Managing Customer Experience: A Report on Customer Engagement

This report delves into the critical aspects of managing customer experience within the hospitality sector, specifically focusing on the Kimpton Fitzroy London Hotel. It begins by exploring the importance of understanding the needs, wants, and preferences of target customers, including business travelers and families, and how these factors influence customer engagement. The report then examines customer experience mapping, outlining the various touchpoints throughout the customer journey, from website interactions to check-out processes. Furthermore, it analyzes the role of digital technology, such as social media, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, in enhancing customer experience. Finally, the report presents customer service strategies, including personalized experiences and feedback mechanisms, to foster customer loyalty and drive business success. The analysis emphasizes the significance of adapting to customer needs and leveraging technology to create memorable and positive experiences, ultimately improving the hotel's goodwill and profitability.

Managing the Customer
Experience

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................3
P1: Importance of needs, wants and preference of target customer for service sector..........3
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................5
P3 Customer experience map for target customers group......................................................5
P4: Customer Touch-points throughout the customer experience.........................................6
Task 3...............................................................................................................................................7
P5: Digital technology employed in managing the customer experience..............................7
Task 4...............................................................................................................................................8
P6: Customer service strategies..............................................................................................8
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11

Introduction
Customer experience refers to interaction between the company's product that customer is
using and their experience regarding that. It is the interaction between customer and firm over
the time period of their relationship. If the customer experience is good than they will prefer to
use that product again in the future but if the experience is not good than they would try to avoid
it and substitute with another company's product. The Kimpton Fitzroy London Hotel also
known as Hotel Russell is one of the historic five stars hotel in Russell Square, London, United
kingdom. In this report, Importance of needs, wants and preferences of target customer will be
discussed. Consequently factors which can influence the customer engagement will also explain.
Apart form this, Customer map will be made so that new opportunities would be generated for
the business to increase their profit with the help of that.
Task 1
P1: Importance of needs, wants and preference of target customer for service sector
The target customers of The Russell hotel is Business person and family visitors who
visit London for their business purpose like meetings, pitching etc (Bilgihan, Kandampully and
Zhang, 2016). The needs, wants and preference of business person is different as compare to
other customers which is described below,
Customer profile refers to description of customer traits which includes geographic,
demographic characteristics, credibility etc. Business person are those who prefer to spend more
on their visit but expects the high quality of service provided by the hotel. Russell hotel should
provide fast service and quality of food to the business person as it will enhance the customer
experience in the hotel. If these need is not satisfy by the hotel than the customer would not visit
the hotel in the future thus it will affect the hotel goodwill in a negative way. If the need of
business person is satisfy then they will move to the wants. Business person wants includes
personalized experience, fast Wi-Fi, accessible meeting rooms etc. Meetings rooms is a
necessary for the person as they have to meet other clients for their work. Apart from that fast
Wi-Fi is important as they have to access many documents and files on internet which is
mandatory for the meetings. At last preference, customer will prefer to book the which has living
facility plus meeting rooms in a same room. Russell hotel can only attract the customer if they

are fulfilling the mentioned needs, wants and preference of the business person. Price is not an
issue for them but the quality and service is.
Needs of the family groups is different from the business person. Their basic need is to
get the elegant room in which it should be properly ordered and clean. Moreover the sizes of the
room should be big enough so that it wont be congested for the family while staying. Family
visitors expects from the hotel to provide safer environment so to protect their members from
any mischiefs. Apart from that, alcohol, drugs etc should be prohibited in the hotel as they don't
prefers to take any unhealthy things in front of their family members. At last the preference of
the family group is to book the room which is bigger in size and have great view from the
balcony to make it memorable. Russell hotel should manage all these factors while attracting the
family groups as it will help the hotel to increase their profitability.
P2 Different factors that drive and influence customer engagement
There are different factors for different groups which the Russell hotel could improve to
influence the customer engagement. If the customer engagement experience is good than it
indirectly helps the company for their market by mouth to mouth marketing.
It is Russell hotel responsibility to make the environment quiet for the business person as
they don't prefer to get disturbed by the external environment. Apart from that, the hotel should
provide fast internet, projector, TV etc to the individual so they can accomplish their task by
using hotel equipments (De Keyser and et. al., 2015). Russell hotel should make one floor for
the business person so to provide all the facilities which can attract those customers to visit their
hotel again thus enhancing their customer engagement level to its fullest.
In the case of family visitors, safety and food is the priority of the family member. Safety
will be the first priority in which no circumstances would not arise in the hotel premises that will
put family member into danger. This can overcome by increasing the security of the hotel.
Moreover member prefers to eat delicious food with the mixture of the United kingdom culture
as they want to eat unique food in the other country as food reflects the culture of the country
they are visiting. Its Russell hotel responsibility to satisfy their needs as it will improve their
goodwill in the market thus allures more customers.
At the time of checking out by the customers, Russell hotel should take customer
feedback and their grievance as it will help the hotel to improve their customer experiences.

