Media Release
November 19 2008
UniSA and Arts SA join forces to explore the culture of customer service
The University of South Australia and
Arts SA have
signed an agreement to conduct annual surveys of service quality in some
of South Australia’s flagship arts and cultural organisations.
To be conducted by researchers from UniSA’s Centre for Tourism and Leisure Management (CT&LM) and Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, the surveys will record the experiences of adult visitors to the SA Museum, the Art Gallery of SA, Carrick Hill, State Library of SA, and the History Trust of SA’s National Motor Museum, South Australian Maritime Museum and Migration Museum.
CT&LM Senior lecturer, Dr Gary Crilley said the survey model will be based on the Centre’s successful ongoing survey program being conducted on behalf of botanic gardens in Australia and New Zealand, but with questions specifically attuned to arts organisations.
“The survey will look at many different aspects of service quality, from opportunities to learn and presentation, to amenities such as parking,” Dr Crilley said.
“It will also aim to discover some of the reasons why people visit a cultural institution, and whether they’d be likely to recommend it to a friend or relative.”
Acting Executive Director of Arts SA, Alex Reid said she hoped the survey jointly developed by UniSA and Arts SA will give insights into new ways the institutions can improve service to the public.
“While collecting and conserving are their core business, cultural institutions understand they play an important role as a rewarding family leisure time activity,” she said. “But visitors to the institutions are not the same, and so there are possibly opportunities for cross-promotion and closer relationships between institutions.”
Kym Cheek, marketing manager of the History Trust of SA and a UniSA graduate, said it was rare to have cultural institutions working together in this research.
“The surveys will allow us to build on our customer insights and previous research to help us tailor services to visitor needs, and in developing new experiences,” he said.
“And the collaboration will allow us to benchmark service standards across the different institutions.”
Contacts for interview
- Dr Gary Crilley office (08) 8302 5163 email gary.crilley@unisa.edu.au
Media contacts
- Vincent Ciccarello office (08) 8302 0578 mobile 0434 603 457 email vincent.ciccarello@unisa.edu.au
-
Mandy-Jane Giannopoulos, Arts SA office (08) 8463 5454 mobile 0401
125 194 email
giannopoulos.mj@dpc.sa.gov.au