Managing the Customer Experience in the Service Sector

This report examines how digital technology is employed in the management of customer experience along with specific examples. It also includes customer service strategies in context of the service sector.

Managing the
Customer Experience

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................3
LO 3: Impacts of digital technology in customer relationship management......................3
P5 How digital technology is employed in managing the customer experience within
the service sector. Provide specific examples of customer relationship management
(CRM) systems..........................................................................................................3
LO 4: Customer Experience Management........................................................................7
P6 Customer service strategies in a specific service sector context........................7
P7 How customer service strategies create and develop the customer experience in
a way that meets the needs of the customer and required business standards....10
Reflection.........................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Customer experience can be referred to as the result of the interaction between
an hotel as well as the customers. Managing the customer experience is important for
hotels because it helps in boosting the revenue as well as sales. A good customer
experience management can help in improving the customer loyalty through interactions
that are memorable for the customers (BEKA and ADEBAYO, 2020). Hotel chosen for
this report is Rosewood, which is one of the finest hotels in London, United Kingdom. It
is an international luxury hotel that offers a variety of services to its guests. The report
examines how digital technology is employed in the management of customer
experience along with specific examples. It also includes customer service strategies in
context of the service sector. Lastly, there is also an explanation of how customer
service strategies create and develop the experience of customers in such a way that
their needs as well as required business standards are met.
LO 3: Impacts of digital technology in customer relationship
management
P5 How digital technology is employed in managing the customer experience within the
service sector. Provide specific examples of customer relationship management
(CRM) systems
The hospitality industry comprises of various fields like accommodation, travel,
transportation, lodging, event planning, food and drink service etc. Organisations
operating within the industry mainly focus on ensuring that the customers get a
memorable experience. Rosewood London is hotel that offers various luxury services to
its guests to make sure that they are satisfied (Bruhn and Schnebelen, 2017). There are
various ways that can help hospitality hotels in managing the experience of their
customers. Technology has advanced over the years and is estimated to grow even
further. This has made it easier for the customers to research about different options,
enhance their learning about different hospitality brands and make purchases from the
comfort of their homes. In order to manage the customer experience, Rosewood Hotel
has significantly invested in technology so as to provide a personalised experience.

For instance, the hotel has installed digital check-in systems wherein the guests'
names are displayed on the welcome desk as soon as they check-in. Guests nowadays
prefer services that are personalised according to their needs and preferences. In order
to manage the customers' experience within the hospitality industry, hotels are
implementing automated check-ins and check-outs in order to save time. Another way
of doing so can include chatbots, that allow interaction with the customers via a chat.
This can help the hotel management in understanding the needs as well as preferences
of the customers in depth (Gallarza and et.al., 2017). Besides this, the chatbots can
assist the guests in scheduling room cleaning, asking for a late check-out etc. Digital
technology has become an important component for hotels and can help them in
managing the overall experience of customers. Rosewood hotel also offers the facility of
contactless payments to its guests. This helps in providing a good experience to the
customers as they can easily make their payments easily even if they do not have
wallets.
A good chatbot can assist the customers with their queries and any concerns
about their stay at the hotel. There are many hospitality hotels that offer the facility of
mobile check-in to their guests. This means that the customers have a greater flexibility
when it comes to checking in. CRM or Customer Relationship Management systems
can be referred to as a type of technology that is used in order to manage the
interactions with the customers as well as potential customers (Igielski, 2017). They are
useful in building customer relationships as well as streamlining the various business
processes so that there can be an increase in the overall sales and an improvement in
the customer service. As a result, the organisation is able to retain its employees for a
longer period of time. Rosewood hotel combines the guest data as well as marketing in
order to have a single view of the guests.
Types of CRM Systems
Operational – It is a type of CRM system that allows companies to take care of
their customers in an effective manner. Operational CRM Systems assist organizations
in conducting different organizational processes smoothly such as sales, marketing and
service.

