Customer Experience Management in Hospitality: A Detailed Report

This report examines customer experience management within the hospitality sector, using Alain Ducasse restaurants as a case study. It begins by emphasizing the value of understanding customer needs, wants, and preferences, particularly for target groups like business travelers. The report then explores factors that drive and influence customer engagement, such as Wi-Fi, quality food, and reading materials. A customer service map is created to illustrate the customer journey, from website interactions to in-restaurant experiences, and how touchpoints create business opportunities. Digital technology's role in enhancing customer experience is also discussed, highlighting the impact of CRM, personalized services, and multi-channel experiences. The report concludes with a discussion of customer service strategies and their impact on creating a positive customer experience.

Managing the Customer
Experience
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1 ...........................................................................................................................................1
P1 Value and importance of understanding the needs, wants and preferences of target
customer groups for a hospitality industry. ................................................................................1
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................2
P2 Different factors that drive and influence customer engagement..........................................2
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................3
P3 Creation of the customer service map for the selected organisation. ...................................3
P4 Discuss how the customer touch-points throughout the customer experience create
business opportunities. ...............................................................................................................4
TASK 4 ...........................................................................................................................................5
P6 Illustrate customer service strategies in the hospitality sector. .............................................5
P7 Demonstration of how customer service strategies create and develop the customer
experience...................................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................9
.......................................................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
Managing the customer experience is important to handle and retain in an organisation.
Effective and proper customer service comes from the customer satisfaction and experience both.
This report will be carried on Alain Ducasse restaurants which is the London centric restaurants
with the premium and comfortable services being offered to their customers and guests. This
report will talk about value and importance of understanding the needs, wants and preference to
the targeted customers and different factors which drive and influence the customer engagement
within the different target market. It will put focus on the customer service map for the selected
organisation. This report will put light on the touch point for the customer’s attractiveness and
preference. It will also discuss about how customer experience is crucial and important for
customer service satisfaction. There will be the discussion regarding the customer service
strategies. This contains the systematic process and purpose (Verhoef, 2016).
TASK 1
P1 Value and importance of understanding the needs, wants and preferences of target customer
groups for a hospitality industry.
In today's era, service sector is considered as the most growing industry with the expectation
to serve the customer at the higher level. The main income source of the hospitality come from their
customer's and providing the full and fledged pure services. Hospitality sector belongs to the
customer service which involves understanding their need, wants as well as preference, what they
want from particular service sector. In context with Alain Ducasse, valuing and understanding the
needs, actual wants and preference of their customer is necessary to provide them full and premium
services and also to ensure the profitability and productivity both. Customer's are expecting the full
satisfactory services in return of price. Target customer for this restaurants is businessmen and
travellers etc. There are various values and importance of needs and preferences of targets customer
in the Alain Ducasse are as follow:
Assessment of behaviour: In context with Alain Ducasse, analysing the desires and wants
of their target customer is necessary to find scope for providing them services more than their
expectations. Customer's behaviour in restaurants sector plays an important role in getting post
service evaluation, feedback and reviews for future changes and addition in the services such as
pick and drop, spa, parlour etc.
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Type of customer Different types of customer needs
College students Coffee & Food Mobile, telephone
charging points
Chit Chat Space
Business people Food & beverages Internet Access Meeting space
Employed person Relaxed space with
sound music
Food of the effective
quality and taste
Outside window seen
There are different types of customers such as college students, business people and
employed people. All have different needs and preference when going to the particular
restaurants such as quality of foods, internet access, sound music and space for the meeting and
chit chat etc. In context with Alain Ducasse, it is required that restaurants must satisfy the needs
and wants of the customer according to their wish and desires (Rogers, 2016).
TASK 2
P2 Different factors that drive and influence customer engagement
Customer engagement: It is the ongoing process and interaction among the company,
stakeholders and customer for the purpose of providing the full and clear services. For Alain
Ducasse, there are various requirements for the customer engagement which is as follows:
Wi-Fi: In today's era, people are more busty with the web and internet. They generally
working over the internet, watch videos, browsing social media, chatting etc.
Writing materials: The main habit of businessman is, they are habitual and fond of
writing anything or important write-up etc.
Power plug: Power plug is required to get an access of the electricity easily to charge
phones, laptops, other electrical equipments etc.
Good quality of food: In restaurants sector, quality of food is required to be effective and
accurate to attract the customer who are fond of eating.
Coffee, tea and other beverages facility: When people or businessman chit chat with
others, they generally want coffee, tea and other beverages to make pleasant moment and time to
be remembered.
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Reading sources: Reading is the habitual activity which every person do in their daily
basis of life. Reading with the proper beverages and food creates positive response in the mind of
customer to pursue.
