Sarah: Good afternoon. You're through to Right way Furnishings. My name's Sarah. How can I help you?
Thomas: Yes, good afternoon. I'm phoning to complain about the condition of some items I ordered from you.
Sarah: Oh, I'm sorry to hear you've had problems. Let's see if I can help. Could you give me the order reference
Thomas: Certainly. It's 96678.
Sarah: Thanks. And could you confirm your name, please?
Thomas: It's Thomas Horton. That's H-O-R-T-O-N.
Sarah: That's great, thanks. I have your order details here so how can I help you?
Thomas: Well, as you'll see, I had a delivery of some furniture from you on the 20th of July, a few days ago. I ordered it on the 13th of July to benefit from the free delivery you were offering at the time. The items arrived but there's a problem with every single one.
Sarah: I'm very sorry to hear that. Let's go through the items, then, and I'll see what I can do.
Thomas: Well, take the sofa for starters.
Sarah: I see here thatyou ordered the Hamilton three-seater sofa. Is that right?
Thomas: Yes, that's the one. It was wrapped in plastic when it arrived – to protect it, I imagine, but when we took this off, we noticed that one end of the sofa was damp, which wasn't a good start. We decided at that point to send it back but inspected it first for signs of any other damage. We then noticed that one of the wooden legs was badly scratched. It's very noticeable. I'm surprised it wasn't picked up by anyone at your warehouse.
Sarah: Thanks. I've made a note of that. We'll certainly collect the faulty one but it'll probably be a few weeks before we can send a replacement. That's a very popular design and there might not be one in stock immediately. Would you like to wait or would you prefer a refund?
Thomas: As long as that? I think in that case, I'll have the refund and I'll look elsewhere.
Sarah: You also ordered a rug from us, the Regent rug. Was that all right?
Thomas: Yes, the three- by two-metre Regent. There are two issues with this. The colour isn't the same as appears in the photo on your website. It's clearly black and white in the photo but the one we had delivered is dark blue rather than black. We could live with that but the problem is that it isn't the size advertised. I've measured it and the dimensions are three metres by one ninety.
Sarah: Actually, you may find that the rug will settle as it gets walked on. The difference may very well be due to the fact that it's been rolled up for some time. It will slowly expand with use. Can I suggest you give it a few days and call back next week if there's no improvement?
Thomas: OK, I'll leave that one for now and see what happens. But then there's the coffee table. This is the self-assembly Morrison table. I'm not particularly talented when it comes to DIY and I appreciate having clear instructions with things like this. It didn't help when I discovered the instructions sent out were for a different table. Luckily, I found the correct ones on your website and downloaded them. When I checked to see if all the bits were included in the pack, I couldn't find four plastic discs. They're the ones that go on the bottom of the legs to protect the floor. According to the instructions, they were supposed to be included. I had to go out and buy some myself.
Sarah: Oh dear. Again, I do apologise. Just to confirm: would you like to return this item or is this feedback?
Thomas: No, I've put it all together now. I don't want to go through that again. I just thought it's something you need to report to your quality control people.
Sarah: Of course, Mr Horton. Well, I must apologise once more for all this. We pride ourselves on the quality of our products and customer service and you seem to have caught us on a bad day. I'll certainly pass on your complaints to my line manager, who will no doubt get back to you to offer her own apologies. But in the meantime, please accept a gift voucher from us by way of an apology. I'll email this to you immediately.
Thomas: Yes, OK. I look forward to hearing from you.
Interviewer: Now, here's something that I'm very much looking forward to. Hagley Food Festival takes place this weekend and we're lucky to have Julie Smart with us in the studio today to tell us all about it. Welcome to the show, Julie. Another year and another great festival to look forward to.
Julie: Good morning, Tim. Yes, the festival has been such a huge success with the public that it's hard to believe it was first held just four years ago. In fact, there have been three events; this year's will be number four. Sadly, we had to cancel last year due to the terrible weather that weekend. But everything's looking good for this one. In fact, I'm really excited about this year's event. We've been fortunate enough to attract two new members to the organising committee, one of whom has a wide range of experience in running festivals, and the other has lots of industry contacts. Judging by the interest we've had, this year looks like being the busiest so far. We're expecting record crowds and we've planned loads of additional activities. So, if your listeners are interested in coming, we'd suggest getting there nice and early to get the most from their visit.
Interviewer: That's good to know. Planning such a large festival must involve a lot of work and a lot of people.
