Pages: 2

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a practical guide to achieving customer satisfaction at events and hotels because all managers want their customers to be happy but it is a difficult aim to achieve. It discusses the customer loyalty and how to convert new customers to be loyal customers, and the need for customer referrals. The book explains how to deal with complaints and why customers complain. It presents a typology of complainers, the need to identify the legitimacy of a complaint to know what to offer to resolve it, and provides an eight-step method to deal with complaints. The book also discusses the benefits of empowering staff to deal with complaints and recover customer service levels. It investigates the benefits of empowering staff to deal with complaints and recover customer service levels.

Pages: 27

This chapter sets out to define customer service and customer satisfaction by identifying events and hotels as providing a service to customers. We identify the difference between a product and providing a service and why a service is difficult to recover if it goes wrong. Section 1.1 looks at meeting customer expectations and the dangers of overselling or underselling and being dishonest about what the customer can expect to receive. In Section 1.2, we track the ‘customer journey’ where we look at how customers use ‘touch points’ when utilising event and hotel services. We explore varied sources of customer expectations and discuss stakeholders and stakeholder groups. Section 1.3 explains the merits of providing Total Quality Management (TQM) drawing upon various hotel and event examples including planned maintenance versus repairs to equipment which has already failed.

Pages: 22

This chapter begins with recognising why customers become returning customers and how important it is to convert new customers to becoming return customers. We ask how The Manager knows they are not satisfying their customers which leads to the learning value of conducting structured feedback. We look at why evaluation needs to be embedded into the procedures at events and hotels, and how evaluation should be conducted. We offer eight suggestions of how to generate customer feedback. Section 2.0 visits the value of reputation and professionalism in regulating what is an unregulated industry. Here, we look at the use of external resources and the value of maintaining a list of approved suppliers. Section 2.1 looks at the costs of not achieving customer satisfaction.

Pages: 13

This chapter explores the techniques that assist businesses to understand their customers and the competition they face when trying to attract them. Section 3.0 maps the alternatives available to current and future customers by creating a competitor analysis model to display the market. In Section 3.1, we delve into the different methods of defining your specific target market and ways to fully understand the people who will be or already are your customers. We explain how to identify a customer persona – a fictional character who fits into your customer target range – to reach and engage with that customer type. Section 3.2 explores personalising your offer to fit individual customers and the importance of adapting your product to fit that target. Here, we share some ideas for personalising products to suit customers and other ideas to suit sponsors. We further identify seven benefits of personalising your business to customers. Section 3.3 discusses the merits of computerised Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and how they can be applied to personalise the experience of customers at hotels and events. Section 3.4 identifies seven reasons why loyal customers are valuable as well as five ways to encourage loyal customers to return and to act as advocates for your business. In Section 3.5, we discuss the power of customer referrals and the reasons for tracking the percentage source of bookings.

Pages: 24

This chapter dissects the idiom ‘the customer is always right’ to determine whether it is true. We then look at what we are promising to our customers and how to align your offer to meet customer expectations. Section 4.1 identifies what you can deliver to customers by segmenting each aspect of what you are offering and then analysing each segment and sub-segment to determine if you are honestly delivering the right level of expectations. With Section 4.2, we look at how to set customer expectations without the dishonesty of over-promising, so that alignment is achieved with expectations being set and expectations being met. In Section 4.3, we take an in-depth look at customer perception of hotels through the use of hotel brands and sub-brands (Section 4.3.1) in attracting customer-specific interest and engagement. This serves to target individual consumer groups who are interested in one side of the service but not others so as to avoid marketing fatigue through blanket marketing to disinterested customers. In this section, we discuss the merits of hotel marketing consortia (Section 4.3.2) in creating customer perception of member hotels but we also identify customer confusion with hotel consortia. We then expose the myths of the hotel star rating system (Section 4.3.3) which persists in being misperceived by hotel customers. We visit online booking systems (Section 4.3.4) and their influence with Electronic Word of Mouth (EWORM) and then we offer a brief evaluation of hotel accreditation bodies (Section 4.3.5). Section 4.4 moves us into the events arena where we look at engaging with customer perceptions through the senses – experiential events – and how setting objectives (Section 4.4.1) allows The Manager to measure their performance in meeting customer satisfaction targets. Here, we outline the need for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track performance during the planning of an event and for measuring actual performance against objectives after an event has happened.

Pages: 8

In this chapter, we identify the merits of contracts in preventing litigation consequences and show why business should not be conducted without a contract in place. We outline the content of contracts and how they set expectations for all parties to prevent misinterpretations. Then we explain a simple but effective solution to prevent the problem of contracts not getting signed or getting delayed, and what to do if the supplier is not a professional or does not have a company.

Pages: 26

In this chapter, we outline the need for repeat customers and how to retain them as continued loyal customers through the upward spiral of consistent customer service and ever-upward good experiences. Section 6.1 details how leaders can drive customer loyalty by ensuring that their staff are in a happy state and will be effective in delivering high levels of customer service. This requires communication of the business goals through the hierarchical structure and we set out five tools for leaders to interact with their staff. In Section 6.2, we visit customer loyalty at management level between leaders and staff. Here, it is identified how vital it is for communication to flow both downwards from leaders to staff and upwards from staff to leaders, using the management levels as the conduit. We look at how managers should behave in that ‘middle’ level. Section 6.3 deals with customer loyalty at operational level with the staff and begins with effective communication. Here, we identify how staff who perform well are exposed to exploitation, and we take a look at how to deal with underperforming staff (Section 6.3.1) by focusing on their development into becoming good staff to support the objectives of the business. Section 6.4 highlights communication as the essential component when dealing with staff who are delivering customer service. Here, we look at the Shannon & Weaver model which demonstrates how messages can be interrupted by ‘noise’ and why obtaining feedback is necessary. We guide you through the process of effective communication (Section 6.4.1) using the 7Cs model by Cutlip & Center. We then journey through hotel interdepartmental communication (Section 6.4.2) and consistency of performance (Section 6.4.3), event interdepartmental communication (Section 6.4.4), and event processes of communication (Sections 6.4.5–6.4.7) before arriving at departmental communication (Section 6.4.8).

Pages: 23

Section 7.1 introduces legislation with complaints under the Trade Descriptions Act which was introduced in 1968. In Section 7.2, we identify and analyse four types of complainers and suggest how to deal with each type. Section 7.3 looks at the three states of transactional analysis and its use as a psychological technique to deal with these states of complainers and convert a complainer from one state to another. Section 7.4 highlights the need to identify whether a complaint is legitimate through the checking procedures and why this is helpful in deciding solutions to resolve any issue. We look at the value of debrief meetings to facilitate ongoing communication in resolving any issues. In Section 7.5, we present an eight-step guide to complaint handling and then look at the dangers of financial solutions such as discounts and refunds. Section 7.6 deals with complaints specifically at events to recover service during the point at which it is being consumed by the customer. Section 7.7 looks at the negotiation and resolution of complaints with a five-point negotiation plan. In Section 7.8, we show the benefits of recording errors, tracking the outcomes, and which solutions are most effective with the aim to monitor service levels. Then in Section 7.9, we present two case study examples of actual complaints. The first involves uncooked chicken served at a wedding reception (Section 7.9.1) and the second involves steak preferences at a conference (Section 7.9.2).

Pages: 19

In this chapter, we look at why it is beneficial for staff to be empowered to recover customer service when issues arise. The chapter sets out with explaining a system of limits to control the level of staff empowerment when dealing with complaints so they can do so within comfortable parameters. We then look in turn at the benefits of staff empowerment from the perspectives of staff (Section 8.1), managers (Section 8.2), customers (Section 8.3), and the business (Section 8.4).

Pages: 9

This chapter addresses the practice of reflection as a strategy to assess performance towards the goals of the business, to understand whether we are on track to meet them and achieve successful outcomes against the objectives we have set. We point out how learning takes place from reflecting upon the experiences we encounter, which is presented in the model of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle. Section 9.1 views reflection from the customer perspective whereby The Manager ‘walks through’ the customer service experience to identify how the customer would receive those services. In Section 9.2, we identify what would make you complain and present the concept of customer service appraisals.