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Wi-Fi: In today's era, people are more busty with the web and internet
TASK 3
P3 Creation of the customer service map for the selected organisation.
Customer service map is a kind of diagram that predicts stages where customer's go
through specific and defined process, from the starting of purchasing the products, its usage and
accessing the regular customer services over the phone, text messages, websites or Apps etc. In
context with Alain Ducasse, it is required and necessary to create and understand the customer
service map right away starts from the websites till restaurant management. For the purpose of
understanding and analysing the customer service map, website is the best suitable to generate
and provide service to the customers:
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Websites: When particular customer looks for any restaurants, they generally go to
internet to search for the nearest food zone. They need to select the best appropriate restaurants
of their own choices and preference. In order to ensure that consistent message would raise to the
customers, Alain Ducasse should add relevant information to their websites to enhance the easy
reach of the customers. Restaurants manager needs to make sure that they take the actual picture
of foods, they generally cook at their place. Well-drafted words and vocabulary should be used
in order to create good and effective impression in the mind of customer to get attracted.
Review sites: Such kind of sites provides the feedback and review of the restaurants
previously experienced by other customer. This would help customer's of Alain Ducasse to make
their decision making effectively.
Text messages: In today's time, Alain Ducasse uses text message server facilities to show
various offers and coupons etc. to their customer to attract them to use restaurants services. For
Alain Ducasse, it is will provide convenience to the customers.
E-mails: E-mails is one of the most useful ways to attract the customers. As it provides
the convenience to the customer to get relevant information and knowledge about the restaurants.
In context with Alain Ducasse, restaurants should try to send informative and relevant e-mails to
the customer to acknowledged.
P4 Discuss how the customer touch-points throughout the customer experience create business
opportunities.
Touch-point is referring to as the brand' points of the customer, from starting to finish.
Customer' generally analysis the business of an organisation through online ads, by reviews,
feedback on the websites etc. All these are some of their main points of the business customers.
The touch point is very much capable to attract the potential customers during the business
periods. In context with Alain Ducasse, restaurant should provide services such as welcome,
acknowledge before purchase, during purchase and after purchase. In case of before purchase,
company should provide information about their products or services on the social media,
newspaper, magazines or words of mouth etc. During the purchase process, customers must find
relevant information on the company websites, store, brochures, offices etc. At last, after the
purchase process, restaurants need to take feedbacks, review and opinion from the customer to
evaluate the services of the restaurants.
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In context with Alain Ducasse, touch point to the customers are always comes from the
greeting, acknowledging and encouraging the customer team.
This stages includes different phases such as:
Waiter try to make conversation with the customer: In this phase, waiter tries to make
overall conversation with the customer or guest such as being welcomed them with gratitude,
sense and positivity etc. In this, waiter is aiming at providing the better feeling to their customers
which is more essential and important for the customers to maintain and build the reputation of
the knowledge.
Waiter: Good evening
Customer: Good Evening
Waiter: Do you want anything, sir?
Customer: Sure, but before this, first bring some water and menu.
Waiter: Sure, anything more with water?
Customer: Nothing. Thank you
Waiter: Food will be cooked by 10 minutes.
Customer: Sure. I am waiting.
Above given discussion is regarding the conversation between customer and waiter which
is important and essential for the customer’s experience. In this conversation, there was a try to
make happiness in the mind of the customers. This it is concluded that better services and
conversation with customer is essential for the restaurants.
P5 How digital technology is employed in providing the customer experience in the hotel sector
CRM is defined as all kinds of the strategies, techniques and tools used by the company for
developing, retaining and managing customer. Now a days, digital technology has become
important and necessities in the growing scenario of the business and helpful in the overall CRM
activities. It has transformed the communication among the people and customer in the most
efficient manner. It has provided better and suitable opportunity for the customer's to driven the
process of post-purchase behaviour, feedback and reviews. Digitalisation has enabled the process of
customer experience and satisfaction in the most accurate manner. In context with Grosvenor hotel,
digital transformation has changed the business model of this hotel.
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Digital technology has offered the hotels or related industries to understand and analyse the
modern days customers, involves with them and deliver beyond their expectation. In Grosvenor
Hotel, digital technology has transformed the customer relation management in an unique way.
Rising in the IT sector has raised the scope and opportunity for the CRM in context with hospitality
sector: Digitalisation has transformed customer experience in the various ways:
Involvement of advanced IT environment: CRM in the hospitality industry has grown at
the great extent such as E-ordering, E-room booking services etc. In Grosvenor hotel, digital
environment such as room check-in by using the mobile Apps, websites and other portal etc.
Customer can share their feedback, comments and review by the use of mobile devices and other
system etc.