Apart from that any mistake which is done by the staff can be improved thus making the hotel
experience to its fullest (Torres, Fu and Lehto, 2014).
Task 2
P3 Customer experience map for target customers group
Source: The Benefits of Creating a Customer Journey Map. 2019
Customer experience starts from the first time customer looks into your websites and
ends at the time of check out. If the experience of the customer is not good in the starting than
they will switch their preferences to other hotel. So without knowing the customer details any
hotel can loose their customer (Edelman and Singer, 2015). Customer experience map is a
process of customer experience when interacting with the Russell hotel for the first time in life.
If the starting experiences is not up to the expectations of the customer than they won't go into
the next step and switch their hotels. Stages of customer experience is described below,
Illustration 1: The Benefits of Creating a Customer Journey Map

Website is the first step of the customer mapping in which they visit their websites and
fill their requirements. After that customer will see all the photos which are available at the
website, if the photos are lavish and attracting than only they will continue their search and move
to the reviews page in which customer will read all the reviews. If the customers are not happy
with other's experiences than they will switch their preference to other hotels. So Hotel past
services also plays an important role while booking their new customers. At last all the facilities
provided by the hotel will be check by the customer and if it matches the requirements than
customer will call the reception for more information.
Customer will call the Russell hotels to check for reservation. If the reservation is not
available for the specific date than customer will book the other hotels and the process will start
again. If it is available then charges will be discussed by the customer and its Russell company
staff to attract their customer by their interpersonal skills. Payment option should be discussed by
the customer and it should be according to the customer rather than the hotel (Srivastava and
Kaul, 2016).
If all the above mentioned points are fulfilled than only customer will book their dates
with the Russell hotel. Now its hotel responsibility to make the arrangements as what are
discussed on the phone. All the rules and regulation made by the hotel, timings of dinning and
other information which should be given to the customer before checking into the hotel. All the
extra requirements which are finalised in the starting should be provided by the hotel to the
customer (Fatma, 2014). Its hotel responsibility to make their customer experiences memorable
as it creates or destructs the hotel goodwill.
After the completion of their trip, Russell hotel should take feedback and grievance of the
customer and try to make their relationship longer while texting their offers, discounts on regular
basis.
P4: Customer Touch-points throughout the customer experience
Touch point is the point where customer comes in the contact to the hotel before and after
the visit and how it creates impact on the goodwill of the hotel. Russell hotel should take care
about every touch points of the customer and try to improve it every time until and unless it
become perfect. From the customer point of view, touch-point should be relevant, appropriate,
significant and charismatic. All the touchpoints are described below,

Website is the first touch points of the customer to the Russell hotel. The website of the
company should be friendly, innovative and attracting. The website layout depicts the image and
innovative thinking of the hotel. Russell hotel should try to make their website unique and try to
improve it regularly. Other than that Russell can send emails to their customer as a reminder or
for a discounts. The email content should be cliché as then there wont be any difference between
the Russell hotel and other hotel. At the time of check in, Russell hotel should make the touch
point memorable as it is the starting of their journey and it should be amazing as their websites
and email sent by them. Apart from that Russell hotel should try to make the customer
experience personalized as they want as this will differentiate the Russell hotel to other (Frow
and et. al., 2015). All this will help hotel in increasing its customer base which creates an
opportunity for it in terms of growth and improved profitability.
While doing the promotions through advertising Russell should try to make it unique and
attractive so that customer from around the world would be attracted. When the customer calls at
the hotel reception for the enquiry than hotel should be very polite and should address all the
problems which customers are having for the reservation. Hence, It can be concluded that if
Russell wants to gain the competitive advantage over others than they should made their every
touch points memorable for the customer (Spiess and et. al., 2014).
Task 3
P5: Digital technology employed in managing the customer experience
Digital technology plays an important part in the success of the hotel industry. If Russell
hotel is using latest technology like Artificial intelligence or virtual reality, social media.
Websites etc it helps them to allure the customer from all over the world. Apart from that, hotel
should be friendly with the technology as it is of no use if they don't know how to use it to
maximize the utilization of resources thus increase in profitability (Homburg, Jozić and Kuehnl,
2017). Different type of technology which could be use by the hotel to attract the customers are,
 Social media: With the help of social media, Russell hotel can acquire customer by
posting interesting post, quizzes, hotel pictures and video etc. Customer can visit the
hotel virtually and decide if they want to visit or not. Every post in social media is check
by millions of customer so Russell hotel should only post those things which can attract
the customer (King, Sparks and Wang, 2016).

