GDHA wins D&G's TEQ Award for second year running
September 2006
Following its success last year, Glen Dimplex Home Appliances (GDHA) has won the Total Excellence and Quality Award (TEQ) in the white goods manufacturer category of Domestic & General's annual survey for a second year.
At a special ceremony at GDHA's Prescot, Merseyside head office, Ken Wilson, Managing Director of Domestic & General presented the TEQ trophy to Paula Hodkinson, Customer Care Director of GDHA .
The TEQ surveys give D&G's customers the chance to comment on the whole process of the repair process, from the moment the initial call is received through to the performance of the engineer in the customer's home.
”Now in their ninth year, our TEQ Awards remain one of the largest independent surveys of customer service in the UK home,” commented D&G’s Ken Wilson. “This year we mailed out over 350,000 questionnaires to our customers following a repair visit."
GDHA not only retained its number one position but has, once again, achieved a record high-quality rating in the process - achieving 90.61 points out of a possible score of 100.
Paula Hodkinson of GDHA said, "We are absolutely thrilled to have won the TEQ award for the second year running and, to have beaten our previous record score, highlights just how much work the business has put into ensuring that GDHA continues to set the standard for customer service in our industry. Throughout the past year we have continued to improve our processes and systems and our training programmes to ensure that the customer care team in the office and the engineers on the road are equipped with the tools they need to do their job well. Our mission now is to pass the benefits of our success on to retailers, who ultimately stand to benefit by working closely with an organisation committed to providing the best customer care experience for the end-consumer.”
"Since its introduction, the real winner from the success of TEQ has been, of course, the customer," emphasised Ken Wilson. "This year nine out of ten of our customers have reported they had a good experience following the breakdown of a product or appliance. That's the strength of TEQ. It is unique in that, not only does it give our service network an accurate picture of what is happening in the customer's home, but also shows how members of our repair network are doing in relation to their main competitors.”
ENDS
Further Information contact: Lindsey Addison (Group Head of Public Affairs) (tel) 020 8946 7777 (fax) 020 8947 0896, or e-mail pressoffice@domgen.com
Notes for Editors
The Total Excellence and Quality Awards (TEQ) are based on the UK's largest independent survey of repair standards on domestic appliances. The questionnaires were sent to D & G policyholders following a repair call. This year over 350,000 questionnaires were mailed out. Over 40% of those customers mailed returned completed questionnaires. Apart from forming the basis of the TEQ Awards, the data also provides a quarterly benchmark for service companies as to how well they were performing in virtually every aspect of the repair procedure. A key factor is service companies are measured against each other. In addition to being asked how efficiently the repair was carried out, customers were also asked to respond to a wide range of questions relating to 'softer' issues of the repair - including how politely and efficiently the initial call was handled through to punctuality, courtesy and attitude of the service engineer while on site.