SITXCCS008 Assessment 1

Assessment 1

Short Answer Questions

Your task: Provide a detailed response to each of the following questions.

  1. Explain how informal and formal research can be used to develop quality customer service. Provide an example for each research method.

Response

Obtaining information on customers In order to establish what quality customer service entails for a particular organisation, it is firstly important to establish the needs and expectations of their customers. This can take place through a number of different research methods. Remember that each research method has its strengths and weakness, and you should refrain from basing your findings on one method alone. Utilising a range of formal and informal research methods should provide you with an accurate picture of customer expectations, needs and satisfaction levels.

Formal research is done through

· Internet Searching

· Interviewing

· Conducting Survey

Informal research is done through

· Searching Through Files

· Memos

· Letters

  1. Why is it important to have an understanding of your competition in order to plan for quality customer service?

Response

because Analysis of competitive environment and industry service trends

It is likely that your business operates in a competitive environment and does not control the entire market share in terms of customers and sales within a particular area. For managers working within organisations of all sizes then, it is crucial to analyse the service your competitors provide and trends within the wider market.

You might decide to establish the following about competitors:

· What actions have they taken to improve their customer service?

· Do they have processes in place to manage and monitor their customer service?

· What share of the market do they hold?

· Is there anything your competitors are doing that could be applied to your organisation to improve customer satisfaction?

Finding out this information is not always straightforward. There are companies with a share of the market place who will not want to share information with their competitors, and may even try and withhold information. It can be beneficial to start with a simple internet search and visit to the website of your competitors. However, while this may provide details about their products or services and direction, further research will be required to assess their approaches to customer service and improving customer satisfaction.

  1. When developing market knowledge, it is essential to have an awareness of how the market is divided. Explain each of the following segments of the market. Provide examples of how each segment can influence customer choices and trends.

Response

Demographic segmentation When creating a marketing campaign you shouldn't that assumes all your customers are alike. What appeals to a 19-year-old Asian-American art history major may be completely different from what appeals to a 50-year-old black attorney. Demographic segmentation breaks down the market into different categories. This allows you to create selling points for various market segments, making your marketing more powerful.

Segment by Family

Families come in all shapes and sizes – single moms, single dads, gay couples with kids, childless straight couples, straight couples with one child or several kids. Family makeup can be a useful tool in segmenting the market: families that don't have babies don't need diapers, for instance. Families with kids might buy lots of children's movies on DVD. Large families might be more interested in low-cost products than a childless couple with the same income.

Income Segmentation

Income is an obvious way to segment the market. If you're marketing luxury goods or services, you target a market segment with more disposable income. If you run a dollar store, your targets are probably consumers with lower incomes. Companies that sell prepaid debit cards, for example, have found success marketing to customers who don't have bank accounts.

Segment by Gender

Different marketing for men and women makes sense as genders have different needs. Few men wear makeup. Stay-at-home moms do most of the family shopping for food and healthcare products. Women are more likely to donate to causes than men.

It's very easy, however, to slip into stereotypes and end up missing your target or worse, infuriating them. Trying to market to women by painting some of your products pink comes off as both sexist and clueless, for instance.

Ethnicity

Ethnic groups of different races and nationalities may respond to different marketing tactics – for example, using a spokesperson of their own ethnicity. Different groups may have different tastes in food, live in different neighborhoods and have different attitudes. However, this is another type of segmentation that you need to use carefully. Marketing built around stereotypes can offend your potential customers and drive them away.

Geographic segmentation is a common strategy when you serve customers in a particular area, or when your broad target audience has different preferences based on where they are located. This marketing approach is common for small businesses that serve a wide demographic customer base in a local or regional territory.

Seasonal Products

Seasonal products, such as coats and winter gear and swimwear and beach attire, often are marketed to geographic segments. Winter gear is promoted for several months leading up to late fall in the Midwest and northern regions of the United States where harsh weather is common. Beach attire is often targeted year-round in California and much of Florida. In areas with distinct winter, spring, fall and summer seasons, swimwear normally is promoted for a few months, including late spring and the summer swimming season.

