AMSTERDAM — (BUSINESS WIRE) — September 25, 2012 — Eighty-seven per cent of consumers have suffered tradesmen and delivery firms turning up late for appointments, independent European research has revealed.
According to the TomTom-commissioned study, conducted by global research consultancy TNS across Germany, France, Great Britain and the Netherlands, more than a quarter claim to have experienced poor punctuality on a regular basis. Furthermore, 73 per cent of those questioned say they are frequently kept in the dark about delays.
“Good customer service will differentiate a company from the competition in any economic climate, in a recession it can mean business survival,” said Thomas Schmidt, Managing Director, TomTom Business Solutions.
“Clearly companies are failing to meet expected levels of service, with factors such as traffic and a lack of fleet management information contributing to regular late arrivals and unsatisfied customers.”
The study also revealed that 94 per cent of consumers are not typically given precise appointment times by delivery and service companies, with 64 per cent usually being given morning or afternoon timeslots at best.
Customers have expressed their frustrations with 74 per cent believing these four-hour timeslots are unacceptable. In fact almost a quarter (24 per cent) of those interviewed said unspecified appointment times are the biggest failing of service and delivery companies.
According to the study, 74 per cent of consumers said they would be less likely to use a company again that failed to give precise or acceptable appointment timeslots. A further 27 per cent believed service standards (punctual deliveries and job attendance times) have deteriorated since the global economic downturn.
Advanced fleet management systems calculate mobile workers’ journey times, based on live and historic traffic information, enabling companies to more accurately plan job schedules. It also enables jobs to be allocated by office-based managers to the most appropriate workers – based upon quickest arrival times – not simply to those who are closest to customers.
Thomas Schmidt concluded: “Fleet management technology has helped thousands of businesses realise significant efficiency gains, and in some cases, meet strict service level agreement (SLA) targets.
“By boosting service and better managing expectations by communicating reliable ETAs, companies will minimise customer frustrations, culminating in a better experience for them and a strengthening of their business reputations.”
ENDS
About the research
The research was conducted online by global research consultancy TNS.
It was conducted among 3164 adults, aged 16-64, who have received product deliveries they have had to be at home to receive or who have arranged job visits from service companies/tradesmen in the past 12 months.
The interviewed sample was weighted to represent the adult populations of Germany, France, Great Britain and the Netherlands.
About TomTom
Founded in 1991, TomTom (AEX:TOM2) is the world’s leading supplier of in-car location and navigation products and services focused on providing all drivers with the world’s best navigation experience. Headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom has over 3,500 employees and sells its products in over 40 countries.
Our products include portable navigation devices, in-dash infotainment systems, fleet management solutions, maps and real-time services, including the award winning TomTom HD Traffic.
For the world’s most up-to-date route planner, including live traffic information go to www.tomtom.com/livetraffic
For further information, please visit www.tomtom.com
About TomTom Business Solutions
TomTom Business Solutions is a leading provider of fleet management solutions and recognized as the fastest growing Telematics Service Provider (TSP) for commercial fleets in Europe. WORKsmart™ is TomTom’s ready to use fleet management solution and an innovative way for improving the management of all types of commercial fleets. It offers customers a choice of industry leading solutions combined with a high professional service quality. At the heart of the solution is TomTom WEBFLEET®.
For further information, please visit http://business.tomtom.com/
Follow us on Twitter @TomTomCorporate.com
Contact:
TomTom Contacts:
Corporate Communications
Yann
Lafarque
+31 20 850 0902