Analytical – Analytical CRM system is another types of CRM system wherein
the data is collected by an organization about their interactions with the customers. The
primary goal of the organization when using analytical CRM system is to increase the
overall satisfaction level among customers as well as the overall retention rate of
customers.
Collaborative – Collaborative CRM Systems involve the integration of the
customer interaction data of an organization. The data is shred in order to enhance the
loyalty of customers so as to increase overall profitability as well as revenue generation.
Features of CRM Systems
There are different features of CRM systems, for example, they help in
addressing the needs of the customers and helping the hospitality organizations to
identify the changes in the same. By responding to the needs of the customers in an
effective manner, the organisations are able to gain their loyalty as well as trust. Not
only this, the level of satisfaction among the customers is increased and they
recommend the organization to their family as well as friends. As a result, the company
is able to retain their existing employees for a longer period of time as well as attract
new customers in great numbers.
Besides this, the marketing automation of the CRM system ensures that of the
brand communications are personalised for each guest. There are many benefits of
implementing customer relationship management system within the hotel. Rosewood
has implemented the same within its workplace and as a result of this, it is able to retain
the past information about the customers. This can be related to their interaction and
purchase history and thus, can help in making effective decisions to provide faster and
better service to the customers. A Customer Relationship Management system can also
help hotels in collecting customer data which can further be used to identify trends as
well as insights about the guests. Since Rosewood has implemented CRM systems in
its workplace, one of its major concerns is to secure the data.
It can be said that the Customer Relationship Management System helps an
organization in understanding the needs of the customers and making sure that they
receive a seamless experience at the hotel during their stay. As a result, they would
recommend their friends as well as family members to visit Rosewood, London. Also, if

the satisfaction levels of customers will be high, there will be less complaints and hence
the hotel will be able to continue its operations in an effective manner. With effective
use of various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter,
Rosewood Hotel, London will be able to create awareness about its products and
services to the customers. For example, by posting regular updates about any offers or
discounts, the customers will remain updated. With the different comments posted by
the customers, the hotel will be able to keep them engaged. The digital content on the
Internet can have a significant impact over the operations of the hotel such as there will
be an improvement in the overall level of engagement with the customers. Not only this,
the hotel is able to serve its customers in a more efficient way.
Technology can have a significant impact on the customer relationship
management because it helps in improving the experience of customers and increasing
overall sales. It can be said that the integration of technology plays a vital role in mostly
all aspects of the hospitality industry (Ikonen, 2017). This is because the communication
between the customers as well as the hotel improves and it becomes easier for the
company to communicate with them. IoT or Internet of Things is another digital
technology that is being increasingly used to collect data and interact over the internet.
The rooms at Rosewood hotel are equipped with IoT and the occupancy sensors that
are also installed within the rooms help in alerting the housekeeping department
regarding when a particular room is to be cleaned. Similarly, the hotel also has smart
luggage carts that are capable of sharing precise location at any given point of time.
Use of different Social Media platforms used in Hospitality
Four different social media platforms that are used in hospitality and how they
raise awareness of products and services are explained below -
Email Marketing – It can be defined as the process of sending commercial
mails, mainly to a group of people. Therefore, each mail sent to a particular group of
people can be referred to as email marketing (Zhang and et.al., 2018). With the help of
this strategy, the marketers are able to raise awareness about their products and
services in an effective manner as well as focus on their target audience.
Pay Per Click Marketing – PPC or Pay Per Click is a form of advertising
wherein advertisers collect costs whenever users click on their ads. They are directed to

