Managing Customer Experience

This report focuses on Marriott Group and explores the needs, wants, and preferences of different customer groups, factors influencing customer engagement, customer experience map, customer touchpoints, and the impact of technology in managing customer experience.

Managing Customer
Experience

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1: Needs, wants and preferences of target customer groups......................................................1
P2: Factors which drive and influence customer engagement.....................................................2
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
P3: Customer experience map.....................................................................................................4
P4; Customer touchpoints............................................................................................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
P5: Impact of technology in managing the customer experience................................................6
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................7
P6: Customer service strategies...................................................................................................7
P7: Demonstration of the way customer service strategies can be used to create and develop
the customer experience...............................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Customer Experience refers to the level of satisfaction the customers show when they
avail particular services of an organization (Bolton and et.al., 2018). Therefore it is a good
parameter through which the firms are able to identify whether they are serving their customers
in the right manner or not. On its basis the relevant improvements can be made effectively by the
business organization thus contributing towards the achievement of goals and objectives. This
report will focus on Marriott Group. It is an American Hospitality Company which provides its
services to the customers and clients. It has different hotels spread all over the world in different
countries. In this assignment, focus will be made on explaining the needs and expectations of
market segments, exploring of the customer service map, investigation of the impact of digital
technology in customer relationship management. Additionally, focus on application of effective
customer experience management will be made as a part of this project.
TASK 1
P1: Needs, wants and preferences of target customer groups
There are various types of target customer groups which can be targeted by the
hospitality organizations. They are as follows-
Young customers- These customer are within the age group of 15-35. These customers
have high expectations from the hospitality service providers regarding the level of services
which are provided by them (Bueno and et.al., 2019). Therefore they want that they are provided
good services by the hospitality organizations. Their needs, wants and preferences are listed as
follows-
 Needs- Comfort in the hotels for the price which they are paying for staying in the hotel.
 Wants- Superior service when they stay in the hotels which have expensive rates for their
rooms.
 Preferences- Prompt customer service to be provided when they have complaints
regarding the services of the hotel.
In Marriott Group, the young customers are given specific attention and the group ensures that it
provides superior luxury services so that the customers are able to receive value for the money
which is paid by them for the project.
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Middle-age customers- These customers are within the age group of 35-60. They have
moderate expectations from the hospitality organizations regarding their services. Therefore
these hospitality organizations are required to ensure that they are fully satisfied which will lead
towards positive reviews from them (Kandampully, Zhang and Jaakkola, 2018). Their needs,
wants and preferences are listed as follows-
 Needs- Their needs are that they should be provided proper value for the money paid by
them.
 Wants- Their wants are that they should get priority in comparison to young customers
so that their complaints and issues are taken up first.
 Preferences- Their preferences are that they want good services to be provided to them
for the money paid by them.
Thus Marriott Group ensures that it is able to deal with all of them and is able to provide superior
service to these customers which ensures that they are able to receive proper value for their
services.
Old customers- These customers are the ones whose age is more than 60 years. They
have expectations regarding comfort in the hotels when they stay there (Keiningham and et.al.,
2017). Their needs ,wants and preferences are listed as follows-
 Needs- More comfort and value are the expectations of these customers because they
need them in hotels.
 Wants- The wants of these customers are that preferential treatment should be given to
them when they stay at the hotels.
 Preferences- Their preferences are that they expect that they will be given the desired
priority in the hotels.
Therefore, In this manner Marriott Group ensures that it is able to satisfy the old customers by
dealing with all of them so that they give positive feedback about the hotel.
P2: Factors which drive and influence customer engagement
There are different factors which can drive and influence customer engagement of
different target groups (Kim and Choi, 2016). These are explained as follows-
Young customers-
Factors which influence them-
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 Luxury- The young customers prefer luxury to be given to them (Kumar, Steward and
Morgan, 2018). Therefore it is important from the point of view of hospitality
organizations that they must be able to ensure that they must be provided the luxury of
contacting the customer care 24 * 7 which can be quite helpful for them. Thus in this
manner this can lead towards an advantage for these customers. In this way Marriott
Group is able to engage them effectively and efficiently.
