‘A commitment to greatness’ is Q-Park’s overarching theme for 2016, but the topic won’t be forgotten after 12 months is up. In fact, it will continue to be a long-term focus for the international parking business well into the future. And with an offering of more than 5,500 functional car parking facilities in strategic locations all across Europe, it is already on track to achieve its aims of being great.
MD Adam Bidder says everything Q-Park does is focused on making a positive difference to the customer’s day. That is always the number one priority, he says.
“We think that good is the enemy of great. Let’s not just be happy with the reasons why Q-Park is good, let’s really try and work out how we can do something great for the customer. We are consistently trying to understand the customer’s journey in terms of a car park; what will be the first point and what will be the last point of that customer experience on that particular day? We have had to accept that we will never be able to please every customer, but what we really want to do is understand their needs and support them in every way we can.
“We don’t really try and compare ourselves to our competitors. I’m not trying to knock out the competition, but rather comparing ourselves to the companies we believe exhibit the best customer service, no matter what industry they are in. We’re trying to compare ourselves to the service that we’d get in a retail store, a hotel, or a food and beverage outlet, rather than what someone might typically get from a parking lot.”
Q-Park has four core values which are very much aligned with the company’s strategy and ‘commitment to greatness’. These are customers, quality, teamwork and financial results. Adam notes that these ideals can only be met by the dedicated input of committed, well-trained and well-managed employees. Therefore Q-Park makes it a priority to invest heavily in the training and development of staff, predominately through its Customer Service Academy. Adam describes the workplace culture as a can-do and empowering environment.
