INDUCTION- UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER

This report examines the importance of understanding customer needs in the hospitality industry, focusing on The Ledbury restaurant. It analyzes the role of digital technology in managing customer experience, critically evaluates the benefits and drawbacks of CRM, and recommends strategies for improving customer service. The report also includes a case study of Hazev restaurant, analyzing their customer service strategies for a successful food event. Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments for students.

INDUCTION-
UNDERSTANDING
CUSTOMER

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................1
P5 Explanation on digital technology which employed to manage customer experience in The
Ledbury...................................................................................................................................1
M3. Importance of digital technology for effectively require and retain customers..............3
D3 Critically evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of CRM...............................................4
LO 4.................................................................................................................................................4
D4. Evaluation of appropriate customer services strategies...................................................4
Recommendation for improving quality of customer experience..........................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCE...................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
To achieve success, it is necessary for business organisations to understand the factors
which satisfy needs and wants of customer (Kandampully, Zhang and Jaakkola, 2018). This
assessment will evaluate impact of digital technology in which its importance in managing
customer experience in organisation will discuss. To discuss this topic chosen organisation is
The Ledbury. Further, in this report an explanation will provide on delivering customer service
in Hazev restaurant. Moreover, last section of report will provide information on strategies which
helps in satisfying needs and wants of the audiences.
LO 3
P5 Explanation on digital technology which employed to manage customer experience in The
Ledbury
In today's competitive era, integration of digital technology has brought a transformation
for operating business and to increase customer experience. Restaurant which employ digital
technology for operating its business operations in marketplace are managing highly engaged
customers (McColl-Kennedy and et.al., 2018). The Ledbury restaurant also employed digital
technology for managing customer experience by following ways-
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In marketing department:
Digital technology first employed in marketing department which helps in reducing
expenditure on offline marketing activities. The Ledbury has its effective and easily
approachable website where customers did not have to struggle for opening its portal. To manage
customer experience, technologies like social media, email and search engine helps marketing
department effectively. This marketing process with the use of digital technology helps in
retaining customers on long term basis which overall increases profitability of company.
In sales management:
In this department, digital technology take place in form of social selling instead of using
cold calling (Lemon, 2018). It helps this technology helps The Ledbury organisation in
managing communication relationship with customers by making effective effort. This
relationship with audiences helps organisation in managing best customer service.
In customer support division:
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Illustration 1: CRM system
(Source: Customer Relationship Management, 2019)

Digital technology is employed in this area too where The Ledbury restaurant managers
will able to assist customer more efficiently by reaching through several channels (Bolton and
et.al., 2018). Here the role of digital technology is to connect customers via various online
platforms like websites, social media, and online communities so that new services will
effectively be promoted among them. This promotion technique will help company in attracting
customer and to provide them best services which manage their experience, needs and wants.
To set the target customer:
By employing digital technology, The Ledbury is able to target customers by using
various online platform of technological world. With the emailing and messaging, company will
able to target its audience and will able to retain them with long term basis.
These are the areas where digital technology will get employed by The Ledbury
restaurant. This will help them in managing customer experience and to retain them on long term
basis.
It is very basic that with application of CRM software would be easy and helpful for
company into managing the experience of customer into service sector. As it is essential that
company is providing best service to their client with support and use of lasted technology and
tools. There are many software which can be used by company that help and support extracting
many type of information from the market. NetHunt CRM is regarded to as one of the best
software which helps company into document storage, internal chat integration, email marketing
and mobile access. All these will help in managing the customer experience within service
sector. This software help into putting up of complete feature CRM into Gmail which works with
email and having all things into one software only. Thus help into managing customer and their
experience as well with providing complete solution to service provider.
M3. Importance of digital technology for effectively require and retain customers
Nowadays, with the help of digital technologies, The Ledbury organisation will
effectively able to retain their customers. Chatbots, big data analytics, artificial intelligence,
virtual reality, and internet of things are such strategies which used by organisations to retain
customers for long term objectives. With the help of CRM model, restaurant will able to obtain
range of information services by which sales of company will get improved in order to improve
performance and efficiency of sales.
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D3 Critically evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of CRM
Advantages of CRM model:
Provides better customer service: collecting information by identifying buying habits of
customer will help organisations in fulfilling needs of customers and to satisfy them.
To market and target customers: with the help of CRM model, organisation will able to
collect wide range of data which helps management to target specify customers. Customers are
only get targeted when appropriate selection is done by management through use of CRM model.
It helps in putting everything at one place: with this model, organisation will able
centralized data which analysed so that effective resources will get developed for meeting needs
of customers. Strategies which develop in accordance with data analysis will allow workers to be
more productive in their working.
CRM helps in speed up conversion process: nowadays customers are researching
everything they want to know about entity. Therefore, this CRM model will help in developing
strategies which focus on providing the best online experience to customers.
Disadvantage of CRM model:
Eliminates human element from business equation: with CRM model process becomes
automated but with this management lose some human element which sometimes needs by
organisation.
Staff resistance: with the use of CRM model, employee might not be able to deal with
because of which management has to face stiff resistance. With this resistance delay will be
shown in the production of process of company.
LO 4
D4. Evaluation of appropriate customer services strategies
For achieving the success of a food event it is necessary for managers of Hazev restaurant
in developing effective customer service strategies. Strategies which developed must be
accordance with valuable and quality of service by which customers’ expectations will get
fulfilled. Such strategies are as follows-
Create clear staff expectations:
For achieving the success of event it is necessary to communicate clear expectations to
staff (Shaw and Hamilton, 2016). With restaurant customer service guidelines and policies,
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provides proper training to staff so that they will serve the customer best. By regular team
meetings, provide clear plan of event to staff so that they will able to improve skill which require
in performing.
Personalise the guest experience:
Developing strategies which creates fun and memorable experience in guests mind. Such
strategies like calling guests with their first name and putting them at ease will develop a
memorable event in their mind. Provide effective training to staff for welcoming guest with
smile so that warmth and friendliness environment will get developed.
Streamline the wait times:
Use updated technologies which save time and customers did not have to wait for too
long. For every customer the worst part is to wait for long term. Fully integrated devices and
software like meal pacing will ensure for availability of food among customers (Homburg, Jozić
and Kuehnl, 2017).
Responding to concerns:
By focusing on needs of customers and by listening their complaint regularly will help in
providing the best services and in accordance with expectations of customer. Solving issues and
by apologizing will help company to retain guests in long term basis.
These are the customer services strategies which Hazev restaurant will apply for
conducting successful event for students and staff of Docklands Academy.
Recommendation for improving quality of customer experience
Dockland Academy in London conducting an international food event for its students and
staff with the help of its partner restaurant Hazev. To achieve the success of event managers of
Hazev restaurant have developed proper planning for providing the best valuable services to
customers. They have also provided promotional menu so that customers will get attracted in the
event. Here is some recommendation to Hazev restaurant for conducting a good international
food event and to improve quality of customer experience. Ways by which customer experience
will get improved by organisation is as follows-
Create clear customer experience vision: first step which restaurant will able to improve
customer experience is by developing clear customer-focused vision which needs to
communicate with owners. By developing such vision, restaurant will able to provide effective
and valuable services to customer which help in improving their experience. By developing
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strategies with previous customer experience will help Hazev restaurant in providing the best
services to customers in accordance with the needs and expectations of them. Nowadays,
customers did not like to help them therefore, try to develop self-service strategies where they
will help for themselves. Provide regular training session which develop an encouragement
among employees for improving skills to provide best services to customers. Developing strong
communication with staff member will help managers in proving clear expectation of company
among staff.
By understanding customers: effective customer support team needs to be developed by
restaurant so that different types of customers will easily get handled and their expectations will
get fulfilled. Time management strategies will work as effective process to conduct a successful
event. Develop some creativity in preparing food so that customers get attracted in trying
different taste. This creativity will also work for retaining customers on long term basis.
By developing emotional connection with customers: the best customer experience will
only get achieved when leaders have emotional connection with customers. By connecting them
emotionally, leaders will able to develop knowledge of needs and wants of customer. It will help
in developing effective strategies by which needs of customers will get achieved.
By capturing customer feedback: timely collecting customer feedback will help entities
in improving areas which are in need. Customer feedback will also help restaurant in developing
expectations of customers so that their experience will get improved. Effective strategies will
only get developed when feedback of customers will timely captured by management.
These are the strategies by which management of Hazev restaurant will able to improve
their quality of services by which customer experience will get achieved.
CONCLUSION
From the above study it can be concluded that understanding customer needs is the
important factor which must have to analyse by every food restaurant. This report is based on the
services of hospitality sector which satisfy customer needs. With this report it is summarised that
digital technology is a power tool which helps in satisfying the expectations of customers. It is
also concluded with this report that for conducting successful food event it is necessary to create
proper planning and promotion of event so that guests will get attracted.
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REFERENCE
Books and Journals
Bolton, R.N and et.al., 2018. Customer experience challenges: bringing together digital, physical
and social realms. Journal of Service Management. 29(5). pp.776-808.
Homburg, C., Jozić, D. and Kuehnl, C., 2017. Customer experience management: toward
implementing an evolving marketing concept. Journal of the Academy of Marketing
Science. 45(3). pp.377-401.
Kandampully, J., Zhang, T. and Jaakkola, E., 2018. Customer experience management in
hospitality: A literature synthesis, new understanding and research agenda. International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 30(1). pp.21-56.
McColl-Kennedy, J.R and et.al., 2018. Gaining Customer Experience Insights That
Matter. Journal of Service Research. p.1094670518812182.
Shaw, C. and Hamilton, R., 2016. Moving Your Customer Experience to the Next Level
Requires New Thinking. In The Intuitive Customer (pp. 1-16). Palgrave Macmillan,
London.
Online
Customer Relationship Management. 2019. [ONLINE]. Available through
<http://bgniran.com/en/customer-relationship-management-crm/>
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