Community Size

The size of a community also plays a part in geographic segmentation. One company may market lawn mowers to rural communities where most residents have a yard but target city dwellers with weed trimmers or leaf blowers for manicuring lawns or sidewalks. Population density can also impact decisions regarding transportation with rural customers requiring more personal vehicles than urban citizens.

Local Retailer

Local discount or department store retailers that sell a variety of product categories appealing to different demographics often use local geographic segmentation in their marketing efforts. Small town businesses, for instance, often flood the local market with radio and newspaper ads that have broad local reach and affordable rates. If you operate a tanning salon, your audience varies in age and gender but is is concentrated largely in the local community.

Food Preferences

Certain foods have very specific geographic interest in the U.S. Grits, for instance, are common in the South and Southeast regions. Seafood, while enjoyed elsewhere, is marketed more heavily along the east and west coasts, where supply is fresh all year. McDonald's offers seasonal seafood meals, including lobster and crab, in select markets like New England. This is an example of regional segmentation based on geographic consumer preferences and product availability. Small chains may find similar opportunities to achieve supply and demand advantages in select geographic markets.

New Territory

In some situations, companies use geographic segmentation selectively to target new local territories or regions. Starbucks often distributes coupons for coffee drinks in certain regions when it opens several new stores. In this case, the company has a promotional objective of customer growth in a new market, but it may emphasize other goals, such as increased market share or higher profits, in more established markets.

Psychographic segmentation Psychographic segmentation divides potential consumers based on their interests, personalities, lifestyles, activities, and other similar factors. This kind of market segmentation is done to cater to consumers with similar likes and needs and offer them something they value. Using this segmentation, companies target different messages to different customer segments for a single product, highlighting the product’s worth that is mutually beneficial for the consumers belonging to one segment.

Consumers have various different psychographic make up and analyzing these differences and grouping consumers based on their mutually shared characteristics is the beginning of psychographic segmentation.

Usually, this type of segmentation is used when a product or service is offered to a heterogeneous market, where consumers have very different demographics from each other. The key aim of this segmentation type is to group consumers into characteristics that are otherwise not so visible such as personality traits, attitudes, interests, activities, etc.

Some of the commonly used psychographic segmentation variables are

Activities, Interests, Opinions- These three types help the company identify customers who have a similar liking towards activities, have interests in the same domain and what opinions they have about certain matters. These parameters of psychographic segmentation are also known as AIO- Activities, Interests and Opinions.

Lifestyle- The kind of life a person wants to live or is currently living helps in understanding their lifestyle. Lifestyle segmentation helps in understanding people with similar choices, likes, dislikes etc.

Personality traits- This parameter is used to group those people who exhibit similar personality characteristics. Personality traits like social, extrovert, introvert, emotional, imaginative etc. are considered, which help companies approach these set of customers in a better way. This is also related to brand personality, where companies try to correlate to the customer’s personality.

Values and Attitudes- Along with lifestyle, values and attitude of people also help in identifying the right set of customers. This type of research is known as Values And Lifestyles (VALS) Research, and explain customers on the basis of ideals, achievements and self-expression.

Social Status- The kind of status that a person enjoys in the society also is a relevant parameters used in this type of segmentation.

Behavioral segmentation is defined as the process of dividing the total market into smaller homogeneous groups based on customer buying behavior. Behavioral segmentation is done by organizations on the basis of buying patterns of customers like usage frequency, brand loyalty, benefits needed, during any occasion etc. It is done keeping in mind the needs and wants of a customer based on the behavior that they show.

Behavioral segmentation parameters

The target consumers for a product or a campaign can be grouped on the basis of their behavioral characteristics which can be as follows:

Occasion oriented: When a product is used or purchased for a particular occasion only. The occasion can be repetitive or can be once in a lifetime occasion. This is also known as occasion segmentation.

Usage oriented: The grouping can be on the basis of how much a product is being used/consumed by the customer. Accordingly, we call them heavy user or light user groups. Hence the usage frequency is considered as a part of behavioral segmentation

Loyalty oriented: Markets are segmented based on the retention rates of the consumers which are a fair indication of brand loyalty among them. A brand commanding a high degree of loyalty has a very high retention rate and does not need to worry too much about acquiring new customers. But a brand with low loyalty levels continually needs to recruit new and new consumers to its basket.

