Managing the Customer Experience

This report discusses the importance of managing the customer experience in the fast food industry, using Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) as a case study. It covers topics such as understanding customer preferences, factors influencing consumer engagement, customer experience mapping, digital technology, and customer service strategies.

Managing the Customer
Experience

INTRODUCTION
Customer Experience Management is defined as the concept that defines the way how an
organisation interacts with its consumers to meet their expectations and make them satisfy.
Managing the experience of customers is very crucial for a company as it helps in improving
customer loyalty and strengthening brand image by providing differentiated experiences to
customers (Alexander, 2013). This report is based on Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) which is a
fast food chain of America that offers variety of food products to customers including chicken
sandwiches, salads, breakfast, wraps, fried chicken, desserts, soft drinks and krushers. The firm
was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in Louisville, United States. This report covers value
and significance of understanding customer preferences and forces that influence consumer
engagement. A customer experience map is develop along with the way customer experience
creates opportunities for business and the use of digital technology in managing consumer
experience. At last, customer service strategies and the way these develops customer experience
are included in the project.
TASK 1
P1
In the fast food restaurant industry, companies divide its target market as per the
requirements and preferences of clients. Proper understanding of customer requirements assist
firm in taking appropriate strategic decisions regarding their offerings. The factors like socio-
cultural aspects, demographics, requirements etc. influence the preferences of customers. The
needs and preferences of each target segment is different and proper consideration of these will
help organisation in satisfying them appropriately (Ariffin and Maghzi, 2012). As KFC is
dealing in fast food restaurant industry, it is necessary for it to give better quality food products
and services to customers which helps in satisfying them and improve their loyalty towards the
brand. Good understanding of wants and preferences of customers facilitates customer care
manager of Kentucky Fried Chicken in offering them food products and services accordingly
and creating excellent experience for them. Below mentioned table depicts the target customer
group and their preferences, needs and wants:
Target Customer Need, Want and Preference

Families  Good space
 Entertainment and fun
 Quality food and plenty of time to eat
Gym Instructor  Information of calories printed on the menu
 Healthy dishes
 Fruit and vegetable milkshakes and smoothies
College Student  WI-FI
 Loud pop music
 Comfortable sofas to sit on
The above table demonstrates preferences, needs and wants of target groups like families,
college student and gym instructor. Families require good space to sit and spend quality time
with family members along with fun and entertainment activities and quality food (Bilgihan,
Kandampully and Zhang, 2016). College students requires Wi-Fi facility, loud pop music and
comfortable sofas. The gym instructor needs healthy food, milkshakes and calorie information
printed on restaurant menu. Proper understanding and knowledge of all these needs and
preferences of target group helps customer care manager of KFC in satisfying them by fulfilling
their needs. It also helps in improving customer experience by providing them value for which
they pay. This also supports in ensuring accomplishment of goals and objectives of company and
maintaining long term sustainability in market.
P2
In today's competitive business environment, it is very necessary for organisations to
ensure high customer engagement in order to sustain their position in market. Improving the
experience of consumers can helps in ensuring their loyalty and encouraging long lasting
relationships with them (Chahal and Dutta, 2015). In context of Kentucky Fried Chicken,
customer engagement assist customer care manager in developing large customer base by
gaining their trust and loyalty. For engaging customers, providing them with high quality
experience is necessary. In order to keep grow and sustain in market, engaging more customers
towards brand is very crucial for KFC. Various factors are present that drives and impacts

engagement of different target consumer groups within firm. Some of the factors are mentioned
below:
Proper understanding of customer needs: The preferences and needs of each customer
group is different and having appropriate knowledge of those will help firm in developing good
relationship with customers (Harris and Daunt, 2013). Proper understanding of customer care
manager of KFC regarding needs of its target customer group assists in offering them food and
services accordingly and satisfying their needs which ultimately helps in increasing their
engagement within firm.
Regular feedbacks from customers: Continuous feedbacks and follow up with
customers helps manager of KFC in securing needs of consumers and provides them a way to
offer better services to customers. Regular feedbacks encourage engagement of customers within
company and ensures their satisfaction and loyalty for long term.
Provide excellent customer experience: The experience of customers regarding products
and services offer by company helps in driving customer engagement within organisation. This
will help customer care manager of Kentucky Fried Chicken in maintaining a satisfied customer
base that supports in accomplishment of its goals and objectives. Excellent customer experience
leads to high customer engagement within firm.
TASK 2
P3
Customer experience map introduces as an effective tool that helps organisations in
mapping the journey of customers from pre purchase to post purchase experience. It allows firm
to represent the complex interactions with customers visually (Gyung Kim and S. Mattila, 2013).
It includes various touch points that customers experience from initial point of service or
interaction to final point or post experience after getting services. There are some touch points
that KFC use for creating excellent customer experience. These touch points are mentioned
below:
Website- This is the touch point through which customer can get entire data regarding
company, its products and services etc. While going outside for having dinner or lunch or
breakfast, the customers first go through the website of KFC. This will provide all the
information to customers regarding location of restaurant, its products, ambience images,

