Introduction

The present assessment provides an overview on the importance of customer service provided by an enterprise. The organization selected for this study is Mc Donald’s Australia. Mc Donald is one of the globe biggest fast food chain serving near around 69 million customers regularly in over 100 nations. Mc Donald in Australia is also known as Macca’s, which is franchise business with around 80% of the Australian restaurants owned as well as operated by the individual businesspersons (Jacobs, Chase and Lummus 2014). The other restaurants are owned as well as run by the organization. The economic contribution of this company to the Australian economy is equal to 0.2 % of this nation’s GDP. Macca is committed to support Australian manufacturers and its first preference has been always the source produce within the nation. The effectiveness of customer service, enterprise operations and other process supports the service delivery is also critically discussed in this study.

Task 1

1a) Mc Donalds Australia operates under the fast food industry of this nation. Australia’s fast food sector has encountered dynamic growth over the past few years. There are around 17000 fast food outlets in Australia that accounts for 28% of the commercial foodservice outlets. As of 2017, this company has remained the biggest brand in the fast food sector in Australia. Mc Donald continued to attain success with its premium offerings by extending availability in driving through stores since the range has been limited to in-store consumption (mcdonalds 2018). The functions of Mc Donalds include reduction and management of waste, being environmental sustainable, saving energy as well as decreasing greenhouse gas emission, keeping clean streets through proper use of packaging method.

1b) Over the years, McDonlads has been offering variety of products, some of the common products include- Hamburgers, Mc Chicken, Fish McBites, McRib, Happy Meal, Mighty Kids Meal, McMuffins, Mc Beverages and Desserts and so on. Macca provides its customers with safe food products and aid them make healthier choices while visiting the restaurants. This company is mainly committed to facilitate its customers make proper decisions about the food selection. In fact, the company also offers good service to the families and young individuals by properly communicating with them through effective marketing process.

1c) Mc Donalds is committed in doing the appropriate thing for its customers as well as employees. The management of Macca is committed to show respect, understand and tolerate towards ist employees and customers. The customer policy designed by Macca tema in the year 1988 is mainly aimed at assuring that they continue to address the requirement of customers with disabilities who visit their restaurants. The customer policy is adequate and accessible to both inside and outside the enterprise. The company is committed to help its customers make informed decisions regarding this policy (Robertson et al. 2016) In fact, Macca also attains feedback from its customers relating to any change in its customers service policy. Besides this, the company also holds policy program and provide policy documents to all its stakeholders, shareholders and directors in order to keep them informed about its customer service policy. This in turn helps all the people associated to this company to get accessibility in providing feedback regarding any change in this customers service policy. Overall, the organization mainly focuses on communicating appropriately with all the stakeholders so that the policy becomes easily informed to them.

Task 2

2a) Mc Donald Australia and its teams track customer’s data for establishing as well as monitoring the requirements and preferences of its current and potential customers. The company plans to utilize advanced technologies for making interactions with the customers in bid to develop competitive edge over its rivalries. Macca’s mobile ordering system helps to track information around the customers habits such as – type of food they prefer, their ordering frequency, drive vs in- store consuming habits and other crucial preference or habits. The firm utilizes this strategy for serving its customers in better and efficient way. (Hickman and Silva 2018) Furthermore, for increasing convenience in the future orders, such orders are noticed on the application that drive repeat total sales. As the company struggles in increasing its revenue, this strategy helps to boost average spending per consumer at the stores. As a result, this drives the valuation of the company in longer term. In fact, the entity also monitors the customers preferences and needs through personalization of their service through the consumer data, which in turn makes it easier for the employees to understand their customers in better way and offer service accordingly. However, it is predicted that this initiative will facilitate the company to maximize profitability in longer term.

2b) Mc Donald has been planning in both strategic as well as operational level to assure that they have been meeting the requirements and expectations of its customers. The entity has been able to create better experience for the customers by knowing the nature of service delivery process . Transparency in such process has facilitated the customers to know business operations and give feedback on the service design improvements (QSR magazine. 2018). In addition to this, the company has also been focusing on designing its products in innovative way for satisfying their requirements as well as expectations. In fact, ethical considerations relating to this product designs are maintained by this company in order to reduce negative comments of customers about unhealthy food. Besides this, Macca has introduced its own website so that its customers can provide their feedback regarding their service. At present, this percentage has been increasing owing to rise in total number of internet usage. The organization also strategizes to connect with the customers through social media so that they can build good relationship with these customers and attain their feedback. Furthermore, the organization also analyzes the present market trends by assessing the competitors products before producing and designing any product. This analysis on the rivalries products also helps to understand the preferences and needs of most of the customers (Ceil 2017). This initiative not only helps to manage their production cost but also attract large number of customers. Moreover, this strategy will also help the company to gain competitive advantage over its rivalries.

Task 3

3a) For meeting the needs and expectations of the customers, Mc Donalds has been managing its stocks through implementation of new system. The firm introduces central stock management function also termed as “Restaurant Supply Planning Department” for managing their stocks (Verma and Verma 2013). The team then communicates with the mangers per day basis for finding out the events, build factors into new planning and predicting the customers wants and expectations. As a result, this strategy helps to balance between customers requirements and reducing waste. However, as consumers taste changes, the company needs to enhance range of products offered also changes.

3b)Mc Donald uses few strategies for monitoring it team performance so as to assure that they meet organization quality and delivery standards. One of the strategies used by the company is empowerment, thereby engaging the employees in making decisions and providing them authority to act in the company’s interest. The entity provides training to resolve consumers problem and trust them for making appropriate choices (Razaka, Iliasb and Razakc 2016) They provides their employees some time for thinking as well as planning by building slack time via adequate staffing and by giving support. The decision made by the team helps the company to evaluate their team performance. Based on their performance, the company gives the responsibility to attend the customers. This in turn aid the organization to assure that they are able to deliver proper service to the customers and improve quality delivery standards. The leaders of this company adopts unique leadership style in order to understand the performance of the team. Proper leadership style adopted by the leaders helps the company to provide quality customer service.