the website and thus, this creates an opportunity for the customers to explore the
products and services offered by the company.
Social Media Marketing – The use of different social media platforms such as
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to market products and services by an organizations
is referred to as social media marketing (Pareek and Rao, 2015). It helps in creating
awareness because most people today have access to smartphones and internet.
Display Advertising – Display advertising is another form of advertising that
conveys a message to the customers. This is usually done through videos, texts,
photographs and animations. The target audience gets an opportunity to learn more
about the brand as well as the products that are offered by them.
How digital content, speed and consistency impacts on business
 Digital content, consistency as well as speed can have a significant impact on the
overall operations of a business. With the level of usage of data in the
companies, digital content is one of the greatest opportunities for businesses to
increase their revenue.
 The marketers of different businesses are able to generate leads through
different digital modes and therefore, increase their overall sales to gain a
competitive advantage in the market.
 Digital content offers a wider as well as quicker reach among people because
many people are online and they get to see the advertisements.
LO 4: Customer Experience Management
P6 Customer service strategies in a specific service sector context
A customer service strategy can can be referred to as a thorough plan that an
hotel use in order to handle customer interactions. It lets you provide a consistent
customer experience for the guests (Kendrick, 2015). Customers who are loyal to the
hotel are likely to spend more and also, refer their family and friend about the same.
Customer service plays a very important role within the hospitality industry because if
the customers are happy, they will be loyal to the company. Customers have a lot of
expectations when it comes to hospitality organisations, they expect a customer service

that is personalised according to their individual needs and preferences. The different
customer service strategies in context of the hospitality industry are explained below –
Addressing market needs – This is an important stage of customer experience
strategy because when the market needs are addressed effectively, the customers will
be attracted to experience staying at the hotel. This can be done by offering solutions to
existing problems in the market, building a culture that is centred on customer needs or
conducting surveys. Adopting these strategies will allow the hotel in addressing the
needs of the market in a more effective manner and thus, gain a competitive advantage
over competitors.
Experience mapping and touch point analysis – experience mapping is a
technique that can be used by the management of the hotel to understand the
experience of customers with their products as well as services. This has helped
rosewood Hotel in understanding what is important for its customers and hence, they
can tailor their services accordingly. The primary goal of touch point analysis is to drive
customer value and hence, the management of the hotel will understand how they can
improve the customer touch points effectively in order to increase overall profitability.
Surveys their guest: The company focuses on the surveys of the guests.
People like sharing their opinions. There are various methods that can be used by the
respective hotel in order to collect data from the customers. These can include sending
automatic follow-up emails once the clients book their rooms. Instead of this, the
customers should be asked about their experience when they checkout. They try
incorporating specific questions into the checkout experience. For example, the
expectations of customers before checking into the hotel. The company rates on the
basis of scale 1-10. Then, it is analysed if the company has to improve any particular
thing about the hotel customer service. So, this type of survey helps the hotel to
improve their customer service.
Differentiate from competitors – Another strategy which the company can use
is differentiating itself from the competitors. The hotel should focus on providing a
unique staying experience (Miller, Hauer and Werner, 2015). Apart from this, the hotel
can also implement high speed Wi-Fi in lounges in order to provide the guests an option
of making their payments online, in case they run out of cash. Any messages or

concerns that are brought up by the guests should be answered in the first few hours.
Apart from this, effective communication is another thing which the hotel should
promote at its workplace.
Address feedbacks quickly – Talking about hotel management, the managers
should promote team building within the various departments of the company. This will
help in improving the overall performance of the hotel and also, the employees will be
aware as to whom they have to report to. The hotel can also use social media as an
effective platform to listen and address the concerns of the customers (Moncrief,
Marshall and Rudd, 2015). The customer service will be able to offer quick response to
the guests. Social service is an area that can be focussed on in order to ensure that the
customers are happy.
Quality Service – The hotel should focus more on ensuring that the guests
receive the best quality service during their stay. This is important because it will help in
changing the perception of the customers towards the hotel and its services. As a result,
they will recommend the hotel to their family and friends. Therefore, the management of
the hotel should focus on enhancing the customers’ experience at the hotel by offering
them high quality services, during as well as after their stay.
Keeping the followers up to date - Rosewood usually bring updates on it social
media pages. Whether the resort is posting any video of pool party occurring that
second, or pictures of an event that came about on the motel, fans are continually in the
understand about what is going on there. They continually maintain branding, product
providing and specials, blogs, webinars on social media (Papakostas and Culpepper,
2015). This creates interest and excitement from guests who're simply starting to
research their journey to London, and also offers them beneficial information for folks
who are currently staying on the inn. Also, the resort has an interactive app linked to the
social media pages, allowing visitors to get the information they need every time and
anyplace they may be.
Therefore, these are some customers service strategies that can be implemented
within the hospitality industry in order to maximise the engagement among customers.
Good customer service is considered to be one of the key strategies for success within
any business. In order to increase overall profitability as well as goodwill within the

industry, hotels within the hospitality industry should primarily focus on providing the
best possible service to the customers. Thus, this not only helps in creating a good and
memorable experience for the customers, but also contributes to the overall profitability
of the company. As a result, the hotel gains a competitive advantage against
competitors along with an improvement in performance.
P7 How customer service strategies create and develop the customer experience in a
way that meets the needs of the customer and required business standards
Customer service strategies play an important role with the hospitality industry in
creating and developing effective customer experience. This is because they help in
creating an effective experience for the customers so that their needs are met. Hotels
operating within the hospitality industry have to develop strategies in such a way that
the guests are happy as well as satisfied with the service that they receive (Pareek and
Rao, 2015). Customer service strategies help the management of an hotel to
understand the needs as well as preferences of the customers in an effective way and
thus, developing plans so that the same can be fulfilled. Service strategies that are well
though of help in developing an emotional connection with the customers. For example,
the management of Rosewood Hotel, London take into account the various aspects
while developing customer service strategies.
Since the respective hotel is a luxury hospitality hotel, there are certain business
standards that it is required to adhere to. This is important because it has helped the
hotel in building a strong brand name within the industry. Customers service strategies
should be developed by taking into account various factors like assessing the needs of
the customers, hiring the right employees, setting effective goals for the same,
rewarding and recognizing good service etc. Effective customer service is one that
involves respect concern and attentiveness from the hotel management's side
(Stickdorn and et.al., 2018). This is because if the management of the hotel will not
focus on the needs as well as preferences of the customers, they will not be able to
satisfy their needs. Customers relish a personalized experience that is based on their
personal needs as well as preferences. If the customers of the respective hotel will be
satisfied, they will be interested in making a booking with that hotel again.

Survey is one customer service strategy that can help Rosewood hotel in
developing effective customer experience. This is because by conducting survey, the
management of the hotel will be able to understand the needs and preferences of their
guests in an effective manner. As a result, the customer service provided will be more
personalized. This is one of the most commonly used strategies because different
customers have different preferences. Similarly, differentiation is another customer
service strategy that allows the customers to differentiate between two brands. So now
hotel follows many customer service strategies (Zhang and et.al., 2018). They help the
customers in many ways. As the hotel when differentiate from the competitors, it helps
the customers in experiencing various facilities like Wi-Fi enable lounges, and making
payments through online sources without having cash. Then most importantly customer
finds amazing environment in the hotel in terms of rooms and bathrooms facilities. Next
in restaurant and cocktail bars, they finds so lovely with amazing staff.
Then when it comes to solving issues or problems related questions, the
customer feels secure of being listens to his problem. Because the hotel quickly
respond to the customer's complaints. And this helps the customers in solving their
issues related to services provided by the hotel. It also has a website in which customer
writes his experiences and their reviews, whether it good or bad. Hence, this helps the
hotel to improve itself if customer is facing any problem regarding the hotel services. As
this is luxury hotel, so the customer also experience amazing luxury lifestyle. As being a
luxury hotel, the customer who visit there are also high income level people. They also
recommend to their relatives about the hotel. This increase the hotels overall profits.
The hotel focusses more on the quality rather than on the pricing. Because customer
satisfaction is more important than the product price.
Reflection
My overall experience during this module has been very enriching as well as
learning. I got an opportunity to expand my existing knowledge of managing the
customer experience as well as develop new skills. During the module, I have also
contributed my effective written as well as verbal communication skills as we were
expected to deliver a presentation on the module as well. I have learnt that there are
many strategies that can be adopted or are being currently adopted by the

organizations operating in the hospitality industry in order to make sure that they are
able to fulfil the needs of their customers in an effective manner. It is known that social
media has gained a lot of popularity among businesses in the recent years. Therefore, I
understood how hospitality organizations can use social media platforms such as
Instagram and Facebook creatively to provide a seamless experience to their
customers. Not only this, I also got a chance to explore the different customer
management strategies that help in enhancing the level of engagement with the
customers.
We divided the tasks among the team members and each of us was expected to
complete the assigned task. I was responsible for collecting information relevant to our
topic for the presentation. I believe my performance during the presentation as well as
in the module was good. This is because the tutor appreciated my efforts and told me
that I have a good understanding of the topic. Not only this, the tutor also gave me
feedback saying that I had good communication as well as presentation skills. The
module made me learn the value as well as importance of understanding the needs,
preferences as well as wants of the target customers within the hospitality industry. This
is because customers form an extremely important place within hotel services. I got an
opportunity to work as part of a team and learn working together. Not only this,
teamwork also helped me in acquiring new skills and learn different things from different
team members. Therefore, I can say that my overall experience during the module was
very enriching and it will be useful for my future career development as well.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that customer experience plays an
important role for hotels operating within the hospitality industry. There are many ways
in which hotels can manage the customers experience and this can include increasing
the good experience as well as meeting the needs of the customers. This helps in
gaining the loyalty as well as trust of the customers and the company goodwill is also
increased. Apart from this, effective customer service strategies can help in improving
the customers' experience. Different customer service strategies include differentiating
the products as well as responding to the customers' feedbacks. Chatbots is another
strategy that can be implemented to improve the overall experience of guests in a hotel.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
BEKA, R. and ADEBAYO, A. D., 2020. Hospitality design and brand experience.
Managing Hospitality Experiences, p.159.
Bruhn, M. and Schnebelen, S., 2017. Integrated marketing communication–from an
instrumental to a customer-centric perspective. European Journal of Marketing.
Gallarza, M. G. and et.al., 2017. A multidimensional service-value scale based on
Holbrook’s typology of customer value. Journal of Service Management.
Igielski, M., 2017. Assumptions to the model of managing knowledge workers in modern
hotels. Management. 21(1). pp.133-147.
Ikonen, H. M., 2017. Passionately yours: Managing emotional and spatial boundaries in
lifestyle-based hospitality businesses. Hospitality & Society. 7(3). pp.263-280.
Kendrick, T., 2015. Identifying and managing project risk: essential tools for failure-
proofing your project. Amacom.
Miller, R. W., Hauer, R. J. and Werner, L. P., 2015. Urban forestry: planning and
managing urban greenspaces. Waveland press.
Moncrief, W. C., Marshall, G. W. and Rudd, J. M., 2015. Social media and related
technology: Drivers of change in managing the contemporary sales force.
Business Horizons. 58(1). pp.45-55.
Papakostas, G. I. and Culpepper, L., 2015. Understanding and managing cognition in
the depressed patient. The Journal of clinical psychiatry. 76(4). pp.418-425.
Pareek, U. and Rao, T. V., 2015. Designing and managing human resource systems.
Oxford and IBH publishing.
Stickdorn, M. and et.al., 2018. This is service design doing: applying service design
thinking in the real world. " O'Reilly Media, Inc.".
Zhang, T. and et.al., 2018. Engaging customers in value co-creation or co-destruction
online. Journal of Services Marketing.