Introduction to Customer Services

The hospitality industry is notoriously a difficult industry to step in. Focusing on customers will provide one of the best chances for success. Customers are considered the heart of industry which interprets that it is important to rely on quality of services to serve them the best. Customer service policies help in ensuring that such quality is maintained with assurance.
In the present report, the customer service policy persisting in the hotel is highlighted. The report covers the customer service policies which clients aspire. Moreover, it makes detailed discussions on how different type of communication be used for meeting the needs of customer's.

Customer service is an act of meeting the needs and desire of a customer by delivering professionalized, high-qualitative and great assistance before, during and after the customer requirements is fulfilled (Brady and Cronin, 2001).
The key characteristics of a good customer service are-

• Promptness in delivering services or products on time
• Politeness in terms of exhibiting good manners by the staff.
• Act of professionalism must be highlighted and expected competence or skill must be met.
• Personalization of services is required to meet the varied need and perception of the customer demands.

Since, the hotel is located in the center of town it is able to attract both domestic and tourists. The expectation of guest with the hotel staff is high and they presume that it holds courteous, helpful and friendly approach towards them (Karimi, Somers and Gupta, 2001). Apathy and complacence are prime motivators for guests to enhance the image of their business. The staff is considered to be the face of guests and it will often be the reason for reflection of the image of hotel.

Most of the hotel has their customer service policy which guides their strategy for sensing their customers wants. These policies will reflect the organizational values for its customers. The main aim of establishing such policies is to ensure customer satisfaction and value that it will want to return.

Reasons for using customer service policy

Customer service policies are drafted to communicate with its customers and know what it can expect exactly in terms of services from its business. These policies are very important to retain its customers (Parasuraman, 2002). Retained and referral customers are very important for a business to grow and sustain in a competitive business environment.
It has been seen that in the hotel there are two complaints which is prominently reflecting a bad image of them. These complaints are-

• Poor quality of housekeeping services.
• Unprofessional behavior of staff.

The feedback and complaints are widely addressed by adopting following customer service policy:

• Complaint Policies- The adoption of CSP has helped in addressing the complaints and resolving issues arising among the customer immediately.
• Privacy Policies- It is of prime importance for the hotel to establish and maintain privacy policies. This will help in sustaining customer faith and trust in the hotel.
• Food and safety policies- High quality of food and ensuring the contents used in them are safe to be consumed by customers.
• Disability policy- special privileges must be given to the disabled customers.
• Booking and reservation policy- Clear terms and condition must be specified before confirming the booking and reservation of customers (Dasu and Chase, 2013).
• Corporate Social responsibility policy- Saving energy consumption and reduction in environmental damages will help the company in creating awareness among the customer's.

Customer needs for different types of customers

It has been seen that there are different type customers identified in a hotel (like bed & breakfast) or restaurant (like fine dining) or bar or casinos. Various types of customer are-

• Family
• Students
• Young People
• School Children
• Leisure Customer's
• Old Age Pensioners
• Business travelers

A human need is a state of self deprivation which is shaped by culture or individual personalities. They expect to be treated with respect, receive timely and professional assistance. L It also seeks to have a enjoyable experience during their visit at the hotel (Schmitt, 2011).
In a hotel business customer visit for satisfying their following needs-

• Conference room for business meetings
• Group booking for stay
• Internet facilities
• Special facilities
• Refreshment like coffee, meals, taxi, car hiring.

In a restaurant, customer's needs can be to enjoy meal on a table of 4 person or more, expect playful are for children to enjoy and high chairs for babies or kids.

Drafting a customer survey questionnaires

The questionnaire shall fulfill the several Attributes (reflecting service qualities) which are as follows:

• Reliability
• Observance
• Tangibility
• Empathy
• Responsiveness

Quantitative method of customer research data

There are generally two key methods of collecting information-

• Qualitative data- Such mode reflect more detailed information and with the help of this data one can evaluate the answers for questions on why, when and how. It focuses on depth, meaning and detailing of the data (Wilson and et. al., 2012). Adjective like rich, deep etc are often used in explanation of qualitative data. It helps in deep searching about the topic and evaluating ground theory on it.
• Quantitative data- these are based on number and don’t provide answers on why, when and how. It provides data than can be counted and measured significantly. These data are quantifiable and verified and is susceptible to statistical manipulations (Maxwell, Watson and Quail, 2004.). Such data are specific and can be copied by other.

Type of Qualitative data

• In-depth Interviews: these can be conducted from 30mins to several hours. It is a more in-depth investigation than a typical questionnaire-based interviews. It usually follows a informal structure. The key feature of this interview are:
• The matter of subject is specific and small
• Information gathered is complex
• Explanatory form
• Verbal response is gathered
• Checklist is preferred that formal list of questions
• Focus Groups- this is similar to In-depth interviews but is usually conducted among 6-15 members. There is a facilitator than an interviewer who guides the discussion. There is deep interaction between different subjects that take place (Lo, 2009).
• Ethnography- this is a systematic study of the people and their cultures. It has been designed in a manner to explore the cultural phenomenon whereby the researcher observes the people point of view on the subject of the study.
• Biographical method- this method focuses on collection and analysis of an intensive account of whole or part reflecting an in-depth unstructured interview. This method may be reinforced by way of semi-structured interviewing. This method emphasizes on the placement of individual within a nexus of social connections.

Choosing 3 policies from research

The 3 policies that needs reviewing and a deeper discussion are-

• Complaint Policy- It has been seen that the complaints are not adequately recorded. Customer’s discontentment with the hotel could not be eradicated as their complaints were not reached till the management. The changes that can be inserted in customer policies are-
• The feedback form must be made more comprehensive and readily be made available to the customers.
• Proper systematic channel must be installed to address the complaints.
• Disability Policy- it was observed that there were no arrangements for special privileged customers. It is important for the hotel to install different assistive technologies providing ease in their stay (Swan and et.al., 2002). Special handicapped parking must be reserved for such disabled persons.
• Corporate social responsibility policies- The policies set to conserve energy and water consumption was not adequately met. There must be installation of solar panel for generation of electricity and rain water must also be saved. There must be clear guidelines provided to customers for securing limited energy and water consumption

To enhance the communication system following technologies can be installed by hotel-

• EPOS (Electronic point of sale)- it is a self contained computerized equipment which perform tasks like payments by bank or credit card, transaction verification, complete sales reporting and several other services which is normally provided by employees.
• Message boards flashing and highlighting different messages
• Touch screen systems
• pagers
• and many more

Conclusion

It can be concluded from the above report that customer service policies are crucial aspect which help hotel in meeting their benchmarks for providing quality service to its customers. It has been seen that quantitative method showcases more descriptive information than quantitative method. Furthermore,learning about the step by step we must know the proper assignment writing for learning the verbal, non-verbal and visual communication method has assisted the staff of hotel to exhibit more quality services. Lastly, the power point presentation has been highlight the role played as a manager in a restaurant for identifying the needs of customers and satisfying their needs.

Reference

• Gemkow, W., 2011. An investigation of service quality in upscale hotels using the critical incident technique. GRIN Verlag.
• Hwang, J., and Wen, L., 2009. The effect of perceived fairness toward hotel overbooking and compensation practices on customer loyalty. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
• Karimi, J., Somers, T. M. and Gupta, Y. P., 2001. Impact of information technology management practices on customer service. Journal of Management Information Systems
• Lewis, B. R. and McCann, P., 2004. Service failure and recovery: evidence from the hotel industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
• Lo, B., 2009. Resolving ethical dilemmas: a guide for clinicians. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins