Consumer Experience Report: Analysis of a Safari Experience in Kenya

This report provides a detailed analysis of a consumer's safari experience in an East African country, focusing on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The report begins with an executive summary and table of contents, followed by an introduction outlining the motivations for the trip. The core of the report is a diary section, which chronicles the pre-purchase journey, including how the consumer discovered the destination and formed expectations, and the safari experience itself, detailing the sights, activities, and interactions. An analysis and recommendation section then examines the service industry, focusing on customer expectations, satisfaction, and loyalty, drawing upon relevant theories and concepts. The report concludes with a satisfaction and value-for-money rating, along with a recommendation to friends and family. References are provided to support the analysis.

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A report on our Consumer Experience
Name
Student ID
Tutor Name

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Executive Summary
This report records an analysis of our experience in the tourism industry
during a holiday trip to an East African country. It details the services offered at the
destination, Ol Pejeta Conservancy and the expectations of the journey. Later on, the
information is used as the basis to scrutinize what is needed to satisfy a customer. The
overall judgment is founded on theories on expectations, satisfaction, loyalty and
quality service. The report is concluded by giving a satisfaction rating and a value for
money rating and an explanation as to whether and why we would recommend the
destination to my friends and family.

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Table of contents
1.1 Introduction............................................................................................................3
1.2 The diary Section...................................................................................................3
1.2.1 Pre-purchase journey.............................................................................................3
1.2.2 The Safari..............................................................................................................4
1.3 An analysis and recommendation of the service industry..................................5
1.3.1 customer expectations construct...........................................................................5
1.3.2 Customer satisfaction............................................................................................6
1.3.3 Customer loyalty...................................................................................................7
1.4 Conclusion...............................................................................................................7
1.5 References...............................................................................................................9

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1.1 Introduction
After saving up for over a year and a half, we finally had enough money to
splurge on myself. Being a person who loves being outdoors and loves travelling,
our long-awaited opportunity had finally knocked on our door. We felt it necessary to
take a holiday, however short, to reflect on our life and redefine the direction to take
in my early adulthood. This report explains our beautiful journey to an East African
country for safari. It details an analysis of our experience from the pre-purchase stage,
our destination decision, our expectations of the visit all through to the actual visit and
experience of it. We take you through our expedition from the airport on arrival to the
hotel destination for the two nights spent there. It could have been longer but
unfortunately, that’s what our savings could afford me at the time but definitely worth
it. We wind up by providing a satisfaction rating and value for money rating and also
expound on why we would recommend the visit to friends and family.
1.2 The diary Section
1.2.1 Pre-purchase journey
It was by accident that we stumbled upon what was to become one of my
greatest experiences in life. We were seated on the train on my way home, minding
my business, when a couple came and sat by me. They were a nice couple all chatty
and bubbly discussing a safari they took to Kenya. While we didn’t mean to
eavesdrop, it was hard not to get drawn to the amazing story of their adventures. So
we listened on. By the time, we were getting to my destination we were so curious
about this ‘safari’ everyone keeps talking about. Good thing the Internet was partly
developed to serve curiosity. As soon as got home we surfed the web. The more we

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surfed, the more we were intrigued. We landed on a page giving trip advice for
destinations particularly listing those that host the Big Five. Though I had always
wanted to travel to see the Big Five, we must say this was the first time the urge was
more. A lot of information was provided on the web, and we Landed on Ol Pejeta
Conservancy. A game conservancy that sit on 90,000 acres of land boasting an
impressive variety of wildlife, and also home to the Big Five. This is actually, what
you see on their website.
Further probing and we decided that this was a place we needed to go and get some
experience. Our expectations were set high at that point. Wu (2008) states that
customer expectation is the pre-purchase belief of the customer that form the basis
for the judgment of a product or service. While Zeithaml et al. (2009) identify two
types of expectations: predictive expectations and the desired expectations. From
these two concepts, it is likely that we had predictive expectations. This means that
we had already conceptualized a belief of what we were to expect from the trip.
Information gathered from the Internet got me to start saving. One and a half years
down the line we had enough to make the trip.
1.2.2 The Safari
We made my bookings and more than 15 hours later, we arrived in the country and
were picked up by a tour guide from Ol- Pejeta Conservancy named Steven. It was a
beautiful day. The sun’s warm morning rays penetrated through the car windows
landing on our bare skin in the most amazing way. This coupled with Steven’s
friendly, humorous, and lively character gave me so much peace as we headed to the
conservancy. The surroundings all through to were green and as we neared the
destination there was less building and more vegetation. He briefed us on short

