I completed these moving furniture Case Studies following a series of in depth interviews with customers who have recently moved with Crown. I wanted to better understand the relocations experience of actual customers, for the benefit of Crown's improvement programme and for other potential customers considering the services of a professional moving company.
Angela Jackson is the National Quality Manager for Crown Relocations New Zealand
Moving Across New Zealand with Crown Relocations
Mrs. Hillary Edmunds moved independently from Christchurch to Whangarei due to the interminable earthquakes in her neighborhood over the past year. This was a big decision for her, leaving behind her daughter, son in-law, and two recently born grandchildren. “The absolute sole reason (for moving) was to get away from the stress” said Hillary; who upon arrival to Whangarei unfortunately suffered a stroke, thankfully she has fully recovered.
Personal experience came into play for Hillary when initially selecting a moving company. Her daughter and son in law had used Crown before to move from England to New Zealand, and Hillary had used Crown to send Christmas presents to the couple whilst they where based overseas.
Hillary knew a Crown worker personally and a day after the first phone call, cartons and other accessories to help pack her possessions were dropped off within a day. Getting a quote turned out to be a complicated process as Hillary was given an initial quote for her relocation, but soon circumstances changed as her landlord wanted the house to be fully furnished on her departure. Thus her quote was altered as she was merely taking personal possessions with her, no furniture. However, when the new tenant arrived, they were moving some of their own furniture in and she was offered the opportunity of taking her old furniture with her to Whangarei. This was convenient as she was having “great difficulty" finding fully furnished homes to rent in Whangarei. So for the third time her quote was changed, messy circumstances but Hillary says "it was dealt with well" and describes the communication between herself and Crown as very pleasant.
The absolute sole reason (for moving) was to get away from the stress.
“I don’t know what they could have done better… I couldn’t fault them on any level.”
Prior to moving out, the service continued to meet her requirements and perception of Crown Relocations; the documentation was “not a problem at all”, organization and planning of pre-move follow ups were punctual despite harsh snow on one occasion. The moving crew were presentable, well-mannered and overall “very pleasant”.
“It was extremely stressful as you can imagine, I really wasn’t looking for anything to add to the stress, and they just filled the bill admirably, they took the phone calls with such kindness, good manners and efficiency… I never had to chase them up… It was absolutely wonderful”
I don’t know what they could have done better… I couldn’t fault them on any level.
With respect to learnings for Crown, the moving process was extremely positive and hassle- free for Hillary in one of the more stressful times of her life. She offered no room for improvement and was more than happy to compliment Crown on all areas of their performance. However, to ensure more satisfied customers in the future, I have initiated a corrective action as there should have been a call made on delivery day to ensure all was going to plan, although Hillary said the call was not needed, it should still be a staple in the relocation process.
