Managing Services in British Fast Food Branch - Essay Example

Managing Services: Based on your initial research in a chosen service design and provisions, produce an academically grounded, business-like report Purpose of the report The main aim of this report is to analyse the market research process of the fast food industry in the UK. An examination of the methods used to collect information will be done. Contemplation of the findings and recommendations for the service industry will also take place, and some lessons learnt from the research process will be documented. 2) Process and methods that the research has followed. This was a quantitative market research that utilised online surveys. A structured questionnaire was sent to 40 respondents who were willing to engage in the study. All the questions were prepared using simple PC software. The researcher then targeted UK websites in which people complained about food. These were ideal for the investigation because such parties are already quite willing to seek remedies for their problems. They were requested to take part in the survey and asked to click on a link which would provide them with access to the forms. After completion, volunteers were supposed to click on another link which would allow them to submit their responses to the researcher. The link was centrally placed in the form. Evans and Mathur (2005) notes that one of the advantages of online surveys is the ease with which one can access a large sample space. It is easy to obtain contacts if one already has a target audience. In this research, persons who complain about food services are already tried and tested clients of the service industry under analysis. Therefore, they are ideal for this food service investigation. The study involved an analysis of the responses obtained through mathematical methods. Currently, some elements of analysis are not complete but will be completed in the coming weeks. Respondents were to select specific answers from a set of four possible choices. It was relatively easy to analyse these outcomes. Duffy, et al. (2005) explains that one of the reasons why researchers are attracted to this method of market research is its speedy and relatively unproblematic response times. 3) Findings that the initial stage has provided The research demonstrated that several customers paid attention to the degree of cleanliness in fast food restaurants. Simple things like whether a waiter dipped their fingers in the salad or used different tongs for different food items affected customer perceptions of the quality. Barber and Scarcelli (2010) echo these sentiments in their US survey which found that cleanliness was of primary significance to clients. A number of respondents also cited their interactions with service providers as a key indication of value. Some believed that fast franchises are too keen on speed of response to focus on effective customer interaction. Others thought some chains were unpredictable concerning this parameter. Schmenner (1986) states that when a service industry can customise its services for the customer and also interact with them, then the perception of value goes up. Fast food restaurants must identify ways of bridging these gaps. The research also revealed that most people chose to visit fast food restaurants that were easily accessible. If they lived in an area where a Burger King outlet is closest, then they were likely to approach that business over its competitors. This is food for thought for players in the industry as similar behaviour has been recorded even outside the region. Moore et. al. (2009) found that consumers in the US had a greater likelihood of purchasing fast food if they had greater opportunities for doing so. Perhaps the most resounding response in the survey is the quality of food. Customers pledged to come back to an establishment if they were impressed by the kind of food on offer. Some stated that they liked how the chicken burgers at Subway tested, so they would always buy from them. Hong and Prybutok (2008) believe that no manner of courtesy and knowledge ability from staff members will substitute great food, so this should not be compromised. A series of clients identified predictability as a determinant of their restaurant choices. These individuals asserted that they would stick to a particular fast food restaurant if they were assured of finding the same menu with the same taste in any of its franchises around the country. Jones, et al. (2002) established that systems make fast food restaurants so profitable. Individuals tend to appreciate a well run organisation with preset mechanisms for operating it. Even those that offer a wide array of menu items should do so consistently across the organisation. 4. Early service improvement recommendations Organisations within this industry cannot compromise on cleanliness. Sometimes, it is difficult to pay attention to minute details about the food service, but it is those small deficiencies that count. Companies should train their employees on maintaining hygienic premises at all times. Supervisors must ensure that these individuals comply with such expectations in the future. In the matter of customer service, staff should extend courtesy to clients as they approach their premises. This can also be achieved through continuous training on the part of these restaurants. They can ensure consistent service outcomes by constantly subjecting workers to improvement programs. As the analysis illustrated, sometimes geographical dispersion affected consumer responses. It is unlikely that a person would drive one hour to buy a pizza from Dominos when another outlet exists closer to home (Moore et. al., 2009). Organisations may need to consider distributing their outlets strategically. They should consider the density of other fast food eateries in a location, and select places that are close to residents. Institutions ought to find ways of delivering quality food all the time (Kerstin, 2009). They must think of their brands and then establish ways of cementing this brand with a particular food item. In the same way that Dominos is known for its pizzas, institutions must look for ways of building their brands by maintaining a signature dish. Finally, restaurants can engrain predictability into their service offerings by eliminating unnecessary steps. This does not mean that no customisation ought to take place. Subway has managed this feat by allowing buyers to choose certain options from a preset list of ingredients. Other institutions can use creativity to stay consistent but adapt. 5. Plans for further research The method chosen for data collection was limiting because of a number of reasons. First, it was dependant on the speed of connectivity of the respondent. In the future, it will be better to present participants with an option of mailing their forms to the researcher. A problem that was also alluded to by Wright (2008) was the issue of misconception of the survey request as spam or junk mail. It is likely that some people perceived this research as spam. In order to work around this problem, prompts to take part in the survey will be less attention-grabbing. Furthermore, more invitations will be sent so as to generate a large sample size. References Barber, N. & Scarcelli, J., 2010. Enhancing the assessment of tangible service quality through the creation of a cleanliness measurement scale. Managing Service Quality, 20(1), pp. 70-88. Duffy, B., Smith, K., Terhanian, G. & Bremer, J., 2005. Comparing data from online and face to face surveys. International Journal of Market Research, 47(6), pp. 615-640. Evans, J. & Mathur, A., 2005. The value of online surveys. Internet Research, 15(2), pp.195-219. Hong, Q. & Prybutok, V., 2008. Determinants of customer-perceived service quality in fast food restaurants and their relationship to customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions. The Quality Management Journal, 15(2), pp.35-50. Jones, P., Hilier, D., Shears, P. & Clarke-Hill, C., 2002. Customer perceptions of service brands: A case study of three major fast food retailers in the UK. Management Research, 25(6), pp. 41-49. Kerstin, K., 2009. UK’s fast food sector is up 8%. Caterer and Hotelkeeper, 199(2), pp. 9. Moore, L., Diez Roux, A., Nettleton, J., Jacobs, D & Franco, M., 2009. Fast-food consumption, diet quality and neighbourhood exposure to fast food. American Journal of Epidemiology, 170(1), pp. 29-36. Schmenner, R. 1986. How can service businesses survive and prosper. Sloan Management Review, 27(3), p. 21. Wright, K., 2005. Researching internet based populations. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 10(3), p. 01. Read More