whereas Amazon’s customer service takes place indirectly, online chats
and blogs by being able to chat online with the seller with queries about the product, as well as not
having to re-type their personal information in every purchase made.
, What is customer service?
Customer service is ensuring customer satisfaction in every service or product provided by the
business and how their experience exceeds their needs and expectations. This can take place
before, after, and during a customer’s transaction with the business.
Customer service roles:
Different businesses require different service roles, for example, in retail they require a sales
associate to provide information about products to customers who show interest, a cashier to
provide a smooth purchasing process, and a store manager to manage employees and intervene
if anything happens in the store. In a hairdressing business, for example, they require a
receptionist to answer phone calls and make appointments for clients, the hairstylist who
carries out the styling that they customer desires, the cashier who handles the payments, and
the manager who manages the employees activities. What the two business have in common is
that all customer service roles need to work together in order to satisfy their customers.
Rules and procedures:
Rules and procedures are put in place in order to ensure operations within the business run
smoothly while acquiring quick and efficient customer service. Procedures are put in place to
find the fastest way to resolve a problem, for example, with customer complaints, employees
should follow a procedure along the lines of: understanding the problem, offering solutions, and
then taking action to solve the problem.
Different approaches to customer services:
1. Retail shops
This requires selling tangible products with the need of acquiring detailed product knowledge
and effective selling skills. Their approach to customer service is providing service to customers
before, during and after they make a purchase by listening to the customers queries and provide
the relevant information about the service/ product they show interest in, by taking orders,
calculating costs, processing their payments, as well as handling returns or complaints all while
being polite and helpful to overcome challenges.
2. Offices
In an office that offers non-tangible services, their approach to customer service would be to
provide customer contact numbers for customers to call when they have queries or complaints.
Customer service with customers within an office takes place both online and face-to-face. For
example, if a customer was welcomed into the building, they can be offered a beverage for
good customer service.
3. Contact centres
Contact centres approach customer service by providing contact numbers that customers can
call when they have queries or complaints, when contacted, the employee on the phone should
have a calm, polite voice, and be patient with the customer hearing out what the problem is.
4. Hospitality
In the hospitality industry, they approach customer service through their serving skills for food
and drinks while being polite. For example, when taking plates from a dining table, make the
process go seamlessly, not letting the plates make loud noises, and avoiding knocking over any
glasses across the table.
Introduction:
Aldi is a private retail company, and are two discount supermarket
chain's (Aldi Sud and the subsidiary, Aldi Nord) owned by a German
Family who have now accumulated over 10000 stores within 20 different
countries with a combined turnover of over 50 billion Euros. In
Germany, Aldi Nord’s operations include 2,500 stores in Northern,
Eastern, and Western Germany consisting of 35 regional companies,
whereas Aldi Sud operates 1,600 stores in both Southern and Western
Germany, consisting of 32 individual regional companies. On an
International scale, Aldi Nord operated in countries: France, Portugal, Denmark, Benelux
countries, Poland and Switzerland, whereas Aldi Sud operates in the UK, Ireland, Australia,
Switzerland, Hungary, Italy, China, Austria and Slovenia. As of 2017, Aldi Nord (Trader Joe’s) and
Aldi Sud (ALDI) both operate in America with 1,600 store between the two of them, the United
States is the only country outside of Germany that has both Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud operating.
History:
The mother of Theo and Karl Albrecht started a small grocery store business, called the Albrecht
grocery store in Essen in 1913. The Albrecht brothers then took over their mother’s business in
1945 where they expanded and owned 13 stores by 1950. During this stage, the brothers vision
was to lower the maximum rebate of 3% before selling their products in order to lower prices.
Their business was split legally in 1966 into Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud, due to a conflict between
the two brothers on whether their business should sell cigarettes. The business was then passed
down the Albrecht family, after the death of Theo, one
of the founding brothers, son. In 1967, Aldi Sud began to
expand on an international scale, followed by Aldi Nord
in 1973.
What do they sell/provide:
Aldi is known for selling groceries and household
essentials, however they also provide products in their ‘specialbuys’ selection under the
categories of: electronics, clothing, toys, fitness equipment, and pet goods, cycling and more.
How do they provide customer service:
Aldi provides customer service by acquiring helpful and knowledgeable staff who are able to
provide customers with the knowledge of a certain product they show interest in, as well as
effective selling skills to lure the customer into buying a product without coming off rude or
annoying to the customer. Before a customer’s transaction when they enter the supermarket,
they should be greeted and treated politely and helpful. When carrying out the transaction,
employees should be focused, quick and effective rather than taking it slow and having a chat
with another employee so customers feel like they aren’t being dismissed or not important in
any way. Another way Aldi has provided customer service would be selling quality products for a
good value for money as their products are well known for their low prices and is one of the
cheapest grocery stores within the US which satisfies customers.
