Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

HANOI UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT AND TOURISM

----------o0o---------

Instructor: Mr. Nguyen Dang

Hoang

Tutorial 4 – BA08

Group: NHF

Group members:

Le Thi Mai Phuong

Pham Thi Nhu Ngoc

Do thi Phuong Hien

2

th
Date: 6 , May, 2010
Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

TABLE OF
CONTENT

Executive summary...........................................................................4

Introduction...................................................................................... 5

Findings and results..........................................................................6

1. Questionnaire on customers......................................................6
2. Questionnaire on staffs...........................................................10

Discussion of findings...................................................................11

Recommendation........................................................................... 11

Appendix A....................................................................................... 15

Appendix B....................................................................................... 19

Reference list.................................................................................... 20

Instructor: Mr. Nguyen Dang Hoang

Tutorial 4 – BA08

Group: NHF

Group members:

Le Thi Mai Phuong

Pham Thi Nhu Ngoc

Do thi Phuong Hien 3

Date: 6th, May, 2010

Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY

Blue Exchange has become well-known fashion brand for the youth in Vietnam besides
Ninomaxx, Canifa and PT2000. With many Blue Exchange retails shops, communication
among staff and customers plays an important part in bringing satisfaction to customers
and making them purchase the company’s product.

By gathering the information from primary data (online survey conducted for customers
and offline survey for Blue Exchange staff in Chua Boc street), this report includes three
main parts: Introduction_ briefly introducing Blue Exchange and the situation to
analyzed, Methodology and Findings_ describing the method to conduct the survey and
the results of each section, Conclusion and Recommendation_ analyzing the statistics of
the survey, drawing the conclusion and giving the recommendation for the situation.

Throughout this report, it is proved the ineffective communication may results from the
unprofessional manner of the staff toward to customers coming to Blue Exchange shop.
The lack of training as well as regulation and standards was accounted for the
inappropriate behavior of the Blue Exchange’s staff.

To improve the satisfaction of the customers, some methods are suggested such as:
providing training for the employees before serving in the shop, setting regulation and
standard for the staff’s performance, conducting survey regularly to collect customers’
comments.

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

Introducti

Blue Exchange is the Vietnamese production of outwear for the youth including clothing,
bags, hats... Blue Exchange now has 49 retail shops in 21 cities and provinces in Vietnam
as listed in ‘Shop locator’ section in its official website. This brand is becoming more and
more popular among teenagers due to the variety in style and the price_ which is
affordable for teenagers (from 30,000 VND to approximately 500,000 VND).

Although many Blue Exchange products are purchased in the shops, dissatisfaction may
still arises because of the ineffective communication between staff members and the
customers. One of the most common problems is the manner of the staff in the shop_
which makes customers feel unpleasant.

This report is conducted to: study about the level of the customers’ pleasure of the BE
staff and the factors contributing to the staff members’ performance and then compare
these factors to PT 2000 in order to help Blue Exchange’s manager improve the
effectiveness between the employees and customers so that the performance of the staff
can be better and the customers can be more satisfied when purchasing the products from
Blue Exchange shops. Follow these parts, the situation will be mentioned, then the causes
will be analyzed and finally, recommendations will be provided.

Methodolog

To serve the purpose of collecting information, a survey was conducted within the scope
of Hanoi University. At the first step, two questionnaires, consisting of 7 and 3 questions
respectively, were designed to clarify some big questions. The first questionnaire was
answered by students who had come and purchased some items in Blue Exchange store
and the later one was replied by some sale members in Blue Exchange shop in Chua Boc
Street. Secondly, 120 students were randomly selected to fill in the questionnaires asking
about their attitudes toward Blue Exchange and PT 2000 staff when served by the two.
The purpose of PT2000’s involvement was to make a comparison between those two

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

fashion brands in serving customers. Since the survey was conducted during the long
holiday, only 46 questionnaires was directly delivered and collected, the other 74 was
delivered online, through Google Spreadsheet. In order to collect information for the
second questionnaire, three members of the report group came to Blue Exchange shop in
Chua Boc Street, first was to directly experience the staffs there, and then was to ask for
information regarding some issues related to customer service in Blue Exchange
distribution system.

Findings and
results

The population of the survey was 120 initially. However, after collecting the results, only
112 questionnaires are legal so the number of observation for the research was 112.

