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BML207: Managing Customer Service

Quality Diagnostic andEnhancement Bid Proposal

Introduction and Background Information

Farmer Barleymows is a farm-based visitor attraction in the heart of the South Downs ANOB. The existing

elements of the 100-acre site and operation are:

Product• Farm animals – emphasis on rare-breeds• Small animal feeding area• Restaurant and café• Outdoor adventure play area• Lambing areas• Outdoor paddocks• Farm trail and woodland walk• Pet’s corner• Tractor and trailer rides• Tractor School - peddle tractors in barn• Small retail area• Staff - 15 full-time staff / 25 seasonal staff• Newly appointed customer services manager• Website (dated) in need of complete redevelopment• Old barns on-site with development potential.

The main market for the business has traditionally been families, however in recent years, annual visitor

numbers to the Farm Park have dropped from 150,000 to 125,000. The owners recently sold the business to

John and Erica Haines, who have a long history of working within the leisure and tourism sector across the

country. Prior to purchasing the attraction, the Haines employed a local tourism consultancy company to

undertake a quality audit of the attraction, and to assess in detail the overall quality of the visitor experience at

Farmer Barleymows. The consultants were also asked to provide a critical assessment of current approaches

to customer service, and existing management approaches to quality management, product develpment and

marketing. As the results show, initial concerns over the quality of the visitor experience offered at Farmer

Barlemow’s proved to be correct.

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Your BriefAs part of their long-term management strategy to revive the fortunes of Farmer Barleymows and turn it back

to a leading tourist attraction in the South Downs, you have been appointed by the Haines to improve the

overall quality of visitor experience at the Farm Park. The Haines have asked you to concentrate on a number

of key areas that will be central to the development and implementation of a new customer service strategy.

These are:

[1] Visitor Experience You must make recommendations to improve the quality of the product

and the overall quality of the visitor experience for families. Your are

asked to make recommendations for product development, based on

the identificationofbestpractice fromsimilarattractionsacross the

country. The Haines are also looking to redevelop the website from

scratch and would welcome recommendations on using the website

to enhance the overall quality of the visitor experience based on an

analysis of competitor websites.

[2] Management The Haines have also asked you to advise on the development of

effective systems to support customer service, including options relating

to customer relationship management.

[3] Staffing and Recruitment You must make recommendations as to how to improve key area of

thestaffingand recruitmentprocess including: theoverall qualityof

service offered by staff, staff motivation, levels of staff retention and

communication between management and staff. You also need to

consider approaches to recruitment, induction and how to give staff

greater involvement and empowerment in the delivery of customer

service. Recommendations relating to training are also required.

[4] Monitoring and Evaluation The Haines have also asked you to advise on the most effective methods

of monitoring and evaluating the quality of customer service at Farmer

Barleymows, in the absense of an effective monitoring system.

Your contacts: The key contacts for this project will be members of the senior

management team, including:

(i) John Haines, Company Director

email: director.farm@gmail.com

(ii) Megan Shepherd, Customer Services Manager

email: customer.farm@gmail.com

(iii) Toby Blackwood, Retail Sales and Day Visitor Manager

email: sales.farm@gmail.com

You can email these contacts to ask questions and to seek further information on the project brief. All correspondance must be written professionally, or will not be responded to by the management team.

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TheHaineshavespecificallyaskedthatanyrecommendationsarebasedonexamplesofbestpracticefrom

withintheattractions,tourismandwiderservicesector,andreflectthelatestthinkingoncustomerservice

and quality management issues. You should present a thorough set of recommendations, referring to the

fourdevelopmentareasidentifiedabove.Aspartoftheconsultationprocess,youwillhaveanopportunity

to interview John Haines and also talk to the Sales and Customer Service Managers on a regular basis. The

Haines are prepared to invest to heavily in this new business venture over the next three years, are expecting the

consultantstodemonstrateadegreeofcreativityandinnovationintheirfinalrecommendations.The Haines

expect to see a phased action plan included in the presentation, and clear evidence of benchmarking

against other farm-based visitor attractions and a clear appreciation of key customer expectations when

visiting farm-based attractions. Consultancy teams not including this information will automatically be

excluded from the tendering process. The Haines also wish to point out that is not a marketing brief and

the focus must remain on customer service throughout.

Presentation Delivery

The presentation must provide a coherent and structured vision of how to enhance the quality of the visitor

experience, and must refer to the four key areas outlined in the consultancy brief. A number of consultancy

companies have been asked to tender for this work, and the Haines will select the company based on the

extent to which they meet the following criteria:

• Structure,contentanddeliveryofthepresentation

• Appropriateapplicationandrelevanceofcustomerserviceprinciplesinrelationtotheassessmentbrief

• Evidenceofbestpracticecasestudiesandaccuratereferencingtotheacademicliterature

• Abilitytoconveyinformationaccuratelyandsuccinctly

• Theuseandqualityofvisualaids

This is a professional presentation and all consultancy groups are asked to prepare their presentations to the

higheststandard.Thegroupsareaskedtodressprofessionallyfortheirfinalpresentations.Pleasenotethe

finalpresentationswillbefilmedfordisseminationandanalysisbythestaffteam.