3c) The Mc Donalds  Australia has developed strategies of coaching and mentoring the employees in order to meet the customer service needs. The staffs are given proper orientation before providing them work in the business especially delivering service to the customers. The coaching must include review of certain policies as well as procedures, with specific emphasis on the vital subjects such as customer service and the organization culture (Hickman and Silva 2018). The company must also employ proper HR manager in order to integrate effective HR strategy with regard to training and developing of their staffs. Skilled HR manager of the company also helps to properly educate and mentor the employees in regards to delivering of effective customer service. The human resource skills help to use advanced technologies for monitoring the employees performance in training. Based on their performance, the employees are given the power to attract customers and deliver effective service to the customers. In fact, the staffs will be given training on communication skills so that they can easily build relations with customers and attain their trust. This in turn helps the company to retain and attract customers across the globe.  McDonalds has also developed diversity curriculum, which teaches its employees how to shift from awareness to action in area of intercultural management. This entity has adopted mentoring by introducing as well as offering web based tool utilized for tracking relationships across the organizations. Their program also integrates advanced technology for the mentoring approaches, providing virtual environment to motivate career engagements that benefit groups and business.

Task 4

4a) McDonald in Australia has created new position for dealing with the customer service issue and complaints it receives from them. The organization has created the new position of ‘runner’, who will help to solve any issue and confusion or free up time for cashier. In addition to this, McDonald has also adopted dual- point ordering system across the nation that includes- customer ordering at the counter and acquiring receipt along with number. When this number appears on the screen, order becomes prepared at other end. Apart from this, the company also creates welcoming business environment by having varied laborforce. They also hires bilingual workers who speak different languages and have different insights into varied cultures, which facilitate to create better customer experience. Furthermore, the entity also provides feedback form to its customers in order to attain their reviews and improve on it. The entity have also created customer complaint account in its website, which they tries to resolve if any complaints comes and respond to enquiries. The firm takes the enquires or the complaints most seriously and then provides counselling sessions to its employees. This in turn helps this organization to handle unhappy customers in better way.

4b) McDonalds has certain legislative area such as privacy law since it relates to collection, storage and utilization of consumer information for the enterprise. When responding to enquiries and customer complaints it receives, the fast food corporation complies with consumer protection complaints. This motivates the customers to discuss the circumstances before making any kind of complaint. The complaint handling procedure under this legislation is given as under-

• Any individual can make complaint involving several details about the problems as possible by providing written application to the company.
• The company will investigate few situations that is involved in complaint as well as respond to the customer within 30 days relating to the findings as well as actions following investigation.
• After taken into account the customer response, if he is still not satisfied with the solution then they might escalate their complaints to Consumer Protection Agency directly.

Nevertheless, the company also makes compliance with consumer protection law by maintaining procedure to protect customers personal information. The company has also established, documented and also makes accessibility to consumer feedback as well as complaint handling policies. McDonald’s Australia also does not engage in making unsolicited customer agreement. Overall, Macca also maintains compliance with ‘Competition and Consumer Act 2010’ and ‘Australian consumer law’ requirements (Howell 2015). The Australian consumer law protects the clients and also assures fair trading in this economy. This entity has adopted consumer protection policy and also aligned with Consumer Protection Strategy for protecting the requirements and interest of customers.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it can be concluded that Mc Donalds has been implementing several business strategies for delivering proper customer service. The company also maintains ethical consideration while offering proper customer service. In fact, the company recruits skilled HR manager for mentoring and coaching the employees of the company. The management of McDonald has created new position ‘ runner’ for solving any kind of complaints and resolving enquiries. The enterprise also complies with ‘consumer protection laws’ before delivery service to the customers.

References

Ceil, C. 2017. Service Quality and Branding Strategies at McDonalds.

Forbes.com. 2018. Why McDonald’s Is Looking To Track Customer Data. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2017/04/13/why-mcdonalds-is-looking-to-track-customer-data/#3b34119235fb [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].

Hickman, C.R. and Silva, M.A., 2018. Creating excellence: Managing corporate culture, strategy, and change in the new age. Routledge.

Howell, N.J., 2015. Revisiting the Australian code of banking practice: is self-regulation still relevant for improving consumer protection standards. UNSWLJ, 38, p.544.

Jacobs, F.R., Chase, R.B. and Lummus, R.R., 2014. Operations and supply chain management (pp. 533-535). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Mcdonalds.com.au. 2018. McDonald’s Australia. [online] Available at: https://mcdonalds.com.au/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].

QSR magazine. 2018. How McDonald’s Can Improve Customer Service. [online] Available at: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/how-mcdonalds-can-improve-customer-service [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].

Razaka, M.Z.B.A., Iliasb, A.B. and Razakc, S.F.F.B.A., 2016. Experiencing Fast-Food Restaurant Service Quality: An In-Depth Analysis On Customer Reviews.

Robertson, N., McDonald, H., Leckie, C. and McQuilken, L., 2016. Examining customer evaluations across different self-service technologies. Journal of Services Marketing, 30(1), pp.88-102.

Verma, D. and Verma, D.S., 2013. Managing customer relationships through mobile crm in organized retail outlets. International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology, 4(5), pp.1696-1701.

www.mcdonalds.com.au. 2018. [online] Available at: https://apply.mcdonalds.com.au/public/fileServer.cfm?activityContentId=22141 [Accessed 31 Dec. 2018].