P3- Explain how focusing on the customer, by providing good customer
service, is essential to retailing.
Customer service is an extremely important part of maintaining ongoing
customer relationships that are key to continue revenue. Customer service is
the process of ensuring customer satisfaction with a product or service.
Customer service usually occurs when a transaction is performed, either
selling an item or a customer returning an item. But customer service can
take place through phone call, self-service systems as well an in person
interaction. Customer satisfaction is if the customer is happy with the
products or service they have received from the business they have been to,
this can be shown by surveys or questionnaires filled out by the customers.
In this task I will be talking about three different business, with one being an
independent retailer one a multiple and another a department store. I will
also be using a customer survey to help me in this assignment.
The first business I will be discussing is the independent retailer Bycrofts
located in Boston, UK. Bycrofts approach to their customers is very good they
aim to keep their customers happy and satisfied with products and service
they provide. On their website they show all the offers that they are currently
selling and with doing this it keeps the customers satisfied knowing they can
get their meat for cheap prices. Also with it coming up to Christmas, the
business is very busy and on the website it tells you all about how you can
make a Christmas order, which also is making the customer satisfied
because it is inviting them to make a Christmas order from the business.
I visited the business Bycrofts and filled out a customer service survey while I
was there and the answers I got were very good for the business. Pre
transaction is all about how the business impresses you before you purchase
something, and I was very impressed by it. Before I even walked into the
store I noticed that the building and surrounding area was in great good
condition which is very good for the customer and for Bycrofts themselves
because it makes the business look very appealing and invites more
customers in. What was also very appealing was the colour scheme of the
building because it represented the colour of what the staff were all wearing
which was a good feature. This is important to the retailer itself because it
shows they have a consistent approach to their branding and take things
very seriously concerning their business. Soon as I stepped in the store the
shop assistants were very polite and greeted me when I entered the building
and they were also very helpful towards me. Staff being polite helpful
towards the customer is a great example of excellent customer service,
which is supports their strategy of keeping their customers happy and keep
them coming in for the businesses products. Having the staff be polite and
, helpful is very good for the business itself because there a few other
butchers in the town selling the same meat and products so the way the staff
and how helpful or polite they are will edge customers towards the business
instead of opting for the others. But What I noticed was the more they know
the customer the more casual they are with them, where as if it is a new or
not a very known customer they are not as casual and comfortable around
them but still very polite and helpful. Also what also was good highlight for
the business and would be inviting to customers is that the shop was very
clean and tidy due to it being a butchers it will have to be kept very clean
and tidy, which makes it very appealing and more approaching for
customers, which would also edge customers towards Bycrofts instead of
others, because if the store itself looks very clean and tidy whereas the
competitors shop is not in the best conditions, people would go for the
cleaner shop.
Part of my survey was also about how they were during transaction, which is
either when you are actually in the process of buying your items or in the
shop and talking to a member of staff. Any retailer’s staff has to be pleasant
and helpful towards any customer and from my experience of Bycrofts they
were both pleasant and helpful. When I was in the queue waiting I just had a
glance around the shop to see what my first impressions were like and they
were very good because I could see the store was in very good condition and
kept to a high standard of hygiene with it being clean and tidy. It’s very
important for the retailer to make customers first impressions of the shop
good, because if they have good first impressions they will most likely stay in
the store to purchase an item. But also on my first impressions and probably
on other customers, but when I was being served I noticed there was not a
lot of room behind the counter, so one improvement I would say is to make a
little more room for the staff behind there. It’s very important for their staff
to be prepared and ready to serve you and they definitely were in the store,
they even asked me if I’m ready to be served that shows that they are ready
to serve you. This is important to them because if you’re staff are very
prepared and helpful towards the customer it comes across more appealing
to the customers so they will probably opt to come in your store instead of
others if the staff are helpful and prepared. also what I noticed was that the
staff were very quick at getting your items ready for you to take away, this is
a very good feature for the business to have because if you’re staff take too
long on one customer the other customers will get bored of waiting and just
leave which would be causing them to lose out on profit.
After I had made my transaction the staff were still very helpful because
they were asking me and other customers if I could manage the items or if
the customer wants one of the members of staff to carry it out to the car,
they usually offer this if it is elderly person. If the business keeps this up and
service, is essential to retailing.