Julie: Yes, it does, but we're lucky to have a brilliant team of volunteers. We couldn't manage without them.
Interviewer: So, when can we look forward to attending?
Julie: Well, we can only start to get the site ready a day before the festival opens so our volunteers will be working all day on Thursday. That means the site will be closed to visitors until the next day, Friday the 30th, and then we'll be there right the way through until Sunday. We open at 12.00 p.m. on Friday and stay open until 10.00 p.m. every evening. We'd have liked an eleven o'clock closing time but public transport stops running at ten thirty. We're encouraging people to use buses and trains to reduce traffic in the area, which is why we're stopping early enough for people to get away in time. We've also tried to keep costs down and this year, for the first time, we've introduced a weekend pass for £15 per person and £10 for children under the age of 16. Of course, you can pay by the day if you prefer: that's £10 for adults and £6 for children. The entrance fee covers things like the children's entertainment and access to all the cooking demonstrations, which we think are worth the entrance fee on their own. Oh, and before I forget, I've been asked to point out that we're offering free parking on site and visitors are asked to use this rather than the streets in or near residential areas as we don't want to upset local people. For those travelling to the festival by train, we're running a shuttle service – that's a double-decker bus - every half hour from the station to the site. This is also available to take people back to the station.
Interviewer: Wonderful! So, what kind of things will be taking place?
Julie: Well, based on feedback from previous events, we've made a few changes this year. A significant development is that we've partnered with a local organisation, Food for the Homeless, and there'll be several fundraising activities during the weekend that visitors can support. We've got some very famous chefs you'll recognise from TV giving demonstrations and some of them will be signing copies of their latest book if you're interested in buying one. There will, of course, be a large number of stalls selling a huge variety of food from around the world. There's a slight change to the advertised programme as the Vietnamese stall won't be with us this year. One new idea we're trying out is a second-hand book stall. Pop along and pick up a bargain, or even better, donate some of your old books. What else? Oh yes, we all know there's growing demand for organic food and visitors will be able to purchase a variety of fruit and vegetables from our organic stall holders. Finally, in our children's area, there'll be lots of child-friendly activities, including colouring worksheets to encourage them to learn how to cook.
Interviewer: That all sounds brilliant, Julie. I can't wait for the weekend!
Susan: Hiya, Lee. I saw you coming out of the accommodation office earlier. Have you found anywhere yet? I've had no luck at all so far.
Lee: Yes, they're really helpful in there. They talked me through what's available on campus and what I'd expect to have to pay.
Susan: Really? Then I guess I'll pay them a visit as well. So, have you found somewhere?
Lee: I haven't made a decision yet, to be honest. I'll be going into my final year after the summer so I'm guaranteed a place on campus in any one of the university halls. Did you know they give priority to first and final year students?
Susan: Yes, I know. That's why I'm having trouble finding somewhere. I've still got two years to go on my course so it's impossible for me to get a place. So, what are you going to do?
Lee: I'm not sure I want to live on campus, actually. Broomfield Hall is where all the high-end, so-called luxury rooms are. Really nicely decorated, your own shower and toilet. You have to share a kitchen, but they're huge. You could hold a party in there. They're not cheap, though. There's no way I could afford to live in one.
Susan: What about Crifield – that block near the sports hall? I've got a friend who lives there and the rooms seem OK.
Lee: Yes, we talked about them. They're not quite so expensive. There used to be a great view of the fields by the back of the university from there until they built that new conference centre. I'm not that keen on living there.
Susan: But you might not have any choice unless you're prepared to find somewhere off campus.
Lee: I hadn't considered living in town again but then the accommodation officer showed me a couple of places that looked interesting. They're both three-bedroom town houses. One's on the High Street and there's a lot of passing traffic so it could be a bit noisy. There are two students living there and they're looking for someone to take the third bedroom, but I think I'd prefer to live with people I know.
Susan: Still, it could work out OK for you. Hopefully you'd get on with the people who live there.
Lee: Well, that's the thing. The other house the accommodation officer told me about doesn't have any tenants yet. It's another three-bedroom place. No garden, like the other one, but it's fully furnished. It's in a residential area, there's not much traffic outside and there's a living room that everyone can use. Sounds promising.
Susan: It's also down the road from the train station, and the bus onto campus stops just around the corner.
Lee: You'd have to find people to share with. Have you got anyone in mind?
