Pizza Hut was one of two limited-service brands topping this year’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) ranking. And while most brands’ satisfaction index fell or remained the same, including that of Papa John’s, which tied with Pizza Hut, the national chain saw a 2.5 percent bump.
“We take great pride in satisfying our customers, and to be recognized by ACSI is very rewarding to our system. To win this two out of the last three years shows how our commitment to our customers is making a difference,” says David Gibbs, president of Pizza Hut, in an email. “We have several proprietary ways we measure our customer satisfaction internally and it’s great to see our measurement and that of ACSI move in the right direction.”
The ACSI benchmark rankings use proprietary technology to measure consumer satisfaction through various facets including customer expectation, perceived quality, perceived value, complaints, and loyalty.
Gibbs credits the brand’s digital ordering platforms, which include a mobile site, Android app, iPhone app, Windows app, iPad, Xbox 360, and PizzaHut.com. In January, the brand set record highs for the most digital orders in company history. It’s unique Xbox 360 ordering platform raked in more than $1 million in sales in less than four months. Gibbs also credit’s the brand’s revamped training, directly aimed at improved customer service.
“When we moved into our new building in 2011 we created a training space called Pizza Hut Academy,” he says. “The Academy was designed to train our system on how to best operate a restaurant, including the service to our consumers. This investment has made a huge difference as those best practices are brought back to the stores and trained at the local level.”
Social media interactions with consumers have also been key, Gibbs says. Pizza Hut’s engagement approach online includes thanking customers for praise and also addressing criticism.
By Tamara Omazic
