Customer Service and Organisational Effectiveness

Customer Service and Organisational Effectiveness Customer Service and Organisational Effectiveness BROWN THOMAS GROUP Brief background and how competitive the market place is: Brown Thomas is a luxury lifestyle store which has stores located in Dublin, Cork, Galway Limerick. It is home to an unparalled range of Irish International Designer Brands for women, men, children homewares, accessories beauty products all sourced worldwide. Established in 1849 by haberdashers drapers Hugh Brown and James Thomas. In 1919 it was bought over by Harry Gordon, Selfridges who operated it as part of the Selfridge chain. It was in the 1960s when the company went public on the Irish Stock Exchange and it was then that Galen Weston bought shares in the company. In 1983 Weston bought the remaining shares and it was then Brown Thomas was born and became a private entity. Whilst the industry they are involved in is a very volatile one, Brown Thomas have positioned themselves at the top of the market place, with an ever increasing sales port-folio whilst offering a five-star customer service to their customers worldwide. A store that is listed among the best in the world, yet remains quintessentially Irish and unique.   Ã‚   Target Market Brown Thomas pride themselves on being customer focused offering a wonderful shopping experience displaying their beautiful items sourced from all over the world, they are unrivalled with customer service. From the minute a customer steps into one of their stores they will be treated with a superb customer experience as this forms part of their Mission Statement delivering on a five-star service to their much valued customer. There is an on-line shopping experience called Click Collect which delivers on their flawless services for their customers who cannot access their stores. They also have rolled out a Loyalty Card (See Appendix A attch) service to their customers, giving something back to them with every euro spent within a store, points will be stored on their cards which are redeemable against any item within their stores. There are two types of cards, Black and Platinum with their Platinum cardholders spending over à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5,000 a year. On your Birthday you earn triple points for that week. You will be the first to hear about in-store promotions, receive invitations to events, previews and fashion shows. Along with the Loyalty Card Brown Thomas have introduced their own MasterCard (See Appendix B attch) which has an encore rewards system where you will receive certain rewards and if you have both cards its doubly rewarding! How the organisation presents itself to customers versus the customers experience Advertising As the group have to be constantly ahead of their competitors, the power of advertising is very advantageous. They would constantly keep their customers abreast of any in-house promotions, new stock arriving by sending out circulars and also reaching out to their customer base by texts and emails. Also they hold a numerous amount of fashion shows for new season stock inviting their customers to come along and visually enjoy what the shop is offering. They are involved with many charities and run fashion shows in conjunction with these in order to raise much needed funds. Also when they go into their end of season sales they advertise both in the national newspapers, TV and radio alerting their customers of their sale Premises Their premises located in Dublin, Cork, Galway Limerick have all been refurbished to a very high standard offering luxury surroundings to their customer. They have restaurants, coffee shops and toilet baby-changing facilities. There are also disabled bathrooms which which are all located on their ground floors. Also each store has a professional shopper who has their own rooms where a customer can be brought to in private and will be assisted in their shopping requirements whilst being relaxed in a beautiful environment. All stores are fitted with high technical security systems along with a state of the art fire emergency system installed, thus ensuring their staff and customers of a safe environment. Products or services They offer a wide range of Irish International designer luxury goods sourced worldwide including womenswear, menswear, childrens wear, accessories, beauty products and homewares, delivering on quality, range and price. An online shopping service has also been rolled out to their customers with convenient collection point. Competitive discount rates are also offered. Complimentary luxury gift-wrapping in stores or delivered to your door. Personal Shoppers have been employed in each store in order to assist customers in selecting the right product whilst taking the stress out of shopping for the customer. How employees interact with the customer, each other and management Employees are trained to deliver a fist class customer service to their customer from the minute they enter their store until they complete their shopping and leave. As there is ongoing customer service, team building in-house days that all employees have to complete, interact very positively which creates a very friendly and uplifting working environment. Management also participate in these courses thereby ensuring the ethos of the organisation permeates through from Management to floor staff. Personal Dress/Uniform/Hygiene/Care Because of the business they are involved in, staff care and hygiene is of the uttermost importance. It is vital that they are well dressed and groomed with particular attention to hair and nails as they are the front people who meet the customers. Staff there would wear black for their uniform and this is the general dress code throughout their stores. Staff also wear a name badge to identify themselves as part of their uniform. The Potential