The Effectiveness of Customer Service at Tim Hortons Caf - Essay Example

? The effectiveness service at Tim Hortons cafe, Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY: An Observation study Grade Name (9th, Nov 2013) The effectiveness of customer service at Tim Hortons cafe Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY: An Observation study Abstract The following qualitative study, in the form of an in-the- field observation, focuses on the customer service delivery to the customers of Tim Hortons cafe. The study aims at assessing how the employees of the cafe interact with the customers in their premises, while evaluating the level of satisfaction of the customers. The main aim of this study is to assess why customers like Tim Hortons cafe, Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY. Introduction Tim Hortons cafe is one of the most populated cafe in the New York region. There are various branches of the cafe in New York area, and still several in the Rochester region (Nelson, 2009). They emanate from a chain of business cafes operating under the same name from Canada. In the USA, Tim Hortons cafe has opened over 800 branches. Tim Hortons cafe, 1508 Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY 14624 is one of the cafe from the Tim Hortons chain of cafes (Craves, 2007). Methodology To be able to determine why Tim Hortons cafe has many customers than many other cafes and restaurants in the region, a structured qualitative observation methodology was applied. In this study, 45 minutes of full-time observation were utilized, during a Wednesday evening, starting 5: 30 pm to 6:15 pm. The location was particularly selected due to its popularity, as well as the access, since it is situated on the Buffalo road. Structured observation entailed the observation of different activities within the cafe, including the way the customer arrive and leave the cafe, the time taken since a customer’s arrival to the time the customer is served, and the nature of the service that the customers in this cafe are offered. The nature of the services offered was evaluated on the basis of customer-employee relationship. Evaluation Design To ensure that there was no bias in the observation of the customer services and the nature of the relationships between the employees and their customers, no sample of participants were pre-selected. This precaution was undertaken, since the pre-selection of some participants would render the study skewed towards the desirable characteristics and relationships between the employees and the customers. Therefore, a random sampling method of participants was applied, to ensure that the observational study will be accurate and no desirable social characteristics are elicited on either the customer participants or the employee participants. The selected participants were representative of every aspect of demographic characteristics. Thus, the participants were selected from different ages, gender and racial groups, as well as perceived different economic classes. To establish why customers like Tim Hortons cafe, the researcher looked for the following: 1. The arrival and departure rate of customers 2. Customer-to-employee relationship in terms of language and communication 3. The service time gap between when the customer arrives and when they are served 4. The opening and closing schedule of the cafe 5. The pricing strategy of the cafe Data and Measurement For the purpose of accuracy of the data collected, the data measurement applied two methods, namely structured observation as well as brief interviewing. This combination was resulted to, after a session of debating that found that observation alone was not adequate for the nature of the study, since simply observing the atmosphere of the cafe, the nature of the relationship between the employee and the customers, as well as the pricing of the cafe would not give plausible and adequate information regarding the other innate reasons that attracts the customers to the cafe. Therefore, interviewing was resulted to, as a complimentary method, to compliment the information obtainable through observation, for the sake of clarification and certainty, rather than purely adopting assumptions. The following is a transcript of the observer’s notes from the field observation: Observation Exercise: October 31st, 2013 at the Tim Hortons cafe Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY. Time frame of observation: 25 minutes (5:30pm to 5:55pm) Major targets: Customer arrival rates System of customer reception and requests and delivery Time gap between customer arrival and when the customer is served Time spent by the employees with the customers 5:30pm: I just entered the cafe, but obviously not alone, since people are occasionally coming in bouts of three to four or even more at a particular one or two minutes interval. Only once in a while do we find a customer entering singly. Inside the cafe, there are approximately 150 people observable from the area I book a seat. I join a table with some three customers, since it is difficult to find a free table in the cafe, or one that has less than three customers. 5:31pm: A waiter arrives at my table and greets me with high respect, then hands me a menu and asks for my requests. I scrutinize the menu to assess the pricing of different foodstuffs in the cafe. Then, I place an order. Soon we are joined by another customer and there are now the five of us, three men and two ladies, on the table set to accommodate six people. The newly arrived customer receives the same reception like I was given, and makes an order within a minute. 