,Amazon:
Introduction:
Amazon is a multinational public technology company that is based in Seattle, Washington. Their
operations consist of e-commerce online retailing, digital streaming, artificial intelligence, and cloud
computing. Their e-commerce website is available in twelve different languages, making it accessible
to many different countries, this has led the website to become the fourteenth most popular
website worldwide, and the third most popular within the United States. Amazon online retail
website operations include having third-party sellers which allow independent sellers to sell their
own products and merchandise on the amazon website. Amazon receives a profit from their website
by taking a small percentage of the sale price of each product sold, they also receive an income from
allowing other businesses to pay to advertise their products on the Amazon webpage to be a
featured product on the websites homepage.
History:
The firm was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, who started his business off as an online store selling
books, when gaining success, he then expanded the business and began selling video games,
software, electronics, furniture, food, clothes, toys, jewelry and more. By 2018, over 100 million
people worldwide were subscribed to its Amazon Prime two-day delivery service. Up until recently,
in 2021, Amazon has opened two centers in Italy by investing more than 278 million dollars in order
to expand their business.
What do they sell/ provide:
They sell products including: the Fire Tablet, Fire TV, Echo, Fire OS, and kindle. Their services consist
of their online e-commerce website, Amazon, as well as Amazon App store, Amazon Alexa, Amazon
music, Amazon Prime video, Amazon Prime, and Amazon Web Services.
How do they provide customer service:
Amazon provides customer service by hiring kind, knowledgeable, patient staff who are able to
handle customer complaints or queries when reached out to online. This way they are able to solve
the problem the customer is facing while being polite which will reassure the customer. The staff can
be contacted by a customer through online chats, blogs, email, or phone calls to the contact centers.
Another way they provide customer service is by implementing a ‘one click ordering’ process which
makes the customer’s online purchase experience be hassle free, not having to type in their personal
details and verify personal information every time they make a purchase.
How are the two businesses contrasting:
The two businesses differ as, firstly, Amazon provides online based services, whereas Aldi is mainly a
walk-in supermarket that also provides an online shopping platform. Within their companies,
Amazon provides different products and services such as selling virtually anything on their online e-
commerce store, as well as digital streaming, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing operations,
whereas Aldi sells groceries and household essentials. These differences allow the two business to
have contrasting qualities they are known for, for example, Aldi as a supermarket is well-known for
their cheap prices for a good quality whereas Amazon is well-known for their fast Prime shipping
services.
Secondly, customer service wise, Aldi’s customer service takes place face to face between a sales
employee and the customer by greeting them when entering the store, providing information about
a product by answering customer questions before a purchase, and checking out efficiently and
politely at the cash register. Whereas Amazon’s customer service takes place indirectly, online chats
and blogs by being able to chat online with the seller with queries about the product, as well as not
having to re-type their personal information in every purchase made.
, What is customer service?
Customer service is ensuring customer satisfaction in every service or product provided by the
business and how their experience exceeds their needs and expectations. This can take place
before, after, and during a customer’s transaction with the business.
Customer service roles:
Different businesses require different service roles, for example, in retail they require a sales
associate to provide information about products to customers who show interest, a cashier to
provide a smooth purchasing process, and a store manager to manage employees and intervene
if anything happens in the store. In a hairdressing business, for example, they require a
receptionist to answer phone calls and make appointments for clients, the hairstylist who
carries out the styling that they customer desires, the cashier who handles the payments, and
the manager who manages the employees activities. What the two business have in common is
that all customer service roles need to work together in order to satisfy their customers.
Rules and procedures:
Rules and procedures are put in place in order to ensure operations within the business run
smoothly while acquiring quick and efficient customer service. Procedures are put in place to
find the fastest way to resolve a problem, for example, with customer complaints, employees
should follow a procedure along the lines of: understanding the problem, offering solutions, and
then taking action to solve the problem.
Different approaches to customer services:
1. Retail shops
This requires selling tangible products with the need of acquiring detailed product knowledge
and effective selling skills. Their approach to customer service is providing service to customers
before, during and after they make a purchase by listening to the customers queries and provide
the relevant information about the service/ product they show interest in, by taking orders,
calculating costs, processing their payments, as well as handling returns or complaints all while
being polite and helpful to overcome challenges.
2. Offices
In an office that offers non-tangible services, their approach to customer service would be to
provide customer contact numbers for customers to call when they have queries or complaints.
Customer service with customers within an office takes place both online and face-to-face. For
example, if a customer was welcomed into the building, they can be offered a beverage for
good customer service.
3. Contact centres
Contact centres approach customer service by providing contact numbers that customers can
call when they have queries or complaints, when contacted, the employee on the phone should
have a calm, polite voice, and be patient with the customer hearing out what the problem is.
4. Hospitality
In the hospitality industry, they approach customer service through their serving skills for food
and drinks while being polite. For example, when taking plates from a dining table, make the
process go seamlessly, not letting the plates make loud noises, and avoiding knocking over any
glasses across the table.
