Charles Wells' hosts say business support is improving

Almost three quarters of Charles Wells' licensees have given their regional development managers the seal of approval, according to a customer service survey.

Satisfaction has increased by 14% to 74% from when the survey was last carried out in 2006.

Other service support teams also scored high satisfaction rates among licensees, with technical services (91%) and customer helpdesk (70%) recording significantly better marks than the last survey.

"Over the last three years we've listened to what our customers have told us and restructured our business to meet their needs," said sales and marketing director Peter Wells.

"It's highlighted just how important the regional development manager (RDM) role is and we've worked hard to ensure that we have the best team in the industry. This has involved some difficult decisions, particularly affecting our operations team and the support services we offer."

All Charles Wells' RDMs have undergone training including interpretation of profit and loss accounts, the rent appraisal process and customer service.

17% more of the company's licensees agreed, or strongly agreed, that RDM visits result in discussing new ideas and opportunities — 91% believe their pub is capable of increasing sales.

The survey also showed that licensees are keen to look at new ways of building custom, and are keen to receive training on website development and database management and customer service skills. Charles Wells has incorporated this into its 2010/11 training schedule.

The survey was carried out independently for Charles Wells Pub Company by Clarity in Marketing and received a 50% response rate. Key issues arising from the survey and the resulting action plans will be shared at a series of round table discussions taking place in pubs with up to a dozen licensees attending each time.