Sodexho student satisfaction survey yields positive results

Customer satisfaction for on-campus dining has improved in nearly all surveyed categories since last year.

Sodexho Dining Services conducted surveys in September that revealed this increase in customer satisfaction.

A recent student survey conducted by Sodexho Dining Services revealed customer satisfaction for on-campus dining has improved in nearly all categories of customer satisfaction since last spring.

“Like any service organization, we have to be lead by our customers,” Sodexho Retail Manager Mike Haun said. “We have to be able to anticipate our customers’ needs.”

In September, Haun generated customer feedback through approximately 400 surveys distributed to customers in dining facilities. The two-part survey focused on both the dining hall, or board, and retail, including The Pit and Chik-fil-a. Surveys focused on three main areas: likeliness to recommend, overall satisfaction and value perception.

Surveys were sent to Consumermetrics, a statistical analysis company in Atlanta. Results revealed an increase in all categories for the dining hall and in all categories except value perception for retail.

Haun said the survey was geared toward all Sodexho customers, not just students.

“I think the survey was a very good representation of the people who eat with us regularly,” he said.

Although the surveys are a valued method of customer evaluation, Haun said comment cards are the most frequent and the most reliable form of evaluation. These cards, which are available in both The Pit and the on-campus Chik-fil-a, are evaluated daily by either a general manager or chef, Haun said.

Haun also said Sodexho is now also focusing on making accommodations based on individual complaints and suggestions. Some changes that were made based on individual comments included a greater selection of bagels, a Panini Grill for hot deli sandwiches and improvements on pizza.

Junior Hunter Register has been a customer of Sodexho for three years. He said he has noticed many changes in the dining hall, including availability of condiments on tables, the sandwich line and an overall improvement since last year.

“I think the food is good one day and not so good another just because you may not like what they are serving that day,” Register said.

This variation is a part of Sodexho’s mission.

Haun said one goal for Sodexho is to take people out of their comfort zones and broaden their horizons by helping them try new things.

“If you are more accustomed to trying new things, you will be that much better in the new things that lie ahead of you in life,” Haun said.

Freshman Cody Rhodes, who normally eats at the dining hall three meals a day, said he believes the food selection should be even more diversified.

“The food selection needs to be wider, it seems like they have the same things all the time,” Rhodes said. “I don’t have anywhere else to go and I have an unlimited plan. Even though it gets old, it still beats paying for a meal.”

Haun said Sodexho will closely monitor the opinions conveyed through this survey as well as those to come. He said if a negative response is generated, the feedback would be taken very seriously and a public forum would be held to increase customer ap-proval.

An additional survey for Spring Semester 2005 is ready for distribution and will be conducted within the next month, Haun said.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 18 2005. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry