Project on Analysis of Customer Care and Complaint Resolution Policies

Developed by

Name: Boitshepo Gaseleme Tlotlo Kagiso Bophelo Melinda Mokgatle

Student ID: S113012901401 S113012902038 S113012902049

Analysis of Customer Care and Complaint Resolution Policies

Batch code: B120107

Start date: 14 January 2011

End date:

Name of coordinator: Kamogelo Motsewabeng

Name of students:

Boitshepo Gaseleme Tlotlo Kagiso Bophelo Melinda Mokgatle

Date of submission: 30 January 2012

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the report titled Analysis of Customer Care and Complaint Resolution Policies at Chicken Licken the original work done by Boitshepo Gaseleme, Tlotlo Kagiso and Bophelo Melinda Mokgatle in partial fulfillment of their course requirement in BOTHO COLLEGE.

Coordinator: Kamogelo Motsewabeng

Table of contents
Title page number

Acknowledgement....I Introduction .........1 Objectives ...2 CHAPTER 1: THE FIRM The firm....3 The products and services.....3 The industry...4 CHAPTER 2: CUSTOMER CARE POLICY AND VISION Customer care policy and vision.6 CHAPTER 3: FREQUENTLY FACED COMPLAINTS..8 CHAPTER 4: THE RESOLUTION PROCESS Complaint resolution process11 Standard turnaround time..11 CHAPTER 5: THE REVIEW PROCESS.13 CONCLUSION......14 RECOMMENDATION..15 REFERENCES...16 APPENDIX.17

Acknowledgement
We would like to thank all the group members for all the effort they have put on making this project a success. Also special thanks are sent to the general manager of Chicken licken for giving us the information which we needed to carry out our project research.

INTRODUCTION
http://resources.alibaba.com/topic/45726/Definitions_of_Customer_care_.htm Customer care

involves putting systems in place to maximize the customers satisfaction with your business. It should be a prime consideration for every business, your sales and profitability depends on keeping your customers happy. The firm under study is Chicken licken restaurant it will be used to give evidence about customer care. the project entails five chapters namely chapter 1 which is about the firm, it mainly covers the background and the products offered by the firm, also the industry in which the firm operates in. there is also chapter 2 that covers customer care policy, the vision and the mission of the firm, chapter 3 is about frequently faced customer complaints, the procedures and presentation of the complaints. Chapter 4 the resolution process explain complaint resolution process and the standard turnaround. The last chapter is about complaints review process and the descriptions of the complaint resolutions are closed.

OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this project are to: y y y y Describe the industry that Chicken licken operates in Evaluate customer care policy, mission and vision of chicken licken Identify frequently faced complaints by Chicken licken Explain the resolution process that is adopted by Chicken licken to address customer complaints y Analyze the steps that Chicken licken undertakes to analyze the complaints

CHAPTER 1 THE FIRM

Background
www.whichfranchise.co.za/franchiseNa.cfm?franchisorld=42 the Company that is under study is chicken licken fast food restaurant. The company was founded and first opened in 1981 and is based in Johannesburg south Africa and it does not have any key executives recorded high standard of quality has been maintained over years. It is one of the largest fast food brands in southern Africa with unique menu items. It ranks among the largest fried chicken brands in the world, second only to the larger American brands.

Products
As stated by the sales person Chicken licken offers food products, all the products are halaal. As the name says chicken licken at chicken licken their dishes are mainly chicken and potato chips with burgers. They also sell soft drinks and sometimes ice-cream just for refreshment. The chicken dishes are in a wide range depending on the method of preparation and ingredients added. Chicken licken also offers services such as pre sale service and after sale service whereby the waitress welcomes the customer with a smile to the restaurant and allow them to explain to them about what they are willing to have, there is also after sale service where the waitress are always there to clean the tables immediately after customers had their meals. They are represented in the table that follows: PRODUCTS Just chicken licken Chicken wich Chick n rapping Rapping deluxe Chicken meals SERVICES Pre sale service After sale service

Industry
Chicken licken is operating as fast food retail restaurant, According to the supervisor Mr Mogomotsi of Chicken licken, the competitors of chicken licken are KFC and hungry lion but they try to keep up with the competition by offering specials every month end and during month and they always ensure that they satisfies their customer in such a way that they want so that they wont go to their competitors. The major players under this industry are: KFC, hungry lion, wimpy and milky lane. KFC tops the industry since it is well recognized as it is located in many places across the country and it offers a wide variety of products as compared to other food retail restaurants.

CHAPTER 2 CUSTOMER CARE POLICY, VISSION AND MISSON

Customer care policy, vision and mission
.http://resources.alibaba.com/topic/45726/Definitions_of_Customer_care_.htm Customer care involves putting systems in place to maximize your customers' satisfaction with your business. It should be a prime consideration for every business - your sales and profitability depends on keeping your customers happy. It is a phrase that is used to describe the process of taking care of our customers in a positive manner. The term is used in place of complaint handling due to its positive focus, and is a reminder that customer satisfaction is a priority. As stated by Stephen P Robins and Mary Coulter customer care depends on employee satisfaction since when employees are satisfied they relate to positive customer outcome. Satisfied employees increase customer satisfaction and loyalty since in service organizations customer retention and defection are highly dependent on how the frontline employees deal with customers hence satisfied employees are more likely to be friendly, upbeat and responsive which is highly appreciated by customers and it satisfies them. Due to satisfied employees they are less likely to leave their jobs and customers are more likely to encounter familiar faces and receive experienced services. These qualities help build customers satisfaction and loyalty. Also when customers are dissatisfied they can increase an employees job dissatisfied and employees who have regular contact with customers report that rude, thoughtless or unreasonably demanding customers adversely affect the employees satisfaction. So it is very important for an organization to recognize that satisfied employees will go a long way toward contributing to their goal of having happy customers. According to the supervisor Mr Mogomotsi of Chicken licken they follow a policy to satisfy their customers by making sure that the food that is provided is always fresh and readily available to customers all the time. They also welcome their customers with a smile to the 5

Restaurant to make them feel welcome and by doing so it makes them to come back to them Hence retaining the available customers as well as inviting new ones. As the good service is received the customers will therefore good mouth the restaurant and new customers will be drawn to the restaurant since they would also want to receive the good service offered by the employees. Also they take suggestion from their customers concerning the service and the meals they get from the restaurant. He also stated the vision of the restaurant which is to maintain good customer satisfaction and the mission is they ensure cleanliness, service in time every time. The impact of this on customers care operation has improved because indeed they are always striving to provide good services and a clean environment every time.

CHAPTER 3 FREQUENTLY FACED COMPLAINTS

http://www.varuh-rs.si/iscete-pomoc/kako-vam-lahko-varuh-pomaga/kaj-je-pobuda/?L=6 A

complaint is a description of your problem and all the procedures you have followed in order to resolve it before reaching the point where you no longer know how to proceed According to Kitty O Locker and Stephen Kyo Kaczmarekh Some common frequently faced complaints customers are problems they are having with the products and services that are offered by organizations and due to that they go around bad mouthing the organization. Also the bad publicity is the major complaint about customers regarding the organizations. They also complain about the way in which the complaints are usually solved since they believe that they are not that much satisfying them in a way that they want. They sometimes complain about the way in which the product does not meet their expectations since some products differ with what they were told to expect from them Kitty O Locker and Stephen Kyo Kaczmarekh also stated that there are different ways in which complaints are lodged and those include written complaint where an organization expect a complaint to be represented in a form of a letter explaining what they are querying about, also there is e-mail complaining where complaints are emailed to the organization addressing what they are complaining about. The other way of lodging complaints is by face to face that is where by a customer meets with the salesperson in person to lodge their complaints and the is also telephonic complaints where by a customer phones the organization to explain to them about his/her dissatisfactory through the phone. In reality, however, complaints are a great source of valuable information about your business and your customer base. Furthermore, customers who bother to interact with you, even if it is to complain, are likely to remain loyal to your business - but only if they feel their complaints have been dealt with appropriately. http://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/managing-yourbusiness 7

As identified by the supervisor Mr Mogomotsi at chicken licken the complaints they get from customers are that the food is sometimes salty than expected or even more spicy and also sometimes the pieces that are ordered by customers they have a shortage. There are numbered processes of lodging complaints and this depends on the type of complaint brought forth. The customers lodge their customers by face to face whereby a customer lodge a complaint at the store facing the management or the head, they also use a phone when they bought the food and went home, and notice that there is something wrong. He went on to explain that the complaint numbers are not issued, one has to face the management and get the help he\she need or do it through telephone. After the complaint is received they try to understand the complaint, if the complaint includes the employee they call forward both the employee and the customer s to solve the complaint while they are both there to ensure the customer that what he/she was complaining about will never repeat itself.

CHAPTER 4 THE RESOLUSION PROCESS

Complaint resolution process
http://www.Nichcy.org/schoolage/dispute/resolution/details The followings are steps that are taken to solve customer complaints 1. Create an Effective Atmosphere Creating an effective atmosphere is a very important step in the conflict resolution. It is more likely for mutual agreements be reached when atmosphere is given careful consideration. When thinking about atmosphere, remember these ideas: Personal preparation, Timing, Location, Opening statements. 2. Clarify Perceptions Clarify your perceptions of the other party by Avoid stereotyping. Listen carefully. Recognize the other's needs and values, Empathize - ask why they feel the way they do and Clear up misconceptions you may have of them. 3. Focus on Individual and Shared Needs Expand on shared needs. Realize that you need one another in order to successfully resolve conflicts. Be concerned about meeting others needs as well as your own. When you take the time to look, you will recognize that individuals often share needs in common. 4. Build Shared Positive Power Power is made up of people's outlooks, ideas, convictions, and actions. A positive view of power enables people to be most effective. A negative outlook on power proves disempowering. Instead of "power with," it encourages "power over." Positive

Power promotes building together and strengthening partnerships. When parties in conflict have this outlook, they can encourage each other to use shared positive power. This gives an ultimate advantage to all involved because each person's positive energy is being drawn upon for a worthwhile solution. 5. Look to the Future, then Learn from the Past Don't dwell on negative past conflicts, or you won't be able to deal positively in the present or the future. Try to understand what happened in the past, and avoid repeating the same mistakes over. Don't get stuck in a rut; learn from past conflicts and be forgiving. Let others know "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at what you did." 6. Generate Options and make mutual benefit agreement when generating options ,Beware of preconceived answers, Look for common threads, Make sure options are workable for all parties involved, Set aside disagreements and focus on options that seem most workable, Avoid pin-off conflicts by bypassing options that won't work for all involved. As stated by the supervisor at chicken licken the complaint resolution process follows few steps; 1. Through a call or face to face the employee listens carefully to the customer to get their complaint clearly. 2. Try and understand their complaint 3. Come up with the relevant solution to the complaint 4. Keep the promise by solving the problem 5. Ask if ,he customer is satisfied The supervisor also stated that the resolution process followed by Chicken licken depends on the type of complaint .There are two types of complaints long term and short term. Short term is those that are solved there and there. The customer loge their complaints to the supervisor and the supervisor listens to them to provide a solution in a limited time .Long term complaints, as 10

the word says takes a while to be resolved .An example of this is when a customer got home with what he or she bought and realize is not what he or she wanted .The time taken to solve this problem may vary from customer to customer because some may return to the outlet immediately while others may return after a day or two ; explained the supervisor. He went on to clarify that as a matter of fact they do not have very difficult complaints to solve .So they can take three to four days maximum to solve a problem the main reason being a delay but not that it was very difficult to solve .He said that the process may not escalate because its complicated but rather because it is straight and forward and so easy to solve.

Standard turnaround time

http://www.advfn.com/money-words_term_9675_Turnaround_time.html This is the period for completing a process cycle such as repairing, replacement of a component or equipment. It is commonly expressed as an average of previous such periods. The supervisor also stated that the standard turnaround time is 3 to 4 day. That is the time they take to receive and solve the complaint. Deviations do not usually occur, as stated above the complaints can be solved immediately and maybe if the complaint deviate it will be by a day or two. At the process of handling this is continuing to communicate with the customer about the feed back to notify them about the delay and asking for forgiveness for that delay. By this the customer will feel that the firm listens to his/her and really cares about helping them to solve their complaint.

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CHAPTER 5 CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS REVIEW PROCESS

According to the supervisor Mr Mogomotsi at chicken licken he stated that they dont have the screening committee, the management is responsible to oversee the customer care. They analyze their customers complaints by following the procedure where they allow a customer to come to the restaurant and talk to the supervisor about his/her complaint, the outlet assistant will listen and try to understand the customers complaint at the same time noting down the complaint. From there the assistant will record the complaint in a record file, with the details of the customer including the name of the customer, the date and time in which the complaint was received also the nature of the complaint and the employee who attended to it. The assistant

will then look at the complaint to see whether he will be able to handle it and with failure to do so he will then refer the customer to the supervisor and he/she will also take another look at the complaint and also if is unable to solve it he/she will also refer the customer to the manager who will then try to come up with a solution to the complaint. The manager will be given the record so that he/she will process the solution to the complaint which was raised by the customer. With the provision of the solution the manager will take note of the name of the attendant and the date in which it was solved. The complainant and the employee will be both then are called so that they could both have good evidence that the complaint was solved accordingly. And they will be given advice whenever necessary. He went on to explain that they hardly have escalations but they have those complaints they can take a period of roughly five days to solve. The supervisor also stated that the standard turnaround time is 3 to 4 day the manager handles deviations by going through the records of complaints and try to understand the complaint and come up with the solution as quick as possible. 12

Also he further explained that the complaint resolution process is closed by looking at how the complaint turned out to be for example; some complaints are unbearable that the manager can reach a decision of firing an employee who was supposed to help and failed to do so

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CONCLUSION The conclusions from the research are that they: y Sell most halaal products

y Follow a simple complaint resolution process y y Mostly sell chicken use only one method of getting suggestions from customers

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RECOMMENDATION The following are what chicken licken should do: y sell non-halaal products also

y Follow a more detailed complaint resolution process y Include variety of food other than chicken products y Use other methods like suggestion box at every outlet around the country and issue questionnaires to their customers to get their customer s feedback

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REFERENCES
1. http://resources.alibaba.com/topic/45726/Definitions_of_Customer_care_.htm [accessed 25 January 2012] 2. Stephen P Robins et.al(2005),Management, 8th edition, Prentice Hall of India Pvt .Ltd ,New Delhi [accessed 25 January 2012]

3. Kitty O Locker et.al(2007), Business Communication Building Critical Skills, 3rd edition, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing company limited, New Delhi [accessed 25 January 2012]

4.

http://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/managing-your-business [accessed 25 January 2012]

5. www.whichfranchise.co.za/franchiseNa.cfm?franchisorld=42[ accessed 30 January 2012]

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APPENDIX
1. www.whichfranchise.co.za/franchiseNa.cfm?franchisorld=42[ accessed 30 January 2012]

The logo is used to convey the meaning intended and avoid tarnishing or misrepresenting the intended image

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