discount offers, address, reviews of customers etc. which assists them in taking decisions about
whether to go in restaurant or not (Komunda and Osarenkhoe, 2012).
Review sites- These plays crucial role in creating experience for customers in an effective
way. On the review sites, rating for the products and services of an organisation by customers are
given in relation to their experience. By reviewing the ratings of KFC on review sites, customers
can easily take decision to visit the restaurant as its ratings are good. This helps company in
attracting more customers.
Restaurant Environment- An excellent and pleasant environment of restaurant helps in
creating a good experience for customers. Availability of good ambience, proper space, attractive
interior helps Kentucky Fried Chicken in attracting more customers and satisfying them by
offering excellent restaurant environment to sit and spend some time with their close ones.
Restaurant Management- It involves the management of activities and operations of
restaurant through skilled and knowledgable people. In KFC, the management in restaurant is
proper as it has highly skilled management team. In order to manage the restaurant effectively
and provide excellent services to customers, skilled and competent employees put their efforts in
running the functions of departments smoothly.
Restaurant Staff- The staff in a restaurant plays crucial role in attracting and engaging
more customers as well as creating good experience for them. In KFC, the behaviour of staff is
good and has best team to administer effective services to customers which encourage them to
visit the restaurant again. Poor behaviour of staff with customers may leads to create negative
impact over them which results in loss of consumers (Merrilees, 2016 ).
P4
Customer touch points can be defined as the interaction that an organisation has with its
customers. It includes direct or indirect contact that a consumer has with a firm or brand. In the
interaction from start to finish, different perceptions of customers regarding brand, services and
products are included (Peppers and Rogers, 2016). Different customer touch points can be
created through websites, mobiles, messages, print media etc. The elements that requires to
engage customers with brand and assists in developing touch points are:
Before Visit During Visit After Visit
Social media Website Service and support teams

Word of mouth
Advertising
Review sites
Staff members
Restaurant management
Restaurant environment
Feedbacks
Follows up
Thank you cards
In KFC, the customer care manager creates excellent experience for customers by
providing them with several touch points before, during and after the visit of restaurant (Yang,
Liu and Li, 2015). When customers decides to visit a restaurant for having lunch or dinner, they
first check online, search website, review the ratings, product and services, prices etc. If
customers find the restaurant appropriate, then they take decision to visit it. During the visit,
customers interact with management team and service staff of KFC. They gain experience from
the facilities provided by restaurant such as Wi-Fi, interior, environment, ambience, food and
services that may create good or bad experience for customers. After the visit, the customer care
manager of company takes feedback from customers regarding their food and services and ask
them to provide suggestions that helps in improving their services (Pynnönen, Hallikas and
Ritala, 2012). All these touch points helps manager of Kentucky Fried Chicken in creating good
experience for customers. Positive consumer experience will create business opportunities for
company that helps in ensuring its growth and success for long term.
A script between service staff member and customer is mentioned below:
Service staff: Good evening ma'am!!
Customer: Good evening.
Service staff: How may I help you?
Customer: I require menu card to order food.
Service staff: Ma'am, here is the menu.
Customer: Do you provide milk shakes with extra choco chips?
Service staff: Yes Ma'am.
Customer: OK. I want chicken fries, salad and milk shake with extra choco chips.
Service staff: Ok ma'am. Just wait for 10-12 minutes, will serve you order.
Customer: How much I need to pay?
Service staff: $30 ma'am.
Customer: Here is the amount.
Service staff: Thank you ma'am!!