5:32pm: A group of 4 male customers enter the cafe and proceeds to look for a table. They find one with four people but two are already leaving. They join the table and make the number of the customers on the table six. 5:33pm: I start a conversation with the customers we are sitting on the same table, regarding the services of the cafe and their preferences for and in the cafe. 5:34pm: The waiter arrives with my coffee and doughnut, and shortly another waiter arrives with the order for the customer who followed me. Both waiters welcome us with great courtesy to take our coffee saying, “welcome and enjoy the best coffee, only at Tim Hortons cafe. Both of us at once, “Thank you! 5:34pm: There are no customers arriving, except for a young lady who does not sit on a table, because she wants some takeaway. 5:36pm: The conversation is growing interesting as we continue taking our coffee. I ask them, why do you people just prefer Tim Hortons; that you can still check in, even when it is in full capacity? The response is varied, with some quoting the homely nature of the cafe, which is decorated to a great sense of beauty, while others quote the pricing, the customer reception and quick services, as well as the availability of all the items in the Tim Hortons cafe menu, throughout the 24 hours of the day. 5:39pm: we are still engaging in the conversation but I can see more people enter while others are leaving the cafe. From what I am able to make up during those first 9 minutes in the cafe, there is an entry into the cafe at least once in every 2 minutes, with people coming in bunches, and periodically singly. 5:43pm: Still engaging in a conversation, but can overhear a customer talking to an employee regarding why she and her friends did not come at the usual time. Here, I am able to make up that the group is a regular customer of the cafe. 5:45pm: I am through with taking my coffee, I make my payment and I request to talk to one of the employee regarding how they ensure the sustenance of good customer service to the customers, and what could inform the large flow of customers into the cafe. 5:50pm: We are through talking and the employee requests to go back to duty. I thank the employee and exit the cafe. 5:51pm: I am standing outside the cafe talking to more customers who have also exited. 5:55pm: I sign off. Data Analysis To make the data analysis effective, three major areas were particularly important to warrant more attention: 1. The time the waiters spent with customers 2. The mode of employees interactions with customers 3. The time spent by the customers waiting for their order requests to be delivered. Results The results of the study show various characteristics of the Tim Hortons Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY cafe, as well as those of its employees that make the customers continuously flow into the cafe. The results show that the average time spent by the customer since they entered the cafe, to when they are served, is approximately 2.5 to 3 minutes. This is especially observable from the transcription between 5:31 to5:34 pm, which is the time that was taken since my arrival and that of my subsequent tablemate, from entry to having our coffee delivered. The time spent by the employees with the customers was found to average between 1 to 2 minutes, however the time could be extended on the event that the customer had some issues to discuss with the employee, or where the customers were repeat customers and needed to talk some things out with the employees. Nevertheless, it was also found that the employee could extend the time spent with the customer reasonably to an average of 5 minutes, as can be seen in the transcription time, between 5:45 to 5:50 pm. The mode of employee communication with the customers was found to be friendly and full of courtesy. Discussion The price of commodities offered by the Tim Hortons cafe was found to be relatively lower, compared to the same commodities offered by other restaurants and cafes. The scrutiny of the menu, as well as the confirmation from the group of customers I was talking to revealed that the price of products such as coffee and doughnuts were relatively lower. This was one of the major reasons why customers kept flocking the cafe. Secondly, the results indicated that the employees’ relationship with the customers was cordial, friendly and courteous. Therefore, the friendly and great nature of the communication skills accounted for a large flow of customers in the cafe. Additionally, it was found that the average time spent by the customers waiting for their ordered requests to be delivered was between 2.5 to 3 minutes, which is a sign of swift attendance t customers. On top of the swift attendance, the employees spent some reasonable talking to their customers and addressing different issues that the customers could have. These elements of good customer service accounted for a high customer flow into the cafe. The interview with the group of customers also indicated that one of the major reason that they come to the cafe is because it operates for 24 hours, offering excellent services that allow for takeouts, as well as prohibiting alcohol and smoking within the cafe premises. This accounts for a large inflow of customers, especially women. Conclusion Tim Horton’s cafe has an excellent customer service, as well as great employee communication and relationship skills with the customers. These characteristics, coupled with relatively low pricing, restriction of alcohol and smoking, as well as full day operation accounts for the high customer inflow. Nevertheless, the study might not be conclusive, since the study was undertaken only in a single day and within a limited period of 25 minutes to avoid eliciting suspicion of a study, which could in turn lead to bias. Therefore, further study, with an extended time period and occurring at different times in different days, would be appropriate. References Craves, Julie (2 December 2007). "Tim Hortons coffee and the environment". Coffee and Conservation. Nelson, Libby (13 July 2009). "The Doughnut Wars Begin". City Room. Read More