 Virtual reality: Customer from around the corner can visit the hotel with the help of
Virtual reality technology. This latest technology is expensive but it can help the Russell
hotel to showcase their uniqueness with this application.
 Artificial intelligence: With this latest technology, hotel can understand their need and
taste without asking them their preference. This will empower the customer while having
conversation with the hotel anytime they wanted. With the help of AI, customer can
design their own rooms according to their taste and preference.
Customer relationship management
CRM is an approach of monitoring and managing the company's interaction with
potential customer so to enhance the experience of customer in the hotel. If CRM is implemented
appropriately than it will build the customer loyalty thus profitability of the Russell hotel would
increase gradually (Klaus, 2014). Advantages and disadvantages of CRM is discussed below,
Advantages Disadvantages
It will help the Russell hotel while sending
thousands of messages and email in a one
click. Thus increasing the brand awareness.
CRM model is expensive and time consuming
while implementing.
It can allow the hotel for data mining thus
providing the facilities to the customer which
they did not asked. Consequently enhancing
the customer experience to a certain level.
Knowledgable employees would be required to
handle the software. If not properly maintained
than data might get leaked and use for wrong
purpose.
It increases the efficiency of the Russell hotel. CRM requires continuous improvement in the
software to enhance the customer experience.
Task 4
P6: Customer service strategies
Customer experience management is a process of collection of all the interaction which
hotel had with customer (Customer experience management, 2018). CSM goal is to improve
their engagement with customer so to make their visit memorable. If is is properly monitored and

analysed then it will help the Russell hotel to understand and fulfil the unmet needs of the
customers. Other than that it also helps them to increase their brand experience and improve the
touch points of customer with the hotel. Customer service is a key part while acquiring the
customer and their trust towards the hotel. Customer needs should be properly handled by the
hotel than only their experience would be great and might prefer to visit the same hotel again.
Russell hotel should try unique and attractive strategies while engaging the customer which are
described as below,
 Product knowledge to the employees: Customer questions and their grievance should be
answered promptly to make them happy. Apart from that, all the staff of the hotel should
be well aware of every product they provide to the customer as it will help them to handle
the customers in a bad mood (Lemon and Verhoef, 2016). Russell hotel should give
proper training and development session to all their staff by inculcating new skills and
abilities which can help them to attract the customer.
 Personalized the customer experience: Customer experience will be enhanced when the
hotel is providing the facilities according to them and try to make it personalized
according to the customer. For instance, Russell hotel can make the room for family
according to their taste like bedsheets cover, food, music etc.
 Quality of the service: It is proven by the research that customer can pay extra for the top
quality of service provided by the hotel. Russell hotel should make quality standards of
every service they are providing to the customers. Like if the quality of food is not up to
the expectations of the customer then it destructs the goodwill of the hotel to a certain
level.
 Fulfil the promises: Promises made by the Russell hotel should be fulfil so to make their
experience great. For instance, If Russell hotel has promised the business person to
provide the best WI-FI and conference room than it should be fulfil by any means to
make their customer encounter unforgettable (Shin, 2015).
 Reward for the good service: Russell hotel should motivate their employees by rewarding
incentives and bonuses for the good work they have performed. If the employees are
motivated than they will try to give their full commitment towards works hence
improving the customer experience when staying in Russell hotel.

 P7: Customer service create and develop the customer experience in a way that meets the
need of the customer
Customer service strategies made by the Russell hotel should be properly implemented to
the real scenario than only full utilization of resource would be achieved by the hotel. Strategies
which can help the hotel to enhance the customer experience is described below,
 If the employees are motivated by the rewards assigned to them than they will take care
of every requirements of the customer and try to fulfil it within the time period thus
increasing the encounter of the customer in the positive way (McColl-Kennedy and et.
al., 2015).
 If the promises made by the Russell hotel is fulfil within the deadline than it helps the
customer to enjoy their visit consequently making the goodwill of the hotel in front of
them. It also improves the brand equity by the hotel by mouth to mouth marketing.
 Customer craves for quality in exchange of money they are paying for the visit. If the
quality provided by the Russell hotel meets the expectation of the customer than it will
heighten the customer experience to a positive level.
 If the staff of the hotel is properly trained than they will try to solve any problem
promptly thus increasing their customer experience.
 The Russell hotel manager should personally greet each and every customer arriving in
their hotels and try to ask their requirements which they have not mentioned while
booking the rooms. It will help the hotel their customer needs and try to improve it next
time if any customers arrived. It enhances the customer experience thus helping the hotel
to increase their profitability (Peppers and Rogers, 2016).
 Feedback and grievances should be taken very seriously by the hotel and try to improve it
in the future so to make the other guest memorable and remarkable.
 Customer relationship model should be properly implemented and monitor by the
manager of the Russell hotel as it will help them to understand their needs, wants and
preferences of every types of customers. If it is carefully analysed and monitored than it
will help the Russell hotel to remove their weakness to a great level. Consequently
making customer happy for their visit as hotel should provide value of their money they
are spending on the hotel.

Conclusion
Customer experience is important for retaining the customer thus helping the company to
increase their profitability and goodwill of the company. Hotel can enhance the customer
experience by fulfilling the needs, wants and preference of the customer. Apart from that, hotel
should take care of all the factors that enhance the customer engagement. Hotel should work
according to the customer experience map they have made and try to improve the touch-point
according to the map. Digital technology helps the company to enhance the customer experience
like while doing payments or booking the hotel from different location in one click. Customer
service strategies should be made according to the scenario and try to improve it with time. As
customer services and its strategies create and develop the customer experience.

References
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Online
Customer experience management. 2018. [Online]. Available
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management>.