Benefits sought: Consumer segmentation is also done on the basis of the different benefits perceived by different consumers. There are certain benefits that a person is seeking from a product. Many such products are available which have different variety, price etc. which fulfill the needs of a customer. But a customer opts for only those which give him or her maximum benefit. This is also known as benefit segmentation.

  1. Why is it crucial for a manager to have in-depth knowledge of internal and external business environments to provide quality customer service? Provide 2 examples each, for internal and external factors:

Response

internal environment

The environment both inside and outside of organisations in tourism, hospitality, travel and events industries is rarely static. Changes occur frequently that mean managers have to adopt their approach to service delivery or alter the type of products being sold. The key issue is whether change has been foreseen by the company and planned for accordingly. When planning for a quality level of service, you need to be aware of significant changes to the internal and external environment, many of which are detailed below. Management changes and organisational restructures

external environment

external environment

External change is normally more difficult to control as it refers to changes within the market and consumer preference. Nevertheless, the manager need to prepare contingency plans for such alterations and decide how the service approaches may have to adapt.

Changes in the competitive environment

The competitive environment may refer to if you are experiencing increased competition, such as if new businesses are joining the industry, or if one of your competitors is taking an increasing share of the market.

Using the methods using both formal and informal research

Think about how you can assess the competitor and ensure that you can retain your own customers. What have they done to increase sales and what actions could you take to implement similar strategies?

  1. Identify three ways you can obtain information about current trends in your industry.

Response

1. Your trade magazines and newsletters.

If you see a story about an emerging trend, tip off reporters at your local business journal or business magazine even if you cannot offer yourself as a source. They’ll remember that you helped them, and that thoughtful gesture might come in handy later when you pitch a story about your own business.

2. Look at your own target audience and notice their buying habits.

Don’t try to predict trends, cautions the eBiZine blog. It offers several questions to ask yourself about your customers’ buying habits in this post titled Spotting and Profiting from Business Trends Online.

3. TrendSpotting Blog

The blog follows Internet users’ behaviors and attitudes, investigates emerging trends with web metric tools and marketing research surveys, and spices it all with many practical insights. It’s considered one of the leading marketing research blogs.

  1. Explain businesses’ responsibilities under Consumer Protection Law and how it impacts on customer service delivery.

Response

Australian Consumer Law and your business

If you run a business in Australia, you'll be affected by the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). On 1 January 2011, the national Australian Consumer Law (ACL) came into effect.

Whether you work with customers, businesses, provide services or sell goods, it's important to know your rights and obligations and how the consumer laws affect your business.

What is the ACL?

The ACL replaced 17 existing federal, state and territory consumer laws, including:

· standards of business conduct

· unfair contract laws

· harmful business practices

· the regulation of specific types of business-to-consumer transactions

· basic consumer rights for goods and services

· the regulation of consumer product safety.

· The laws are administered and enforced jointly by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the State and Territory consumer protection agencies.

· Here are some examples of the ACL in action:

· If your customers ask for a bill, you must provide it free of charge.

· If you sell goods or services worth more than $75 (excluding GST), you must give your customer a bill.

· If you give receipts, they must identify you (the supplier), your ABN and/or ACN (if any), what was supplied, the date of supply and the price.

· If there is a problem with your good or service, your customer has the right to ask you for compensation. This compensation can include a full refund, even if you have signs saying "no refunds".

  1. Explain why it is important to have a clear refund and cancellation policy and what is required if there are potential price increases.

Response

Warranties and refunds

If you sell goods

You must fulfill certain conditions and warranties set out by the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA). Your goods must:

· be of merchantable quality—goods need to reach a basic level of quality given the price of the goods and any description that is provided with the goods

· be fit for the purpose or job that they are meant to provide and fulfill purposes made known to the consumer

· match any description or sample given to the consumer whether in promotional material, over the phone, in person, on a website or on labelling or packaging

· be free from defects and faults

· be clear of finance or encumbrances not disclosed to the consumer so that the consumer can have free title to the goods.

When you sell goods, you enter into a contract with the consumer. If you don't meet your obligations, you may have to provide a refund or replacement.