Personalized customer experience: In today's modern time, organisations are want to be
treated as unique and special person. Keeping this in the mind, organisation in the hospitality sector
has treated them likely. In context with Grosvenor hotel, organisation has implemented the various
electronic services such as room booking using the websites, mobile apps, their portals etc.. E-
payment is best example of the customer experience in the hospitality. Through this, customer can
make easy payment to the hotel. It has made non-involvement of cash transaction to maintain the
transparency and feasibility.
Multi channel experience: In context with Grosvenor hotel, organisation has made
community centre for the customer to engage at the one place and platform. Through this,
Grosvenor can analyse the requirement of the customer for an organisation to make service better
and more relevant and suitable for the customers. This organisation has formulated this E-
community in order to get more good and effective ideas from the previous and new customers.
This has taken into consideration with the purpose to show the real picture and importance of the
Grosvenor hotel.
Taking the example of CRM for hospitality sector, Alvain Ducasse has feedback and
opinion Apps for the customers to maintain the long live relation with the themselves. It is basically
a kind of App which is which record the feedbacks and opinion in context with satisfaction of an
employee.
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TASK 4
P6 Illustrate customer service strategies in the hospitality sector.
For understanding the customer service strategies, I have visited one very popular
restaurant in the London namely Alain Ducasse which is the leading restaurant chain in the UK.
The first and initial impression was good and satisfactory. When I entered the outlet, staff
welcomes me with drinks and beverages. I feel quite relax and comfortable. After that, one key
person given me with the menu card to decide the food products wants to eat and enjoy. The
communication skills of the waiter was good enough to talk and behave with good and formal
skills and attitude. Environment was pleasant and attractive, but sound in the entire outlet was
too high. This can be the major threat for the restaurant. After such observation, they started their
main service which is serving the food.
They were using the traditional methods of United Kingdom for serving the food and also
they were using old and cultural crockery for providing the food. Alain Ducasse actually belongs to
patriotic person of the United Kingdom. Restaurant is competent enough to targets the different
segment of customer. It was noticed that they were using technology in various context such as
ordering additional food using screen display on each table and online feedback system after the
payment has been made. During eating the food, slow and soft music was heard which created the
immense pleasure. Waiter and manager were continuously visiting the section where I was sitting
with my partner. I was impressive that they were taking care of our needs and wants. After
completing the food, when I was asked them to bring bill, they provides us bowl with hot water to
wash our hands. They asked for feedback regarding their service using the tablet device.
It was critically observed that Alain Ducasse was customer centric restaurant with almost
every service on the top of the list. There idea on an usage of technology has resulted them in
effective customer relationship management(CRM). I will give 9 out of 10 for customer service
strategies
P7 Demonstration of how customer service strategies create and develop the customer
experience
Customer experience is defined as an interaction or communication between particular
customer and organisation related to the hospitality sector to maintain the long lasting customer
relationships. The word “Interaction” includes foundation, awareness, new service and invention
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etc. If the customers experience is positive and real, it would easy and reliable to provide the
higher level of the customer service. Great customer satisfaction lead to the excellent customer
service and response. In context with Alain Ducasse, it is required to understand and analyse
how various customer service strategies delivers the perfect and excellent customer experience
and purpose. There are various service strategies which is helpful in creating and developing the
greater level of the customer experience to help in modifying the customer satisfaction, reduce
any kind of service barriers and increase profitability and revenue are as follow:
Clear customer experience vision: In this step, it is required to decide and make clear
and cut customer centric vision, which can communicate the objectives and short term as well as
long term goals of an organisation. In context with Alain Ducasse, organisation would clearly
decide their vision to be customer centric in their business. Organisation should give priorities to
their vision first and then financial aspects. If vision is clearly defined and implemented, it would
be easy to provide effective customer service and this will result in far better customer
experience.
Customer identification: Customer identification is the process when an organisation
look for the prospective customer to deliver excellent products or services to earn the profits for
the future. In context with Alain Ducasse, organisation is looking at the target market which
includes travellers and businessmen for the meeting purpose. Along with the identification, it is
also required to identify needs and wants of these customers. In Hospitality industry, customer
with strong financial position and status are attracted towards such industry. Because price is
high as according to the service are being offered.
Emotional connection with customer: Customer are always have some weakness, may
be connected to their emotional connectivity and sentiments. Some of these tells what they want
from the particular industry. It is avoidable not to hurt their emotion, as a result, Grosvenor could
lose their target customers. Therefore, desire and wants of the customers are connected to their
emotion and sentiments.
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CONCLUSION
From the above report, it is concluded that customer service is important for an
organisation to maintain for the longer period of time to carry on business of the organisation.
Customer service is always crucial for the business to generate profitability and purpose of the
business. It is also concluded that values and importance of understanding the needs, wants and
preference plays an important role in the managing and improving the customer service of an
organisation. Restaurants are required to implement their strategies and process for the better
customer service providing and purpose.
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