Product Description

ABSTRACT

STUDY PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The aim of this study was to examine how Frontline Management Helps in Better Customer Grievance Handling and Feedback Addressal. The study was conducted with the Case study of Iceland. The study was based on enquiring these research questions: why Customer Grievance Handling and Feedback Addressal; what is the role of Frontline Management; whether Better Customer Grievance Handling and Feedback Addressal leads to better performance; and whether Frontline Management Helps in Better Customer Grievance Handling and Feedback Addressal.

RESEACH DESIGN AND METHOD

Research design was exploratory. Research method was case study and quantitative. Empirical quantitative data was collected through survey. The data was analysed putting into application simple statistical methods and measurement.

MAIN FINDINGS/IMPLICATIONS

Iceland needs performance improvement from the perspective of customers. Customer Grievance Handling and Feedback Addressal of Iceland is working good, and requires improvement for working excellently. Customer Grievance Handling and Feedback Addressal is the area Iceland has opportunity to improve. The role of Frontline Management might have in Customer Grievance Handling and Feedback Addressal for Iceland with higher value. Frontline Management Iceland has to make improvement for Customer Grievance Handling and Feedback Addressal through creating motivating attitude and bringing life policy.

 Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION___________ 1-3

1.1         BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE_ 1

1.2         RESEARCH CONTEXT_ 2

1.3         AIMS AND OBJECTIVES_ 3

1.4         RESEARCH QUESTIONS_ 3

LITERATURE REVIEW___________ 4-17

2.1         INTRODUCTION_ 4

2.2         CUSTOMER GRIEVANCE_ 4

2.3         FRONTLINE MANAGEMENT_ 10

2.4         FRONTLINE MANAGEMENT ROLE IN CUSTOMER GRIEVANCES_ 13

2.5         SUMMARY_ 16

METHODOLOGY___________18-22

3.1         INTRODUCTION_ 18

3.2         STUDY PURPOSE_ 18

3.3         STUDY TYPE_ 18

3.4         DATA COLLECTION_ 20

3.5         SAMPLING_ 20

3.6         DATA ANALYSIS_ 20

3.6         ETHICAL CONCERNS_ 21

3.7         LIMITATION_ 21

3.8         SUMMARY_ 21

FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS___________23-34

4.1         INTRODUCTION_ 23

4.2         ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS_ 23

4.3         SUMMARY_ 34

CONCLUSION___________35-38

5.1         INTRODUCTION_ 35

5.2         SUMMARY OF FINDINGS_ 35

5.3         RECOMMENDATIONS_ 37

REFERENCES___________39-44

APPENDIX_ 45

INTRODUCTION

1.1      BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

In plain terms, customer grievance as well as feedback addressal can be regarded as an effective way of articulating consumers’ dissatisfaction with the lackadaisical approach and lack of initiative on the part of the organization to address loopholes in the quality of service it provides (Ross, 2013). Grievances expressed by consumers often arise from certain problems suggesting failure of the organisation in question to provide timely service, with desired degree of perfection, and to formulate and execute pro-active, flexible policies for target consumers, and a measure of negativity in its employees’ attitude towards consumers (George and Rutger, 2014). The complaints coming from the consumers call for prompt feedback that the frontline management is supposed to come up with. As there is apparently a paucity of  frontline employees with a concrete perspective and a sound, pragmatic perception of ground realities, consumers have to grapple with an impropriety in feedback addressal. The kind of information that is offered through feedback seems to be largely uninformative from the consumers’ point of view. In many cases, they fail to comprehend the policies as they may have very little knowledge of organizational norms. Consumers may also face problems due to delayed feedback addressal initiatives coming from people in charge of frontline management. The complaints are neither attached considerable significance they veritably deserve nor are they addressed in a proper way.

The frontline managers do not come up with a helping hand when the consumers face issues relating  to customer service and addressal of feedback . This in turn gives rise to the serious problems of customer retention as well as brand loyalty. The competitive arena presently suggests a polarity between the policy of customer retention and corporate strategies adopted by Iceland. Consumers are looking forward to greater participation from employees associated with frontline management as well as the organization’s help desk. They are developing renewed interest in the prospect of better service as well as customer feedback from different organizations (Xuemingand Christian, 2013). The proposed case study is focused on the frontline management’s role in boosting the customers’ satisfaction with the modes of grievance handling as well as feedback addressal.

In Iceland, the core issue underlying customer grievance handling and addressal of feedback is centred on the employees’ attitude towards consumers. While resolving the issues relating to consumers, the frontline managers as well as helpdesk employees seem to be casual. They may not be serious while noticing and addressing the issues and problems of the consumer. Sometimes, the kind of information they provide about the organization, its policies, and  services offered could be inefficient as well as uninformative to different customers.

As customer satisfaction is reasonably unlikely and a lack of feedback addressal is persistent, customers have started looking for organizations that may offer the kind of services that they feel may fulfill their aspirations. Dissatisfaction of the customers becomes the prime source of impediment pinching the prospect of brand loyalty. As the customer retention is going down following a decline in brand loyalty, the issue assumes an increasingly complex character  (Peach et al. 2014). Dissatisfied customers in Iceland are opting for other competitors operating in the global market. This trend is turning out to be hugely disadvantageous to Iceland, since they are visibly incapable of retaining old customers and draw in the new ones.

1.2      RESEARCH CONTEXT

Presently, ‘Revolutionary Family Food Company’ Iceland Group plc stands out among the leading frozen food retailers of United Kingdom. It has over 750 retail stores that feature both frozen and fresh foods under different brand names. Regarded once as a down-market grocer among the U.K.’s class-conscious consumers, Iceland keeps offering competitively priced foods even as it stresses a firm service component. Besides conventional in-store shopping, customers of Iceland can place orders through telephone or via the Internet and get free home delivery facility. Since the company in the past has grappled with pressure coming from the vast supermarket chains of UK, like Wal-Mart-owned ASDA and Tesco, which started introducing their own frozen foods and simultaneously foraying into the home delivery and Internet sectors, Iceland has succeeded in emerging as one of the foremost health-conscious grocers of U.K. (Reference for Business, 2015).

The freezer has been unplugged by Iceland Foods Group but it continues to sell plenty of frozen foods. Once known for different appliances such as freezers, the holding company runs a chain of about 50 Cooltrader stores  and740 Iceland-banner supermarkets  operating in the UK. New stores are opening up which include locations in non-functioning Woolworths outlets. Though Iceland Foods has entered the general groceries market, it has achieved greater success with frozen as well as chilled foods in the retailing segment. A majority of these are low one-price private-label items for convenience. In 2012, the senior management team of the company, including CEO Malcolm Walker, as well as three investors of equity acquired as much as 77% of the firm for about £1.5 billion ($2.4 billion). Now, Iceland management owns a stake that can be valued at 43% (Hoovers, 2015).

1.3      AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to examine how Frontline Management Helps in Better Customer Grievance Handling and Feedback Addressal. The study is conducted with the Case study of Iceland. This research is focused on identifying the problems and issues by continuous research on the customer’s needs and desires. The issues faced by Iceland is detected with a proper solution for retaining the old customers and also to attract the new customers by focusing on how frontline management helps in customer grievance handling and feedback addressal enhancement.

1.4      RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• Why Customer Grievance Handling and Feedback Addressal?
• What is the role of Frontline Management?
• Whether Better Customer Grievance Handling and Feedback Addressal leads to better performance?
• Whether Frontline Management Helps in Better Customer Grievance Handling and Feedback Addressal?