No matter how market-leading or unique a product may be, without good customer service, it is unlikely to sell. Motivating staff to provide the best service standards is an eternal business issue, that works on two levels in a franchise environment.

Clearly, ongoing coaching and traditional training in-store is a major factor, but there is a key role too for the franchisor as a catalyst for goodwill towards the brand and pride in being a part of the overall company.

The Domino's brand promise centres on excellence in customer service, and it depends on motivated staff to be the every day guardians of that commitment. For Domino's, the element of competition has proven a major success in motivating team members across the country and providing them with a common focus.

The company holds an annual competition to find the "Fastest Pizza Maker" in which contestants are tasked with preparing three perfect pizzas in less than two minutes.

Heats are held across the country, with regional winners then coming together to compete in a national final at the company's annual Pizza Awards, which recognise and reward excellence across every aspect of the business. The UK winner is then sent to compete in a world final in Las Vegas.

The contest succeeds in providing team members with a fun way to take pride in what they do but, also reaffirms the company?s commitment to focussing on speed in-store to get great tasting pizza to customers' doors as quickly as possible.

"In my experience, ad hoc on the job coaching is just as valuable as a more structured training programme. The primary aim of our World's Fastest Pizza Maker competition is to reward all those who make great tasting pizzas every day but ultimately it also inspires team members to raise their game by making pizzas more quickly and therefore helps to improve 'out-the-door' times.

The competition has been running worldwide since 1982 and is now so renowned within the company that there's a fair amount of healthy competition!" Pizza People Pali Grewal is a multi-unit franchisee with XX Domino?s Pizza stores in the South of England.
This week he beat off stiff competition at the Grand Final at Alton Towers to retain the coveted title of UK andIreland?s Fastest Pizza Maker 2006 by making three perfect pizzas in an amazing 59.78 seconds.

Pali comments: "At Domino's we strive to deliver piping hot pizza to our customers within thirty minutes so 'out-the-door' times are absolutely essential to ensure maximum customer satisfaction."

Those Domino's stores that clocked up the lowest 'out-the-door? times in 2006 experienced the highest like-for-like sales growth. These stores also had the fastest level of repeat ordering.

Pali continues: "The competition is seriously popular with all of my employees and there is no question that the competition motivates team members to improve their pizza making times. It has also played a key role in boosting customer service levels at my stores and I hope that I can bring home the world title this year to inspire my team."

Pali will be heading to the grand final in the USA in May where hewill battle it out with the 12 other fastest pizza makers from aroundthe globe for the second year running.

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