Essay Example on Tesco Plc: Impact of Legislative and Regulatory Requirements

Introduction

At Tesco Plc, customer service is highly impacted by the legislative and regulatory requirements. Legislative requirements are general principles guiding operations of the organization, and are issued by the country's legislative body whereas regulations are specific compliance requirements issued by government bodies in line with the legislative requirements (World Health Organization, 2019). For example, legislative requirements that influence Tesco Plc include the Sale of Goods Act, the Consumer Protection Act, and Trade Descriptions Act, while regulatory requirements encompass protecting customer and colleague data, health and safety, equal opportunity, inclusion and diversity, and respect for human rights. On the other hand, both legislative and regulatory requirements guide the operations of the firm and in some instances alter skill set requirements and resource needs to deliver according to those legal expectations (Kevin 2013, p. 6).

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The legislative requirements offer a general and legal framework directing how Tesco delivers service to the consumers. For instance, the Consumer Protection Act ensures that Tesco employees prioritize attributes such as honest and careful considerations when dealing with customers to avoid serving defective products or charging unfair prices. Regulatory requirements make the company go a step further to comply with certain internal requirements that eventually result in a safe and healthy working environment. A safe and healthy working environment enhances employees' effectiveness and efficiency hence leading to high customer service (Anitha 2014, p. 308).

The Difference in Customer Satisfaction Strategies

Different organizations employ different approaches to satisfy their customers. Tesco Plc satisfies its customers by putting them first and them how they want (Tesco Plc, 2016). The company listens to customers and incorporates their suggestions on how they serve them next time. Apple created a brand personality and culture where they seek to make the customer belong to their community (Montgomerie & Roscoe 2013, p. 290). Apple intends to make the customer identify with their brand and get satisfied for being part of a big brand that is celebrated by many users worldwide. Apple's approach is simply designed to attract customers into the ecosystem of the company and hold them there which will lead to huge customer base and loyalty. On the other hand, Tesco's approach does not necessarily guarantee to hold the customer since prioritizing a client does not always translate into satisfying them. Tesco's customer satisfaction strategy operates on the premise of fulfilling the needs of the client and hoping that her she will come back tomorrow but Apple wants to capture that customer and continue to serve him or her into the future.

The Effectiveness of Customer Service Skills

Everyone can become a customer service agent but not every customer service agent is effective. The distinction between the two is the acquisition of certain skills that make delivery of service a superb. According to Lucas (2012), an effective customer service agent should possess skills such as empathy, communication skills, patience, positive attitude, listening skills, positive language, and authenticity.

Whereas I possess at least a significant number of those customer service skills that make one effective in product or service delivery, I feel that I lack some of them which include patience and listening skills, and I need to improve in these areas. Patience is the ability to stay calm in tense situations. Customer service involves attending to customers with different emotional status; others are angry. Patience will allow me to stay calm when serving those customers who get angry quickly and still satisfy their needs under tense circumstances. Also, listening skills are important for me as a customer service agent because they allow me to mirror the tone of the customer and be able to connect. Once a connection is established, it would be easy to deliver according to the unique needs of that particular customer.

References

Anitha, J., 2014, 'Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance,' International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 63(3), p.308.

Kevin, K.J, 2013,'The Impact of Legislation on the Organization: Evaluating the Impact of Corporate Governance Regulation on the Internal Audit Function,' Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2013.https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/bus_admin_diss/22

Lucas, R.W., 2012, Customer service: Skills for success, McGraw-Hill.

Montgomerie, J. & Roscoe, S., 2013, 'Owning the consumer-Getting to the core of the Apple business model,' In Accounting Forum (Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 290-299), Taylor & Francis.

Tesco Plc(2016), Strategic Report 2016, [online] Available at: https://www.tescoplc.com/media/264195/strategic-report-2016.pdf [Accessed 15 Apr. 2019].

World Health Organization (2019). How to Implement Computer-Assisted Drug Registration - A Practical Guide for Drug Regulatory Authorities - Regulatory Support Series No. 002: II. Pre-Requisites For Computer-Assisted Drug Registration: A. Legislation and Regulations. [online] Apps.who.int. Available at: http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Jh2994e/3.1.html [Accessed 15 Apr. 2019].