Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is Qualmark and how will it help my business?
Qualmark is an exciting new service for B&B and Self-Catering businesses which will reveal what your visitors won't - the truth about why they will or won't be booking to stay again. Structured feedback is based on the information provided by anonymous visitor questionnaires returned to Qualmark in Freepost envelopes. This feedback provides important information on how to retain your existing customers, as well as how to increase bookings in the future, all in the most financially viable way. At the end of the season we explain and discuss the results with you personally and give you your customer satisfaction rating. A 'Qualmark' will be awarded to a business which achieves the required level of customer satisfaction.
Q2. How does it work?
Once you have subscribed to the Qualmark service, you will receive your starter pack of customer questionnaires, Freepost envelopes (plus separate and optional free prize draw entry form) to distribute to your guests. The guests fill these in and return them to us, where we scan the replies into specialised software that records and analyses the results. The questionnaires are anonymous which encourages guests to say what they really think. We provide an analysis of the results at the end of the tourism season, together with a summary report tailored for your individual business. We go through these results with you in a personal meeting and let you know your own customer satisfaction score.
Q3. Will I know how well I am doing compared to others?
Yes, Qualmark also measures how satisfied your customers are compared with customers of other similar businesses.
Q4. What sort of questions are they and what information does Qualmark collect?
The questions have been carefully chosen to provide useful and meaningful information for your particular type of business, covering a wide spectrum of issues starting from how the customer first found out about you, ease of booking, hospitality, right through to their satisfaction with specific aspects of the accommodation and facilities you provide and whether they’ll be coming back or recommending you to their friends!
Q5. We are a small business and I already know if my customers are happy because I talk to them. I also have a visitors’ book. So why would I want to pay for Qualmark?
Most visitors will only tell you the good bits - what they think you want to hear - whilst keeping their real thoughts and any reservations they may have to themselves. Qualmark will give you a balanced picture making it an invaluable service to any size of business.
Q6. We already do our own informal visitor questionnaire, so why would we want to pay for this service?
The Qualmark questionnaire has been carefully designed to establish exactly what matters to customers in your specific tourism sector and a trial has been undertaken to ensure that the questions are the right ones. Inclusion of 'gap analysis' (a proven research technique), supported by actual 'verbatim' comments, makes the information reliable so that it can provide you with a sound basis for making changes and improvements to your business.
Q7. I want to read my own visitor questionnaires, otherwise how will I know about any problems?
Any urgent problems will be advised to you immediately. There is a page on the questionnaire that allows visitors to write any overall comments without restriction and their actual words will be passed on to you at your feedback session towards the end of the year.
Q8. My business is already fully booked most of the time, so I know I already have a good product. Why do I need Qualmark?
Evidence from the initial trials for Qualmark shows that all businesses, even the very best, award-winning ones, obtain valuable customer intelligence from Qualmark flagging up customers’ concerns that the owners had not been aware of and acting as an early warning system to allow the best to stay that way and to continue to meet and exceed their customers’ expectations.
Q9. What if the questionnaires just show a customer wish list of things that I can’t possibly afford to give them – swimming pools and such like?
You will be amazed at the things that really matter to your customers that you may have overlooked and that will not cost the earth to change. A new swimming pool may be out of the question but a new brand of coffee or better quality bed linen won’t be. But don’t forget, Qualmark will also tell you about the things that you are already doing right and perhaps didn’t realise were so important to your guests. You can then highlight these on your website or leaflets to attract more of the right type of visitor – visitors who you know will enjoy what you offer and who will want to come back again and again.
Q10. I already have my Visit Britain grading, so why do I need the Qualmark service??
The Visit Britain grading scheme assesses the quality of the fabric and facilities provided by the business. Qualmark is a managed service that assesses the standard and quality of the customer experience. The two schemes measure and assess different things but are entirely complementary. It is not intended that Qualmark duplicate or in any way replace the NQAS grading scheme. As this is the first time a recognised customer satisfaction endorsement can sit alongside the grading, we believe this combination effect will become a more powerful motivator for attracting new customers.
So, for example, a business graded 3 star can receive the same or higher Qualmark Customers Satisfaction Rating as a 5 star business providing it is living up to – or exceeding - the expectations of its target customers and providing a great holiday experience. Qualmark is designed to reward businesses which are satisfying their customers and its aim is to show you ways to best serve your market.
Q11. I'm already very busy - won't this cause me extra work?
On the contrary, after you have integrated Qualmark into your routines by asking your guests to fill in the questionnaires at the optimum time during their stay, Qualmark will do the rest – inputting the results and presenting them to you in a meaningful way.
Q12. What is to stop me filling in the questionnaires myself to obtain a better Qualmark at the end of the season?
To do this would be self-defeating as the aim of Qualmark is to help businesses to satisfy their customers and become more successful. Qualmark monitors the responses and will easily spot any abuse of this service to you. As we take this issue very seriously, anyone who is found to be abusing this customer satisfaction service will have the service terminated immediately and will forfeit their right to any refund. Any business found cheating will not be awarded a 'Qualmark'
Q13. Why can't the guest do this on line after their holiday?
Response rates are lower if done on line after the holiday. People move on and forget, so their answers tend to be less accurate and not so personal and relevant to the holiday. Results show that the most meaningful responses come from the survey taking place as an integral part of the holiday, normally towards the end, but not on actual point of departure. Cost of technology also has a bearing here – we want this service to be within the price range of as many businesses as possible.
Q14. What about TripAdvisor?
Trip advisor is a very useful tool when searching out customer reviews about a particular establishment. However this online site has already been shown to contain fake reviews and bogus glowing reports put on by establishments themselves to boost ratings. This matter needs addressing so that viewers can trust what they read online.
Q15. Why do I have to wait until the end of the season to get my results?
Qualmark is a strategic management tool. Whilst we will alert you to any urgent problems that arise, this service is not about “fire fighting”. You really need a full season to identify trends correctly; otherwise you could make snap decisions based on results that have been skewed by a few non-typical responses or that are only relevant to one part of the season.
Q16. What if the questionnaire responses mean I get a poor result?
Every business will be given their own customer satisfaction rating which they may or may not wish to make public. Your score will give you a personal benchmark from which to improve for your own satisfaction and to benefit your business. If you are awarded a 'Qualmark', again it will be entirely up to you if you wish to publish this – for example on your website or brochure. If you do choose to take this route, there will be a link from your 'Qualmark' to a specific page on the www.qualmark.co.uk website for the customer to understand how and why your business has received this award.
Q17. As this service will benchmark my business against others what is to stop others cheating by being selective in who they distribute the questionnaire to?
We take this issue very seriously. Anyone who is found to be abusing this customer satisfaction service will have the service terminated immediately and will forfeit their right to any refund. Any business found cheating will not be awarded a 'Qualmark '. All questionnaires are read and surveyed by the Qualmark team.
Q18. I like the idea of getting a 'Qualmark' so what do I have to do?
Whilst every business will receive a customer satisfaction score not every business is guaranteed a 'Qualmark' as this is dependent upon the level of customer satisfaction achieved. A business which is getting most things right and is deemed by its customers to be 'serving its market' is likely to be awarded a 'Qualmark' for that year.