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histories about the country and the conservancy. We arrived at the gate and were met
by some very friendly game wardens, which after verification of documents, ushered
us in. Steven drove must to my cottage. The cottages were beautiful, with a touch of
wilderness and tradition yet presented elegance. Located, in fields surrounded by
nature and occasionally you would see monkeys swing around in the trees. It was
exquisite. Though tired from the trip, we only wanted to freshen up a little and head
out to take up as much as time would allow in this short trip.
Steven picked me up an hour later and we headed out for the game drive. It was not
long before we scouted giraffes. From where we were, it looked like the giraffes were
at the edge of the horizon pulling on shrubs. It was a heavenly sight. We drove around
some more, met buffalos, elephants, warthogs, the gravy zebra and the African wild
dog. We made sure to take as many pictures as possible. As the sun began to set, we
headed back. The day was not yet over; we went to see the late Sudan, the once only
living male northern white Rhino. We were privileged to have lived to see it’s
magnificent self. Sadly, early this year Sudan breathed his last breath at the age of 45
(Olpejetaconservancy.org, 2018). Steven suggested an early head start at daybreak the
following day in order to spot for the lions at a time. Therefore, the next morning, the
alluring sight of the lions graced our day. Additionally, we viewed a variety of other
vulnerable species such as the black rhino and the chimpanzees. We were taken to the
conservancies’ museum as the day ended and given a short history of the ranch, the
pastoral communities staying in it, and other endangered species in the ranch. Steven
explained that no one is ever lucky enough to see all the animals in such a short visit.
He advised that we should plan another longer visit to reap all that Ol Pejeta
Conservancy has to offer. We later joined other local and international tourists at one
of the most famous restaurants at the ranch for local delicacies. Later on there was a

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bonfire and entertainment by local dancers. We made a few friends from the
interactions at the bonfire. It was a happy yet sad night since it was my last in the
country.
1.3 An analysis and Recommendation of the Service Industry.
According to Hill, Roche, and Allen (2009), service providers ought to recognize the
needs of their customers in order to fulfill their expectations and attain full customer
satisfaction. Full awareness and management of expectations by the organization are
paramount in enabling customer satisfaction (Hsieh, Yuan and Kuo 2011 p.121).
1.3.1 Customer Expectations Construct
When the service provider meets the dimensions of the customer expectation, this is
likely to have a positive effect (Gures, Arslan, and Yucel Tun 2014 p.67).
These dimensions include:
 Reliability. This is in term of the service provider being able to deliver the
promised service efficiently and accurately. Ol Pejeta presented faultless facts
about its Ranch on its website. All photos, reviews, and information were
authentic, confirmed in my visit. What’s more, the guide assigned to me was
dependable and not once did he disappoint.
 Responsiveness. This refers to a company being focused on the customers. Ol
Pejeta showed responsiveness during our interaction in the booking process,
Safari tour, and checking out.
 Assurance and Customization. This pertains to the company’s alertness to the
safety of customers as well as providing individualized service to the
customer. The company demonstrated this by having a good number wardens

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patrol the vast lands. As for individualization, every product service at the
conservancy is individualized.
 Employees. The entire workforce at the conservancy knowledgeable of the
conservancy’s history and culture. They are friendly towards tourists’ hence
easy trust and confidence in the destination.
1.3.2 Customer satisfaction
Customer satisfaction as already explained is a measure by which a service meets the
expectancy of the customers. By discerning the attributes that lead to satisfaction, a
company is able to structure and deliver services more effectively. Customer
satisfaction leads to a repeat clientele, good portfolio, and loyalty of customers, better
acceptance of new services, enhanced reputation, more recommendations and
consequently more revenue (Inghilleri and Solomon 2010, p.10). Ol Pejeta
understands the benefits reaped from customer satisfaction and thus structures its
services to meet the customer needs. The company provides a variety of
accommodation options each price differently to cater for different classes of the
society. As for game drive options, one has the freedom to select group game drives
(which are more affordable) and individual game drives (for those who can afford it).
Moreover, there is a provision for animal lovers to adopt animals and cater for them.
This initiative creates a bond between tourists and the destination and they are bound
to return. Such flexibility and variety in services to cater for different types of
customers give the conservancy a competitive advantage in the very competitive
tourism industry. Loyalty of customers do not always mean that they are satisfied
customers, however satisfied customers always lead to loyal customers. For repeat
business, a company should aim at achieving customer satisfaction.