With regard to the first questionnaire studying about students – also customers attitudes
toward Blue Exchange staff, after the first question asking about the company’s
reputation, the results showed that 82 students have heard about Blue Exchange before,
while only 60 knew PT 2000, so the scope of the research once again reduced to 82 for
Blue Exchange and 60 for PT2000.

1. Questionnaire on customers

BE's popularity PT2000's popularity

ye ye
s s
no no

Figure 1: Comparison of BE and PT2000’s popularity

With respect to those students who had never come to Blue Exchange store, the most
common reason was that they had never heard about that company before.

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

In term of the helpfulness of Blue Exchange’s staff, a comparison with ways of serving
customers in PT 2000 was made simultaneously. The level of helpfulness was assessed
based on manners of the salesperson with customers during customers’ process of
purchasing or choosing items in the shop.

Firstly, when asked about parking lot of Blue Exchange shop, though the majority of
students asked selected the third choice – stating that service is fair, there were still more
than 34% respondents dissatisfied with this service. Whereas, parking service in PT2000
shops were much more favorable.

Parking service
80
60 BE
40 PT2000
20
0
Very Bad Fair Good Very
bad Good

Figure 2: Comparison of BE and PT2000 parking service

Bag keeping service (or depository) was assessed even lower than the very first service.
Half of the survey’s participants thought they were receiving a bad depository service
when coming to these stores. Only a very small percentage of customers – 2.4% thought
that it was well enough.

There is not much difference in participants’ opinion on Bag keeping service in both Blue
Exchange and PT2000

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

Bag keeping service

60
40 BE
PT2000
20
0
Very Bad Fair Good Very
bad Good

Figure 3: Comparison of BE and PT2000 trying service

A very important factor contributing to the success of communication between staffs and
customers in purchasing process is choosing. The figures showed that 78% of customers
were unpleasant with behaviors of the staffs. More specifically, 13.4% respondents stated
that the salesmen showed very bad expression and the other 64.6% were also showing
quite bad attitudes. Only 22% assessed Blue Exchange staffs to be fair and none
respondents thought Blue Exchange staffs were really helpful and enthusiastic in
communicating with customers.

In contrast, PT2000 staff was assessed to be very kind and helpful with more than 70% of
surveyed students choosing the fifth answer, indicating that the service was very good.
The reason for those differences will be discussed later in discussion of findings.

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

Choosing service
80
60 BE
40 PT2000
20
0
Very Bad Fair Good Very
bad Good

Figure 4: Comparison of BE and PT2000 choosing service

In the step of trying items, 56 over 80 customers were neither annoyed nor pleased with
Blue Exchange staff, while 13 survey participants felt unpleased and the same number of
participants felt satisfied with the service. In the same step, PT2000 received relatively
similar rate.

Trying service

Very Good

Good
PT200
Fair 0
Bad BE
Very bad

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Figure 5: Comparison of BE and PT2000 trying service

Lastly, when customers made payments for the items they had purchased, most of them
were not so annoyed with manners of the personnel, with about 83 % of customers of BE
and PT2000 stores choose the “fair” option.

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

Payment service

100
80
60 BE
PT200
40 0
20
0
Very Bad Fair Good Very
bad Good

Figure 6: Comparison of BE and PT2000 payment service

In terms of Blue Exchange staffs’ costume, most respondents did not have a positive
attitude toward the dressing way of those people. Moreover, the majority of these
respondents agreed with the idea that costumes had a certain impact on the customers’
impression on the shop in particular and the company, in general.

2. Questionnaire on staffs

The information collected for this questionnaire was from 9 employees working in BE
store in Chua Boc Street. The first question was to ask about factors affecting their ways
of treating customers. Four options were offered including: the number of customers,
mood, customers’ attitude, weather.

In the first factors, 5 over 9 employees stated that the number of customers strongly
affected their attitudes to customers, implying that the larger the number of customers
was, the harder it was to please them. For the same factor, 1 employee thought his way of
serving customer did not depend on the amount of customers and with the other 2; the
answer was “not much”. The factor “customers’ attitude” also gained the same results.

Salesperson’s mood even affect their ways of communicating with customers stronger
than the number of customers, it was the opinion of 6 over 9 employees, and the other 3
were not much influenced by that factor.

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

There is the same rating data of customers’ attitude factor as the number of customers
while the last factor- weather seemed not to have much impact on those employees, as
only 2 of them agreed with the idea of weather affecting their behavior.