 Promotional offers- Promotional offers are quite good in engaging the young customers
(Lemon and Verhoef, 2016). They are attracted by the discount offers, special deals
which can be provided to them by the hotels. Therefore in this manner the hotels are able
to ensure that they can ensure proper engagement of these customers. Thus in this way
Marriott Group is able to engage them.
Middle-age customers-
 Cashback offers- Middle-age customers are attracted by the cashback offers which are
provided by the hotels to them (Mbama and Ezepue, 2018). Therefore in this way
Marriott Group can attract them and engage them in the correct manner. This helps in
attracting them and thus this can enhance the overall business of the hotel.
 Loyalty schemes- The Middle-age customers can be attracted by the loyalty schemes of
the hotels (Mohd-Ramly and Omar, 2017). They prefer these schemes due to the offers
which are provided by these hotels. In Marriott Group, this ensures that they are given
opportunity which can ensure their engagement.
Old customers-
 Special schemes- Old customers can be attracted through special schemes through which
they can be engaged also. In this manner Marriott Group is able to ensure that these
customers are engaged correctly.
 Special offers- Old customers can be attracted through the various types of special
schemes. Therefore in this way Marriott Group will be able to engage them in the correct
manner without problems and issues.
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TASK 2
P3: Customer experience map
A Customer experience map provides full details about a customer's journey from the
starting till the end in purchasing a product or availing a service (Roy, 2018). Therefore the
customer experience map for Marriott Group is as follows-
Travel inspiration- In it the customer receives travel inspiration to travel to a particular
destination or to stay at a particular hotel. This is received after reading reviews and feedbacks
about that hospitality organization. Therefore Marriott Group's customers can also be attracted
towards the hotel when they read its positive reviews on the websites and consider it for booking.
Research- It refers to the research which a customer performs so that the right hotel can
be booked for stay (Schweiger and et.al., 2020). For this a customer engages in higher-level
research and identifies the options which are available and can be used. Thus in this way
Marriott Group's customers will engage in higher-level of research and ensure that they select the
right hotel. If they feel that the Marrirott Group has the right facilities to offer to them then they
will book it for the purpose of stay.
Booking- Here the booking of the hotel can be done by the customer after the research
has been performed. A customer can therefore ensure that the booking can be done after
considering multiple factors so that an appropriate action is taken regarding the hotel to be
selected for the purpose of stay. Therefore, in this manner a customer of Marriott Group will
identify the offers which are available from the different hotels and will select Marriott Group
for stay.
On Property- It refers to the experience which a customer is able to have on the property
while staying there. Therefore the customer of Marriott Group will ensure that while staying at
the property the right experience is taken. The customer will make sure that a good experience is
taken while staying on the property which will ensure that proper value can be received for the
money paid.
Post-Stay- It means the feedback or the review which the customer provides after staying
at the hotel. The customer of Marriott Group will ensure that post stay the review can be
provided to other customers so that they are able to take the decision regarding their stay at the
hotel. The reviews can be provided both in the online and offline manner.
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P4; Customer touchpoints
Customer touchpoints are the points where the customer can be satisfied effectively and
efficiently by any organization (Shin, Perdue and Pandelaere, 2020). The organizations must
look forward towards taking the due care of these points so that they are able to ensure that they
satisfy the customers appropriately for receiving positive reviews from them. The following
touchpoints can be used by Marriott Group so that they are able to attract the customers-
 Interactive website- An interactive website can ensure that the customers are able to get
the required information easily in a highly effective manner. Therefore this can create an
opportunity for Marriott Group through which they can ensure that they are able to
achieve their goals and objectives effectively and efficiently. The opportunity is in the
form of targeting new customers which can ensure that the level of business can be
enhanced thereby profiting the company in the right manner.
 Potential of social media- Social media offers plenty of potential for the organizations
which allows them to be able to make sure that the right customers can be targeted. Thus
in this way an opportunity can be created for Marriott Group through which they are able
to earn higher-level of profits. The opportunity is in the form of conducting a survey in
the form of a Questionnaire which allows to identify the needs, wants and preferences of
the customers highly effectively and efficiently.
 Information on call- By providing the desired information on call the organizations are
able to ensure that they can satisfy the different customers. Also they can get to know
their opinion and the problems and issues which they face in the products and services.