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There are several reasons as to why a service provider should identify the customer
expectations to achieve satisfaction (Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman, 2009 p.12).
These are:
 Customer expectations change from time to time
 It is not all features of a quality service that subjected to the expectations of
customers
 Satisfaction of the customer is dependent upon their expectations being met.
1.3.3 Customer loyalty.
Customer loyalty is about the attitudes and behavior of customers after
experiencing a service (Hill, Roche and Allen 2008, p. 2). A loyal customer benefits
an enterprise by becoming a repeat client, generating revenue and making referrals.
For instance, Ol Pejeta has achieved loyal customers due to the ability to the satisfy
customer. It is one of the major tourist destinations in Kenya. Incentives such as
adoption of animals breed emotional attachment hence loyalty. Loyalty is a measure
of customer satisfaction.
Organizations need to make customer satisfaction a continuous process. It is a
daunting task to steadily maintain and improve the satisfaction of customers (Hayes,
2010 p.36). Striking a balance between maintaining satisfaction while at the same
time maintaining low cost has proved challenging for most organizations. Several
ways are cost-effective enough in the measure and maintenance of customer
satisfaction. Hayes (2010) argues that a company does not need to do surveys, as they
are usually costly. Not only are surveys costly but also less long-lasting in their
effects. Research indicated that surveys only tend to change attitudes and increase
purchases that are one- off. Instead, the organization should opt to use information it

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already possesses. Analyzing complains, giving timely feedback, quick delivery,
quick responses to calls and emails are some of the services that require little or no
cost. Other than the cost benefits, these alternative methods are more permanent than
the surveys. Ol Pejeta Conservative, in the brief interaction, displayed all this. The
future behavior of customers will be highly contingent on their experience. This is not
to say that one measure is enough. All measures, when used alone, will be incomplete
and may not the desired purpose.
1.4 Conclusion
At the end of the trip, we were satisfied happy customers. Our perceptions of the trip
aligned and even exceeded our expectations. The level of satisfaction usually
influences the future decision of whether to buy or recommend a product (Kotler
2010, p. 101). We would give a rating of 9/10 for my satisfaction and value for
money. We certainly think that we got value for our money and would definitely
recommend a trip to Ol pejeta to friends and family. It is a destination well fitting for
them due to their love for animals and thirst for adventure. Beyond doubt, upcoming
plans are already underway for a trip back as we feel that my time there was not
enough. We plan to explore more Safari destinations in times ahead as well.

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1.5 List of References
Gures, N., Arslan, S. and Yucel Tun, S. (2014). Customer Expectation, Satisfaction
and Loyalty Relationship in Turkish Airline Industry. International Journal of
Marketing Studies, 6(1).
Gures, N., Arslan, S. and Yucel Tun, S. (2014). Customer Expectation, Satisfaction
and Loyalty Relationship in Turkish Airline Industry. International Journal of
Marketing Studies, 6(1).
Hayes, B. (2010). Measuring customer satisfaction and loyalty. 2nd ed. New Delhi:
New Age International Pvt Ltd Publishers, p.45.
Hill, N., Roche, G. and Allen, R. (2007). Customer satisfaction. London: Cogent, p.2.
Hill, N., Roche, G. and Allen, R. (2009). Customer satisfaction. London: Cogent.
Hsieh, Y., Yuan, S. and Kuo, R. (2011). A PSO-based intelligent service dispatching
mechanism for customer expectation management. Expert Systems with Applications,
38(10), pp.12128-12141.
Inghilleri, L. and Solomon, M. (2010). Exceptional service, exceptional profit. New
York: American Management Association, p.10.
Olpejetaconservancy.org. (2018). PRESS RELEASE | The last male northern white
rhino dies | Ol Pejeta Conservancy. [online] Available at:
https://www.olpejetaconservancy.org/the-last-male-northern-white-rhino-dies/
[Accessed 4 May 2018].
THAI, V. (2015). Determinants Of Customer Expectations Of Service: Implications
For Fostering Customer Satisfaction. International Journal of Management and
Applied Science,, [online] 1(4), pp.146-1550. Available at:

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http://www.iraj.in/journal/journal_file/journal_pdf/14-134-1431348440146-151.pdf
[Accessed 4 May 2018].
Wu, C. (2008). The impact of customer-to-customer interaction and customer
homogeneity on customer satisfaction in tourism service—The service encounter
prospective. Tourism Management, 28(6), pp.1518-1528.
Zeithaml, V., Berry, L. and Parasuraman, A. (2009). The Nature and Determinants of
Customer Expectations of Service. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,
21(1), pp.1-12.