The importance of Customer Service - McDonald's UK

Training Glossary I.T.Customer Services at McDonald’sPage Customer ServicesTalking PointDo you know that only 5% ofcustomers with a complaintever put their complaintto a customer servicesdepartment?A further 45% of customerswith a complaint take timeto raise their concerns onthe spot and speak withan employee. We needto ensure that for suchcustomers, their complaintis resolved satisfactorilythere and then. If this is notachieved, we run the riskthat these customers willnot voice their concerns inthe future, thereby losing forus an opportunity to gatherimportant customer feedback.ApprenticeshipsThe remaining 50% of customers who encounter a problem,don’t make a complaint.In order to move towards a situation where this 50% aremore likely to voice their concerns, we encourage both theCustomer Services department and restaurant employeesto be accessible to our customers and open to feedback.This is encouraged in several ways in the restaurant. Eachrestaurant should display a name plaque indicating the ShiftRunning Manager’s name. In addition, each manager shouldwear a name badge displaying their first name. The CustomerCare employee should ensure that, as the first point ofcontact for customers, they are welcoming and accessible atall times. Finally, the restaurant’s telephone number should beon display. Combined, these initiatives should help to createan inviting and customer-friendly environment. It is imperativethat we encourage our customers to voice their concernswithin the restaurant itself so our restaurant managementhave the opportunity to resolve the problem then and there.5% complain to Customer Services45% complain to branch or front line rep50% encounter a problem but don’t complain

Training Glossary I.T.Customer Services at McDonald’sPage Employee TrainingCustomer ServicesTalking PointApprenticeshipsA very important part of our department’s remit is working with restaurant employees to givethem the tools and resources they need to deal with complaints effectively. Training startsas part of their Basic Shift Management course. We teach them the four step method tocomplaint handling and give them advice on how to deal with all types of customer feedback,for example a basic nutritional enquiry or a service issue. Most importantly, we encourageour employees to recognise a dissatisfied customer and diffuse potential complaints. We alsomake the session interactive with role-plays and break-out groups.This initial training is followed up throughout the careers of our restaurant employees toensure they are always aware of the importance of customer care and retention.Along with our managers, wespend time with other HeadOffice support departmentsteaching them how to delivereffective customer serviceboth within the business andto external suppliers.Regional LinksAt McDonald’s, individualrestaurants fall withingeographical regions formanagement purposes,and we have mirrored thisapproach in the customersservices arena in order tosupport individual managersin aspects of complaintreduction and customercare. Each restaurantmanager is assigned to aparticular customer servicesregion and is encouragedto liaise with that region inorder to fulfil their particularcustomer services needs. Inturn, our regional teams areheavily focussed on supplyingeach restaurant with reportsand analysis to assist themin identifying key areas ofimprovement.

Training Glossary I.T.Customer Services at McDonald’sPage isingTechnologyCustomer Servicesng Glossary I.T.Talking PointApprenticeshipsUsing the technology we have in place, we are able to receive and record customer feedbackin a variety of ways. Every customer contact, be it by internet, phone or letter, is capturedonto a customer services database which is also used by other major retailers in thecustomer service industry. By properly using our technology, we are able to ensure that eachand every customer receives an accurate, personal and timely response.As evident in the below graph, the largest single feedback channel is the internet.The ‘Contact Us’ page was introduced onto the McDonald’swebsite in 2000 and ever since then it has been the mostfavoured way for our customers to provide feedback. As thechart above indicates, on average 48% of our customercontacts are received this way. The fact that this percentageMarketingConstructionFinally, one of the most important benefits of customer feedback is that it can be used andTalking pointsInternet 48%Other meansof contact 52%is steadily increasing can be attributed to the general increase in internet usage and the ease,speed and simplicity this feedback channel provides.The remainder of contacts are received by letter and telephone. These contacts are thencoded to reflect the type of feedback being given, a system that then enables us to analyseand report on this information. Letters are received into the department, manually logged andcarefully coded to reflect the main cause of concern or query. The telephone calls we receiveare sent through an automatic call divert system to ensure that they are tracked, monitoredand timed. Unlike other systems, after the initial welcome message there are no furthermessages, menus or queues. The customer or restaurant employee is put straight through toa member of the Customer Services team for assistance.fed back into the business. The Customer Services department sits on many company crossfunctionalprojects and promotions, acting as the customer’s advocate and ensuring that weimplement truly customer led initiatives. It is essential that we keep on listening to and valuingthe most important part of our business – our customers!ServicesTalking PointApprenticeships1. Why do McDonald’s welcome feedback fromcustomers?2. How do McDonald’s encourage customer feedback?3. Why do McDonald’s train their employees to handlecomplaints?4. Why is it important to the business that all employeesare trained in customer care?©2008 McDonald’s CorporationAll trademarks are the property of McDonald’s Corporation and its affiliates.