Providing Great Service

We are committed to providing outstanding customer service by selling a comprehensive range of flooring products at the keenest prices, supported by excellent store staff and, where required, by organising a high quality carpet fitting service. Every aspect of our business affects customers directly or indirectly and so every member of staff has a responsibility to consider customers. We must see that our policies, systems and procedures are directed towards the customer getting the best possible service at all times.

Our aims in 2010/11 were:

• To continue to assess and train carpet fitters and implement an accreditation of solid wood and laminate fitters;
• To establish an Estimators’ Academy to increase the number of trained estimators;
• To develop a policy and procedure for responding constructively with negative issues on social media networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter); and
• To extend customer service training to more of our staff including new starters and non-customer facing staff to
  ensure that customer service is central to our culture.

Our Progress in 2010/10 was:

Training

Our mobile fitter training pods enable us to offer all our recommended fitters’ access to the Flooring Industry Trade association (FITA) assessment and additional training where required to meet FITA’s exacting standards. We are now able to recommend 2,694 registered fitters who have attained FITA qualifications, 58 of whom have attained the FITA fitting qualification in the past 12 months. Additionally, 54 registered fitters have successfully completed the vinyl fitting assessment.

In March 2011, we introduced phase 2 of the Fitters’ Academy which added subfloor preparation and a door trimming assessment. Every fitter who offers these services to our customers must attend the Academy so that their skills can be approved. 51 fitters have been assessed and successfully passed phase 2 in the 2010/2011 financial year.

A NVQ for fitters has also been introduced via an external training provider.

We have now approved an Academy course for solid wood and laminate fitting which will be launched in the 2011/12 financial year.

Estimators Academy

Carpetright currently has 330 estimators throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland (“RoI”), offering flexible appointments to suit customers’ needs.

We have introduced an Estimators’ Academy to train new estimators, the first 28 of whom have now successfully completed assessments.

Social media networks

A social media networks policy has been implemented to ensure that negative posts are identified, originators contacted where possible, and any outstanding issues resolved.

Customer service training

A training programme has been designed and evaluated and it is intended to roll this out further in 2011/12.

The number of complaints received in the UK and RoI per £1m of sales (excluding internet sales) has reduced by 7.6% to 12.1 per £1m of sales (2010: 13.1 per £1m of sales).

In The Netherlands the number of complaints received per £1m of sales (excluding internet sales) has risen to 9.4 (2010: 7.7).

Our targets for 2011/12 are:

• To identify fitters for advanced training to enable us to expand our offering into more flooring products, and to continue phase 2 of the Fitters’ Academy;
• To introduce a solid wood and laminate fitting course to our Fitters’ Academy;
• To introduce a programme of mystery shopping visits to all stores and the equivalent measures for all Central Support Office departments;
• To make it easier for customers to access the customer service team;
• To ensure all of our accredited fitters have undergone Criminal Records Board checks and issue them with identity cards; and
• To encourage all fitters to attain an NVQ qualification.