1. Customer care

Good customer care is the lifeblood of the sport and recreation service. Get it right first time and every time.

Gap
Advice on customer care relevant to sport and recreation services

2. Setting service standards and using accreditation systems.

Good service depends on setting high standards based on effective consultation. You can seek accreditation such as quality assurance, Clubmark , Chartermark and Crystal Mark.

Safety in Sport- UK Sport

Crystal Mark
Plain English Campaign is an independent pressure group fighting for public information to be written in plain English. We have more than 6000 registered supporters in 70 countries.

Gap
Specific advice on setting service standards in sport and recreation services

Chartermark
Charter Mark is a powerful, easy to use tool to help everyone in the organisation focus on and improve customer service. Achievement of the standard is recognised by awarding the right to display the prestigious Charter Mark logo.

Clubmark (502 KB)
Sport England clubmark is a cross sport recognition of sports clubs that are committed to providing a safe, effective and child friendly environment.


3. Complaints systems

When it goes wrong listen to the complaints and uses them to put it right and make it better.

The complaint management process - The privacy marketing review
Many companies still regard customers complaints as unpleasant and as a waste of time and money. They install barriers to the customer's decision to complain and some (frontline) employees even make their customers believe that they would not have the right to complain at all. According to Tax and Brown (1998: 76), only 5-10% of dissatisfied customers decide to complain to the company and most of them "are dissatisfied with the way companies resolve their complaints" and "have more negative feelings about an organization after they go through the service-recovery process".

In that case, dissatisfied customers will switch to competitors if alternatives are available and if the company does not apply a number of mechanismsto prevent customers from switching. In any case, customers will engage in negative word-of-mouth communication to warn friends and relatives (Blodgett et al. 1995). Companies, therefore, should try to prevent these negative consequences and the high costs of acquiring new customers by strengthening the endangered relationship with the customer by setting up an efficient complaint management system.


Gap
Practical advice on setting up and using complaint systems

Complaints management - BSI
Have you taken measures to ensure that Customer Care equals Customer Loyalty?
A good Complaints Management System is one of the crucial requirements for successful businesses when managing and understanding their customers needs, wants and frustrations.
A thorough situation analysis of your organisation will give you assurance that you do have an effective system to deal with customer dissatisfaction.
Let BSI help you demonstrate to your customers that you care with the Complaints Management Scheme.


4. Customer satisfaction surveys

Measuring your success through customer satisfaction is a key indicator of your performance and if we are satisfying our communities.

Measuring customer satisfaction- Office of public service reform
We commissioned MORI to produce a report looking at the ways in which the views of customers can be measured, highlighting which methods might be most suitable for different types of organisation.

Gap
Guidance on measuring customer satisfaction in sport & recreation services

5. Monitoring performance

Monitoring your performance on the standards you have set will help you improve.

Gap
Guidance on how you monitor improvements in customer service