6
5
4
3
2
1 No
0 Not much
s d de er Very much
er oo tu th
m M a
sto atti W
e
f cu r s’
e
ero to
m
b s
um Cu
e n
Th

Figure 7: Factors affect Blue Exchange staffs’ attitude toward customers

On being asked about training and regulation of Blue Exchange Company, all employees
responded that the company did not provide any training course in serving customers and
also there were very little regulations regarding serving customers for them to follow.

Discussion of findings

From the findings of this survey, it can be inferred that the success of communication
between Blue Exchange staffs and their customers does not just simply depend on the
way they greet and say good bye to the customers. It also depends on many other factors
as attitude and appearance of the staffs or the security for customers when coming to the
shop.

In term of attitude and appearance of the staffs, customers have been asked to make
comparison between Blue Exchange and PT2000- a very potential competitor to the like
in fashion industry. The reason for choosing PT2000 instead of Ninomax, Canifa or any
other fashion companies is this company has a very good appearance staffs with all of
them are active, young and polite boys in PT2000 uniform. It is very clear from the

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

results that a tender attitude and good looking staffs make the communication with
customer more efficient to PT2000. Moreover, on talking about attitude of Blue
Exchange sale people when serving customers, the majority of people asked showed their
unpleasant about the impoliteness as well as the unwillingness of Blue Exchange’s
female shop-assistants.

In term of providing security to customers, two shops - one is Blue Exchange and the
other is PT2000 which are located right beside each other in Chua Boc Street had been
observed. PT2000 shop had a security guard in PT2000 uniform who served their
customers in both parking and keeping their vehicles while Blue Exchange let their
customer parking by themselves. That may explain for the reason why 51.7% responses
of customers rated ‘Parking’ in PT2000 as very good while no one thought that when
they were served by Blue Exchange. It points out a surprising fact that just a less well-
dressed and less careful security guard than competitor can make 51.7% less in
customers’ satisfaction than PT2000 of Blue Exchange.

Obviously, there are a lot of problems both in the way Blue Exchange is regulating their
distribution system and in the way their staffs communicate with customers. Those
problems are exactly the reasons why when being asked about Blue Exchange shops,
many participants responded that they don’t want to come back to the company any more
even though their products is stylish and affordable. The company should take actions on
some aspects before it is too late to be repaired.

Recommendation
s

From the issues in business communication of Blue Exchange analyzed above, this report
gives out some recommendations on improving both the company’s strategy and their
staffs’ performance with hope that Blue Exchange will be rated higher in later surveys.

On recommending the company, firstly, as all Blue Exchange’s shop assistants reported
that they did not receive any training from the company, management should think about

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

some training sessions for their new staffs so that they know how to serve the customers
best.

Secondly, some regulations and standards on staffs’ performance should also be put in to
force in order to make them more responsible for their job whether it is full or part- time.
Besides, improving the staffs’ appearance by requiring them to wear Blue Exchange
uniform would be another effective way to make customers think about the company as a
professional organization. Moreover, a common concept is that uniforms give shop
assistants a certain level of confidence to carry out their role and prepare the individual
psychology for work. This implies that they play a role when they put on their uniform
and removing it is a symbolic sign that they are able to take up their other life roles. It
means that the staff when wearing the uniform would know that they should minimize the
influence of their own problems and emotions when communicating with customers to do
the job best.

According to Wreden (n.) in Harvard business school’s website, ‘Surveys are one of the
primary vehicles for collecting the information businesses need. Done right, surveys can
reduce new product and other risk; generate insights about employees, customers, and
markets; and align PR, advertising, and other communications programs with target
constituencies’. Practically, this statement is true for all kinds of organizations in all types
of industries. Taking Blue Exchange as a typical one, the company should conduct their
survey over time so that they can control the performance of their staffs better. Moreover,
customer and employee surveys typically help Blue Exchange to explore relationships;
identifying both strengths and areas for improvement.

Problems are not identified in just the side of Blue Exchange Company, the salesmen
them themselves should improve their performance in some ways. The foremost point is
that the company’s staffs should keep their attitude in the best pattern. Even though there
are a lot of objective factors depressing them in working such as too hot weather, too
many customers to serve, or their own emotions, the salesmen should do their best to
constrain their fret to satisfy customers. It is impossible for salesmen to say that
customers should have not annoyed them by asking too much questions or dig and mess
up all of the clothes. That is the decisive point in gaining customers preference.

