Learn to Please Them with PleazMe!
With nearly six in ten organisations (59%) planning to invest more in customer service in the coming year1, there's never been a more important time for UK chippies to invest in people power to stay competitive. And with 61% citing staff training and development and better management as the most important way to achieve this2, what better giveaway than free access to all the courses you need to formally empower your staff and make an impact on the people you serve. Best get your thinking caps on...
To celebrate National Customer Service Week (6-12 October) and its PleazMe! Award3 at the Seafish-run4 Fish & Chip Shop of the Year, Heinz SqueezMe!5 is offering one reader the chance to walk away with the ultimate training tool.
Whether you want your staff to understand the importance of battering to perfection or speaking knowledgeably about fish sourcing, the National Occupational Standards in Customer Service CD-Rom suite prides itself on building up competence and professionalism.
Brought to you by the Institute of Customer Service6 (ICS), it includes Customer Service NVQ/SVQ Levels 2, 3 and 4, Assessment Strategy for each Level, Key and Core Skills Signposting for Levels 2 & 3 and guidance on how qualifications can be used.
Jennifer Harker, brand manager for Heinz Foodservice, said: "Good customer service results in increased sales, customer satisfaction, loyalty, as well as greater job satisfaction for staff.
"Employers should try to strike the balance between supporting employees, providing advice and assistance, and giving them responsibility to respond to customer demands on an individual basis. Employees who are empowered in this way, not restricted by excessive procedure, will be more motivated and inclined to go ‘the extra mile' for customers."
For the chance to win the CD-Rom, think up an apt acronym which you believe sums up good customer service in the fish frying industry. For example, GUEST - Greet, Use customers name, Eye contact, Smile, Think. The more creative, the better! Entries should be emailed to heinz@proactivecompetitions.co.uk by 30th October 2008.
Notes to Editors
1 Investors in People website 2008
2 Investors in People website 2008
3 PleazMe! Award focuses on customer loyalty, point of sale material, varied side orders, innovative promotions and meal deals in-house and locally and use of brands on menus. To reflect consumers' desire to know where their fish is sourced, how chips are fried etc, judges will also be looking for impressive product knowledge. Five shortlisted shops will be visited by a mystery shopper and the top three will attend a Gala Awards Luncheon held in London on 22 January 2009.
4 Seafish was established by the Government in 1981 and is a non-departmental public body. It works with the whole UK seafood industry - fishermen, processors, distributors, wholesalers, importers, exporters, seafood farmers, fish friers, caterers and retailers - delivering the expert knowledge, skills and support to help the UK seafood industry secure a sustainable and profitable future. Visit http://www.seafish.org/
5 SqueezMe!, available in 26ml packs (cases of 100), contains three times the sauce of an average sachet with ergonomic packaging for ease of use. Range comprises: Heinz Tomato Ketchup, HP Brown Sauce, Heinz Mayonnaise, Heinz Tartare Sauce, Heinz Salad Cream, Heinz Barbecue and now newcomer Heinz Mustard
6 ICS is the UK's professional body for customer service whose main purpose is to lead customer service performance and professionalism.
7 See instituteofcustomerservice.com
Terms & Conditions
1. Open to UK residents aged 18 and over at the time of entry, except employees and their immediate families of Heinz Foodservice and each of its group companies, their agents and anyone professionally connected to this Promotion.
2. Closing date for receipt of entries: 30th October 2008.
3. Only one entry per person. Multiple entries will deem all affected entries invalid.
4. All entries through third parties or agents are invalid.
5. All entrants will be deemed to have accepted and be bound by these Terms and Conditions and any requirements set out in any accompanying promotional material.
6. There is one prize of a National Occupational Standards in Customer Service CD Rom Suite to be won.
7. To enter simply create a creative acronym that sums up good customer service e.g. Guest - Greet, Use customers name, Eye contact, Smile and Think.
8. All entries must be the independent creation of the entrant in question and must not infringe the copyright or other intellectual property rights of any third party. All entries become the absolute property of the Promoter upon submission and will not be returned. By entering this Promotion, entrants hereby grant the Promoter an exclusive, irrevocable, transferable, royalty free worldwide licence of all copyright and other intellectual property rights in their entries and hereby waive all moral rights in them. The Promoter shall be entitled (but not obliged) to use any entries submitted under this Promotion in any form for all purposes in all media (including without limitation any products manufactured by or on behalf of the Promoter in the future) and to adapt the entries for such purposes as required by the Promoter.
9. The prize[s] will be awarded in order of merit to the first entry which, in the opinion of the judge[s] shows creativity and relevance to the fast food industry have the most [apt and original entry, etc]. The judge[s] decision is final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into.
10. There is no cash alternative and prize[s] will only be given to the official winner[s].
11. Prize winner[s] will be notified by post within 28 days of 1st November 2008.
12. A list of prize winner[s] name[s] and counties will be available to those sending a S.A.E. no later than 6 weeks after the closing date to: Proactive Communications, Fort Dunlop, Fort Parkway, B24 9FE.
13. The Promoter reserves the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or greater value should the advertised prize become unavailable for reasons beyond its control.
14. The Promoter reserves the right (i) not to use any of the entries if none of them are deemed by the [panel of] judge[s] to have sufficiently satisfied the criteria set out in these Terms and Conditions; (ii) to disqualify any entries that are deemed by the Promoter to be unsuitable; and/or (iii) to ask the judges to select an alternative winner in the event the Promoter believes that any winner has contravened any of these Terms and Conditions.
15. The Promoter is not responsible for any entries that are lost, incomplete, delayed, illegible or damaged. Proof of posting does not constitute proof of delivery.
16. If the Promoter in any way in accordance with these Terms and Conditions uses any entry submitted under this Promotion, the entrant who submitted the entry in question may be asked to participate in unpaid promotional related publicity (including photographic shoots and interviews).
17. All entrants agree that the Promoter shall be entitled (but not obliged) to use the name, biography and/or likeness of the entrant in question in connection with this Promotion for any advertising, publicity and editorial purposes in any media throughout the world.
18. The terms and conditions are subject to English law and the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.
Promoter: Heinz Foodservice, South Building, Hayes Park, Hayes, Middx., UB4 8AL. Promotional Enquiries: 0845 466 3700.