Customer service is an extremely important part of maintaining ongoing
customer relationships that are key to continue revenue. Customer service is
the process of ensuring customer satisfaction with a product or service.
Customer service usually occurs when a transaction is performed, either
selling an item or a customer returning an item. But customer service can
take place through phone call, self-service systems as well an in person
interaction. Customer satisfaction is if the customer is happy with the
products or service they have received from the business they have been to,
this can be shown by surveys or questionnaires filled out by the customers.
In this task I will be talking about three different business, with one being an
independent retailer one a multiple and another a department store. I will
also be using a customer survey to help me in this assignment.
The first business I will be discussing is the independent retailer Bycrofts
located in Boston, UK. Bycrofts approach to their customers is very good they
aim to keep their customers happy and satisfied with products and service
they provide. On their website they show all the offers that they are currently
selling and with doing this it keeps the customers satisfied knowing they can
get their meat for cheap prices. Also with it coming up to Christmas, the
business is very busy and on the website it tells you all about how you can
make a Christmas order, which also is making the customer satisfied
because it is inviting them to make a Christmas order from the business.
I visited the business Bycrofts and filled out a customer service survey while I
was there and the answers I got were very good for the business. Pre
transaction is all about how the business impresses you before you purchase
something, and I was very impressed by it. Before I even walked into the
store I noticed that the building and surrounding area was in great good
condition which is very good for the customer and for Bycrofts themselves
because it makes the business look very appealing and invites more
customers in. What was also very appealing was the colour scheme of the
building because it represented the colour of what the staff were all wearing
which was a good feature. This is important to the retailer itself because it
shows they have a consistent approach to their branding and take things
very seriously concerning their business. Soon as I stepped in the store the
shop assistants were very polite and greeted me when I entered the building
and they were also very helpful towards me. Staff being polite helpful
towards the customer is a great example of excellent customer service,
which is supports their strategy of keeping their customers happy and keep
them coming in for the businesses products. Having the staff be polite and
, helpful is very good for the business itself because there a few other
butchers in the town selling the same meat and products so the way the staff
and how helpful or polite they are will edge customers towards the business
instead of opting for the others. But What I noticed was the more they know
the customer the more casual they are with them, where as if it is a new or
not a very known customer they are not as casual and comfortable around
them but still very polite and helpful. Also what also was good highlight for
the business and would be inviting to customers is that the shop was very
clean and tidy due to it being a butchers it will have to be kept very clean
and tidy, which makes it very appealing and more approaching for
customers, which would also edge customers towards Bycrofts instead of
others, because if the store itself looks very clean and tidy whereas the
competitors shop is not in the best conditions, people would go for the
cleaner shop.
Part of my survey was also about how they were during transaction, which is
either when you are actually in the process of buying your items or in the
shop and talking to a member of staff. Any retailer’s staff has to be pleasant
and helpful towards any customer and from my experience of Bycrofts they
were both pleasant and helpful. When I was in the queue waiting I just had a
glance around the shop to see what my first impressions were like and they
were very good because I could see the store was in very good condition and
kept to a high standard of hygiene with it being clean and tidy. It’s very
important for the retailer to make customers first impressions of the shop
good, because if they have good first impressions they will most likely stay in
the store to purchase an item. But also on my first impressions and probably
on other customers, but when I was being served I noticed there was not a
lot of room behind the counter, so one improvement I would say is to make a
little more room for the staff behind there. It’s very important for their staff
to be prepared and ready to serve you and they definitely were in the store,
they even asked me if I’m ready to be served that shows that they are ready
to serve you. This is important to them because if you’re staff are very
prepared and helpful towards the customer it comes across more appealing
to the customers so they will probably opt to come in your store instead of
others if the staff are helpful and prepared. also what I noticed was that the
staff were very quick at getting your items ready for you to take away, this is
a very good feature for the business to have because if you’re staff take too
long on one customer the other customers will get bored of waiting and just
leave which would be causing them to lose out on profit.
After I had made my transaction the staff were still very helpful because
they were asking me and other customers if I could manage the items or if
the customer wants one of the members of staff to carry it out to the car,
they usually offer this if it is elderly person. If the business keeps this up and