Therefore, In this way Marriott Group is able to ensure that it provides the information on
call to the different customers which will help them a lot to be able to get their opinion
and make the desired improvements if necessary. The opportunity which is available for
the organization is that they can get to know more information about the customers and
can get to know their various needs and requirements which can be fulfilled.
 Emails- In the digital world, Emails have a lot of importance. This can be used as a way
to interact with the customers and raising the level of awareness among them about the
various types of offers which are available. Thus, In this way Marriott Group will be able
to ensure that it can target the various customers through emails and can interact with
them regularly which will thus help them a lot in achieving the goals and objectives. The
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opportunity available for the company here is that it can interact effectively with the
customers through their use and can ensure that promotional offers can be explained to
the customers.
 SMS- SMS is also a way through which the organizations can connect with the
customers. Marriott Group can ensure that it can use them to provide the customers with
different types of offers which can be used by them. Thus in this manner this provides an
opportunity to the company to identify the way it will be able to connect with the
customers regularly by keeping them updated.
TASK 3
P5: Impact of technology in managing the customer experience
Technology is now being used regularly so that the customer experience can be managed
in the right manner. Therefore in Marriott Group the use of the following technologies is being
made-
 Virtual Reality- It is an experience which helps in ensuring that the customers of an
organization are provided a good experience (Srivastava and Kaul, 2016). Therefore In
the context of Marriott Group it is quite crucial that it is able to use this technology
appropriately to be able to enhance the customer experience. By using it its processes and
by providing VR entertainment to the customers in the rooms their overall experience can
be enhanced in the right way.
 AI- AI refers to Artificial Intelligence. It is increasingly being used by the firms
nowadays to make sure that they are able to provide the customers with a good
experience. Thus for Marriott Group it is quite important that it is able to provide its
customers with a right experience using it. It can use it in the systems of the hotel so that
the customers are provided an interactive experience through which they are satisfied.
 Chatbots- Chatbots are used as an interaction which can be quite helpful in ensuring that
the customers are able to present their various types of problems and issues in front of
them and they are able to provide a solution to them on the basis of the information
which has been provided to them. In the context of Marriott Group, they can be used so
that the customer experience can be enhanced. The group can use them on its website
where the problems and issues of the customers can be effectively resolved.
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 Internet of Things- It can be used by the businesses because of the varied benefits which
is offered by it. Its use can be made by Marriott Group so that customer engagement can
be facilitated by it which will help it in ensuring that it is able to help the brand in
enhancing its image among the customers. The group can use it for the purpose of
engaging with the customers.
 Programmatic Advertising- In it the businesses ensure that brands can invest in the data
to be able to ensure that the right advertisement is able to reach the right person at the
right time. Therefore its use can be made by Marriott Group to engage with its customers.
It can ensure that it relies on strategic use of advertising to target the customers.
TASK 4
P6: Customer service strategies
In the hospitality organizations, it is quite important that the customer service is up to the
mark which will therefore help them in being able to get more customers by boosting their
business. The following strategies can be used by Marriott Group to be able to provide effective
service to the customers-
 Providing proper greeting to the customers- In the hospitality groups, it is important
that a proper greeting needs to be provided to the customers which will be quite helpful
for it to be able to attract them. Marriott Group has to ensure that its staff members
provide proper greeting to its customers which will help them a lot in ensuring their
higher-level of satisfaction.
 Proper behaviour by staff in handling problems and issues- Hospitality groups have
to ensure that the staff members are able to display proper behaviour in handling the
various problems and issues of the different types of customers (Tung, Chen and
Schuckert, 2017). In this way Marriott Group has to ensure that its staff members are
given proper training which will help them in solving the problems and issues of the
different customers in a highly effective manner.
 Customer engagement- Customer engagement has to be priority for the Hospitality
Groups. This is so because in this way they will be able to provide them with appropriate
opportunities to earn more profits as the customers will be satisfied with the organization.
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Thus Marriott Group has to make sure that it makes its use so that it is able to engage
more with its customers and can achieve its goals and objectives.
 Taking feedback- It is important in the hospitality organizations that they take regular
feedbacks from the various customers and improve their services if it is desired. Marriott
Group will ensure that it can achieve its customer service goals and objectives in this
manner.
