Managing the Customer Experience

This project analyzes the importance of understanding customer needs and preferences in the service sector, using Hilton Hotel as a case study. It examines factors influencing customer engagement, creates a customer experience map, and analyzes how touch points throughout the customer journey create business opportunities.

MANAGING THE
CUSTUMER EXERIENCE

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3
TASK 1.......................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Explain the value and importance of understanding the needs, wants and preferences of target
customer group........................................................................................................................................3
P2 Different factors that drive and influence customer engagement of different target customer groups
within service sector................................................................................................................................4
TASK 2.......................................................................................................................................................7
P3 Create customer experience map for service sector organization.......................................................7
P4 Discuss how customer touch points throughout the customer experience create business
opportunities for services sector organization..........................................................................................8
CONCLUSION...........................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
It is required for every business organization is to gain their customer experience by
providing satisfying their needs and demand in better manner. Customer experience is essential
to deliver level of customer satisfaction which delights customer and develop an everlasting
relationship with their buyers as well as employees (Peppers and Rogers, 2016). Customer
loyalty and satisfaction is mainly influence by customer emotion and experience they share with
the current brand. The report is based on Hilton hotel which deliver various facilities to their
guests such as accommodation, food services and other addition requirements. Along with this,
the main purpose of this assignment is to determine the value and importance of understanding
the needs, wants and preferences of target customer groups for service sector. In this report, it
will create and develop customer experience map for Hilton hotel services and facilities.
TASK 1
P1 Explain the value and importance of understanding the needs, wants and preferences of target
customer group
The one of the important component required to apply hotel income management in the
market segmentation. it is required for Hilton is to carry out market segmentation and customer
profiling activities for determining target market areas where they attract some customers. the
hospitality industry is not survive without perfect market segmentation and area target in which
they gain attention of desired customers towards their services and facilities in better manner.
The significance of market segmentation is that it will allow business to reach with potential
guests with specific needs and wants. In long run, the hotel sector can gain benefit when they are
capable for use their resources in more effective and make better strategic marketing decisions.
There is various types market where they attract their segmented customers in proper manner.
The customer market, individual and household who are get services and facilities for their
personal usage which is the main part of customer market place (Homburg, Jozić and Kuehnl,
2017). The Hilton divided their customers as per their needs, preferences and wants in equal
manner. Then they are segmented their desired guest who are consume their services and hotel

products. This is required for hotel is to carry out their market segmentation and also with
analysis customer profiling for determine the target market place.
Along with this, there are various ways through which Hilton hotel can identify different
customers profiling in better manner that are described as under:
 Affinity profiling - With the help of this method, the company manager can analyze their
customer habit in order to evaluate what kind of services liked by particular people. Thus,
if they are come across someone who purchases lot of different type of food items, so
there is good chance to identify that they love to eat foods.
 Demographic profiling - in this, business experts emphasize by using demographic
profile for evaluating what kind of goods and services are click by specific customer
(Stark, 2015). With the assistance of demographic profiling, the Hilton hotel manager can
go through on their personal details that include geographical areas, education
qualifications and marital status of an individual to figure out what are sold to them. Most
of the business people are come in the Hilton with the purpose of seminars, conferences
and meetings.
 Psychological profiling - It can be used for identify detail regarding a person by
understanding their psychological motivations. This is required for Hilton hotel manager
is to determine their target market customers and fulfill their needs, expectation and
wants by analyzing their psychological method.
 Lifestyle coding - this will assist in understanding the ways of an individual that can lead
their life by looking towards their hobbies and habits. Hilton hotel mainly target those
customers who are rich and well being and high purchasing power so this will help them
in gaining higher income or profitability.
 Cluster coding - the class and social activities are mainly interlinked, a person who arc
good salary and also work in international company is likely to be interested in stay in
three or five star hotel (Lemon and Verhoef, 2016). Cluster coding help organization is to
determine the class of an individual and how it affects on their lifestyle, needs,
preferences, wants and expectations.

P2 Different factors that drive and influence customer engagement of different target customer
groups within service sector
Customers engagement can be complex to define and it is harder the quantity. Customer
engagement is the business communication connection between an external stakeholders and an
organization through different channels of correspondence. It is the connection or relation that
can be reaction, interaction and effect on whole customers that are taken place via online or
offline. there are various key drivers of customer engagement across the range of different target
customers groups are described as under:
 Stronger loyalty - The highly engaged customers are exhibit strong loyalty and
satisfaction towards hotel services and facilities (McColl-Kennedy and et. al., 2015).
Brands seek to drive loyalty with the help of higher engagement that should understand
and evaluate both the attitude and transnational data of their customers. The Hilton hotel
needs to focus on those customers who are willing to acquire their services and facilities
in better manner. They are target different groups of people in which they are selecting
their target customers on the basis of needs, wants and preferences. While not appropriate
for all the brands, loyalty program are one of the most common ways where brands are
generating repeated purchase of products and emotional commitment. Customers are
rewarded with gifts, offer, and special achievement when they stay at the hotel for more
days.
 Reduction in competitive threat - the highly engaged customers are more likely to
purchase their preferred products and services even when the competition level is higher
and has better price. Apart from this, the simple measure of repurchase prices and stated
loyalty where highly engaged customers gain experience regarding hotel services or
facilities such as accommodation, spa, and swimming pool and attach kitchen. As per this
result, they are less likely to consider switching and this is more likely to consume such
services. There are various other hospitality organization who are offer similar type of
offers, discounts and gifts which attract their customers towards them (Christopher,
2016). This will create issue in front of Hilton hotel managers or management team so
they need to maintain customer engagement in order to retain their guests in the hotel for
long time period.

 Greater advocacy - Highly engaged customers are more likely to have advocated
colleagues and acquaintances. Moreover, they are more excited about their favorite
services or products and want to share their positive experience with other people such as
family members, colleagues and relatives. If Hilton hotel provide best suitable facilities
and satisfying their all needs or wants of their guest so they will be happy and give
positive response to them. The hotel management and their staff members are create
positive environment in the area so this will attract them and gain positive feedback by
their customers (Schmitt, 2016). After their departure, customers are promoting their
services and facilities which are offered by them and give suggestion to their relatives or
family member is to stay at the hotel for some days. This situation is occurs because hotel
managers and staff member maintain customer engagement which help them in retaining
their guests for long term.
For on boarding different customers, the Hilton hotel develop various strategies which
are help them in retaining large number of people for long time period. It is one of the most
crucial tasks for organization managers and human resource departments. For setting customers
to get higher success by fulfilling all needs and demand of customers in better manner. Various
strategies of on boarding diverse customers that are mentioned as under:
Ensure staff provides satisfied services - it is necessary for Hilton hotel manager is to
make sure that smoothly supply of services and facilities to their guest at their room. This is
required for them is to offer special supplying which assist them in fulfilling all needs and
demand of their guests.
Ask a question - the company manager required to take response and feedback of their
guest who are stay at their hotel regarding their services or accommodation facilities. It is
necessary for them is to identify their current preferences and wants which should be satisfied by
them to gain positive response (So and et. al., 2016).
Knowing the customers - the main factors is that the hotel manger required to build and
develop positive relationship with their guests but also the strategy uncovering the wide team
working for supply products on time. Along with this, stakeholders and their customers are

creating picture of opportunities and roadblocks which can occurs the course of business
relationship.
TASK 2
P3 Create customer experience map for service sector organization
In the hospitality industry, it is important to engage with their customers to have good
customer relationship. From the first time, customers make contact with the Hilton hotel till way
after first stay at the hotel; they will contact them on daily basis. In Hilton hotel, customers are
going through various stages for doing this time which is called "The Customer Journey". With
the customer journey mapping, they can improve and better the customer relationship and
develop strong connection with them by offering them best services or facilities (Bilgihan,
2016). It helps in find out guest experience along with engagement with them during every stage.
The customer journey stages that are described as under:
 Travel inspiration
 Research
 Booking
 On property
 Post stay

Figure 1: Customer journey Map, 2018
In all these different stages the hotels communicate differently with their customers and
they have several goals during all the stages. For Hilton hotel, it is essential to get more insight in
which their customers experience are during this journey (Laudon and Laudon, 2015). They
required to ensure that their customers feel like that they are taken seriously and they are get
memorable and valuable experience of customers regarding such services or facilities.
This is essential to have good customer journey mapping strategy since this will enable
that it will identify the needs and expectation of individual customers in better manner. It will
also provide and deliver with more appropriate services and goods at each stage in this customer
journey. along with this, it is essential to develop an individual for different types of customers
that it receive at the hotel, since they all have different needs and wants at the time of arranging
journey. The customer's needs and expect will enhancing the customer value and customer
satisfaction. by mapping the customer journey, the Hilton hotel can figure out on what the most
essential touch points between them and their customers, and they could be improve for
enhancing their guests experience with solution for detect current issue or problem. For
increasing their customer experience, there is higher chance that they will become loyal to their

hotel services and products. This is recommended that it is mainly sound more time at the hotel
through upgrading and update room facilities for their guest who are belong to other country.
Along with this, there are various touch points which are used when customers are
directly interacting with the business. This includes mobile, people, websites, print media,
products, marketing and other services (Kandampully, Zhang and Bilgihan, 2015). These are
helpful in making relationship with their customers to Hilton hotel in easy manner. Such touch
points assist in promoting hotel services and room facilities among other people.
P4 Discuss how customer touch points throughout the customer experience create business
opportunities for services sector organization
There are various levels where Hilton hotel identify the customers touch point throughout
the customer experience that will create business opportunities for service sector which are
described as under:
 At satisfactory level - In this, touch points throughout the customer journey are important
for developing business opportunities for Hilton hotel in better manner. This will help in
increasing interaction and communication among staff members and customers in
positive manner. The touch points are every occasion where guest comes for interact with
hotel. If customers are contact with hotel so this will enhancing number of people who
are stay in their hotel (Frow and et. al., 2015). This will assist in providing higher income
and profitability by offer different services and facilities through various touch points.
There are various touch points which are useful for Hilton hotel such as websites,
product, people, marketing, etc.
 At a good level - Customer touch points are Hilton hotel products and services points of
customer's contact, from start to finish level. They are using various touch points which
help them in making connection and develop strong relation with their guest at the
journey. the hotel need to read review and point of view of every customer who are stay
in their hotel and try to contact with them to build relation. If they are satisfied with their
services so they required to offer those gifts and extra services. On the other hand, if they
are not satisfied so they take review and response of them regarding their services and try
to make proper changes as pert their demand or need in proper manner. These actions

taken help them in creating business opportunities for enhancing goodwill among their
guest as well as in the market place.
 At an advanced level - Hilton need to analyze their customers touch point which helps in
connected with their guests who are stay in the hotel for previous years. This is required
for them is to analyze their behaviour and response and action which are taken by them
with the help of touch points (Shin, 2015). These assist in identify weak points of hotel
services and facilities and what are main areas where they need to make development or
improvement. This actions and activities will help in increasing customer experience and
provide those satisfied services as per their requirement or need in better manner by hotel
staff members.
CONCLUSION
From the above described report, it can be concluded that Customer experience is
essential to deliver level of customer satisfaction which delights customer and develop an
everlasting relationship with their buyers as well as employees. The one of the important
component required to apply hotel income management in the market segmentation. It is
required for Hilton is to carry out market segmentation and customer profiling activities for
determining target market areas where they attract some customers. In this, business experts
emphasize by using demographic profile for evaluating what kind of goods and services are click
by specific customer. Customers engagement can be complex to define and it is harder the
quantity. Customer engagement is the business communication connection between an external
stakeholders and an organization through different channels of correspondence. The highly
engaged customers are more likely to purchase their preferred products and services even when
the competition level is higher and has better price.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Peppers, D. and Rogers, M., 2016. Managing customer experience and relationships: A strategic
framework. John Wiley & Sons.
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.
Stark, J., 2015. Product lifecycle management. In Product Lifecycle Management (Volume
1) (pp. 1-29). Springer, Cham.
Lemon, K.N. and Verhoef, P.C., 2016. Understanding customer experience throughout the
customer journey. Journal of Marketing. 80(6). pp.69-96.
McColl-Kennedy, J.R. and et. al., 2015. Fresh perspectives on customer experience. Journal of
Services Marketing. 29(6/7). pp.430-435.
Christopher, M., 2016. Logistics & supply chain management. Pearson UK.
Schmitt, B., 2016. Customer experience management. Handbuch Sozialtechniken der
Kommunikation: Grundlagen–Innovative Ansätze–Praktische Umsetzungen. pp.1-13.
So, K.K.F. and et. al., 2016. The role of customer engagement in building consumer loyalty to
tourism brands. Journal of Travel Research. 55(1). pp.64-78.
Bilgihan, A., 2016. Gen Y customer loyalty in online shopping: An integrated model of trust,
user experience and branding. Computers in Human Behavior. 61. pp.103-113.
Laudon, K.C. and Laudon, J.P., 2015. Management information systems (Vol. 8). Prentice Hall.
Kandampully, J., Zhang, T. and Bilgihan, A., 2015. Customer loyalty: a review and future
directions with a special focus on the hospitality industry. International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality Management. 27(3). pp.379-414.
Frow, P. and et. al., 2015. Managing co‐creation design: A strategic approach to
innovation. British Journal of Management. 26(3). pp.463-483.
Shin, D.H., 2015. Effect of the customer experience on satisfaction with smartphones: Assessing
smart satisfaction index with partial least squares. Telecommunications Policy. 39(8).
pp.627-641.