Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/374170
C E O Steve Farbman P R E S I D E N T James McEwen S E N I O R V I C E P R E S I D E N T David Jensen V I C E P R E S I D E N T, M A R K E T I N G & S T R AT E G I C D E V E L O P M E N T Pat Sullivan V I C E P R E S I D E N T Greg Anzelc C O N T R O L L E R Mike Schwarz C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R Rob Johnson A RT D I R E C T O R Mike DeArmond D E S I G N E R S Karli Seman, Julia Taborskaya A D S A L E S Bryan Nelson M A R K E T I N G & AC C O U N T M A NAG E R Jessica Disch S E N I O R A S S O C I AT E E D I T O R Aaron Paitich A S S I S T A N T E D I T O R Jessi Pierce M A R K E T I N G C O O R D I NAT O R Grace Famestad H ow often do you and your colleagues at the rink think about customer satisfaction? When the fall season gets rolling, it seems that we get so busy making sure that programs are full, ice is sold, the building is clean and the ice is maintained properly that customer satisfaction only comes to the forefront when our customers start complaining. Unfortunately, this reactive approach to customer service can negatively impact our efforts to retain customers. We all know how important satisfied customers are to our business, but when do we actually take the time to put a plan together to measure our customers' satisfaction? If we don't regularly ask our customers if they are satisfied, then we won't be able to react quickly to potential issues and improve our customer service. The two most common tools for measuring customer satisfaction are surveys and focus groups. Surveys can be done by phone, in person, by mail, by email or with an electronic tool like Survey Monkey. Customer focus groups are different in that you will get a group of your customers together in a room and ask them the survey questions. Focus groups are a great tool if conducted and managed properly. The information you can get out of a focus group is generally more in-depth than what is attainable in a survey. Whether you choose to use surveys or focus groups to measure customer satisfaction, there are a few key points to consider. What questions you ask, how you ask the questions and when you ask the questions is very important to getting the information you need to make educated decisions. However, it's what you do with this information that's the most important. If you don't take the time to analyze the results and put an action plan in place, then you are wasting everyone's time. I wish you and yours a great fall season. — Jeff Theiler, Chief Operating Officer, Serving The American Rinks Opening ADDRESS Welcome from Jeff Theiler 12 / SEPTEMBER.OCTOBER.2014 RINKMAGAZINE.COM RINK Magazine is the definitive business publication for professionals in the ice rink industry and is the leading source for information on facility management, operations and programming. Mission of STAR: "To be the premier national organization designed to foster the development, growth and success of ice skating rinks in the United States." C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R Jeff Theiler S E N I O R D I R E C T O R , E D U CAT I O NA L P RO G R A M S Don Moffatt D I R E C T O R , M E M B E R S H I P Cory Portner D I R E C T O R , C R A P R O G R A M S John Monteleone PUBLISHING PARTNER THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF STAR SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 // VOL. 17, NO. 5 RINKMAGAZINE.COM // INFO@RINKMAGAZINE.COM 505 North Highway 169, Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55441 P H : (763) 595-0808 FA X : (763) 595-0016 E - M A I L : info@touchpointmedia.com W E B S I T E : touchpointmedia.com P H : ( 719) 538-1149 FA X : (719) 538-1160 E - M A I L : info@starrinks.com W E B S I T E : starrinks.com | narce.com STAR is a program of USA Hockey and U.S. Figure Skating. How to Measure Customer Service If you don't take the time to analyze the results and put an action plan in place, then you are wasting everyone's time. E D I T O R Aaron Paitich A S S I S T A N T E D I T O R Jessi Pierce C O N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R S Steve Carlson, Andy Core, Kevin Erlenbach, Alec Hines, Katie Holmgren, Kevin Kavanagh, Don Moffatt, John Monteleone, Jessi Pierce, Cory Portner, Paul W. Smigliani, Kim Seeling Smith, Jeff Theiler E D I T O R I A L B OA R D Mike Bauer, T.C. Lewis, Craig Petersen, Ben Ruggles, Dave Wescott D E S I G N E R S Mike DeArmond, Karli Seman, Julia Taborskaya