P7: Demonstration of the way customer service strategies can be used to create and develop the
customer experience
In Marriott Group, the customer service strategies can be used in an effective manner so
that the following can be ensured-
 Better satisfaction level of the customers- When a hospitality group makes use of the
right strategies it can lead towards a better satisfaction level for the different types of
customers (Zolkiewski and et.al., 2017). Therefore in this way Marriott Group can ensure
that the satisfaction level of its customers can be enhanced.
 Problem-solving- In the hospitality groups, it is required that the use of problem-solving
approach can be made so that the various problems and issues of the customers can be
managed well. In this way, Marriott Group will ensure that its customers are given a
proper solution to their problems which will enhance the overall customer experience in a
much better manner.
 Meeting the service standards- The hospitality groups are required to make sure that
they meet the service standards which have been set by their industry in the right manner.
Therefore, Marriott Group has to make sure that it satisfies its customers effectively and
efficiently and is able to meet the service standards which have been set for it which will
not only result in good customer experience but will also enhance the overall ratings of
the hotel appropriately.
 Being helpful- The hospitality groups have to make sure that they provide the desired
help to the customers thereby enhancing their overall satisfaction level. In Marriott
Group, the managers can ensure that by being helpful they can help the customers in
every possible manner.
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CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that managing customer experience is a
strategy which can be used for the purpose of enhancing the overall satisfaction level of the
customers. There is a value and importance in understanding the needs, wants and preferences of
the target group of customers. Different types of factors can influence customer engagement in
the organizations. A Customer experience map can be used so that the journey of the customers
can be recorded effectively. Customer touchpoints can be used to create appropriate
opportunities for the hospitality organizations. Digital technology can be used for better
customer experience in the service sector. Customer service strategies can be used for creating
and developing customer experience to meet the set standards.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Bolton, R. N. and et.al., 2018. Customer experience challenges: bringing together digital,
physical and social realms. Journal of Service Management.
Bueno, E. V. and et.al., 2019. Measuring customer experience in service: A systematic review.
The Service Industries Journal. 39(11-12). pp.779-798.
Kandampully, J., Zhang, T. C. and Jaakkola, E., 2018. Customer experience management in
hospitality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
Keiningham, T. and et.al., 2017. The interplay of customer experience and commitment. Journal
of Services Marketing.
Kim, H. S. and Choi, B., 2016. The effects of three customer-to-customer interaction quality
types on customer experience quality and citizenship behavior in mass service settings.
Journal of Services Marketing.
Kumar, A., Steward, M. D. and Morgan, F. N., 2018. Delivering a superior customer experience
in solutions delivery processes: Seven factors for success. Business Horizons. 61(5).
pp.775-782.
Lemon, K. N. and Verhoef, P. C., 2016. Understanding customer experience throughout the
customer journey. Journal of marketing. 80(6). pp.69-96.
Mbama, C. I. and Ezepue, P. O., 2018. Digital banking, customer experience and bank financial
performance. International Journal of Bank Marketing.
Mohd-Ramly, S. and Omar, N. A., 2017. Exploring the influence of store attributes on customer
experience and customer engagement. International Journal of Retail & Distribution
Management.
Roy, S., 2018. Effects of customer experience across service types, customer types and time.
Journal of Services Marketing.
Schweiger, E. and et.al., 2020. Managing the luxury shopping experience: implications for retail
channels. In Research Handbook on Luxury Branding. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Shin, H., Perdue, R. R. and Pandelaere, M., 2020. Managing customer reviews for value co-
creation: An empowerment theory perspective. Journal of Travel Research. 59(5).
pp.792-810.
Srivastava, M. and Kaul, D., 2016. Exploring the link between customer experience–loyalty–
consumer spend. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. 31. pp.277-286.
Tung, V. W. S., Chen, P. J. and Schuckert, M., 2017. Managing customer citizenship behaviour:
The moderating roles of employee responsiveness and organizational reassurance.
Tourism Management. 59. pp.23-35.
Zolkiewski, J. and et.al., 2017. Strategic B2B customer experience management: the importance
of outcomes-based measures. Journal of Services Marketing.
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