INTRODUCTION
Customer Experience Management refers to the practice of scheming and reacting to consumer interactions in order to meet or exceed their expectations. It assists organisations in increasing their loyalty, advocacy and satisfaction (Peppers and Rogers, 2016). In the present assignment, chosen organisation is Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester which is a London based restaurant established in year 2007. It serves contemporary French cuisine to its customers using British ingredients and seasonal French. This report covers expectations and needs of market segments for service industry and the significance and value of understanding preferences, needs and wants of target audience. It also includes customer experience map for developing business opportunities and optimizing customer touch points. Apart from this, impact of digital technology on customer relationship management and application of effective customer experience administration to maximise their engagement within business is discussed in this project.
TASK 1
P1 Explain the value and importance of understanding the needs, wants and preferences of target customer groups for a service sector industry
Questionnaire:
Type of customer |
Different types of customer needs |
||
Business Person |
Wi-Fi |
Mobile, telephone charging points |
Meeting rooms |
Quick service |
Attractive interiors |
Private section of restaurants |
|
College students |
Grab & go coffee and food |
Wi-Fi |
Charging points |
Food that make them remember things from past |
Soft music |
Entertainment |
|
Gym Instructor |
Calorie information |
Fruits and vegetable smoothies |
A nice view from window |
Healthy dishes |
Different type of menu |
High quality service |
TASK 2
P2 Create a customer experience map for a selected service sector organisation
- Website: As customer look at the websites of restaurant first when they are searching for food or the places to eat. In order to ensure to provide consistent message to customers, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester provide right information to its website. The pictures are taken from the food that they actually served within restaurant. They use warm and welcoming words on their websites which assists in garb attention of more customers (Lemon and Verhoef, 2016).
- Telephone: Phones are used within restaurant through which all the informations related to food, discounts etc. are provided to customers. Numbers are given to customers or posted on websites through which customers can contact on service counter of Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester restaurant and ask for any query they have regarding food or any other thing. In this way, telephone is used in firm to provide consistent message to customers.
- Review Sites: Each organisation have their review sites that can have huge impact on bottom line. Online reviews can break or make the decisions of customers to visit the restaurant. A consistent message is delivered by Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester to its potential customers by offering them high quality food and services within restaurant. It results in customer satisfaction and their good response towards firm (Homburg, JoziÄ"¡ and Kuehnl, 2017).
- Restaurant Environment: In hospitality sector, guests are more looking for good environment where they come with their family and have peaceful dinner. By maintaining a healthy environment within Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, a consistent message is delivered by restaurant to its customers.
- Text Messages : It is one of the easiest way through which firm can provide any kind of information such as new food item, discounts, events etc. to customers. For delivering consistent message to customers, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester restaurant make use of text message on which they provide information to guests regarding discounts or any special event within restaurant (Fatma, 2014).
- Restaurant Staff: In hospitality sector, service is considered to be the most important part which is provided by employees. They are considered as the face of organisation who are responsible for creating good image about the place in minds of guests. By providing high quality services to guests through skilled and competent workforce, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester restaurant gives consistent message to its customers.
- E-Mails: It is the source through which organisations convey messages to its customers regarding their offerings. Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester provide attractive messages with eye catching pictures on mails to customers that assists restaurant in capturing attention of more number of customers.
- Restaurant Management: Management is the crucial aspect that impacts on experience of customers. Proper management of Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester is the way through which a consistent message is provided by restaurant to its customers.
- Paper Mail: In this, any kind of message is communicated to customer by using papers. Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester provide consistent message to its guests through sending some message physically through papers.
P3 Discuss how the customer touch-points throughout the customer experience create business opportunities for a selected service sector organisation
Touch-point is refer as an effective Brand's point of client contract, from start to finish. For instance, clients may analysis business of an organisation in online or an ad, see reviews and ratings, visit website, contract customer service of firm etc. All these are main list of touch-point of business customers (Klaus, 2014). In addition, A touchpoint is some time period a potential client comes in contact with business brand–during, before or after they buy something from organisation. In order to identify touchpoint of customers, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester provide facilities in before, during and after purchase. In case of before purchase, company give all information about their products, services or process through social media, word of mouth, advertising, marketing or PR etc. Under during the purchase process, clients find all information in company website, store or office, phone system, point of sales and so on. At last, after purchase, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester provide facilities related to billing, marketing emails, transactional emails, online help centre, services and support teams and so on (Blázquez, 2014). Touch-point of the customer is mainly related with the acknowledging, greeting, upselling, encouraging the customers return. In this some stages are involved which are determined as under:
Stage direction: It includes different phases which are determined as under:
Waiter makes eye-contect with the customers: In this waiter should try to make a eye contact which will help the customer to increase their experience towards organisation. Waiter should try to provide better feel to the customer which will more essential and important for the customers to maintain better reputation of restaurant in the eye of customer.
Waiter: Good evening, sir.
Customer: Good evening.
Waiter: Do you require anything, sir?
Customer: I want to take my dinner, bring me rice, chicken and egg omelette.
Waiter: Wait a moment, sir. I an serving it.
Customer: How much dollar I have to pay.
Waiter: Only 20 it.
Waiter: Thank you, Sir.
Customer: Thank you.
Above determined is a conversation between the customer and Waiter which is essential and define the customer experience in the restaurant. Beside this, customer is much happy for services provided by the restaurant. Thus, better services is more essential and useful for the growth and success of company within predetermined time period (Spiess and et. al., 2014).
TASK 3
P4 Examine how digital technology is employed in managing the customer experience within the service sector
In current scenario, it is highly essential for firms to use digital technology in its business processes as it helps in gaining high competitive advantage in market. Use of technology within business processes may have had big impact on experience of customers in Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester restaurant. Customer service standards had reached to greater heights by technology. The primary goal of organisations that deals in hospitality sector is to keep their customers happy as their growth and success highly rely upon them. So, it is highly essential for restaurant to equip its staff with right training and tools that enables them to utilize technology to accomplish goals. Digital technology is employed by Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester restaurant in managing customer experience (Torres, Fu and Lehto, 2014). The technology employed within service sector in managing customer experience are defined below:
Artificial intelligence: This technology has take the firm picture by storm, owing to tremendous potential advantages it projects for growth of business. With the assistance of artificial intelligence tool, organisations can pump up its process automation & can strike up conversations relevant to individual consumers. This technology is empowering client support conversations and enhancing decision making capabilities within firms through automation. Application of this technology can assist firm in improving customer satisfaction as well as their experience.
Virtual reality: This technology is transforming landscape of customer experience for modern businesses. It has the potential to completely change experience of clients. Virtual reality can engage guests in better way as this technology is designed to administers a sheer sensory experience which captures imagination, senses and attention unlike any of the other technology exist currently. Application of this technology within business processes of Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester restaurant can offer immersive experience to customers. It helps restaurant to engage customers in more better way instead of other technologies, motivating them to interact in better way and delighting them (Cetin and Dincer, 2014).
TASK 4
P5 Illustrate customer service strategies in a specific service sector context
In hospitality sector, services are the important part that assists in attracting large group of customers. Effective services helps in keeping guests engaged within business that assists in its growth and prosperity. In today's competitive business environment, it is very necessary for organisations that deal in hospitality sector to provide high quality services to its customers. It assists firm in winning trust of clients and gaining their loyalty towards firm. For providing effective services to guests, it is crucial for manager of Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester restaurant to deploy some customer services strategies. These strategies assists in providing better experience to customers and generating high revenues. Some of the strategies are defined below:
Empower employees to make guests happy: Today, customers wants high quality services that provides some value to them and for which, they are ready to pay any amount of money (Garg, Rahman and Qureshi, 2014). In order to ensure quality service, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester restaurant requires to empower staff members to please customers as for them, employee becomes the face of organisation. So, it is highly essential for firm to give permission to staff members to take time they require for making customers feel valued. It assists restaurant in increasing satisfaction level of customers and retain them for longer term.
Go beyond standard operating process: For providing best service experience to customers, it is necessary to familiar enough with standard operating procedures to enable to finesse as require to retain customer. Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester restaurant can offer some complimentary drink to guests at the time they arrive. It assists firm in capturing attention of customers and providing them great experience.
Be attentive to guest's needs: This is the vital strategy for providing effective services to customers. It is highly essential for Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester restaurant to be aware about needs and preferences of customers as it assists them in providing effective services. This can be done by restaurant through getting feedback from customers as it helps them in understanding and knowing their needs and fulfilling it appropriately. This also assists in making improvements if required.
Deliver on your promises: In service business, it is highly essential for organisations to deliver on their promises. Every service that delivers on time reinforce existing and potential customers of firm to trust in it. As Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester restaurant deals in hospitality sector, service is considered as the main part on which growth and success of firm rely (Bilgihan, Kandampully and Zhang, 2016). So, by ensuring service delivery on time, restaurant enables to provide better experience to customers and gain their loyalty.
Reward loyal customers: It is also one of the effective strategy that assists firm in providing good experience to customers. For Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester restaurant, it is necessary to keep its regular customer happy through offering them special discount offers at visit. This can be a discount code, free food in prize draw or something as helpful video or blog post. When firm reward its customers with such little perks, they will more interested to come and visit the restaurant again. They may also recommend their friends to visit the restaurant once (Shah, Kumar and Kim, 2014). Are you having a tou
P6 Demonstrate how customer service strategies create and develop the customer experience in a way that meets the needs of the customer and required business standards
Customer Audit Trail, Critical Observations:
Name of hospitality business visited: |
Grange City Hotel, London |
Date and time of visit: |
6th November, 2018 |
Ambience and First Impressions:
Things that I observed that were positive, or good ? |
Things that I observed that were negative, or bad? |
What would I change if this was my business? |
The lightning, sounds and interior of hotel is very good and attractive. |
The space and sitting arrangements of hotel is not good. |
If this was my business, I change sitting arrangements so that appropriate space can be made. |
Signage, Tariff Boards, Labelling, etc.:
Things that I observed that were positive, or good ? |
Things that I observed that were negative, or bad? |
What would I change if this was my business? |
Various signage like fire exit, no entry way etc. are attached. |
A proper tariff board is not available in hotel due to which customers may not be able to know prices of room. |
I ensure to make available a tariff board which contains all the informations regarding room rates, food etc. |
Prices:
Things that I observed that were positive, or good ? |
Things that I observed that were negative, or bad? |
What would I change if this was my business? |
Rooms are available in hotel at economic prices. |
Hotel charge very high prices on some services which is not as valuable as their prices. |
I will primarily focus on providing value to customers for which they pay. |
Range of Products:
Things that I observed that were positive, or good ? |
Things that I observed that were negative, or bad? |
What would I change if this was my business? |
Variety of food items and services are provided by hotel like open Wi-Fi, clean rooms etc. |
Pool area of hotel is not good and clean. |
As people prefer more to go aside pool area, so, I will provide clean pool area with some other facilities. |
Staff:
Things that I observed that were positive, or good ? |
Things that I observed that were negative, or bad? |
What would I change if this was my business? |
Large number of staff is hired by hotel for providing services to guests. |
Due to some unskilled members of staff, services are not effectively delivered as require. |
I will hire skilled and competent staff in order to ensure high quality services will offer to customers. I will also provide training to improve their skills. |
Time:
Things that I observed that were positive, or good ? |
Things that I observed that were negative, or bad? |
What would I change if this was my business? |
Services are delivered on promised time. |
Laundry services of hotel takes more time. |
I will use high technology machines for washing clothes so that laundry services of firm can be improved. |
Supplementary Items:
Things that I observed that were positive, or good ? |
Things that I observed that were negative, or bad? |
What would I change if this was my business? |
Staff members on front office provide quick services to customers and provide all the things they want. |
Hotel do not provide some welcome or complimentary drink to guests. |
I will provide some refreshing drink to guests so that they feel refreshing after drinking that. |
Payment:
Things that I observed that were positive, or good ? |
Things that I observed that were negative, or bad? |
What would I change if this was my business? |
Hotel accept payments through credit cards and cash. |
Hotel is not accepting payment through online banking due to which customers face difficulties sometimes. |
I will accept payment through online banking also. |
Read Also: Enhance Customer Experience- Duck & Rice
CONCLUSION
As per the above mentioned report, it has been concluded that Customer experience management is very crucial for firms as it helps in boosting revenues with increasing sales from existing clients and attracting new customers through word of mouth. For providing consistent message to customers, various sources are used by restaurant such as website, electronic mails, personal messages, paper mails etc. Restaurant staff, management, review sites etc. are also the way through which consistent message is delivered to customers. Use of digital technology in business processes helps in providing better experience to customers which ultimately improves revenues and profitability of restaurant. Various customer service strategies are employed by firm to improve experience of customers.