Customer Experience and Engagement Strategies for Marriott Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of customer experience management within the context of Marriott, a leading hospitality industry. The report begins by emphasizing the importance of understanding customer needs, wants, and preferences for different target groups, including business travelers, couples, and mothers with babies. It then explores factors that influence customer engagement, such as accessibility and personalization, and reviews customer engagement strategies like content creation and mobile strategies. A customer experience map is created to chart the customer journey, identifying key touchpoints like website, review sites, text messages, emails, and restaurant environment. Furthermore, the report examines the use of digital technologies, including CRM systems, in managing customer experience, and evaluates customer service strategies to meet customer needs and standards. The report concludes with recommendations for improvement, focusing on enhancing customer engagement and satisfaction. This report serves as a valuable resource for students and professionals in the marketing and hospitality fields.

Managing customer
experience

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1. Explaining value and importance of understanding needs, wants and preferences of target
customer groups in Marriott........................................................................................................1
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................2
P2. Factors driving and influencing customer engagement of different target customer groups
in Marriott...................................................................................................................................2
M1. Reviewing customer engagement factors determining on board strategies for different
target customer groups................................................................................................................3
D1. Evaluating broad range of different target customer groups needs and expectations in
terms of customer engagement....................................................................................................4
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................4
P3. Creating customer experience map for service sector organisation......................................4
P4. Discussing customer touch points throughout customer experience creating business
opportunities................................................................................................................................5
M2 Creating detailed customer experience map that charts journey model...............................6
D2 Analysing Marriott can optimise each of the customer touch points in order to influence
behaviour, responses and actions................................................................................................7
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................7
P5. Examining digital technology employed in managing customer experience providing
examples of customer relationship management system............................................................7
M3 evaluating digital technologies employed in managing customer experience .....................7
D3 critically evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of CRM systems used....................8
LO 4.................................................................................................................................................8
P6. Illustrating customer service strategies.................................................................................8

P7. Demonstrating customer service strategies create and develop the customer experience
that meet needs of customer and required standards...................................................................9
M4 Reviewing application of customer service strategies in creating customer experience and
recommendations for improvement............................................................................................9
D4 Evaluating degree of customer service strategies and communication, recommendations
for improvement for quality customer experience....................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11
Online........................................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Managing customer experience means to optimise interactions between customer loyalty
to perceptions (Baker, 2016). Thus, to maintain this, company has to create strategies that
encompasses all interactions. Thus, in following report Marriott has been taken into
consideration. It is a leading hospitality industry of UK.
In the following report, importance of understanding needs and factors that influences the
engagement of them has been discussed. Further, customer experience has also been created in
this assignment and also touchpoints of customers has discussed.
TASK 1
P1. Explaining value and importance of understanding needs, wants and preferences of target
customer groups in Marriott.
To understand the need wants and preference of customers is very much important for
Marriott either for selling products or offering a service because they are the determiners about
the successfulness of a particular company (Greve and Schlüschen, 2018). It becomes important
for Marriott in order to understand for satisfying their requirements to an extent by delivering
beyond their expectations. This helps the customers to choose the brand accordingly. Thus, the
importance of understanding needs and wants helps Marriott by gaining confidence of customers
as the needs and wants of every customers differs accordingly. So it becomes significant for
Marriott to understand it and fulfil them to make customers happy (Soler-Labajos and Jiménez-
Zarco, 2016). This will further lead in raising the confidence of customers towards the brand.
Marriott will have to keep complete information about the goods and services are available at the
time customers actually need them. So this can increase the confidence and raise the volume of
customers loyalty towards Marriott.
They must understanding needs and preferences of customers also helps in building the
brand image national as well as internationally. Marriott has to record information about
customers before they purchase goods or services that will help in achieving information about
occupations and interest. This will help in increasing the business in future date.
Following are different types of customers and their different needs.