positive and the potential negative impact Potential Positive impact on consumers Potential Negative impact on consumers Uplifting Shopping Experience Price point too high Receiving a five star customer service Poor car parking facilities Kept abreast of fashion trends Some Departments   not clearly marked Disability and Diversity Brown Thomas caters for all age groups from the elderly to young babies and also people with disabilities. They cater for wheelchair accessibility with double doors that can be opened if needs be and Disabled bathrooms are situated on all ground floors in all stores along with spacious lifts to allow disabled shoppers to move freely throughout their stores in order to shop. Customer Service and Organisational Effectiveness ARDLEA MEDICAL CENTRE ENNIS Brief Background and how competitive the market place is: This practice was established in 1999. It is located at 79 OConnell Street, Ennis, Co. Clare. The practice is owner occupied by Dr. John MacCarthy, MB Bch NUI MICGP and his wife who is the practising nurse Eleanor Quill. There are two administration/reception staff, Marie and Mona. This is a paperless office where all your details are registered on a computer and all consultations are registered on your computer file. This surgery is located at the end of OConnell Street in Ennis where there is little competition as most of the other GP practices in Ennis at the other side of the town. Target Market Ardlea Medical Centre has its panel of GMS (medical card holders) patients along with private patients. How the organisation presents itself to customers versus the customers experience: Advertising Due to the nature of this business there is little need to advertise for new patients. In fact, it seems to be the direct opposite in that their list is full. Premises These premises which have been newly refurbished and it is very cutting edge. It consists of an entrance hall which houses the reception area which is cordoned off by glass. There are two toilets, one located on the ground floor and the other is on the first floor. On the ground floor is a beautiful waiting room which hosts a full wall photo image of the woods in Dromoland Castle. The nurses treatment room is also located on the ground floor. Dr MacCarthy also has a treatment room on the ground floor with two more on the first floor. Services available At Ardlea Medical Centre, they offer a wide range of services to patients in addition to consultations for general medical queries, routine follow-up and ongoing medical problems. The following are services that are offered to patients under the GMS scheme including the Under Age 6 scheme and Over Age 70 scheme. The following are the services that the centre offers: Blood Pressure Monitoring Cryotherapy Cervical Smear testing (See Appendix A attch) Travel Health advise and screening Ante-Natal Care (See Appendix B attch) Child Immunisation Dietary Advice Smoking Cessation Diabetes Clinic How the employees interact with the customer, each other and management The Ardlea Medical Centre whilst a very busy practice is also a very inviting atmosphere with the most welcoming reception staff who go above the call of duty in order to facilitate with appointments or for an urgent appointment if needs be. Both the Doctor and the Nurse act with equal professionalism, discression and their medical knowledge would make any patient feel very confident to be under their care. Personal Dress/Uniform/Care/Hygiene This is a bright and uplifting practice to visit with great attention paid to cleanliness and hygiene. There doesnt seem to be any uniform for staff who are always neatly dressed presented well. The potential positive and the potential negative impact Potential positive Potential negative The comfort of knowing that you are being medically well cared for by the Team Sometimes long waiting times to visit Doctor due to volume of patients Beautiful Uplifting Surgery to visit Poor parking facilities Disability and Diversity The Ardlea Medical centre cater for all ages from babies to over 70s all who are receiving the best knowledgeable and professional care. Wheelchairs can access the surgery through the widened front door and there is a disabled bathroom on the ground floor along with both Doctors Room and the Nurses Treatment Room located alongside. Customer Service and Organisational Effectiveness Customer Service and Organisational Effectiveness Treacys West County Hotel 1. The West County Hotel was originally built in Ennis by the Lynch family in the late 1960s. It was taken over by Waterford based Treacys Hotel Group in 2013. It remains one of the most popular, well established iconic hotels in Ennis.   It fights off all competition from a number of hotels in the town by offering an excellent experience for families and business alike. Unlike other hotels which are within walking distance of the town, it has beautiful leisure centre which includes a fully equipped gym and a large swimming pool. www.clare-tour.com/accommodation/Lynch_West_County_Hotel/ 2. The hotel has one large conference centre and four large board rooms targeting business and a variety of groups. The Family friendly hotel has 152 rooms with en-suite bathrooms and access to all amenities in the hotel and therefore attracts families from Ireland and abroad. There are excellent restaurants, a cafà © and bar with bar food. The hotel, therefore, receives a large amount of business from local people who can have their needs met and enjoy the facilities of the hotel. https://treacyswestcounty.com/ 3. Advertising The hotel has an excellent website which is very easy to navigate and has its own Facebook page. It advertises in a number of magazines such as bridal and holiday magazines. Upcoming events are advertised weekly in the local papers (Clare Champion and Clare People) and local radio. https://www.facebook.com/TreacysWestCounty/ (see App. A) Premises The building had a complete refurbishment in 2013. All fixtures and fittings are maintained to a very high standard. Products and Services The hotel offers a range of different services which include a beautiful cafà © and 2 restaurants. There is a leisure centre which includes a state of the art gym, aerobic centre and large swimming pool. The cost of a full membership is â‚ ¬350 per year which is quite expensive compared with other leisure centres. Employees interaction Customer service standards are high from the receptionist through to the leisure centre staff although some waitresses are not as friendly as others. The bar and waiting staff in Borus Bar seem to be run off their feet during busy times. This, in turn, does not reflect well on management. Management presentation The management and staff present themselves well with a stylish uniform for managers and staff alike. The housekeeping staff also wear a stylish uniform and are friendly towards the customers they meet. 4. Positive and Negative impact of question 3 All events, from afternoon tea dances to specialized concerts, yoga classes and workshops are advertised so as to reach all customers. The Clare Champion and Clare people newspapers, along with their current up to date website and Facebook page make for a positive impact on customers. There is a positive vibe in the hotel and this is mainly due to the friendliness and competency of the staff along with the wonderful facilities and proximity to the town centre. There is a negative impact on the customer when they see that the bar staff are overworked during busy periods and are unable to give the customer their full attention. Management will need to look into this and in turn take on extra staff at these times. The management should also compare the price of leisure centre memberships in the area and either offer extras to the customer or reduce their price of membership. 5. Disability and Diversity There are only 2 disabled bays close to the main entrance of the hotel. This is a very low number in relation to the size of the hotel and carpark in comparison to other hotels in the town. On the positive side there are very good facilities within the hotel to accommodate wheelchairs e.g. lifts, wide doors, ramps and disabled toilets. All nationalities are welcome although the hotel has been known to turn away a Traveller weddings. Customer Service and Organisational Effectiveness Parnell Medical Centre 1. Parnell Medical Centre was set up in Ennis in 2011 to cater for the needs of the growing town. Dr Conor Hanrahan, who was already established in the town, remained the only doctor operating from the building until 2014. He was then joined by Dr John Boyle, an English man, who had worked in the Elm Medical Centre on the Gort road in Ennis for a number of years. There is no competition between the surgeries as there is a shortage of doctors and the demand exceeds supply. 2. The surgery, and both doctors, cater to the needs of all patients registered with them. It provides the services of a nurse, who is on hand to deal with minor complaints, take blood, smear tests etc. There are 3 very caring and friendly receptionists. 3. Advertising There is no official website for the Parnell Medical Centre although both doctors can be reviewed online. Advertising is not necessary as the demand for doctors services exceeds supply. (see App B) Premises The premises are located on the first floor with a lift which can be accessed through the pharmacy below. Each doctor has its own separate waiting room. There is a childs play area in one waiting room and a beautiful fish tank in the other. Both waiting rooms have easy access to the bathroom. The surgery looks clean and tidy and is painted on a regular basis. Services Both doctors provide routine and urgent medical care, prescriptions and medical certificates. Medical card holders are welcome at the surgery. The Receptionists answer the phones, take appointments and write up all the paperwork for the doctors. There is a conveniently located pharmacy on the ground floor. Employees Interaction All staff at the surgery seem to interact very well with the customers and also with each other. The receptionists greet all patients with a smile and are helpful and understanding. Management presentation Dr Hanrahan always dresses in a suit whereas Dr Boyle is more casually dressed. Both are very clean and tidy and always use gloves when an examination is necessary. Hand sanitizers are constantly being used throughout the surgery by all staff members especially the doctors and the nurse. 4. Positive and Negative impact of question 3. There is no official website for the Parnell Medical Centre so anyone looking for information on their services will be required to call in or phone the practice. The surgery does not take calls from 1pm 2pm and this can be frustrating as it may be the only time some patients are able to phone. There are two separate waiting rooms so overcrowding is never a problem. The premises are kept neat and tidy and children are entertained while waiting, due to the large fish-tank and play area. The pharmacy on the ground floor is a major advantage. The staff in the surgery are polite, empathetic and friendly. The receptionists interact very well with each other and work efficiently in conjunction with the doctors. 5. Disability and Diversity There are sufficient disabled bays in close proximity to the surgery as it is adjacent to the Parnell street car park. There is a lift which can fit a wheelchair. One of the waiting rooms is wheelchair friendly along with the bathroom. The surgery caters for all ethnic groups, including travellers, with no discrimination against anyone.   Ã‚   www.whatclinic.ie/doctors/ireland/county-clare/ennis/dr-dermot-boyle www.whatclinic.ie/doctors/ireland//ennis/dr-conor-e-hanrahan Enc: