Consistent quality key to keep consumers in pubs, writes Innserve’s Steve Lakin
OVER the last ten years the licensed trade has faced numerous challenges, from the smoking ban to the recession.
Cheap alcohol available in supermarkets has seen record numbers of people drinking at home and questions asked by the government.
But pubs and hospitality venues have responded with passion and ingenuity to carve out their own niches, providing the public with more choice, better service and longer opening hours.
Behind every successful pub lies a well-oiled machine; from the cellar upwards everything has to run smoothly.
Profit margins are tight and customer loyalty fickle.
This is why improved efficiency, reduced wastage and the ability to serve quality products, in the best condition continuously, and for longer are all essential to business success.
At Innserve we understand how important it is that our customers maintain optimum serving operations at all times.
In the last decade, more than 300 highly-trained technicians have made over 3 million visits to 80,000 outlets.
By listening to our customers we have gained an understanding of the exacting standards required of their drinks dispensing equipment 365 days a year, at all hours.
Our customer support service team receives over 700,000 calls annually.
Experienced at minimising downtime, they can provide live diagnosis and recommend fixes to basic issues, whilst technicians are on stand-by to make on-site visits for more complex difficulties.
With the aim of fixing any technical issues on their first visit technicians are focused on getting our customers fully back in business as soon as possible.
The public expect to be served the perfect drink, time after time.
Storing and serving drinks at the optimum temperature, through clean lines, is essential in providing this consistency.
And customers appreciate a good pint, coming back for more.
But this level of service has to be delivered in the most efficient way possible.
Through research and development engineering we design innovative products to increase the longevity of equipment, helping to reduce maintenance requirements and drive down lifetime costs.
These are all tested in our comprehensive test and development centre where humidity and temperature can be controlled to replicate typical trading conditions to ensure products are robust once in use.
The licensed trade has been forced to adapt through commercial pressures and increased public expectations.
The key to success is communication. By forming close relationships with our customers and gaining an understanding of their challenging and evolving industry we can work together to serve the public well into the future.
• Steve Lakin is a key account manager at Innserve.