[NB:Theinformationpresentedinthebriefprovidesasignificantnumberofcluesaboutthedirectioninwhich

to take this project, so this project brief should be read thoroughly]

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Quality Audit - Key Findings

The key summary points from the quality audit are listed below:

• The business is dated in places, and in need of urgent investment and refurbishment

• Excellent range of animals, with a particular emphasis on rare breeds

• No overall ‘wow’ factor and unique selling proposition

• One of the most-well established attractions in the South Downs, but now loosing out to other

attractions in the region, and new farm-based attractions

• Very little evidence of links to the local area, and the business is not maximising its current location

• Basic amenities [e.g. toilets] need improvement

• Restaurant provides a range of options, yet there is little evidence of local sourcing

• Underused website, which, whilst not maintained regularly at present, provides opportunities for

future marketing, e-commerce activities and gaining visitor feedback

• No evident use of customer details for online promotional campaigns/marketing activity

• Failure to gain VAQAS status within the last year

• Shortcomings in relation to the requirements of the DDA, which need urgent attention

• The business is heavily reliant on part-time, seasonal staff

• The retention of full-time staff is low

• Staff are poorly motivated due to a lack of focused leadership and involvement in the management

process

• The quality of customer service evident amongst the staff is extremely variable

• No formal staff appraisal system in place

• Staff appear scruffy, and there is no consistent approach to staff uniform

• Staff feel undervalued, yet are very positive about the recent sale to the Haines family

• No clear operational procedures in place to ensure consistency when dealing with customer

complaints

• Staff are paid just above the minimum wage

• Little or no staff training is evident

• No formal induction for new members of staff

• No formal monitoring systems are in place to track the quality of customer service

• No customer service strategy is in place

• Limited awareness within the current management team of developments within similar attractions

• No incentives to encourage repeat business [e.g. member schemes]

• Limited interaction with the Regional Tourist Board and various schemes currently promoting a ‘Rural

Welcome’

• Significantpotentialfortheeducationalmarketbutdodevelopmentorstaffexpertiseinthisareais

evident

• Current operational areas (e.g. energy and waste management/recycling] provide the basis for

accreditation in the Green Tourism Business Scheme

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• ‘The whole place is rather shabby…it would not hurt someone to get out with a can of paint and tidy

the place up a bit’

• ‘A little dated in places, not really on a par with other farm parks we have visited’

• ‘Did not like the way in which some of the animals were paraded’

• ‘I came here 10 years, and the place is exactly the same…some new facilities are required’

• ‘It would be nice if children could get closer to the animals’

• ‘Animals in the paddocks are too far away for children to see’

• ‘Not much for very young children to do’

• ‘Indoor play area is not really suitable for young children’

• ‘Feeding the lambs was great fun, a shame there were not more staff about to give more children a

chance to feed the animals’

• ‘The state of some of the animals pens was disgusting!’

• ‘Overall rather pricey – not what I would call value for money’

• ‘The restaurant was a bit limited for children, can you offer more than chips and chicken nuggets’

• ‘Overall the food was rather poor…where is the local produce?’

• ‘Service in the restaurant was a bit slow’

• ‘The queues for the pony rides were a bit of a joke…pony rides need to be offered continually during

the day’

• ‘A beautiful environment, but more undercover facilities are needed for when it rains’

• ‘More information about the animals required’

• ‘Nice staff but not enough of them’

• ‘Some of the staff needed to tidy themselves up a bit’

• ‘Lovely staff in the restaurant, but the young lady on the ticket desk could do with a lesson in

customer service’

• ‘Baby-changing facilities were not up to much’

• ‘A real mismatch of bits and pieces…we have been to better’

• ‘The managers should get out a bit more to see what other places are doing’

• ‘Some nice animals, but the place is so dated!’

• ‘Very little information about other attractions in the area’

• ‘The website said that tractor rides would be starting today, but when we arrived we found they are

not starting until the weekend…our little boy was really looking forward to that…not very good really

is it- in fact the website was horrendous!’

• ‘The tractor school is excellent’

• ‘More signage and information directed towards young children is needed’

• ‘Staff awareness of attractions and other places to visit in the surrounding area was quite limited’

• ‘We asked restaurant staff to warm up some food for our baby, they were helpful and

accommodating’

• ‘A shame the picnic area is so far away from the paddocks - it could be more central so we can see

animals while eating’

Indicative Examples of Customer Feedback