What do our customers think?

In August 2009 LT&RC commissioned an independent market research study to discover the views of its customers on the service it provides. This study took the form of individual interviews and focus groups with scheme managers and team leaders, and community wardens, and focused on the training experience, environment and quality of the LT&RC customer service.

In addition two potential new services were proposed to the

research subjects (Training + and Collaborate) and views

taken as to the potential value of these two new services.

The study concentrated on the LT&RC customer experience, and especially focussed on:

 

The training environmentRefreshments offeredThe trainers, training & support materialsCost price & value for moneyThe LT&RC websiteThe LT&RC newsletter

Managers, team leaders and wardens were asked of their opinion of the LT&RC training service, while managers and team leaders were also asked about their motivations for booking with LT&RC, and their opinion of LT&RC’s pricing.

How comfortable is the training environment?

This question focussed the experience of the training room, opinion on the refreshments offered by the Training Centre and the location of the training centre.

In principle, the training room was considered to be suitable for requirements (77% rated it as being comfortable) and the location of LT&RC was praised. The use of air conditioning in the training room was criticised (four interviewees complained of the temperature being erratic and the room of being uncomfortable as a result). In addition, 90% of interviewees commented upon the withdrawal of lunch as part of the LT&RC service.

Did the training meet your expectations?

The interviewees were asked as to their experience of the training delivered; did it meet your expectations and, principally, has the training been useful in your work? Overall 94% agreed with the statement that the training met the expectations of the trainees. With regard to the trainers, all interviewees were asked if they could recall and name of their trainer (all were able to do so), and to comment on the professionalism of their trainer’s performance. The performance of the trainers was also highly rated, with 97% of the interviewees satisfied with their professionalism. Both Terry Bowen and Denise Fermor were highly praised in their performance by a third of the interviewees.

How affordable do you think LT&RC prices are?

This questioning focussed on the price of courses, how reasonable the interviewees thought these were, and their comparison against the prices offered by other training providers. Specifically, interviewees were asked if the costs of the courses were a barrier to placing an order. The majority of (manager/team leader) interviewees stated that the LT&RC course prices were high in their opinion (83%), while half of these interviewees also agreed with the proposition that the prices were high enough to be an obstacle to making a booking. A minority (38%) were of the opinion that the prices were high, but that the cost was justified, either because of the specialised nature of the training offered, or because of the perceived overheads of the organisation.

How familiar are you with the website & e-newsletter?

In June 2009 the LT&RC website was re-launched with a refreshed design and functionality. At the same time a new monthly e-newsletter was introduced which contains course and other information. When asked, all interviewees initially expressed satisfaction with the website, however, when presented with the new site design 58% revealed that they were referring to the old design and had, in fact, not visited the site since the re-launch. When presented with the new website all of the interviewees were complimentary of the design, modernity and functionality.

With regard to the e-newsletter, every interviewee was familiar with the e-newsletter and relied upon it for information on LT&RC courses. However, the length of the newsletter was criticised, and more information was requested on course listings.

In order to gain a comprehensive spread of informed opinion, research subjects were selected from a wide spread of London boroughs, all of which had trained in the recent past with LT&RC, as follows:

LB of Hammersmith & Fulham (Street Wardens/Resident Services)LB of Southwark (Park Community Wardens)LB of Southwark (Nunhead & Peckham Rye Wardens)LB of Merton (Safer Merton)LB of Westminster (Street Management)LB of Hackney (Shoreditch Warden Scheme)LB of Islington (Street Environment Wardens)LB of Camden (Camden Wardens)

 

All of the above schemes, at the time of the study, were going through a process of change, necessitated by a combination of organisational re-structure and economic pressure caused by the recession.

 

You can download the complete findings (PDF): Download...