If you provide a service

If you provide a service you're obliged to carry it out with due skill and care. Make sure that any materials you provide as part of this service are fit for the purpose.

If you don't meet any of these obligations, you could have to repeat the service or pay for someone else to carry it out. The consumer may also be able to claim compensation for expenses incurred as a result, such as loss or damage. You may have to bear this cost.

When do I have to give a refund or replacement?

If there is a problem with your products or services you must provide a refund, replacement, repair or other remedy if you fail to meet your obligations under the CCA (outlined above).

You don't have to provide a refund if the customer doesn't have proof of purchase (eg. a receipt), has just changed their mind, if they have damaged the goods, or they knew about a fault beforehand (eg. factory seconds).

Under Australian Consumer Law, you are required to provide a remedy if your products or services:

· are faulty (even if the customer only found out it was faulty after using the product)

· don't match the sample or demo model

· don't match the description

· don't do what the salesperson said it would

· don't do what the customer asked for.

If a customer simply changes their mind, you aren't legally required to give them a refund.

What type of remedy do I have to provide?

The problem with your product or service is major if it can't be fixed, would take too long to be fixed, or is too difficult to fix.

In this instance, the customer can choose to:

· return the item and have it refunded or replaced

· keep the item and be compensated for its drop in value

The problem with your product or service is minor if it can be fixed within a reasonable time frame. In this case, your customer must give you the chance to fix the issue. You can choose whether to refund, repair or replace the item. However, if you are going to repair the item, you are responsible for dealing with the manufacturer.

  1. Describe the importance of providing accurate product information to customers in order to provide quality customer service.

Response

In the realm of customer service the important of product knowledge cannot be understated. Unless there is a complete and all-round understanding of the products and or services offered, it will be unlikely that you will be able to veer your customer’s decision towards buying or even considering your offerings. Product knowledge will make your customer service team sound confident, competent and efficient. Their conviction in the company’s offering will be reflected when they interact with the customer leading to higher possibility of a sale and customer satisfaction. Knowing all there is to know about the offerings of the company will make it easier to recommend it the customer and also provide customized solutions based on their needs.

  1. In order to provide quality customer service, it is important to establish your target market. Provide 4 questions you should consider when developing a clear customer profile.

Response

Question 1: What is the product or service you want to sell the most?

If you have an array of products and services, focus on the one that you want to sell the most.

Question 2: What problem does your product or service solve?

Remember that customers don’t buy products or services. They buy solutions.

Question 3: What are the ages and genders of people who buy from you the most?

This may seem pretty straight forward, but make sure that you are actually looking at the demographics of your customers.

Question 4: What is the income range of the person who buys from you the most?

How much your customers earn can be an early indication of knowing how much they’re willing to spend.

  1. Why is consistency crucial to providing quality customer service?

Response

A good business will always be aware of the important role excellent customer service plays in its success. It is critical to understand that winning customers and building loyalty takes time, and that in order to build good customer relationships, you need to deliver consistent service if you are to retain your customer’s hard-won loyalty.

It is also important to understand just how fragile customer relationships can be. It is far easier to lose a client due to poor customer service and issues not quickly resolved to the customer’s satisfaction than it is to obtain loyalty in the first place.

Customers value consistency from their service providers, because they base their expectations on previous positive experiences. Therefore, it is crucial to not only deliver good customer service at first asking, but to keep on delivering service at the same, if not better, level every time, if you are to continue ensuring customer satisfaction.

This means that you need to focus on making sure that your interactions with customers are consistent and quality based. It is only logical that a consumer’s confidence in your organization will increase if you deliver a consistent level of quality in your service – achieving this ensures that the customer feels valuable to your business.

Obviously, no enterprise is perfect, and customers understand that. However, they are more likely to forgive an occasional misstep, provided the problem is handled quickly and with care. What customers will not tolerate is any kind of rudeness, neglect or failure to deliver on promises.

This is why consistency is so important. Clients need to know that you will deliver on your promises every time, rather than only when it may be convenient for you. This is put nicely into perspective by the fact that customers, on average, will tell less than 10 other people about good service they have received, whereas the number is closer to 20 when it comes to letting people know about a bad experience.

  1. Describe five common principles of customer service in detail.

Response

1. Understand their role is in customer service. Every employee needs to understand they have customers — whether the customer is external or internal. Some employees deal only with other employees inside the company, but serving them well is just as important as serving outside customers.

2. Treat every customer with respect. It’s not necessary to call people “Sir” or “Ma’am,” but it is essential that everyone realize that without customers the employee wouldn’t have a job.

3. Smile. A smile can work wonders to alleviate tension and create a positive customer experience. You have the opportunity to influence the tone of every interaction — so use your smile to make it positive.

4. Respond promptly. Acknowledge a customer’s presence, even if engaged in serving another customer on the phone or in person. It helps a customer feel valued and appreciated.

5. Listen. Most customers recognize that not all situations can be addressed immediately, or by the customer service employee. But active listening works wonders to build trust and confidence that something will get done in a timely manner.

  1. Suggest three service standards to encourage quality customer service for your specific industry.

Response

1. Speed Standards

This won’t make the news but it’s worth repeating: quick service means convenience for customers. Speed is a stable determinant for customer satisfaction.

2. Accuracy Standards

Quick is good but it’s not appreciated by customers if the answer is not correct. On the other hand, a slow but correct answer might earn you some respect still

3. Transparency Standards

Transparency is arguably hard to measure. Most metrics would be expected to be at one end of the scale, lacking qualitative nuances. Or, otherwise, you’d require big data or costly documentation analysis.

  1. Describe 3 industry schemes aimed at improving customer service, including 1 relevant to your work area

Response

1. Strengthen your customer service skills

First, it’s important to make sure that your customer service team has the right skills for your managing customers’ needs. No amount of CRM software can compensate for shortcomings in this area. But what skills should you is looking for in a customer service rep?

Empathy, patience and consistency. Some customers will be irate. Others will be full of questions. And others will just be chatty. You must know how to handle all of them and provide the same level of service every time.

Adaptability. Every customer is different, and some may even seem to change week-to-week. You should be able to handle surprises, sense the customer’s mood and adapt accordingly. This also includes a willingness to learn– providing good customer service is a continuous learning process.

Clear communication. Ensure you convey to customers exactly what you mean. You don’t want your customer to think he’s getting 50% off when he’s actually getting 50% more product. Use authentically positive language, stay cheerful no matter what and never end a conversation without confirming the customer is satisfied.

2. Enhance your customer service strategy

Your staff may have the skills and know-how to interact with your customers. But what organizational strategies can you employ to please customers? Practice proactive customer service by making your customers happy before they come to you with problems

3. Improve your customer interactions

If your staff has the necessary skill set, that’s a good start. But they still need to relate to your customers. Here are some tips for making sure customer service is both thorough and well received

  1. Define continuous improvement and explain how this process contributes to effective customer service.

Response

In every 3 month we will have to improvement and follow up for improve customer service

How to make sure your customer service team is skilled, empathetic, and engaged

What is the most important thing you can do to improve relationships with your customers? The answer is as obvious as it is overlooked: improve customer service. No matter how great your product is or how talented your staff is, one of the things that customers are most likely to remember is the direct interaction they have with your company.

Your customer service team is often the face of your company, and customers’ experiences will be defined by the skill and quality of the support they receive.

A strong company will already have great customer relationships. But a smart company will always be asking “What is good customer service?” Good customer service centers on carefully listening and attending to your customers’ needs and desires. If you are not constantly on the lookout for opportunities to improve your customer service, then your relationships will stagnate.

  1. Explain why it is essential to have an effective complaint handling procedure.

Response

Complaints are an important way for the management of an agency to be accountable to the public, as well as providing valuable prompts to review agency performance and the conduct of people that work within and for it.

A complaint is an “expression of dissatisfaction made to or about an organisation, related to its products, services, staff or the handling of a complaint, where a response or resolution is explicitly

An effective complaint handling system provides three key benefits to agencies:

It resolves issues raised by a dissatisfied person in a timely and cost-effective way.

It provides information which can lead to improvements in service delivery.

Where complaints are handled properly, a good system can improve the reputation of an agency and strengthen public confidence in an agency’s administrative processes.

  1. If you are faced with an escalating complaint, why is it necessary to involve management?

Response

Your first priority as a leader is to prevent un-needed escalations from occurring. If the experts closest to the work are empowered and stay involved, the issues will get resolved faster.

When this is not possible, there are best practices to follow to ensure your escalations get the best results.

  1. List three ways you can set a positive example for customer service as a manager.

Response

1. Respond as quickly as possible One of the biggest factors in good customer service is speed, especially when a client is requesting something that’s time sensitive.

2. Know your customer’s Great interactions begin with knowing your customers wants and needs. Customers love personalization. Get to know your customers, remember their names and previous conversations. If needed, make a note of what was discussed previously so you can refer to it the next time you meet.

3. Fix your mistakes Not taking responsibility of your mistakes is a sure fire way to getting a bad reputation. Transparency is important in business and customer service is no different. Always strive for a high quality output as it shows you have a high level of standards.

  1. Why should specific preferences of regular customers be communicated and shared with all staff?

Response

Before you start promoting your business you need to know what your customers want and why. Good customer research helps you work out how to convince your customers that they need your products and services. and then you have to communicate with your staff for development, sales, and marketing performance

and meet the needs of customer

  1. It is necessary for service standards to be communicated to and followed by both new and old staff. Which policies and procedures can be used to assist in setting standards? Provide 3 examples.

Response

1. Consultation

Consultation should ensure that every person in your workplace understands the importance of company policies and procedures and why they need to be implemented effectively.

It will also ensure that the policies and procedures are realistic and actionable on a daily basis.

2. Train all employees in policies and procedures

You have an obligation to provide adequate information, instruction, supervision and training to your employees.

Ensure that new employees and contractors are trained and familiar with company policies and procedures, and that existing staff receive appropriate training, e.g. annual refresher Assignments.

Policies and procedures should also be reiterated and discussed with staff regularly at team meetings to ensure that employees remain aware of the importance of the policies and procedures.

3. Review all policies and procedures regularly

Policies and procedures must be reviewed periodically.

When any changes occur, ensure your policies and procedures remain relevant and effective. For example, a change may occur when a business purchases a new piece of machinery, starts using a new chemical or adopts a new production method. Any such changes mean that relevant procedures should be reviewed.

  1. List 10 examples of policies and procedures which are commonly used in organisations to set standards for customer service:

Response

1. We will greet our customers in a courteous and professional manner.

2. We will listen effectively to our customers’ requests and promptly take the necessary actions to assist them. We will keep our customers informed of unexpected delays in service.

3. We will inform our customers of normal process time, when they can expect completion and any delays that may arise in the process.

4. We will touch base with our customers to update them as to where we are in the process.

5. We will respond to website questions/requests within 24 hours during normal business hours.

6. We will finish our encounters with our customers in a courteous and professional way.

7. We will be considerate, cooperative and helpful to every staff member to assure quality services.

8. We will hold ourselves and each other accountable for addressing inappropriate comments and behavior.

9. We will make our goal to exceed the expectations of all of our customer groups.

We will work to anticipate the needs of those we serve by proactively working to meet their needs.

10. We will be conscious of our communication style (i.e.; audible voice, eye contact when speaking to someone, tone of voice) and communicate in a professional manner

  1. How can changes in technology affect the business’ customer service practices?

Response

Business technology helps small businesses improve their communication processes. Emails, texting, websites and apps, for example, facilitate improved communication with consumers.

  1. How can management changes and organisational restructures affect the business’ customer service practices?

Response

Variations to the management positions and organisational restructures can occur for a wide range of reasons.

For example:

· If there is a vast growth in sales, new management structures may be required with new divisions or departments

· If a service suddenly becomes very popular

· The merging or amalgamation of two firms

· The promotion or downgrading in role of individuals.

In all of these situations, the structure of the organisation is likely to change and with this comes the potential of changes to culture. Corporate culture refers to the unwritten code that impacts on the attitudes and behavior of employees, and approaches to decision making. Alterations to management structure can therefore have implications on the quality of the service provided. When new individuals take on roles within senior management positions, policies and procedures in relation to customer service will need to be assessed and altered if necessary. A new manager may for example want to revise the company’s approach towards response times when a customer makes an enquiry.

