WO2002025511A1

WO2002025511A1 - System and a corresponding method for gathering feedback particularly in customer service

Info

Publication number: WO2002025511A1
Application number: PCT/FI2001/000809
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antti HEINÄNEN; Pentti HEINÄNEN
Original assignee: Feelback Oy
Priority date: 2000-09-20
Filing date: 2001-09-19
Publication date: 2002-03-28
Also published as: FI20002067A; AU2001289964A1; FI20002067A0

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for gathering feedback particularly in customer service. The system includes a movable feedback device (10) intended for use by the customer and processing devices (11), for the feedback information gathered by the feedback device (10). The feedback device (10) and the processing devices (11) are connected by means of data transmission device (13), the customer service including at least one customer and a customer service employee. The feedback device (10) is arranged in a customer service situation in the immediate vicinity of the customer. In addition, the system includes a second feedback device (14) intended for use by the customer service employee, which is connected to the first feedback device (10) and/or the processing devices (11) by means of the data transmission devices (13). The data transmission devices (13) are arranged to operate essentially for the entire duration of the customer service situation.

Description

SYSTEM AND A COKESPONDING METHOD FOR GATHERING FEEDBACK PARTICULARLY IN CUSTOMER SERVICE

The present invention relates to a system for gathering feedback particularly in customer service, which system includes a movable feedback device intended for use by the customer and processing devices, for the feedback information gathered using the feedback device, equipped with data transfer devices, for connecting the feedback device to the processing devices, the customer service involving at least one customer and a customer-service employee. The invention also relates to a corresponding system.

Particularly in customer service, obtaining feedback from customers is a significant tool for developing the service. A known system for gathering feedback includes a feedback device, which is usually placed in some highly visible location. If a customer wishes to give feedback, they go to the feedback device and act according to the instructions provided. Known feedback devices are separate, independently operating units, which generally only gather the responses given by customers to preset questions. After a day or a longer period of gathering feedback, the information is transferred to some other device, by means of which the feedback given is processed and analysed. The feedback obtained can then be exploited at a later stage, for example, to improve service.

For example, a feedback device located in the middle of a banking hall may not necessarily encourage the giving of feedback. On the one hand, it may not necessarily be easy to direct customers to the feedback device. Especially customers who are queuing during peak periods may easily not give feedback, even though there might be reason to do so. Though the feedback devices are intentionally easy to use, their functions are generally limited. In addition, the gathering and analysis times are often too long for the matters requiring improvement to be noticed in time. The updating of the questions is also too complicated.

WO publication 99/34274 discloses a movable device, which a waiter gives to the customer when they bring the bill. The customer gives their feedback by answering the questions of the electronic device. The device is used for days, even for weeks, after which the device is connected to a computer. The computer is used to process the information and gather the feedback given by customers. Bringing the device forms a separate work stage for the waiter, who, in addition, must wait for the customer to give the feedback. Further, the customer is often just leaving, so that it may be irritating to have to give feedback. From the point of view of utilizing the feedback, a fundamental drawback is the long delay, which forms between the gathering of the information and the making of the processed feedback. In other words, feedback is obtained retrospectively, which is insufficient in changing situations.

The invention is intended to create an entirely new type of system and method for gathering feedback particularly in customer service, which system is more versatile than previously, by means of which method feedback is gathered comprehensi- vely, accurately, and faster. The characteristics of this invention are stated in the accompanying Claims . According to the invention, feedback is requested precisely in a customer- service situation. In that case, it is easy to ask the customer for feedback, at the same time as the customer service employee is carrying out their work. Thus, more of the customer's time is not required for giving feedback. In addition, the system makes it possible to take into account the customer service employee's experiences of the service situation. Correspondingly, the customer service employee can use the system to ask more precise questions, or they can be given instructions with the aid of the system. The components of the system make the overall structure versatile and flexible. A significant addition is the comprehensiveness and speed of the feedback. Further, the feedback obtained can be rapidly exploited, for example, to set the questions in a new way.

In the following, the invention is examined in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing one embodiment of the an application of the invention, in which.

Figure ^"la shows a perspective view of the system according to the invention applied in connection with a customer-service desk, Figure lb shows a feedback device for use in a system according to the invention, Figure 2 shows schematically the configuration and operation of the system according to the invention.

The system and method according to the invention are intended mainly for gathering feedback, particularly in customer service. Customer feedback is important, in order to determine the level of service and thereafter to improve it. Essentially, the customer gives their feedback by means of a special feedback device 10, which forms an important part of the system. In addition to this, the system includes processing devices 11, for processing the feedback information gathered by means of the feedback device 10. Generally, a customer service includes at least one customer and a customer service employee, who deals with the customer (not shown) . Details of the construction and the operations of the feedback device and the processing device are given later.

According to the invention, the feedback device 10 is arranged in a customer service situation in the immediate vicinity of the customer. According to Figure la, the feedback device 10 is on a customer service desk 12, so that the customer can easily give their feedback. This allows the effective utilization of the time when the customer is waiting while the customer service employee is working. In addition, the customer service employee can request the customer to give their feedback, in which case the giving of feedback becomes a natural part of the service event. Further, the feedback device 10 is connected to the processing device 11 by means of data transmission devices 13, which are arranged to operate essentially during and between customer service situations. Thus, the feedback can be exploited in real time, which increases the rapidity of reaction when improving the service. The permanent connectio is also significant in other ways, which will be described in greater detail when the operation of the system is examined.

By means of the apparatus described above, a customer's feedback can be gathered comprehensively and rapidly. Customers are, however, usually different and thus represent various customer groups. Examples of these are private and company customers, or cash and account customers. Naturally, other criteria can also be defined. In order to obtain the most accurate and reliable feedback, the alternative questions should also match their target group. For this purpose, a second feedback device 14, intended for use by the customer service employee, is arranged in the system. There are also other uses for the second feedback device, which will be examined in greater detail in the description of the operation of the system. In the figure, the second feedback device 14 is placed so as to be clearly visible. Alternatively, it can be hidden from the customer, so that the use of the feedback device by the customer service employee will not influence the customer's feedback behaviour. The second feedback device 14 is also connected to the first feedback device 10 or the processing devices 11, or to both, preferably by means of data transmission devices 13, which are arranged to operate essentially for the entire duration of the customer service situati- on and between the situations. Thus, both feedback devices are continuously connected both to each other and to the processing devices, thus permitting the feedback devices to operate jointly.

Figure lb shows a diagram of the feedback device 10 according to the invention, which includes a display device 15 for presenting questions 18, announcements, or similar. The feedback device 10 also includes an input device 16, for giving feedback and/or for selecting functions. In other words, the customer or the customer service employee uses the feedback device with the aid of the input device and reacts to the questions shown by means of the display device. Preferably the feedback device 10 is a so-called palm computer 17, the touch- sensitive screen 17' of which forms both the display device 15 and the input device 16. In that case, the feedback device is small in size and can be used with sufficient versatility. In Figure lb, the touch screen 17' has three questions 18 or statements, from which the user selects the one that is correct in their opinion. The number and layout of the questions can naturally vary application-specifically. In addition, a suitable background image 19 can be selected for the touch screen 17 ' , which will make giving feedback more interesting, or can, for example, make an announcement about the company providing the service. In the palm computer 17, there is also a wireless modem 20', the protrusion of which is intentionally exaggerated in the figure. The feedback device can also be a device designed specifically for feedback questions, in which case the durability and ease of use of the device, for instance, can be emphasized.

The small feedback device can be easily installed in a suitable place and position. A detached feedback device can, however, be dropped or lost. In order to avoid this, the feedback device is preferably integrated in the furniture used in the customer service situation. Thus, the feedback device will not disturb the actual service event. In addition, it is unlikely to be broken. A feedback device 10 sunk into the customer service desk 12 is shown by a broken line in Figure la.

Figure 2 shows the basic configuration of the system. General- ly, the processing devices 11 includes storage and editing devices 21 for the questions, announcements, and/or similar, which are arranged to be transferred to the feedback devices 10 and 14 by means of data transmission devices 13. The questions can then be prepared and updated centrally in one place. On the other hand, present palm computers permit the questions to be saved and processed in themselves, which may be necessary in certain applications. In Figure 2, the storage devices 21 are shown by a broken line. In practice, the storage devices are electronic mass memories. Correspondingly, the editing device is some program in the server computer 11' formed by the processing devices, to which the data transmission devices 13 are connected. In practice, the data transmission devices include transceivers, such as modems 20 and 20', or network cards, connected to the processing devices and feedback devices. In that case, the system according to the invention can operate wirelessly or over a suitable network. The network can be a company's internal local area network or, for example, the worldwide Internet. GSM and similar networks are the most suitable tools available. In situations, in which the feedback devices and processing devices are in quite separate rooms, is it preferable to include, in the feedback devices, devices for identifying the person giving feedback. The feedback device can then be safely used to communicate with the processing devices. Naturally, the actual giving of the feedback in anonymous. However, depending on the nature of the feedback questionnaire, the feedback may have to be given with a name attached, making identification necessary. In practice, operating and maintenance passwords are used for identification, though electronic identity cards, or fingerprint identification are also possi- ble. In addition, several feedback devices can be connected to a single processing device, in which case feedback can be processed centrally. All the feedback devices in the banking hall referred to in the example embodiment are also preferably connected to a single server computer. On the other hand, in certain solutions a single feedback device can be defined as a server.

In the following, the operation of the system is examined with reference to Figure 2. When the system is set up, a suitable number of feedback devices 10 and 14, and preferably one server computer 11' are installed at the service points. If a wireless network is employed, the server computer is preferably portable, so that the system can be easily moved and arranged. In the processing devices there are questions according to previously decided objectives, with the aid of which feedback is gathered to measure the level of service. During the startup of the system, these questions are transferred to each feedback device, according to the method. The feedback given by the customer is, in turn, transferred to the processing devices. This is shown by the first pair of arrows 22. There may even be several questions, but only one series of questions is preferably shown at one time. Customer satisfaction, for instance, can be measured from the feedback given by the customer.

In the system shown, the customer service employee also has their own feedback device 14. Thus the customer service employee too can give their personal opinion on the service event, in which case it is possible to determine, for example, the correspondence between customer satisfaction and the quality of service. In this case too, suitable questions are transferred from the server computer 11' to the feedback devices 14 and correspondingly the customer service employee' s feedback is transferred to the server computer 11'. This shown by the second pair of arrows 23. Besides giving feedback, the system can also inform the customer or the customer service employee. The targeting referred to above is also possible, if the feedback devices operate jointly. In practice, when the customer comes to the customer service employee, the customer service employee selects the questions that correspond best to the customer, which are transferred to the customer' s feedback device 10. Thus, the gathering of feedback can be targeted as well as possible. The method can also be implemented in such a way that the customer themselves selects the suitable questions. The connection used in targeting is shown by the third pair of arrows 24, though a great deal of information also travels according to the first and second pairs of arrows. /

As all the components are continuously in contact with each other, the system conforms to each situation and the feedback received in real-time. This permits the rapid measurement of the level of service, so that, for example, the questions can be edited according to previously set objectives. In addition, for example, a reminder of the importance of cheerfulness in customer service can be sent to the feedback device of the customer service employee. The questions can also be changed quickly. For example, in the morning, customers can be asked about the sensitivity of the customer service employee. The morning' s result are immediately available , so that already in the afternoon the customer service employee can be guided towards achieving the objective, by reminding them of sensitivity. On the other hand, if the feedback from the morning has been positive, new questions can be set for the afternoon. In addition, further questions can be used, which depend on the response to the previous question. In that case, precise information can be obtained on what pleased or displeased the giver of the feedback.

In addition to questions, other information can also be presented by means of the feedback device. For example, after two basic questions, the customer can be shown two service alternatives, from which the customer can obtain additional benefit. According to the customer's own wishes, several selectable alternatives can be made in the system. The alterna- tives finally narrow down to some concrete service or product, which the customer can, if they wish, ask the customer service employee about. The customer service employee can then describe the relevant service in greater detail, without having to describe the entire range of services. This makes the customer service more efficient and brings added benefits to both the customer and the customer service employee's company. The term question refers generally to multiple-choice tasks presented by the feedback device, from which the customer selects the one they prefer. Next, the following multiple choice is fed in, the content of which depends on the previous choice. Thus, the questions are directed according to the choices, ending with a great probability in a result satisfactory to the customer. The first multiple choice can be the same for everyone, though the customer service employee can, when a customer arrives, select a suitable customer group on their own feedback device.

By means of the system, the customer service employee's own feedback device also becomes a entirely new and extremely versatile system for the customer feedback employee to gather feedback. Firstly, the questions directed to the customer can be targeted for individual cases. Secondly, the customer service employee's assessment of the service event can be taken into account, thus improving the quality of feedback. In addition, the customer service employee can be informed by means of the feedback device. This is made possible by the devices' continuous connection to each other, allowing immediate reaction to the feedback received. Further, the location of the feedback device in the customer service situation makes giving feedback easier and more attractive than before. At the same time, the customer can use the time taken up by the service usefully, by giving feedback on the service that it presently being performed. In practice, the response percentage obtained in a system according to the invention has been as high as more than 90. The example of an embodiment refers to customer service that takes place in a bank, but the system and method according to the invention can be utilized in other service situations too. One form of service that can also be envisaged is interaction between an employer and an employee. In such a situation, the employee is the customer and can give feedback, for example, on the workplace atmosphere. The feedback can thus be used to develop working conditions. In the situation described, the feedback device is somewhere in the workplace, in other words, in the vicinity of the employee who is the customer. Feedback is received in real time, independently of the type of application. In addition, the rapid editing of the questions, together with the targeting makes it possible to receive comprehensive and reliable feedback. In addition, the system itself is flexible and diverse, so that its startup and even its use is easy. This further increases a positive view of giving feedback.

Claims

1. A system for gathering feedback particularly in customer service, which system includes a movable feedback device (10) intended for use by the customer and processing devices (11) , for the feedback information gathered by the

• feedback device (10), equipped with data transmission devices

(13) , for connecting the feedback device (10) to the processing devices (11) , the customer service including at least one customer and a customer service employee, characterized in that the feedback device (10) is arranged in a customer service situation in the immediate vicinity of the customer, for use by the customer, and arranged in the system is a second feedback device (14) intended for use by the customer service employee, which is connected to the first feedback device (10) and/or the processing devices (11) by means of the data transmission devices (13) , and the data transmission devices (13) are arranged to operate essentially for the entire duration of the customer service situations and in the intervals between them.

2. A system according to Claim 1, characterized in that the feedback devices (10, 14) include a display device (15) for showing questions (18), announcements, and/or similar, and an input device (16) for giving feedback and/or for selecting 5 functions.

3. A system according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the feedback device (10, 14) is a so-called palm computer (17), the touch-sensitive screen (17') of which forms both the 0 display device (15) and the input device (16) .

4. A system according to any of Claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the feedback devices (10, 14) include devices for identifying the person giving the feedback. 5

5. A system according to any of Claims 1 - 4, characterized in that the feedback device (10, 14) is integrated in the furniture (12) used in the customer service situation.

5 6. A system according to any of Claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the processing devices (11) include storage and editing devices (21) for the questions (18) , announcements, and/or similar, which are arranged to be transmitted to the feedback devices (10, 14) by means of the data transmission 0 devices (13) .

7. A system according to any of Claims 1 - 6, characterized in that the processing devices (11) are formed by a server computer (11'), to which the data transmission devices (13) are 5 connected.

8. A system according to any of Claims 1 - 7, characterized in that the data transmission devices (13) include transceivers, such as modems (20, 20') or network cards, connected

20 to the processing devices (11) and the feedback devices (10, 14) .

9. A system according to any of Claims 1 - 8, characterized in that the system includes several feedback devices (10,

25 14) , which are connected to a single processing device (11) .

10. A method for gathering feedback particularly in customer service, in which method a movable feedback device (10) is used to gather feedback from a customer and in which

30 the feedback information gathered by the feedback device (10) is processed with the aid of processing devices (11) , which are connected to the feedback ,device (10) by means of data transmission devices (13) , the customer service including at least one customer and a customer service employee, characterized in

35 that the feedback device (10) is arranged in a customer service situation in the immediate vicinity of the customer, for use by the customer, and a second feedback device (14) is used, intended for use by the customer service employee, which is connected to the first feedback device (10) and/or the processing devices (11) by means of the data transmission devices (13) , and the data transmission devices (13) are arranged to operate essentially for the entire duration of the customer service situations and in the intervals between them.

11. A method according to Claim 10, characterized in that the customers are divided into customer groups and different alternative questions are entered in the feedback device (10) for the different customer groups.

12. A method according to Claim 11, characterized in that, in the question alternatives, the following question is arranged to depend on the preceding question.

13. A method according to Claim 11, characterized in that the second feedback device (14) is arranged active for defining the customer group in the customer service situation.