Research project - Essay Example

Service in Pizza Express Restaurant Table of Contents CHAPTER 3 Introduction 3 Research Question 4 Research Aim 4 Research Objective 4 CHAPTER 2 4 Literature Review 4 Customer Satisfaction 6 CHAPTER 3 8 Research Methodology 8 Data Collection Method 8 Sample Size 10 Data Analysis Technique 11 Company’s Historical Background 11 CHAPTER 4 12 Data Findings, Analysis and Discussion 12 CHAPTER 5 14 Conclusion 14 Recommendation 15 Limitations 15 Reference List 17 CHAPTER 1 Introduction The research is conducted on the customer service that is offered in the Pizza Express Restaurant. The Pizza Express restaurant is a well known restaurant located in the United Kingdom and many other countries like Europe, India, Hong Kong, Pakistan and the Middle-East (Luo, et al., 2004). It has a huge customer base and the restaurant is known to serve its customers for a long period of time. The restaurant aims to serve quality food to the customers and create a brand loyalty among them. The project is based on the customer service provided by the company (Fu and Parks, 2001). The research can be carried out based on a survey on the loyal customers as well as the managers of the restaurant. Hence, the participation of the customers is an important factor for the research that is to be conducted. As the demand for fast food is increasing, the business of Pizza Express restaurant is expanding and therefore the researcher has chosen this as the topic of discussion. The research is to be conducted in a mixed method approach using both qualitative as well as the quantitative methodology by conducting a survey and an interview to the customers and the managers of Pizza Express restaurant. Since the customer satisfaction level can only be measured based on the responses of the customers about the services offered by the employees hence this quantitative approach comprising of questionnaires is the best methodology to be followed. The overall analysis regarding the performance of the company is carried out based on the responses of the customers and the managers that would satisfactorily answer the research question. Research Question How is Pizza Express Restaurant performing in terms of the customer service provided by the workers of the restaurant and the level of customer satisfaction derived? Research Aim The aim of the research is to conduct a detailed analysis on the performance of Pizza Express restaurant based on the responses of the managers and the customers. Research Objective To evaluate the annual sales and the profit earned by Pizza Express restaurant as a result of providing a great deal of customer satisfaction by the workers. CHAPTER 2 Literature Review The restaurant aims at providing quality food to its customers and expanding its business all over the world so as to raise its customer base. The company introduced pizza in the UK for the first time in 1956 as it is considered as one of the best loved brands of UK (Johnson, et al., 2000). The restaurant is suitable for all types of events that are starting from a business lunch to a night out with friends. The company is known to serve the authentic Italian pizzas to the customers of different origin. The restaurant is known to offer a free customer Wi-Fi service in order to facilitate the payment App (Ehsan, 2012). The customers are expected to order pizza online and the restaurant is highly efficient in delivering quality products and quick services. The new app launched by the Pizza Express restaurant enables the customers to pay their bills online and also provide feedback for the pizzas that are delivered. The study reveals that the company is further planning for the stream line television that would enable the customers to view their favorite television programs while having their dinner in the restaurants. It has been studied by the researcher that the company offers student discounts which is about 40% off on Monday and Tuesday, whereas, 20% off on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday (Chase and Apte, 2007). Pizza Express restaurant also offers vouchers as well as other discount options in order to attract the customers to purchase pizza from Pizza Express restaurant. However, there are challenges that the company faces because there are large numbers of potential entrants who enter into the market and there is a huge competition among the pizza selling restaurants. The company is known for its mouth watering pizzas that it serves to its customers and it has become a favorite destination of the customers of different age groups to celebrate various events (Wirtz and Mattila, 2001). However, the company has launched a new facility that is the Pizza Express e-gift voucher which can be redeemed in exchange for pizzas in the UK and Northern Ireland. These vouchers are a special attraction for the customers as they purchase pizza of high prices in exchange of the vouchers that they have. The company has given importance to the jazz which is a western form of music and the company currently enjoys the ownership of three Jazz clubs in UK (Gillis and Combs, 2009). The company is also known to conduct charity by encouraging the customers to purchase the product and a certain percentage of the revenue earned by the company would be donated to the charitable organizations in order set up a reputation in the market. The company follows the corporate social responsibility by serving the poor with the revenue the company generates from the customers. The company’s pizzas are loved by all types of customers starting from the kids to the adult population who visit the outlets more frequently. For carrying out their CSR activities, the company also runs schools and orphanages in various places (Saad Andaleeb and Conway, 2006). The restaurant even accepts the party orders that comprises of demands for pizzas in bulk and the customers’ requirements are to be met as soon as possible so as to create a brand loyalty among the customers. The restaurants are generally used for the purpose of celebration that is by organizing parties or any other events. The company can also publicize its products through the social media as well as television sets in order to attract the target customers in the international market (Heung and Lam, 2003). However, the study of the annual reports suggests that the company has been performing well in terms of the customer services that are provided by the waiters working in Pizza Express restaurant. The complimentary offers that the company provides to the customers attract them and instigate them to visit more to the outlets. Although the company has been facing a lot of competition with other restaurants but its cheap rates and strategies adopted by the managers helps the company to maintain its customer base and carry out its business smoothly (Sulek and Hensley, 2004). The study suggests that as the company earns a huge profit, it is expected to grow in the next few years by spreading its business and setting up the brand outlets in many other nations. Customer Satisfaction According to the researcher, it is very important for the restaurants to ensure customer satisfaction as it contributes to the reputation of the company. In case employees are successful in satisfying the customers, then the company would be able to expand its business as well as the increase in the customer base (Sulek and Hensley, 2004). Customer satisfaction in case of the hotels and restaurants can be of different types. The customers derive satisfaction from quality of the food served by the restaurant and the services offered by the employees. Often the restaurants ensure that quality food is delivered at reasonable prices so that it satisfies customers and they prefer to visit the restaurants several times. In order to understand the demands of the customers, there is a need for maintaining the customer relationship by the restaurants. Further, the employees are to be trained by the managers before handling the customers. The needs and expectation of the customers vary from person to person and the employees are required to understand their demands and serve the food according to their preference patterns (Sulek and Hensley, 2004). The business for hotels and restaurant faces the challenge of meeting the customer needs and in case the needs are not met, then there are possibilities that the customer would complain regarding the quality and taste of the food. They may have further complains regarding the time taken to serve the food. Literature suggests that Pizza Express restaurant is very careful regarding their food quality and customer service pattern (Sulek and Hensley, 2004). The managers ensure that the food is delivered in time and the quality and hygiene is maintained for the welfare of the customers. Moreover, if the customers are satisfied with the food quality, they would recommend others to visit the restaurant and there would be a word of mouth publicity of the restaurant (Sulek and Hensley, 2004). This would in turn help the restaurants to attract the target customers to visit their outlets. The customers are considered as important assets by the companies and satisfying them is the main goal that most of the companies ensure. However, the literature suggests that the customer satisfaction levels can be measured with the help of quantitative approach which involves preparing the questionnaires for the customers. It is a deductive approach that most of the researcher follows to measure the performance of the restaurants and to predict its future growth. According to researcher, the study that can be carried out based on the data collected from the loyal customers could be relevant in evaluating the customer services offered by the hotels and restaurants (Sulek and Hensley, 2004). CHAPTER 3 Research Methodology The research has to be carried out on the efficiency of the workers in Pizza Express restaurant in satisfying the customers. However, the literature suggests that the company has been performing well in the international market and has created a huge customer base and is planning to expand its business further (Kim, Leong and Lee, 2005). The research methodology that the researcher plans to use in this topic is a mixed method approach comprising of both quantitative as well as the qualitative approach. The research philosophy that can be used by the researcher is that of the positivism where the positivists consider the fact as a reality that can be observed as well as measured. The positivists evaluate the success of the research based on the findings and analysis and the relativity with the findings of the other researcher (Bowen and Chen, 2001). Data Collection Method The researcher plans to conduct the analysis by preparing questionnaires for the loyal customers of Pizza Express restaurant and distributing them in order to collect the customer feedback. The literature review suggests that the responses of the customers would help to determine that the overall performance of Pizza Express restaurant in the international market. The positivists aim to follow the theories in order to derive a conclusion regarding the research that they conduct (Liao and Chuang, 2004). The data is collected from the questionnaires that are answered by the customers and the analysis is done using a quantitative approach in the excel sheet. Around 200 questionnaires are to be prepared with the questions that are relevant to the research that helps in answering the research question. However, the questions must be framed in such a way that it is easily understandable by the customers and their responses should help the researcher derive a conclusion regarding the level of customer service provided by the Pizza Express restaurant. The researcher must ensure that the individual is a loyal customer of the restaurant before distributing the questionnaires (Babin, et al., 2005). The questionnaires can be framed in such a way that the responses of the customers are recorded in a Likert scale comprising of five choices of responses that the customers can choose from. Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree The questions that are to be included in the questionnaires are as follows. 1. You are fully satisfied with the Pizza Express restaurant’s customer service. 2. You are highly satisfied with the quality of food that is provided in the restaurant. 3. The food is delivered instantly after it is ordered. 4. You prefer to recommend your friends to visit the restaurant more often. 5. You are highly disappointed with the customer service provided in Pizza Express restaurant and you would never visit the restaurant again. 6. According to you, the restaurant charges high prices for pizzas as compared to other restaurants and offers a poor quality. According to the researcher, the research can also be carried out based on the qualitative analysis that involves interviewing two of the managers of Pizza Express restaurant regarding the performance of the restaurant and the annual profit earned (Wall and Berry, 2007). The interview has to be fixed by the researcher with prior appointment of the managers and two of the managers are needed to be chosen for the interview process. The questions for the managers can be such that the responses reflect the annual performance of the company. 1. What is the annual profit earned by the Pizza Express restaurant last year? 2. Are the employees trained before they are allowed to deal with the customers? 3. How would you rate the quality of employee performance in providing customer service? 4. Are the employees capable of following the customers’ orders well and deliver them according to their preference? The responses to the above questions are to be recorded by the researcher in a tape recorder and have to be preserved for future use. Sample Size The sample size in the research is to be decided by the researcher based on the research that is to be carried out. The sample is a set of individuals selected from the population on which the research is to be carried out (Wall and Berry, 2007). In this particular research, a set of 200 customers is considered as a sample for the study to be conducted. They are selected using simple random sampling technique. The interview of the managers is conducted based on the convenience sampling technique which involves the process of questioning the managers of the company regarding the performance of the company. Data Analysis Technique The responses of the customers that are recorded in the Likert scale are to be used in order to derive conclusion regarding the percentage of customers who prefer to be regular visitors to Pizza Express restaurant. The responses are recorded in the excel sheets and pie-charts are drawn which shows the segment of the customers who are loyal to the services offered by the restaurant and the segment of customers would never visit the restaurant again. Further, the qualitative analysis that is carried out on the managers reflects the performance of the employees within the restaurant and the annual profit earned by the restaurant. It helps to determine whether the customers are satisfied with the services offered by Pizza Express restaurant. Company’s Historical Background Pizza Express started its business in 1948 in the United Kingdom and the company was founded by Mr. Peter Boizot MBE (Wall and Berry, 2007). The first Pizza Express oven was brought from Rome and the first restaurant was set up in Wardour Street, in London’s Soho (Wall and Berry, 2007). The company was highly successful in setting up its business and planned to expand it to other parts of the world. There were around 400 outlets set up in London, later on Pizza Express expanded its business in Ireland under the brand name Milano. Pizza Express shares were floated to the London Stock Exchange with setting up of franchises in the UK (Wall and Berry, 2007). CHAPTER 4 Data Findings, Analysis and Discussion The data has been collected using both the quantitative as well as the qualitative research techniques. The quantitative technique involves preparing a questionnaire for the customers of Pizza Express restaurant so that their responses can be utilized to analyze the performance of the employees (Kim, Leong and Lee, 2005). The questionnaire helps the researcher to understand whether the employees are able to satisfy the customers or not. However, the analysis has suggested that the company has been successful in serving its customers to a greater extent and the pie-charts indicate that the larger segments are in favor of the company and the training provided to the employees has been beneficial for them to maintain a good customer relationship and handle the orders of the customers as well as provide the