  1. Describe three methods of formal and informal customer research you can implement to determine your existing level of customer service.

Response

1. Advertising and promotion research

You can gather information about the effectiveness of your advertising by gauging:

· your customers likely responses to your marketing and promotional strategies through testing in a forum such as a focus group

· the effectiveness of each of your past and planned promotional techniques through analysis of sales data.

2. Customer satisfaction studies

You can determine how satisfied your customers are with your product quality and your customer service by surveying customers using:

· informal methods such as conversations with staff or product and service scorecards

· Questionnaires that target past and present customers.

3. Social media monitoring

Another way to measure customer feedback and your customer service is by monitoring your social media engagement and feedback. Social media (particularly Facebook) is becoming a common element of much business’s marketing and is increasingly used by your customers to provide feedback, share customer service experiences and make complaints. It can also be used to run surveys and test concepts. If managed well, it can be one of your most powerful customer research tools.

  1. You are reviewing feedback received from customers. List 4 aspects you will review and what this would involve to evaluate responses critically.

Response

feedback from customers Yok Yor Thai Food Factory

I just went there to have dinner with my friend

I order boat noodle soup without beansprout and they put beansprout on that. And my friend order seafood fried rice spicy but the taste sweet& plain

and i order pad sew spicy but the taste very sweet, weird

i tell to the waitress about the food but she didn't respond me and tell me to put chili flakes on that

The food not good& the service very bad i never will come back again!

1. the customer displeased because they order boat noodle soup without bean sprout and chef put bean sprout on that

2. the customer order seafood fried rice spicy but the taste sweet& plain

3. the customer order pad sew spicy but the taste very sweet, weird

4. the customer tell the waitress about the food but the waitress didn't respond them and tell me to put chili powder on that

in this case the customer complain the food is bad taste and bad of service

  1. While you are working a shift, you witness an employee get into an argument with a customer regarding a delay in service. You record the incident and notice that there has recently been an increasing number of disputes between staff members and customers. What would this indicate to you in terms of processes in place and processes potentially lacking?

Response

The employee lack of customer service skill. First, apologize to the customer and let him/her know the situation. Listen to what customer will say and then offer a solution for the delay by adding a value to the product or service he ordered.

  1. In order to improve the quality of customer service delivered by a business, the existing level of service must be determined. List 4 ways of obtaining customer feedback about your level of service:

Response

1. Customer feedback surveys

2. Email and customer contact forms

3. Social media

4. Comment boxes

  1. List 2 things that must occur when a change or improvement needs to be implemented:

Response

1. people within the organisation

2. organisational

  1. Why is it important to communicate your policies and procedures to your staff and customers?

Response

Because Once a range of policies and procedures have been developed to develop the levels of customer service within your organisation, the next step is to communicate them to all relevant stakeholders. The most significant stakeholder to inform the changes to is staff members, as they are the ones who are generally responsible for interacting with customers. It may also be useful to inform others of changes though, such as supervisors, managers, and directors, who will be interested in the ongoing development of the company.

  1. List 3 common ways to make your policies and procedures readily available to your customers?

Response

1. Make sure that they are understood by those using them

2. Confirm that there are no mistakes in the documents

3. Encourage staff and customers to suggest any changes to the policies and procedures in order to heighten customer satisfaction.

  1. Answer the following questions in relation to the data report below:

The following data report provides you with a summary of customer surveys that were recently conducted for the “Coloured Sands Resort”. There were 200 customers who participated in this survey. Each customer was provided with a questionnaire. The data was analysed and entered in the format below to provide a summary report.

You are required to review the summary, check the accuracy of figures and perform simple calculations to reflect percentages. Analyse the provided data and identify areas that need further improvement and actions by answering all questions below.

Scale

Reception

Room Service and Housekeeping

Restaurant

Tours

Seaside

Entertainment

Very Good

(108) Reception service on arrival is good.

(36)

(58) Buffet is good

(52) Lots of variety of food

(24) Excellent

(74) Good tours

(74) good access to the beach

(39) Swimming pool is nice.

(88) the staff is excellent

(80) Many interesting activities for all

Good

(80)

(22)

(66) Very good food.

