Customer Service Policies and Initiatives at Premier Inn: A Comprehensive Analysis

Customer service
Premier Inn

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................1
OVERVIEW OF PREMIER INN...............................................................................................2
REPORT 1...............................................................................................................................3
TASK 1.....................................................................................................................................3
1.1 DISCUSSION ON MOTIVE FOR USING CUSTOMER SERVICE POLICIES...............3
1.2 MOTIVE OF ASSESSMENT OF CUSTOMER SERVICE POLICY INDICATING HOW
IT CAN ASSIST IN FUTURE STAFF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT............................5
TASK 2.....................................................................................................................................7
2.1 ASSESSMENT OF THE METHODS OF COMMUNICATION AND HOW THEY HAVE
AN IMPACT ON THE CUSTOMER FOCUSED CULTURE.................................................7
2.2 EXAMINATION OF HOW THE PERSPECTIVE OF CONSUMERS IS AFFECTED BY
THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PROVISION...........................................................................9
REPORT 2.............................................................................................................................10
TASK 3...................................................................................................................................10
3.1 EVALUATION OF INFORMATION SOURCES ON CUSTOMER REQUIREMENT AND
THEIR SATISFACTION LEVELS.......................................................................................10
3.2 RESEARCH ON THE REQUIREMENTS OF CUSTOMERS AND SATISFACTION
LEVEL OF PREMIER INN CUSTOMERS AND SUGGESTING IMPROVEMENTS..........12
TASK 4...................................................................................................................................14
4.1 PLANNING AND DELIVERY OF THE CUSTOMER SERVICE INITIATIVES IN THE
PREMIER INN....................................................................................................................14
4.2 REVIEW OWN PERFORMANCE IN DELIVERY OF CUSTOMER SERVICE AND
MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS...........................................................................................16
CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................17
REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................18
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INTRODUCTION
The study of hospitality industry covers the major aspect of hospitality management. Taking
a deep insight into this, hospitality can be understood as the relation between the guests and
their hosts in which the hosts are liable for welcoming the guests and taking care of their
comfort and services provided to the guests. The customers in the hospitality sector have a
major contribution that leads to either success or failure of the hospitality firm. It must be
made sure that the customers are content with the services given by the hospitality firm. In
the assignment, Premier Inn hotel, one of the largest hotel chain in the UK is taken into
consideration. A report will be made in which the customer service manager of the hotel has
the accountability of conducting a training session and in that review the customer service
policies firstly and then discuss the purpose of the same. Moreover, the methods of
communication will be assessed accompanied by an analysis of how the perspective of the
customers is being influenced by the customer service provision. In the other report, the
requirements of the customers and their expectations will be scrutinised along with the
provisioning of customer service in the business context with an example.
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OVERVIEW OF PREMIER INN
The hotel chain, Premier Inn was established in the year 1987 and is recognised as the
largest hotel brand in the United Kingdom. The hotel chain operates in 5 countries
specifically the UK itself, Ireland, India, Germany and the UAE (United Arab Emirates). It has
a total of 750 hotels in the above-mentioned countries and is a subsidiary of the firm
Whitbread with headquarters in Dunstable, United Kingdom. The key person associated
with Premier Inn is Alison Brittain, the CEO of the organisation. The hotel chain provides
70% of the earnings of the total share of the Whitbread business (Premier Inn, 2018).
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REPORT 1
The customer service manager at Premier Inn will prepare a report for providing training to
the employees in a training session held on studying the consumer service policies of the
hotel so as to promote the culture focused towards customer benefit. The policies of
customer service will be described in business and service perspective along with describing
the purpose of encouraging a customer focused culture.
TASK 1
1.1 DISCUSSION ON MOTIVE FOR USING CUSTOMER
SERVICE POLICIES
Customer service in the context of hospitality operations can be explained as the services
that are given to the consumers or the clients so as to retain them and generate the new
potential consumers for the future that will in direct and indirect manner provide advantage to
the firm and assist it in facing the challenges that will emerge in the business environment
(Chand, 2010). With an aim to provide great service to the customers, there are some
predefined policies for each of the hospitality organisations so that the team representing the
firm can provide their services in a better and organised manner. These policies ensure that
the staff of the hospitality firm are well familiar with the importance of serving their clients
with the good quality of services in a consistent manner irrespective of which division of the
firm the staff member belongs to.
The reason behind the development and the use of the policies for customer service in hotel
Premier Inn are as follows-
Expectations of customers- As the expectations and the perception of the customers
change, there is a need for the hotel management to conduct an appraisal of its policies and
modify them at regular time intervals. For example- the customers are not happy with the
greeting and room services and want some innovation for the same (Grissemann, et al.
2013).
Information- The hotel management makes sure that the consumers are well informed
regarding the do’s and don’ts to ensure that a harmony is maintained between both the
parties in relation to the policies and procedures of the firm. The same applies to the
employees and management as well.
Feedback- The policies defined for the customer service are a powerful tool for directing the
staff members in a way to beseech information so as to improve the services. The clients on
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the other end are independent to share their feedbacks and experience so that the hotel
management can make the recommended modifications for improving its quality of services.
Clarity- The policies of the hotel that are clearly and accurately defined to the staff
members ensure that the objectives and the goals of the firm are clear to the employees and
thus this ensures that the employees will be successful in maintaining the brand image of the
firm. The effectiveness of the employees must be reviewed at regular time intervals to
ensure whether they are following the guidelines or not (Kam Fung So and King, 2010).
Training- The policies for the consumer service are helpful in the formation of the service
guidelines for the staff members of the hotel Premier Inn so that they receive proper training
for showcasing better performance in the firm. This aids much is providing information about
the idea of great service to the employees.
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