CARREFOUR – SETTING GLOBAL SERVICE STANDARDS

This caselet discusses the global initiatives of Carrefour, the international retailing giant to improve its internal processes through technological measures. It focuses on internal measures taken by Carrefour in training its employees. Finally, it describes the various promotional measures and other services undertaken by the retailer to provide good customer service.
Issues:
» Impact of technology in retailing.
» Need for training employees globally.
» Importance of promotion and supplementary services in retailing.

Introduction

Carrefour (CF) was established in 1959 and in 1961, it launched the first ever “hypermarket” with a floor space of 2,500 sq.m in France. The concept proved a success and CF launched self-service “hypermarkets” throughout France. America and by the 90s it had ventured into Central America, South America, and Asia. By 2003, CF had become the second largest retailer in the world with a chain of hypermarkets, supermarkets, discount stores and convenience stores in 29 countries. In a bid to improve and manage customer service, CF used technology to upgrade various business processes apart from motivating employees and giving value added services to customers…

Questions for Discussion:
As a retail store, how has Carrefour gone about improving its customer service? Discuss in the light of improvement in business processes and employee attitude.
Retaining the customers by implementing various loyalty programs is an ongoing program in any service organization. What were the measures taken by Carrefour to motivate customers to visit the store frequently?