(64) good organisation of tours

(40) all good

(32) very good entertainment options

Not Good

(6) Rooms are too small

(56) Towels are dirty

(10) housekeeping staff not able to help

(46) Rooms are not very clean.

(30) expensive tours

(4) didn’t like the beach side

No Comment

12

24

32

Total

200

200

200

200

200

200

  1. Express the responses collected as percentages in each category (very good, good, etc.). Provide a critical reflection on each department outlining which service aspects and operational factors you should further investigate to help improve customer satisfaction. (For example why have some customers not commented – how could this improved, e.g. by providing incentives; is the survey specific enough to provide feedback for specific areas?)

Response

Reception

Very Good 108 Reception service on arrival is good.

Good 80

No Comment 12

Total 200

In reception department everything is all good and we have to do it good more than this in every next service

Room Service and Housekeeping

Very Good 36

Good 22

Not Good 6 Rooms are too small

56 Towels are dirty

10 housekeeping staff not able to help

46 Rooms are not very clean.

No Comment 24

Total 200

In Room Service and Housekeeping department the room are to small dirty and towels are dirty bad in service. Next time we have to do it good more than this in every next service

Restaurant

Very Good 58 Buffet is good

52 Lots of variety of food

24 Excellent

Good 66Very good food.

Total 200

In restaurant department everything is all good and we have to do it good more than this in every next service

Tours

Very Good 74 Good tours

Good 64 good organisation of tours

Not Good 30 expensive tours

No Comment 32

Total 200

In tours everything is all good just about price it expensive but in next time may be we will make more promotion. In next time we will do it good more than this in every next service

Seaside

Very Good 74 good access to the beach

39 Swimming pools is nice.

Good 40 all good

Not Good 4 didn’t like the beach side

Total 200

In Seaside everything is all good and we have to do it good more than this in every next service

Entertainment

Very Good 88 the staff is excellent

80 Many interesting activities for all

Good 32 very good entertainment options

Total 200

In Entertainment everything is all good and we have to do it good more than this in every next service

  1. Suggest a suitable customer service strategy that can be implemented in the department which you have identified as the major problem area to improve the customer service practice in that area/department. Who should be involved and what would this require in terms of participation/involvement and communication?

Response

Room Service and Housekeeping

Not Good room are to small dirty and towels are dirty and housekeeping staff bad in service

Key Strategies for Hotel Housekeeping

1. Learn to look at your hotel from an operational perspective as if you owned it. The most successful housekeepers are those who take ownership of their property.

2. Honor the idea that the hotel guest is your guest, as if in your own home. It is often the sense of pride and hosting that makes a huge difference in whether someone has a job or a career.

3. Know about the condition of the property from first-hand experience. Personally and regularly inspect every type of accommodation in your hotel.

4. When recruiting people, pay attention to the "human" resource role: balance "high touch" and "high tech". Recruit and select people wisely.

5. Maintain and increase training. The development of the staff to the point where room keepers can be completely trusted to finish their jobs with "pizzazz" because they take pride/ownership in their rooms should be a goal for everyone.

6. Share the professional expectations provided to you from ownership and or management clearly with all members of the staff. Profits and losses go in cycles, and it is important to share the realities of the cost of doing business at all levels.

7. Hold regular one-on-one sessions with all direct reports in this department, including the laundry. These should not be formal reviews, but guide posts to reinforce positive actions or to correct a potentially dangerous Assignment of action.

8. Constantly assess time management. Research why things go smoothly and replicate that success.

9. Work with the front office management to capitalize on forecasts for long-term efficiencies. Doing so will help managers plan for deep cleaning in slower periods or to replace capital items on a schedule that does not interfere with periods of high activity.

10. Assignment, embrace and insist on proper safety and security. There should be training given and follow-up checklists provided for linen rooms, housekeeping cards, using equipment and the laundry. This includes safety on chemicals and equipment.

11. Embrace the Brand Standards and Suppliers. Managers should learn what the brand's requirements and expectations on housekeeping services and programs.

12. Know our budgets, costs and results. The outstanding housekeeping managers are those who are able to often obtain higher compensation for their staff by effectively reducing turnover and managing their total budgets while exceeding guest expectations.


citation generator
citaion generator
make money online