Customer: Thank you!
The above mentioned conversation between staff member and customer depicts the
experience of guest (Schmitz and Ganesan, 2014). As the customer is happy with provided food
and services of Kentucky Fried Chicken, it helps in creating good image and encouraging
customer to visit the restaurant again.
TASK 3
P5
In service industry, high competition is prevailing in market and digital technology plays
crucial role for organisations in gaining competitive advantage and attaining long term
sustainability in market. Digital technology is characterised as a tool, resource or system that
stores, generate and process data. It uses string of information named as binary code for
breakdown of messages, communication and signals between creating and receiving device. In
KFC, digital technology plays vital role in communicating and staying in touch with customers
which helps in maintaining good relationship with them (Srivastava and Kaul, 2016).
Customer Relationship Management refers to the strategy that company employs in order
to manage their interaction with existing as well as potential customers. The data about history of
consumer with company is use in order to enhance relationship with them. The customer
relationship management system compiles data or information from distinct communication
channels like social media, websites, marketing materials etc. By assistance of this system,
customer care manager of KFC can get more information regarding its target customers which
assists them in serving consumers in more better manner by satisfying their needs and
requirements.
By the assistance of CRM system, manager of Kentucky Fried Chicken allows to
organise, automate, synchronize each aspect of consumer interaction. Digital technology like
electronic media helps company in aware customers about the brand and attract them more
towards it. Along with this, customer relationship management system supports in managing the
experience of customers in proper way by developing good relationship with them. This leads to
ensure sustainability in market and generating high profit ratios in market (Tolpa, 2012).

TASK 4
P6
In businesses, customer service strategies are crucial in order to ensure satisfaction of
customers. In service sector industry, it is necessary for organisations operating in restaurant
sector to execute different plans and strategies so as to ensure provision of effective services to
customers and make them satisfy and happy (Wilson and et. al., 2012). Some strategies that
customer care manager of KFC utilize to attain customer satisfaction are mentioned below:
Deliver on promised time: Providing products and services on specified time will help
company in satisfying the customers more. Faked promises are not liked by customers which
makes it necessary for businesses to deliver whatever customers wants on time. KFC always
ensures that customers will get their orders on time which improves brand value for firm.
Offer high quality products and services: The quality of products and services is the
main concern of customers. They are ready to pay any amount if they get some value in turn of
it. KFC provides high quality food items and services to customers which helps in satisfy them
and retain them for longer term.
Resolve customer issues: The first priority of any organisation must be resolving the
issues of consumers. Customer care manager of KFC ensures timely resolution of issues of
customers regarding food items or services. They take feedback from customers in order to offer
them with better services (Wong and Dioko, 2013).
P7
Customer Audit Trail, Critical Observations:
Name of restaurant visited: Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)
Date and visiting time: 2nd January, 2020
Ambience and First Impressions:
Things that were positive, or
good?
Things that were negative, or
bad?
What would I change if this
was my business?
The interior and sitting
arrangements of restaurant was
The sound system and music
was not much good that
I like to modify the music
system and use high quality

good. impacts the experience
negatively.
sound system that makes the
customers feel good and
relaxed.
Prices:
As the restaurant is provide
high quality food along with
other facilities to customers, it
charge prices accordingly.
The prices of some food items
of restaurant are much high.
If this was my business, I
would like to provide products
to customers at reasonable
prices.
Range of Products:
Various food products are
offer by company like fried
chicken, wraps, salads,
milkshakes etc. which was
positive.
Less healthy items in menu is
the thing that was negative as it
offers very less food items for
health conscious customers.
I would like to introduce
healthy food items in menu
which provides health benefits
to customers,
Signage, Tariff Boards, Labelling, etc.:
The entry and exit signage
boards was positive thing in
restaurant.
Absence of tariff boards in
restaurants was the negative
thing.
I would like to ensure
availability of proper tariff
boards at restaurant so that
customer can get to know
about prices.
Time:
Restaurant provides timely
services to customers once
they ordered food.
Sometimes, it takes more time
to serve food when the
customers are more which
create negative impact.
If it was my business, I would
emphasize more on improving
the services and hire skilled
staff who are able to serve food

on time.
Staff:
Good attitude and behaviour of
staff members was a positive
thing.
Some staff members are less
skilled that created negative
impact as they were not able to
offer services effectively.
I would like to provide training
to staff for improving their
skills and ensure that skilled
and competent employees are
hire within restaurant.
Supplementary Items:
Along with the ordered food
items, a complimentary drink
is provided by restaurant.
It does not provide choices in
complimentary items.
If it was my business, I will
like to provide 2 or 3 choices
to customers to select one
among the complimentary
options.
Payment:
The payments are accepted
through all the modes of
payments.
Cancellation of order and
refund of payments were not
allowed.
On order cancellation, I would
like to provide customers with
refund amount.
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded that it is necessary for organisations to manager the experience of
customers effectively. Companies target different group of customers for offering their products.
Different touch points are access by customers that creates pre, during and post purchase
experience for them. Use of digital technology helps firm in satisfying needs of customers in
proper way. CRM system helps in managing good relationship with customers that supports in
increasing their engagement and retaining them for longer term. Various strategies are
employed by company for creating good service experience for customers.

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