Business person Wi-Fi Poolside service Crayons and colouring
books
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Nappy changing
facilities
Mobile telephone
charging points
Meeting rooms
Couple on a first date Terrible customer
service
Bottle warmers
Candlelight
No garlic in the dishes
Soft music
Unpleasant smells
from the drains
Mothers with babies Over-priced poor
quality food
Nappy changing
facilities
Unpleasant smells
from the drains
Place to park
Terrible customer
service
Bottle warmers
Thus, Marriott is a leading hospitality industry so this is the targeted customers of
Marriott. They have to maintain all the facilities that has been discussed or highlighted above. As
businessman visit this type of industry mainly to conduct business meetings or many other
official works (Venkatesan, Petersen and Guissoni, 2018). As business travellers mainly use
mobile check-in entry so Marriott must expand keyless entry so that they can use mobile check
in more frequently.
Thus, they must also listen to the wants and requirements and give special welcoming to
the couples visiting for a date in Marriott. This will help them in increasing their brand loyalty.
They must also provide mothers with small babies with feeding facilities so that they can
comfortably take care of their babies.
TASK 2
P2. Factors driving and influencing customer engagement of different target customer groups in
Marriott.
Customer engagement is a connection of business communication between consumer and
company through various channels of correspondence (Homburg, Jozić and Kuehnl, 2017). This
can be accomplished with help of marketing campaigns, new contents and social media. This
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connection includes reaction, interaction, effect or overall experience of customers which takes
place online or offline. Thus factors that influence customer engagement are as follows-
 Accessibility- Marriott must need to ensure that products and services offered by them
are easily accessible to customers without any trouble or barrier on channel that has been
preferred by them (Zhang, Guo, Hu and Liu, 2017). In addition to this, they must also
ensure that the targeted customers can easily reach to the company and obtain valuable
services as and when need arises. They should also ensure that they get assistance for
purchasing decision easily whenever needed.
 Personalised- shoppers or customers wants personalised experience in which personal
interactions can by anonymous. Thus, Marriott can make interactions faster and easier
with customers with help of personalised experience regarding sharing right products and
services at perfect time with correct people.
 Moment of truth- this defines about making and breaking relations in the journey of
customers that influences about the customer engagement towards the brand. Thus, if
things go crooked during these journey, consumer may quit the interaction and may get
engaged elsewhere
.
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M1. Reviewing customer engagement factors determining on board strategies for different target
customer groups.
Customer engagement strategy fosters growth of brand and loyalty in a particular
industry. Thus, strategies of customer engagement has been discussed as per below context-
Create and monitor content- they have to engage with conversation going in brand and industry.
The owners of business can get in game by establishing domain authority in subject matter
through valuable content and create an online marketing strategy by building an awareness for
lead the generation.
Have a mobile strategy- if someone finds the content online, then the cited company must make
it easy in order to consume it. They must also ensure that marketing plan considers volume of
potential customers using mobile internet to access.
Think locally- there are many opportunities opened for location based targeting. They must think
locally and also update branches in all areas. So that customers feels easy to enjoy services that
are being offered by Marriott.
Strategies
Thus, the strategies that has been used in influencing business person includes following
 Building trust- influence is often and easily carried with help of trust. The cited company
must build trust by making them available with facilities they actually require. This will
help them in enhancing their loyalty towards the brand.
 Cultivating reliability- the cited company must cultivate reliability through consistency
that will help them in increasing their reputation.
Strategy to influence mother with babies-
 Being personal- they must be personal with the mother having babies as they must have
various types of facilities available to them. Thus, being little bit personal goes long way
especially when Marriot tries to bring influence in workplace. They must provide them
with nappy changing facilities along with feeding facilities.
Strategy to influence couple on first date-
 Bridal Boot Camp- the cited company must provide couple with boot camp that will
mainly influence the couples to visit the cited brand.
 Listen to them- they must also listen to them about their requirements regarding table or
room decorations which leads in attracting large customers towards them.
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D1. Evaluating broad range of different target customer groups needs and expectations in terms
of customer engagement.
Customer engagement plays important role in increasing the brand image and
profitability of business (What is Customer Engagement?. 2018). So Marriott has to identify the
needs and wants of the potential customers in order to increase the loyalty of customers towards
the brand. Further, Marriott must measure the success so that they can plan their future business
accordingly in order to achieve high customers and profits. They also have to understand
customers completely that means every single information has to be known by them. This will
help in knowing the customers very well. This information will later help in crafting the on
boarding experience and goals of targeted customers.