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

Last but not least, to the position of Blue Exchange security guard, looking after the
customers a little bit more or be more careful can gain a lot more satisfaction of
customers. They should think carefully about the 51.7% rated higher in the performance
of PT2000 security guard, a very surprising but practical fact.

To sum up, the ineffectiveness in external business communication of Blue Exchange is

lead by many other factors. With series of stylish, high quality but affordable clothes,
Blue Exchange might gain a lot more than that if they can define and solve the problems
of communication between customers and their staffs and this will help them to compete
with PT2000 and Ninomax more effectively.

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

Appendix

QUESIONNAIRE FOR CUSTOMERS

QUESTIONNAIRE

Hi every one, we are Le Thi Mai Phuong, Pham Thi Nhu Ngoc, and Do Thi Phuong
Hien, students from Faculty of Management and Tourism – Ha Noi University. We are
working on one of the business communication issues in Blue Exchange – a famous
Vietnamese fashion company. Would you please, spend a little bit of your time to fill in
this questionnaire? It would be very kind of you to give us your truthful answers as soon
as possible. In case you cannot give this paper for us directly, please contact us through
the phone number 01689909508, so that we can come to collect the results. Thank you
very much for your cooperation!



Name:...........................................................

Email/Phone number: ...............................

1. Have you ever come to a Blue Exchange (BE) shop?

 Yes  No

2. If Yes, what do you think about the attitude of BE’s staff in each following
step:

Mark
1 2 3 4 5
Step
Parking
Bag keeping
Choosing
Trying

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

Payment

1: Very bad 2: Bad 3: Fair 4: Good 5: Very good

3. If No, why?
- I have never heard about BE.
- I cannot afford.
- I heard some complaints from my friends about the quality of BE’s products.
- I heard some complaints from my friends about the attitude of the staff there.
- I don’t like their style.
-
4. What is your opinion about the costume of BE’s staff?
 Beautiful  Nothing special  Bad

5. In your opinion, whether the staff’s costumes affect your impression about
the shop in particular and the company in general?
 Yes  No

6. Have you ever heard about PT2000?

 Yes  No

7. If yes, could you please fill in this table:

Mark
1 2 3 4 5
Step
Parking
Depository
Choosing
Trying
Payment

1: Very bad 2: Bad 3: Fair 4: Good 5: Very good

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

Thank you again!

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR BLUE EXCHANGE STAFFS

QUESTIONNAIRE

Hi every one, we are Le Thi Mai Phuong, Pham Thi Nhu Ngoc, and Do Thi Phuong
Hien, students from Faculty of Management and Tourism – Ha Noi University. We are
working on one of the business communication issues in Blue Exchange – a famous
Vietnamese fashion company. Would you please, spend a little bit of your time to fill in
this questionnaire? It would be very kind of you to give us your truthful answers as soon
as possible. In case you cannot give this paper for us directly, please contact us through
the phone number 01689909508, so that we can come to collect the results. Thank you
very much for your cooperation!



Name:...........................................................

Email/Phone number: ...............................

1. In your opinion, what factors that have influences in the way you treat
customers? And how much? ( fill in the following table)

Mark
1 2 3
Factors

The number of customers

Your mood

Customers’ attitude

Weather ( seasons)

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

1: No 2: Not much 3: Very much

2. Did the BE company provide you any training session before working?
 Yes  No

3. Are there any company’s regulations on serving customers that you have
to obey?
 Yes  No

Thank you again!

Appendix

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Comparison of BE and PT2000’s popularity

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

Figure 2: Comparison of BE and PT2000 parking service

Figure 3: Comparison of BE and PT2000 trying service

Figure 4: Comparison of BE and PT2000 choosing service

Figure 5: Comparison of BE and PT2000 trying service

Figure 6: Comparison of BE and PT2000 payment service

Figure 7: Factors affect Blue Exchange staffs’ attitude toward customers

REFERENCE

Blue Exchange 2010, ‘Shop locator’, viewed 04 May 2010, http://www.blue-

exchange.com/shop.asp?sid=22

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Problem of satisfying customers with communication skills in Blue Exchange staffs

Wreden n., Using Surveys to Get the Information Your Business Needs - Survey Says?
Identify Your Objectives, viewed 04 May 2010, http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/3162.html

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