An Interview with Noel Pope Director of Merityre re his company’s commitment to excellence in customer service

I was very pleased recently when the Director of Merityre Specialists, Noel Pope, agreed to take the time to have lunch with me and take part in a short, informal interview about his company’s commitment to achieving excellence in customer service.

Merityre are renowned for providing way above average levels of customer service in their business and I am always very interested in interviewing anybody who demonstrates an unwavering commitment to customer service from the top of their organisation.  I like to know what makes them tick and most importantly how they achieve such great results in terms of customer satisfaction.

This interview will be published in two parts with the second part available to view tomorrow.

Merityre Specialists Limited was formed in 1961. Based in Andover in Hampshire, the company has enjoyed considerable success. It operates 19 branches throughout southern England, including several in the Thames Valley.

Merityre has one aim:   “To provide a service that exceeds our customers’ expectations.”

GA Training has been providing customer service training to Merityre since 2007 and we are now in out third year of working together in partnership.

GT: Thank you for joining me Noel, first of all how is business?

NP: Very good thank you, we are enjoying an excellent year and I am pleased to say that we are currently looking at further expansion of our branch network.

GT: Merityre was established in 1961 and is still going strong in 2010, how many members of staff do you currently have working with you?

NP: There is 175 staff in total in the company.

GT: Are all of them as fiercely committed to customer service as yourself and Jolyon?  (Jolyon is Noel’s brother who jointly runs Merityre).

NP: Of course!!  I think everyone at the company understands that it is our commitment to achieving excellence in customer service that has the potential to set us apart from our competitors.

GT: GA Training has been involved with Merityre since 2007 and we are now in the third year of providing a programme of ongoing customer service training, has Merityre always had a commitment to customer service?

NP: Yes we have always placed customer service very high up on the agenda.  In a price sensitive marketplace we have always recognised that we can set ourselves apart by providing excellent customer service.  Our customer service programme “Meritcare” is now in its 16th year and still going strong.

GT: How has customer service provision changed in your industry over the last decade?

NP: Well during the 1980s a major national company set new standards that you could argue were a wake up call for everyone else to raise their game.

GT: So did this lead to an improvement in service levels throughout the industry?

NP: Yes, it did. Initially in terms of branch appearance and facilities offered, but also latterly in levels of customer service.

GT: How do you rate the overall levels of customer service within your industry the motor trade?

NP: Overall I think the standards are improving all the time but in many cases they still leave a lot to be desired.  There is in fact talk of a super complaint being launched by the Office of Fair Trading against the motor trade which would change the way things are done.  It is not 100% clear whether this will apply to all players in the motor trade but it is certainly something that we are keeping an eye on. By motor trade I mean the entire garage sector, more so than the specialised tyre distribution arena that we are primarily involved in.

GT: What is a super complaint?

NP: A super-complaint is a complaint made in the UK by a state-approved ‘super-complainant’/watchdog organisation on behalf of consumers, which is fast-tracked by the Office of Fair Trading.
For a super-complaint to be valid, it has to be about a “market feature, or combination of features, such as the structure of a market or the conduct of those operating within it, that is or appears to be significantly harming the interests of consumers”

GT: Do you think a super complaint is justified?

NP: No! I don’t feel it would lead to any improvement, rather a case of much more bureaucracy that companies, and ultimately the consumer, would have to pay for. A better approach would be to enforce existing laws and regulations, and to weed out the culprits, rather than paint the entire industry with one brush.

PART 2 of this interview will be online to view tomorrow.