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TASK 3
P3. Creating customer experience map for service sector organisation.
Customer experience mapping helps company in knowing customer experience from the
contact in starting till the engagement of customers and long term relationship (Khodakarami and
Chan, 2014). It also provides Marriott a sense of customer’s greater motivation. Thus, it takes
many forms but appears in type of infographic. It teaches the organisation to know more about
customers. Further, it is a strategic process that involves capturing and communicating
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interactions of complex customers. This activity builds knowledge and consensus across
particular organisation. Thus, customer experience map is discussed as per below context-
Website- In this growing age of e-commerce no one can survive without an online
presence. Every single element in website is crucial to the experience of customers that has a
huge impact on brands ability in order to retain customers and attract the new ones. Marriott
must take the photograph of the food with professional camera and post it on website that will
help in attracting large customers towards the brand.
Review sites- this are that websites where reviews of customers or visitors are posted. As
consumers try to invest their income where they feel it worthy and want reassurance because
they do not want to trust fake news and mis selling scandals of the company. So this review sites
provides push factors in purchasing decision of customers.
Text messages- People in today's generation are attached to their smartphones fairly. So
text message is a great way in order to reach huge volume of customers. This helps in connecting
with people instantly and can wait for instant action from customers side. This will further help
Marriott in growing their business by engaging large number of customers towards the brand.
They must try wto connect with people through messages and ask feedbacks from them.
Emails- This will help in reinforcing relationship by offering special offers or bonus
content. So the cited company must advertise about their offers through emails. This will help
Marriott in keeping their products and services in mind of the customers at top.
Paper-mail- This type of mail not only engage the customers but also convert them to
buyers of products and services offered by Marriott. This makes delivery direct in the hands of
the potential customers.
Telephone- this is the best way to engage customer in order to increase odds getting a
sale and securing loyal customers. This makes the customer fell free that they can contact as and
when need of a particular changes. Customers can further refer Marriott to their friends and
families if they are connected well with phone. Marriott must sell their products and give their
information to potential customers by calling them.
Restaurant environment- This also plays a vital role in attracting large number of
customers towards the brand. The environment of Marriott must be positive and attractive. The
attraction and engagement of customers not only depends on food provided but also the
environment that makes the visitors feel happy visiting Marriott.
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Restaurant staff- Staffs of Marriott must be skilled and talented. They must know what
and how the customers actually want their needs to be fulfilled accordingly provide services to
them. This will help in building positive customer experience that will later be transferred to
their family and friends.
Restaurant management- Management of Marriott plays critical role in pulling large
number of customers. The services and goods provided by them must be managed in well
mannered. The management should be so well that they meet the needs of people or visitors
quickly without any trouble.
P4. Discussing customer touch points throughout customer experience creating business
opportunities.
Script between Customers and waiter in Marriott.
Waiter: Welcome sir/ mam. Please have a seat.
Customer: Thank you
Waiter: what will you have tonight?
Customer: Can I get to known what famous dishes is served by this respected hotel.?
Waiter: Roasted spicy chicken is the best dish we serve.
Customer: Get that to me. And how much time it will take?
Waiter: 20-25 mins.
Customer: Meanwhile can I get magazine
Waiter: Yeah sure sir.
Thus, the main Customer touchpoints are places where they interact with the brand easily
that includes websites, ratings, reviews and department of customer service (Kumar and
Reinartz, 2018). Thus, consumers never buy product without any idea of the brand. There are
multiple touchpoints that leads them in making the ultimate purchase. Therefore, it becomes
important for brand to engage customers at these touchpoints. The touchpoints that are included
in order to create business opportunities are as follows-
Products- here, website is classified or termed as a product. It has been featured about
websites quoting competitive prices. They also have positive benefits for business. Marriot must
make consumers aware of the particular brand with help of this website.
Interactions- this includes two-way interaction that can be in person wither on phone or
virtual. Marriott should provide personal and emotional connections with customers by
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