Improving Customer Satisfaction: A Report on Big W's Challenges

This report provides an analysis of customer service issues faced by Big W, an Australian discount department store chain. The report identifies customer dissatisfaction as a key problem, citing low scores in customer surveys and a lack of emotional connection with customers. It then explores the application of strategic planning concepts and leadership models, specifically the situational leadership model, as potential solutions. The report suggests interventions such as seeking customer feedback, strengthening the customer service team, using CRM platforms, and leveraging multi-channel servicing to improve customer satisfaction, trust, and brand loyalty. The report also includes references to relevant academic literature and industry practices to support its analysis and recommendations.

Running head: MANEGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
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Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
In this essay, the main aim of the discussion will be to identify a problem situation of
an organization from Australia, which has not been solved yet. A brief introduction will be
there of the organization, along with the description of the problem. Examination of the
problem will be done according to the scenario of the problem. A change of program or set of
activities and procedures will be provided, which will be linked in order to provide solution
to the problem or improve the situation. A brief analysis report will be submitted where the
summary of the analysis will be discussed. The name of the hosen organization is Big W,
which is a chain of discount department stores from Australia. The company was founded in
the year 1964, in New South Wales. It is a division of Woolworths Limited, and run business
operations in 182 stores as of 2019, employing around 22,000 employees across Asia and
Australia. The organization of Woolworths Limited introduced the Big W brand in order to
provide the shoppers of Australia and Asia with a wide range of normal merchandise
products in a loyal one-stop-shop (Amer, Daim and Jetter 2013).
Description of the Problem
It has been found from the data accumulated from the market places of Australia that
customers are not getting satisfied with the services provided by the organization in their
departmental stores. In the researches performed on the organization, it has been found that
they are among those organizations which has possessed lowest scores in the Forrester
Survey. They have failed in providing excellent customer services to its customers. They are
missing the emotional connection with their customers are coming to the stores to purchase
different kinds of product available in their Big W stores. Lack of customer service suffers
the organization in the context of earning revenue as well as earning of customer trust. To
gain and maintain the customer satisfaction level and customer trust is very difficult in the

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retail sector, and no organization provides excellent services to their customers (Cordeiro
2013).
Topics related with the Issues
The two topics that can be considered and analyzed with the issues raised are uses of
strategic planning concepts and uses of proper models related with the motivation and
organizational culture. It has been seen that the unplanned and whimsical decisions have
lowered the satisfaction level of the customers (Lin and Bennett 2014). The strategic planning
models are used to set the priorities within the organizational system, aim on the resources of
the organization and energy of the employees, strengthen the operations of the company like
Big W, assure about working towards a common business objective or goal from the
viewpoint of the shareholders as well as the employees working out there, establishment of
agreement around the expected results or outcomes and assessment and adjustment of the
direction of the company in response to change the environment of Big W (Dibrell, Craig and
Neubaum 2014). The model of strategic planning helps to identify the issues within the
system of the organizations like Big w and helps to provide a possible outcome. In the
strategic planning process required for Big W in order to satisfy the needs and wants of the
customers who are visiting the departmental stores to buy their necessary products, proper
planning is required to follow the strategic planning process as a whole. Frameworks of the
strategic planning process need to be implemented and followed by the employees of the
organization of Big w to satisfy the customers, which would help to improve the customer
service level of Big W. The aim or goal of the employees should be to engage themselves
with the problems faced by the customers and solve them, so that it would help in measuring
the satisfaction level of the customers. The senior level management or the managers of the
departmental stores need to govern the performances of the employees working on the
departmental stores of Big W (Osland and Bird 2013). In the context of the leadership model

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to be used by Big W, the model of situational leadership can be used, which states that the
employees can be developed according to the particular situations arising from the viewpoint
of the customers, who would have different kinds of problems which need to be solved
according to the situational leadership model. It would help to increase the satisfaction level
of the customers, which would help to increase the customer trust and brand loyalty would be
maintained within the organization (Fernandes and Chamusca 2014).
Designing of the Intervention
The intervention programs would help to face the problems of the solutions and solve
them effectively and efficiently, and to increase the trust of the customers towards the brand
of Big W. The following steps need to be followed by this organization in order to regain the
faith of the customers towards them:
1. Seeking of Customer Feedback - In order to provide excellent service to the
customers, the feedbacks need to be taken from them. The organization need to understand
the different types of problems and solve them at the earliest.
2. Strengthen The Customer Service Team - Big W need to build a strong
customer service team separately which would help tom solve the various problems faced by
them.
3. Usage of CRM Platforms – Big W also can use proper customer relationship
management systems to establish effective coordination among the various departments
within the organization, which may result in dissatisfaction among the customers.
4. Leverage Multi-Channel Servicing – The customers need to be provided the
switching between the multiple channels, so service should be provided to offer continuous
services to customers, which would help to increase the credibility as well as the reputation of

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the organization among the customers, which would also increase the trust of the customers
towards the brand (Ramchandani and Novitaz. 2013).

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References
Amer, M., Daim, T.U. and Jetter, A., 2013. A review of scenario planning. Futures, 46,
pp.23-40.
Cordeiro, W., 2013. Small businesses ignore strategic planning at their peril. Academy of
Business Research Journal, 3.
Dibrell, C., Craig, J.B. and Neubaum, D.O., 2014. Linking the formal strategic planning
process, planning flexibility, and innovativeness to firm performance. Journal of Business
Research, 67(9), pp.2000-2007.
Fernandes, J.R. and Chamusca, P., 2014. Urban policies, planning and retail
resilience. Cities, 36, pp.170-177.
Lin, Z. and Bennett, D., 2014. Examining retail customer experience and the moderation
effect of loyalty programmes. International Journal of Retail & Distribution
Management, 42(10), pp.929-947.
Osland, J.S. and Bird, A., 2013. Process models of global leadership development. In Global
Leadership 2e (pp. 109-124). Routledge.
Ramchandani, J. and Ghias, A., Novitaz Inc, 2013. Customer relationship management
system for physical locations. U.S. Patent 8,600,804.