Susan: Well, what about you? If you got in quick, you'd be able to take one of the two large bedrooms. The third one's not tiny but one of the other two would suit you. And you haven't found anywhere yet, have you?
Lee: I've been asked if I'm interested in sharing with a couple of people on my course, but I'm not sure I want to live with them and I haven't agreed to anything yet. So, yes, I'd be interested in having a look. What do we have to do?
Susan: Well, the first thing is to book an appointment to see it. Are you free this week?
Lee: Our lectures have come to an end so it should be OK. I did have an appointment to see my tutor but she hasn't confirmed yet so any time after Wednesday. I've got my assignment deadline then.
Susan: OK. I'll book a date to see it and pick up any forms that need to be completed from the accommodation office. The problem is we'll have to pay a deposit. And that would be for the whole house, all three rooms. Unless we pay that ourselves, we'll need to find someone else soon.
Lee: That shouldn't be difficult. Some of our friends have already found places but there are a few like us still having problems finding somewhere. But let's have a look at it first, just in case it's not suitable.
Susan: But if you see anyone today who might be interested, try to get them to join us when we have a look.
Lee: All right. I'll do that. And when you go to the accommodation office, ask them if we can pay something towards the deposit just to reserve it. Then maybe they can take it off the system for 48 hours so nobody else can view it.
Susan: OK, I'll let you know later how I get on.
Lecturer: Good morning, everyone. In last week's lecture we looked at managing your costs as a business. If you missed the lecture, the video is available online. Now, this week I'd like to talk to you about an area that often gets ignored or, at best, isn't given sufficient attention by new businesses: market research.
The entrepreneurs amongst you will all know the feeling: you're lying in bed one night when suddenly you get this idea for a fantastic product. You're sure there's a huge market for it and that it will sell well. You start planning what it will look like in your head - you've even got ideas for the website and how you're going to make those sales. And for a lot of small businesses and inexperienced entrepreneurs, the next step is creating that product or service and getting it out there as quickly as possible.
But unless they're incredibly lucky or have a business instinct that most of us lack, this is a huge mistake that could cost a lot of money or even see the business fail. The missing piece of the jigsaw is market research. Why does this get missed out? Often, it's because the business owner is blinded by their idea. It's so innovative that it's bound to be successful. The entrepreneur thinks they know what the customer wants, perhaps thinks that the customer doesn't even realise they want it. Sometimes it's the concern that the research will be complicated and cost a lot of money and time, and for a start-up without any income, that can be a real concern. More often than not, however, it's because the person concerned doesn't want to get negative feedback or be shown that in fact, there's no market for their idea.
But well thought-out market research carried out before production and launch can avoid expensive mistakes, help the business fine-tune its offer or, in the worse-case scenario, accept that the idea is weak, allowing it to come up with another idea that stands a better chance of success without wasting a lot of valuable time and money.
The first step is to clearly define your market. Entrepreneurs often make the mistake of failing to distinguish between a global market and a smaller, more niche market. It doesn't matter whether you're dreaming of opening a cafe on the local high street or hope to sell goods or services online. Even if you think you have a potential market of millions of customers, how will you market your product or service? If you try to appeal to everyone, your offering will lack focus. That's not to say it can't be done, but appealing to as wide a market as possible requires facing stiff competition, will probably make excessive demands on your marketing budget, and ultimately may fail as you won't be able to appeal to individual tastes or requirements.
Next, research the competition. Remember: if there's a lot of competition, that at least indicates there's a market for your idea. What is the competition, and are you prepared to compete against them on price or quality of product or service? Why should customers decide to buy from you rather than them? Alternatively, perhaps you see a gap in the market, something that nobody else is offering. Researching the competition is crucial, whether it's serving a local, national or an international market. The next step is something that often gets ignored. You should be prepared to ask your potential customers what they think. Research like this provides invaluable feedback and is particularly do-able when you plan to sell online or have an online following. Start by looking at the most popular posts on your social media page or blog: what do they tell you about your visitors' interests? Links to a questionnaire can be used to dig down further to find out more about your visitors' needs.
You could create a free sample of your product and ask if visitors to your social media or blog page would be prepared to buy more. You can ask whether there's anything about the sample they'd like to see changed before they'd consider buying it. Ask them how much they'd be prepared to pay. The important thing is to ask the questions and listen to what your potential customers have to say. You might not like to hear that you have to go back to the drawing board or come up with a completely different idea, but these results will help you steer your business towards a successful launch rather than an expensive failure.