Who cares wins - feedback card results

According to a recent customer service feedback report carried out in the Outer Hebrides, guesthouses and bed and breakfast establishments employ the most helpful members of staff. 

This study has been carried out by the Who Cares Wins project - a business support programme funded by Western Isles Enterprise (WIE) and supported by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and VisitScotland to encourage business excellence in customer service. 

During the last six months, businesses and organisations throughout the Outer Hebrides have been displaying Who Cares Wins feedback cards and leaflets, allowing customers to rate their experiences, good and bad, following their visit.  Since the launch of the programme in May this year customers have been asked to rate their experiences focusing on seven different categories, rating each one, Excellent, Good, Acceptable, Poor or Appalling.

The seven categories included, the way customers were greeted and welcomed, the helpfulness of the people they dealt with, their knowledge and the efficiency, the quality of products and services and their overall impression. To date more than 1,000 feedback cards have been returned from 204 different businesses within the Outer Hebrides.

The feedback highlights guesthouses and bed and breakfast establishments are consistently scoring highest with an overall rating of 95.6 per cent across all seven categories, followed by leisure and recreation at 92.2 per cent. Hotels and inns scored the lowest with 65.5 per cent. 

Hillside Bed and Breakfast in Barra was the only business to score a 100 per cent in every aspect of their customer service. Dozens of feedback cards have been received for this business with customers rating it nothing less than 'excellent' in all categories.  

Lisa Maclean, co-ordinator of the Who Cares Wins project said:  "We have had an excellent response from the general public and I'm pleased to say overall the Outer Hebrides  has scored highly in terms of customer satisfaction with results showing an 80 per cent average customer satisfaction score across all businesses. However, we can never stop developing and improving our customer service delivery. It is also of interest the Isle of Harris is scoring considerably higher than any of the other islands.

"The businesses that took part in the project will be given the opportunity to develop personalised customer service plans using the results of their own specific customer feedback."
 
Angus MacMillan, area director of VisitScotland Outer Hebrides said:  "Who Cares Wins is an excellent way to recognise those working hard to provide our visitors with the best possible experience, and more importantly identifies areas where improvements can be made in the service visitors receive. 

"With ever increasing visitor expectations, customer service and in particular Hebridean hospitality along with the world class environment of our islands really is the best way to exceed these expectations."