service to the customers according to their business patterns (Kim, Leong and Lee, 2005). Figure 1: Questionnaire for the Customers of Pizza Express Restaurants (Source: Author’s Creation) The critical analysis of the quantitative research methodology reflects that it has been an effective way of analyzing the efficiency of the employees in the Pizza Express restaurant. Further analyzing with the help of Likert scale has made the research method simpler as the customers would find it easy to respond to the questionnaires and it is also less time-consuming. The figures in the above table indicate the percentage of people agreeing or disagreeing to the fact. The responses are mostly in favor of the company’s performance and the quality of customer service provided by the employees of Pizza Express Restaurants. The responses can be easily recorded in the excel sheet and the data can be used to draw the pie-charts that helps the researcher to easily understand the ultimate conclusion for the research that is carried out. There is another method that is followed by the company that is the qualitative approach which involves interviewing the managers of Pizza Express restaurant (Kim, Leong and Lee, 2005). The responses of the managers suggest that the employees are highly efficient in their tasks and they are capable of handling the customers well. There are evidence that the restaurant have got many loyal customers who prefer to visit the restaurant several times. The information that has been collected by the researcher from the managers is quite evident to prove that the company is doing well in its business and it is likely to expand in future. Hence, the research can be successfully carried out using both qualitative as well as the quantitative approach as suggested in the literature review. CHAPTER 5 Conclusion The research is to be carried out on the customer services provided by the Pizza Express Restaurant and to analyze the performance of the company in the international market. The researcher plans to conduct the research in a mixed method approach using both qualitative as well as the quantitative methodology. The quantitative method is used to gain knowledge regarding the customer satisfaction from the services offered by the restaurant. However, the study suggests that the customers are highly satisfied with the services and they prefer to visit several times. On the contrary, the managers of Pizza Express Restaurant are also interviewed regarding the performance of the employees that contributes to the rise in profit levels of the company. According to the responses of the managers, the employees are efficient enough to deal with the customers and they carry out a customer relationship management process to attract more customers to visit their restaurants. This fact helps in raising the customer base in the international market and the feedback given by the customers also helps the managers to take up new strategies to enhance their customer service facilities. However, the two methodologies used are highly justified as it provides the researcher with the clear idea regarding the performance of the company. The data that is collected with the help of questionnaires from the customers can be recorded in an excel-sheet and segments in the pie-charts that are created indicate the percentage of customers who are satisfied with Pizza Express restaurant. Recommendation The researcher plans to carry out the research in a mixed method approach comprising of both qualitative as well as the quantitative methodology. However, there are some ethical aspects that the researcher needs to consider while carrying out the research process. While conducting the quantitative analysis, the researcher must ensure that the concerned person is a loyal customer of Pizza Express Restaurant. The researcher must have some convincing power to make the customers answer the questionnaires. Further, while carrying out the interviews of the managers, the researcher must be careful about the questions that are to be asked to them. The information collected must be stored in a secured place for future correspondence and must not be openly shared. The researcher before carrying out the qualitative analysis must ensure that a prior appointment is fixed with the managers and they should be convinced by the researcher to share the relevant information that is needed for the analysis. Limitations There are certain facts that act as barriers to the research process and these can be considered as limitation for the research analysis. Since the research considers both qualitative as well as the quantitative methodology, there are problems that may arise such as the customers may not be cooperative and they may not be willing to fill the questionnaires which hinders the research process that is to be conducted. Further, the responses of the customers may not be relevant and can also be biased. On the contrary, the managers of Pizza Express Restaurant may feel reluctant to share relevant information regarding the employee performance and the false information provided by them leads to error in the research process. There are no other tools to evaluate the reliability of the data that is collected and the research has to carry out the analysis on the irrelevant data. However, there is another possibility that the managers are unable to understand the questions and they fail to provide correct information to the researcher and due to lack of time the researcher is forced to speed up the research process. 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