Career Information
"Gala sees its own employees as internal customers", says Gala Coral Group HR director Neal Young, "If internal customers are to provide external customers with good Customer Service, then they need to feel valued and well treated thereby ensuring brand alignment between what is being offered to the customer and how they're treated by Gala Coral employees."
This idea is particularly important for the Gala Coral Group, which has developed an integrated strategy linking its external focus upon customers with the drive to be regarded by its own employees as a good employer.
The starting point for the strategy came from research. Gala Coral needed to discover more about sources of customer and employee satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and identify elements that needed tackling as top priorities.
Between October and December 2003 the Gala Coral Group carried out extensive research among its employees and members.
Over 10,000 employees were interviewed. Below are the key findings.
Gala Bingo Employee Findings:
- Current job satisfaction: 87%
- Satisfaction with Gala as an employer: 86%
- "Overall I enjoy working for Gala Bingo": 90%
Gala Casino Employee Findings:
- Current job satisfaction: 77%
- Satisfaction with Gala has employer: 68%
- "Overall I enjoy working for Gala Casinos": 73%
Customer Satisfaction Research
The customer satisfaction research was extensive, 50 members were interviewed in 192 Bingo and Casino sites - 9,600 interviews in total. The results were impressive:
Interviews with members of Gala Bingo Clubs
- Satisfaction levels with Gala Bingo: 90%
- Likelihood to recommend: 90%
Interviews with members of Gala Casinos
- Satisfaction levels with Gala Casinos: 89%
- Likelihood to recommend: 88%
It doesn't stop there. Gala Coral will be conducting ongoing surveys to ensure customer and employee satisfaction remains high. Every six months 50 members from every single Bingo Club and Casino will be surveyed. Employees will be surveyed annually.
This process will ensure that Gala Coral receives regular and clear feedback on what it is doing right and how it can continually improve its service to employees and members alike.
Customer Service
One key element for Gala Coral in developing an integrated strategy was to create trust and confidence at all levels. Customers need to trust and feel confident about the organisation from which they are purchasing. Similarly, employees need to trust senior managers and to have confidence in their actions. In order to support a Customer Service Strategy, Gala Coral has:
- Established service standards for each division of the company
- Launched an induction pack across both divisions
- Linked customer care training across the organisation
- Introduced 'Valuing our People' initiatives within its Casino Division
- Established 'Gala Difference' people initiatives within its Bingo Division
Customer Service is not a one-off activity. It is a process of continuous improvement, from which feedback from employees and customers is used to measure progress and take further steps that generate yet more improvements.
