Introduction
In this report I will be explaining the different types of customer service between Tesco and the NHS.
A national service and a supermarket have different aspects of customer service however they may
have some characteristics in common.
14/A. P1 Describe the different approaches to customer service delivery in contrasting businesses
Tesco is a multinational business that operates in over 12 different countries across the globe.
Within Tesco there are many different important departments as well as stakeholders which keep
the business one and help them succeed. Different positions in Tesco include:
Customer Assistants
Delivery Driver
Contact Centre Workers
Receptionist
Customer Service Assistants
Customer service is taking care of the needs of the customer by providing and delivering
professional, helpful, high quality service and assistance before, during and after the requirements
of the customer are satisfied. Customer service satisfies any client's needs and desires. Just like any
other business a company must have a strong and functioning customer service department which
consumers much rely on if an item or service they have purchased has been damaged or has gone
faulty. Tesco have an outstanding customer service department as many supermarkets have a
completely different section within the store in which employees show a sense of kindness for
customers whether they be angry, upset or happy.
The NHS is an organisation within the UK which offers health services just like any other business,
however they are a non-profit organization which is used to help others and make sure the
wellbeing of citizens of the UK are in good health and condition. Customer service is a huge part of
the NHS because strong customer support within hospitals strives to provide all the clients with an
atmosphere that is as comfortable and friendly as possible, meaning that the consumers are
appreciated and appreciate their time with you. Good customer service in the NHS will make a
relaxing and enjoyable surrounding in the hospitals. Different types of roles partaking in customer
service within the NHS include:
Ambulance Department
Doctors & Nurses
Receptionists
Doctors Assistants
All of these different roles in a hospital aim to keep the environment in a positive state which will
therefore bring hope, joy and happiness to the patients which is a doctor and nurses’ number one
priority while working for the NHS. Teamwork is one of the most important aspects while working in
a hospital environment and also plays a major role in customer service for a business. As work may
be very stressful for employees in the hospital industry and the NHS it is important to work together
even through different departments to get a stable work balance flowing through the company.
Customer service is important to any business in many different ways as one of the main rules a
company looks at is to keep a customer happy, ‘a happy customer is a staying customer’.
,14/A. P2 Examine ways that customer service in a selected business can meet the expectations
and satisfaction of customers and adhere to relevant current legislation and regulations/ M1:
Analyse, with examples, how this legislation and regulations impact on customer service
Such as general employees and managers, it is often a person who works within the company.
Internal customers do not need to be directly internal to the enterprise. For starters, you can work
with other businesses to distribute your product to the outside consumer, the end user. Customer
service is a commitment to patients, communities, employees and volunteers and all these different
types of stakeholders who come into play with Tesco is a technically a customer and everybody’s
thought is just as important as the next persons. Tesco have to think about the role of business and
the part they play in society as benefitting people and communities in order to strive and succeed in
order to increase revenue. Customer service has a huge impact on the financial side of any business,
especially on Tesco because they are very well known and also care about their reputation and
brand image. The best way for Tesco to keep their brand image healthy is to make sure their
customer service is great.
Many customers will come into Tesco with a different attitude or mood but it is important for the
employees to understand that they may have to adapt to a customers mood whether they be angry
or happy because it is essential for staff working at Tesco to do whatever it takes to keep the
customer happy because every business has to take ‘competition’ into account and this may be
damaging to a companies financial state and their image as a whole. Tesco’s may also receive
customer complaints and the risk to Tesco of not dealing with customer complaints may be
dangerous to the company’s image.
Friendly/helpful staff
– Interaction with workers is still there, even though it's only at the register. When workers are
friendly and supportive, consumers love that. If they are going to take good care of your clients, you
need to take care of your staff.
Consumer Protection Act 1987 – The law says that
anything you buy must be of satisfactory quality, fit
for purpose and match the description given by a
, business or company from which you are buying the product or service from, and if not you are then
entitled for a repair, refund or a replacement. Under the old law you could complain to the company
in a reasonable amount of time and ask for your money back however there was never a definition
for what a reasonable amount of time meant from a day to weeks, now its only under 30 days which
makes it a lot easier for companies such as Tesco to comply with the Consumer Protection Act. Tesco
are very careful when it comes to this act as some customers may find a way to abuse these rights
and demand too much from the customer service. Tesco staff are trained to know what a
consumer’s rights is and determine in a situation whether a customer is in or out from within his or
her rights.
Food Safety Regulations 1995 – Customer service is mainly about protecting consumers and making
sure none of the customers have complaints about the produce they purchase from any restaurant,
supermarket or shop. Food Safety includes making sure that the date has not expired on the food
Tesco is selling. All Tesco stores have systems in place to ensure the high levels of hygiene their
customers expect. Tesco stores are independently audited on our behalf up to four times a year,
Sale & Supply Goods Act 1994 – Tesco believe that must as described, fit for purpose and must be of
a satisfactory quality and if not, customers are entitled for as refund, repair or replacement. Services
that are provided by professionals and tradespeople must be carried out with reasonable care and
skill, must be as described, provided in a reasonable time with a reasonable cost. If a customer does
not receive this they are entitled to again, a repair refund or replacement but also compensation. As
Tesco’s do not have many services to be carried out as other companies there is still the few such as
deliveries to consumers homes. If a delivery is not made within a reasonable amount of time this will
not look good on Tesco and will result in a customer complaining which then may result to a
employee getting fired which will then have an affect on the company as a whole which will affect
Tesco’s financial gain, legislation has a lot of ripple effects involved.
Trade Description Act 1968 – Under the trade description act there’s a set of regulations that
prohibit the false description of goods supplied by any individual or group organization. This means
that if Tesco’s is giving false descriptions about a product either how authentic or where it was
made, such as fake designer handbags or shoes. If Tesco ever sold something which was falsely
advertised as something the product is not or made originally from, this could damage Tesco’s brand
image and could ruin how much produce they sell as customers would think that they are ‘liars’ and
frauds. In August 2013 Tesco was fined £300,000.00 for misleading customers over half priced
strawberries.
