Managing Customer Experience - Travelodge

Managing Customer
Experience

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
The customer experience management can be defined as a process that involves planning
and effective management of the experience gained by a customer on the basis of the products
and services presented by the business organisation in the market. The customer experience
management can be defined as the technique by which the service provider industry tries to fulfil
the promise of providing effective services to the customers (Alexander, 2013). The experience
of customers plays a very crucial part in determining the sustainability of the business
organisation for a longer period of time. This report is constructed on the Travelodge which is
the second largest in the hospitality industry in UK. The report will include the value of
understanding needs and wants of the targeted customer groups and different customer service
strategies involved in the hospitality sector. Further the report will explain the importance of the
service strategies in improving the customer experience effectively.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1
P1 Explain the needs and expectations of market segments for the service industry
It is very important for any business organisation functioning in the market to consider
the needs and wants of the customers in effective manner to run the business operations
successfully and to sustain in the market for the longer period of time. It is very important that
the business organisation should work to fulfil the requirements of the consumers to increase
their satisfaction level towards the company (Bilgihan, Kandampully and Zhang, 2016).
Determining and examining these needs and preferences will assist the organisation in deciding
suitable strategies to implement in order to meet the requirements of the customers in appropriate
manner. Assuring effective customer experience will help the organisation in formulating an
affirmative image in the market. In this context, Travelodge is a hospitality industry that has a
targeted customer base of people who love travelling and enjoy the leisure service provided by
the organisation to increase their revenue and to develop positive image in fulfilling the
customers demand effectively. The Travelodge company is considerably targeting these
costumers’ groups by analysing the needs and wants and proceeding in order to accomplish them
in a well-timed manner. For this, the manager of Travelodge is required to carry out an analysis
to find out their targeted customer section. That is described below:

Customer Group Need Want Preference
Business persons Friendly meeting
rooms
Wi-Fi facility, and
availability of sockets.
Good food and
soothing ambience
Families Spacious rooms,
swimming pool,
gaming zone, etc.
Good quality and
different variety of
food.
Relaxing facilities like
massage centre,
meditation sessions,
etc.
Youth Good infrastructure,
spacious and well-
equipped rooms.
Good lounge area with
Wi-Fi facility.
Bar and disc area to
party.
From the above constructed table, it can be determined that various user groups have
their different set of needs, wants and preferences from the organisation. As observed by the
manager of Travelodge, the three main targeted customer bases are business persons, families
and young generation people. The first group is of the business persons who need meeting areas
to conduct their friendly meetings with proper arrangement of food and Wi-Fi facilities. The
second group is families which goes on vacations to relax and they need spacious rooms, pool
areas and gaming zones for their kids and good facility of food and various relaxing facilities.
The third customer group is of young people who need proper party facilities. The business
organisation is required to follow all these needs and requirements of the customers effectively to
run the business operations in effective manner (Cetin and Dincer, 2014).
P2 Explore the different factors that drive and influence customer engagement of different target
customer groups
There are many factors present in the business environment which an easily influence the
customer engagement in the hospitality industry (Brandon-Jones and et. al., 2016). Travelodge is
required to examine these factors effectively, that will help them to improve the experience of
the customers in desired manner. The factors that influence the customer engagement of the
targeted user group of business persons, families and youth are defined as follows:

The business person requires a peaceful and soothing environment for doing their work in
proper manner. Travelodge is required to focus on this factor as it will result in influencing
customer engagement and should provide proper working environment to the business clients.
Families come with the purpose of enjoying with the family members and to relax and
requires an intimate environment with different facilities for each and every member of the
family, Travelodge is requiring to analyse all these factors to satisfy the customers and to build a
good image of the company in the market.
Youth comes with the motive to enjoy their holidays and to spend leisure time with
friends and they require spacious lounge areas, bar and disc area. The business organisation
should provide all the required needs of this customer base to influence the engagement.
On the basis of above factors, the business organisation working in the hospitality sector
is required to take feedback from the customers about the services they provide with the
objective of making regular needed improvements in their services on the basis of the feedbacks
received. This will result in increasing the customer experience in effective manner.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2
P3 A customer experience map
Customer experience mapping can define as the process that helps in encouraging
engagement of the targeted customers of the organisation on the basis of services provided to
them is tracked (Ariffin and Maghzi, 2012). It is considered as the technique that helps the
business organisation to find out the manner in which the customers get connected to the services
provided to them by the Travelodge. These factors have good impact on the company in long
time period as this determines gratification gained by the customers while consuming the
services rendered by the organisation. Full satisfaction of the customers indicate that users
largely associate with the company and their beliefs. This will help Travelodge to insure its
sustainability and development in the market. In hospitality sector, the leading aim of the
business organisation is to assure that the customers have a pleasing experience with the services
provided to them. This can be done with the help of various tools and techniques that lead in
making effective interactions with the customers. These tools are used by the manager of
Travelodge and are as follows:

Website: It is considerably the most crucial tool of providing the important information
of the organisation to the customers. Websites helps in providing information with the assistance
of attractive pictures and creative visuals to pose a huge impact on the viewers. In context of
Travelodge, the company has catered all the essential information about their services (Garg,
Rahman and Qureshi, 2014). It is needed by administration of the company to see that the offers
showcased by the company on the website is significant and do not hold any deceptive
promotion against the public interest.
Telephone: This is the effective tool of communication used by the business organisation
in this present time to connect with people and to make efforts to influence them to experience
the services provided. Travelodge has appointed a marketing team for this task of interacting
with the targeted customers who make calls in the hotel with the purpose to collect information
about the services.
Hotel Environment: The business organisations working in the hospitality industry try
to find the set up at such places where the customers will experience great surroundings and can
enjoy their leisure time feasibly. That's why Travelodge assure that the ambience of all the
outlets of their organisation are situated in a location where the customers enjoy the environment
and get satisfied with the services.

Organisation management: It is very essential for the organisation management to
control the business activities to run in suitable manner to increase the productivity of the
organisation. To maintain this Travelodge has taken effective measures to proceed their
managerial functions in effective manner to accomplish the desired objectives.
Hotel Travelodge Customers Journey Experience Map
Hotel Travelodge Customers Journey Experience Map
 After the booking in hotel:- Received a phone call from hotel regarding booking
confirmation and the facilities provided by them with particular package before the
departure for the hotel.
 Arrival at hotel:-It is compulsory to show your ID proof to get your room keys after
entered in to the hotel. This whole procedure almost take one hour and in that waiting
time free soft drinks are served.
 Room available:- After waiting for one hour finally got the room keys. The outer view of
sunset from the room window is very relaxing and peaceful.
 Fitness room:- In fitness room there are lots of high technique equipments are available
for exercise with a qualified instructor which provide instruction related to the uses of
equipments or machinery.
 Dinner :- The dinner was great in taste the quality of service provided at the time of
serving food was very good.
 Breakfast :- On second day morning hotel offered morning tea and breakfast at free of
cost.
 The lunch ordered in room. Room service was very good and got received on proper
time.
P4 Discuss how the touch points create such opportunities throughout the customer experience
The customer touch points are the method utilised by the business organisation to
commence effective communication with the customers to convey required information to the
customers (Shah, Kumar and Kim, 2014). By developing an effective communication channel
with the targeted audience, the business organisation attempts to influence the customers and

their beliefs in appropriate manner. It leads in creating a positive image of the company in the
market and helps in increasing sustainability for the long run.
Travelodge is capable to utilise numerous types of consumer touch-points to influence the
people to the extent of making them purchase the services offered by the business organisation.
Organisation invests a large sum of money for providing training to the employees for the main
purpose of serving customers in effective manner (Vurnek and et. al., 2018). The employees of
Travelodge communicate in effective ways with customers in a proper formal tone to maintain
the decorum pursued in the hospitality sector. The touch points which can influence the
customers experience also includes factors like company's website, various communication
channels, management of the organisation.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3
P5 How digital technology is employed in managing the customer experience within the service
sector
The business environment consists of a dynamic nature as the changes in the technology
takes place on regular basis. These changes are required to be addressed by the business
organisation to gain the competitive advantage in the market (Reason, Løvlie and Flu, 2015).
Digital technology assists an organisation in constructing an efficacious communication channel
with the customers to examine their needs, requirements and preferences properly to increase
their satisfaction level with services. It is also essential to be aware about the changes taken place
in the technology as, it helps the business organisation to deliver effective services to the
customers in order to fulfil their needs and demands (Pont, 2014). Black and White is a well-
known organisation in the hospitality sector which stresses upon keeping a healthy relationship
with the customers. To make the managerial staff to understand the need of the customer
relationship management, the business organisation has organized a course of study. This course
of study is organized with a prospect to equip the staff with the information about the ways in
which customer relationship management leads to the improvement of experiences of customers.
Customer relationship management (CRM):
The customer relationship management can be defined as the theory which deals in
improving the customer experience and render improved services for the customers
(Kandampully, Zhang and Bilgihan, 2015). CRM assist the organisation to give improved

facilities by selecting new technology, strategy and practices. This technique primarily focuses
on upholding the sustainability for the business organisation and assuring the possession of
customers for a longer period of time.
Hospitality sector is fundamentally concerned with determining the needs and preferences of the
customers and works to fulfil their demands with the best possible way. They also focus on
operating in a manner that is accepted by wide reach of people and can carry better results in the
service quotients, if it is required. This process assists in assuring that the customers will gain
extreme satisfaction from the services supplied by the business organisation. Moreover, There are
some questions which have been asked from the customers that are given as under:
1. Tell the name of firm who have made the presentation ?
David and company limited was the name of organisation
2. What was the name of individual who have formed the presentation ?
John Adam was the person who developed presentation
3. Which software was demonstrated by them?
OPERA was the name of software that was demonstrated by them.
4. Tell us the Key elements of their programme ?
Programme mainly consists table bookings, reservation techniques, Pay and collect system, open
table etc.
5. Please provide some of the current customers of David and company limited
Current customers of David and company limited are Travelodge, Marriott international, Hilton
etc.
6. From when the company is continuing to operate its business?
David and company limited was founded in 2012 and software which is using by them in
their operations was come in effect in the year of 1970.
7. How can company use these programmes in future?
In future expectation, Black and White is seriously focusing on accelerating
communication channels with the guests. Also, the, company can also regulate the current trends
and techniques being utilised by the competing business organisations in the hospitality sector.
With these types of programmes, they concentrate on fetching feedbacks from the customers to
function in effective and efficient manner in the future and uphold the position in the market for a
long period of time.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 4
P6 Illustrate customer service strategies in a specific service sector context
The consumer service strategies can be defined as the well-constructed plan adopted by
the business organisation to fulfil the needs and demands of the customers in an effective
manner. This plan of action considerably focuses on making the customers satisfied with the
required services to hold them for a long period of time (Managing Customer Experience, 2018).
It helps a business organisation in operating in such a way that assure that the customers do not
change to substitutes present in the market and stay with the organisation only as a loyal
customer. In this context, Travelodge makes usage of several strategies so as to carry customers
to stay connected and loyal to the business for a long run, which are described as follows:
Resolution of customer issues or grievances: In this plan of action, business
organisation emphasis on employing workers with particular skills and capabilities that assist
them in handling the customers in effective manner. If the customer comes across with any
issues related with the services provided by the Travelodge in relation with the offers showcased
on the website and are not being fulfilled, the customer has the right to raise queries to the
management of the organisation (Chathoth and et. al., 2016). Whereas, staff of Travelodge
determine any such issue faced by the customers, they analyse the reason of such issues and
develop efficacious solutions to help the customers. It leads in making the customers prosperous
by satisfying their necessity and eradicating their issues in effective manner. As an outcome of
this, businesses can guarantee that users act loyal towards organisation for a longer period of
time and business organisation can run in a smooth manner.
Provision of training to employees: This is other plan of action utilised by the business
organisation in which the top management of the company recognize the need of human resource
for accomplishment of organisational objectives in effective manner. Travelodge invests a large
amount of money on providing proper training to the workers with the motive of making them
capable to handle the customers in proper manner. The business organisation also setup various
workshops to demonstrate the working activities. And the ways in which a worker should conduct
themselves (Yang, Liu and Li,2015). This assist the staff in communicating in a formal manner
with the customers that will lead in making the customers satisfied with the organisation and
ensure sustainability of organisation in the market for longer period of time.

P7. Demonstrate how customer service strategies create and develop the customer experience in
a way that meet the needs of the customer and the required business standards
Audit Trial of Customers
Name of Hospitality organisation Travelodge, UK
Date of audit 28th MARCH, 2019
Ambience and First Impressions:
Positively or good thing
observed
Negative or bad things are
observed by me?
What will be the
modifications if this business
was mine?
The outside view of the
organisation was amazing as I
get in the first experience was
great.
There were no attendant on
the help desk which created a
little bit confusion for the
customer.
If it was my business, I will be
make some required changes in
allotting proper duties to the
staff.
Signage, Tariff Boards, Labelling, etc.:
Positively or good thing
observed
Negative or bad things are
observed by me?
What will be the
modifications if this business
was mine?
Fire extinguisher, emergency
facilities, health care team was
available at the hotel.
Improper guidance lead in
confusing the customer in
reaching to a destination.
I will be construct proper sign
boards for proper directions
and will assign duties for this
work to some staff members.
Prices:
Positively or good thing
observed
Negative or bad things are
observed by me?
What will be the
modifications if this business
was mine?
Pricing of the offerings of Here are several areas where I would be make efforts in

Hotel was good on the basis of
services they provide.
the price is more than
expected.
giving best services to the
customers with best possible
prices.
Range of Products:
Positively or good thing
observed
Negative or bad things are
observed by me?
What will be the
modifications if this business
was mine?
There is good variety nutrient
items and particular services
offered like Wi-Fi and
availability of housekeeping.
The swimming pool was not
properly clean.
For improving the pool side, I
will make sure that the pool is
cleaned on regular time
interval.
Staff:
Positively or good thing
observed
Negative or bad things are
observed by me?
What will be the
modifications if this business
was mine?
Well mannered and educated
employees in a very well
conducted manner.
Some division need employees
for proper and effective
functioning.
I will hire employees
according to their
requirements.
Time:
Positively or good thing
observed
Negative or bad things are
observed by me?
What will be the
modifications if this business
was mine?
The ordered services are
delivered within accurate time.
More time was taken by the
laundry department in
performing their services.
If it was my business then I
would be monitor each activity
of laundry department so that
customer can feel better

experience within the hotel.
Supplementary Items:
Positively or good thing
observed
Negative or bad things are
observed by me?
What will be the
modifications if this business
was mine?
Parking area of hotel is very
good and effective.
The welcoming way of hotel is
not satisfying.
If this business will be mine I
would arrange proper facilities
for the welcoming of guests so
that better experience can be
felled by the guests at their
entrance in the premises.
Payment:
Positively or good thing
observed
Negative or bad things are
observed by me?
What will be the
modifications if this business
was mine?
The employees of cash counter
were using cash and card.
Sometimes issue occurs at the
time of online payment.
The difficulty which was
facing by the cash counter
resolved by me.
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from the above discussed report that the experience of the
customers has to play a very important role in the success of the business organisation in the
market. It also explains the role of the top management of an organisation in the hospitality
sector is very crucial as it requires them to analyse the needs and requirements of the customers
to provide effective services. The report also helps in observing the use of different tools and
techniques to map customer experiences like website, telephone, etc. In the further part of the
report describes the customer touch points to construct appropriate communication between the

organisation and the customers. In last, different strategies to eradicate issues and increase the
level of satisfaction in the customers is defined.
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