Overall customer satisfaction with distributors in the security industry is "good to high" – but customers are not as satisfied with the returns process which takes too long, reveals a third party survey of over 1,000 CCTV and intruder alarm customers carried out on behalf of Gardiner Security.
Based on a postal survey of 500 customers and 25 in-depth telephone interviews with larger customers from both sectors in the second quarter of this year, the results show that levels of satisfaction are particularly high in a number of areas. These include ordering, processing; delivery; contactability of sales and branch personnel pricing and terms. However, the picture is not entirely rosy, with mean results for the five leading distributors covered by the survey showing general need for improvement in certain common areas. Feedback on stock availability and technical support was mixed, while that on areas such as the returns process and product marketing were more negative.

Views on the returns process varied. While the consensus was that the process had improved slightly, the time taken to collect and repair faulty goods was considered far too long. The ideal would be to turn round most returns in a week The main improvements by GSL in its CCTV business were a continuation of those recorded in 2000: higher stock levels (23 per cent of total responses), better delivery times (17per cent), more helpful staff (13 per cent) and better, more competitive prices (10per cent).

Particularly interesting is how the CCTV and intruder sectors compared in rating the importance of aspects of service. Of 12 key aspects surveyed, pricing came top for CCTV products among 64 per cent of respondents, followed by stock availability (58 per cent), good technical advice (52 per cent), speed of delivery (57 per cent) and the helpfulness of staff (51per cent). With intruder products, stock availability is far and away the principal concern for customers at 73 per cent, followed some way behind by pricing (61per cent), speed of delivery and helpful staff.

Support deemed useful was CCTV training courses (39 per cent), CD or video based training (32 per cent), own logo products (31 per cent) and extended warranties (26 per cent).