Customer Service Report: Policies, Evaluation, and Analysis

This report delves into the critical aspects of customer service within the context of a hotel, specifically referencing the Crown Plaza hotel. It begins by emphasizing the significance of customer service policies in achieving customer satisfaction and loyalty, detailing the reasons for their implementation and the importance of evaluating their effectiveness. The report then explores various communication methods, such as verbal and written communication, and their impact on customer perception. It also examines sources of information on customer requirements, including research on customer satisfaction levels. Furthermore, the report discusses customer service practices in the business and service sectors, culminating in a self-assessment of performance and recommendations for improvement. The report highlights the need for businesses to adapt to the changing market dynamics and the role of customer service policies in achieving sustainable competitive advantage.

Customer Services

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK A...........................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Reasons for using customer service policies....................................................................1
1.2 Purpose of evaluating a customer service policy.............................................................2
2.1 Evaluation of different communication method...............................................................4
2.2 Analysation of influence on customer perception by customer service provisions.........5
TASK B(1).......................................................................................................................................6
3.1 Sources of information on customer requirements...........................................................6
3.2 Research on the customer requirements and satisfaction level........................................7
TASK B(2).......................................................................................................................................8
4.1 Customer services in business and service sector............................................................8
4.2 Review of own performance and recommendations for improvement............................9
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Customer services are services that are provided by any business to its customers. They
include both before and after sales services and the main purpose of their provision is to increase
the level of customer satisfaction (Halme, 2012). There are different services that are provided in
relation to different business and with the help of the level of satisfaction it will be ascertained
that business has been successful in meeting expectations of customers. The loyalty of customers
will be gained by providing them with the best possible services and by this they will be retained
in the long run which will prove to be beneficial for business. In this report various aspects in
relation to customer services will be discussed in reference to Crown Plaza hotel. In the hotel
services it is required that respect and ethics are maintained among the guest and the host. For
this it will be needed that knowledge should be gained about the customer service policies and
the purpose for which their evaluation is required to be done (Cheung and To, 2011). In addition
to this various methods of communication that are used, effect of these on customers perception
will also be described. There are various sources from which information can be obtained and
they will be discussed in this report.
TASK A
1.1 Reasons for using customer service policies.
Customers are main priority for any type of organisation and this is due to the reason that
it is the customers because of whom demand for the services and goods is created. So it is
necessary that the needs and requirements of customers should be given the most preference and
it should be taken care off that they are provided proper services by which their level of
satisfaction is increased (Kohijoki, 2011). This will be made possible only when the hotel will
pay its full attention on the provision of best quality to its consumers. For this purpose it is
required that customer policies should be developed by which all the objectives that have been
specified in this regard are achieved.
In the policies that are made in relation to customer services it will be specified that what
all are the things that a consumer can expect from the business. In any business there are various
activities that are required to be performed and it is needed that proper delegation of work should
be made. This is needed so that proper efficiency and effectiveness can be ensured. For this
purpose all the delegation that is made is written in the policies and the roles and responsibilities
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of all the departments are specified in it. There are various software and technologies which can
be used in the formulation of policies.
With the help of using these policies a business will be able to attain the goals and the
targets that have been set and also the loyalty of customers can be gained. In the competitive
environment it is very important that the sustainability is maintained and this will be possible
only when consumers will be retained that will be attained by establishing loyalty (Magnini and
Karande, 2011). Different customers have different demands and they will be able to know
whether they will be met with the help of the policies. Also the shortcomings if any in the
services that are provided by hotel will be identified and then measures will be taken to
overcome them.
In these policies measures will also be written to deal with the increasing competition in
the market because in the growing economy it is rising at great speed and if not considered in
proper manner then it will have adverse impact on the business. An additional advantage can also
be taken by the competition and this can be done by analysing in advance the customer
requirements and needs for the future and then making plan in such a way by which more and
more customers will be attracted towards it. This is because as the customers will be satisfied
and will be getting the services as per their requirement so they will choose the services of that
hotel and not that of any other competitors. In a hotel it is very necessary that all the guest who
come shall be entertained in proper manner and also the staff should be trained that they should
behave respectfully with the customers so that they will be satisfied.
In any organisation there is need of the customer services because every one is involved
in it whether it may be directly or indirectly. By this sustainable competitive advantage will be
achieved and also overall profitability will be increased as customers will be in support of the
services so they will be ready to pay extra price for it. The environment of the hotel will be stress
free as there will be less chances of conflicts due to the team work and their happy mindset.
Good image will also be created with the help of these policies in the market.
The policies which are framed in relation to the customer services are important because
with the help of them cost efficiency will be achieved as if the customers will be satisfied then
there will be no complaints and so no cost will have to be incurred in their corrections. The
policies are good for the business as customers will develop trust on the services of the business
and by that they will be willing to spend more and also they will not look forward to using the
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services of any other party. For example it can be seen that if the customers will be receiving
good response from the staff and their views are asked then they will feel important and this
policy of the hotel will be beneficial for it.
1.2 Purpose of evaluating a customer service policy.
In a business there are various purposes which are served with the help of customer
service policy so it is very important that they are evaluated as by this their performance can be
ascertained (Truong, 2013). If any loophole is found in the policy then corrective measures will
be taken so that further performance can be enhanced. In order to know the current position of
the business it is required that the satisfaction which consumers are getting should be checked.
As by this only the merits and demerits will be identified which will then taken into
consideration to improve the position in the near future. Hotels are the place in which most
customer services are required. There are various aspects that are needed to be considered so that
quality services can be provided to customers and they include communication, case, knowledge,
planning, feedback and patience.
Evaluation is necessary so that it can be ascertained that whether the services are
provided in proper manner or not. It should be ensured that all the guest are treated in equal way
and for that it should be checked that rules are mentioned in the policy in relation to it and if
customers have any problem then they should know that their grievances will be heard by the
hotel and will also be solved (Bianchi, 2011). Feedbacks should be collected from the customers
so that they can tell the areas in which they are not satisfied with the services and wants some
improvement in that particular area.
Services of the customers will be improved when the staff will provide better services
and this can be achieved only when staff will have all the knowledge regarding the manner in
which they are required to provide the services. For this it will be required that proper system
should be established in respect of training facility and development that is to be provided to
them.
In order to serve the customers in the best manner it will be required that staff shall have
proper knowledge regarding all the policies that are made and also have the proper skills by
which the policies can be implemented in the best manner. For this it will be required that they
shall be given appropriate training so that they can work in effective manner and can provide
best services to the consumers. By this development will be made at both individual as well as
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team level and customers will be provided the most satisfactory services which will lead to
growth of business.
2.1 Evaluation of different communication method.
In order to make the business a success it is very important that proper communication is
established in the organisation among the different departments and also with the consumers. It
is the process in which the thoughts and information is conveyed to the other persons (Ladhari,
2010). It can be done invarious forms such as by visuals, speech, writing or signals. In the
process of communication there are three main aspects that are covered and they are sender,
recipient and a message that is required to be communicated and for this it is not always
necessary for the recipient to present at the spot. So it can be said that communication is possible
ar vast distance also and at any time. There are different methods by which effective
communication can be made and those are as under:
verbal communication: This is the method in which the information or the message is
transfered in the form of sounds or spoken languages (Parment, 2013). In order to make the
verbal method effective there are various factors on which it will be dependent and it is required
that those skills are maintained. Some of such skills are listening skills, non verbal
communcation and clrification. It should be ensured that in the process a person should remain
calm and focused, polite and should follow the ethics. It is very important that there should be
active listening skills and the person should have the talent by which he is able to listen to what
the other party is trying to convey. For this it will be needed that a listner should be ready to hear
the other one and should avoid any kind of distraction so that can keep an open mind. By this
concentration will be established and the judgement should always be made after hearing the
whole part of the other party. This will be best when the staff will have to communicate with the
customers in order to know their needs and also in the meeting and presentations that are
conducted in the business in which various policies and strategies are formulated. So by the help
of this all will be able to present their views in the discussion and they will be taken into
consideration if found relevant.
Non verbal communication: It is the process in which the message is send by the visual means
between various persons and they can be communicated by the gestures and body language.
With the help of this the level of comfort and personality characteristics will be identified. The
manner or the tone in which communication is done is also covered under this. This is important
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as by this the taste of the customers will be determined and by that services will be improved in
this respect. If the the manner in which the staff will represent themselves is good then the
customers will be attracted and feel that they are at good place and by this the level of their
satisfaction will be improved.
Written communication: This is the manner in which the message is delivered in the written
form by using language and by that the logical argument in relation to the subject is
communicated. In this manuals and forms are included. There are brochures which are made
with the help of which the customers are told about the services of the hotel. In this the structure,
style and content are main elements that should be considered.
In the consumer services all these forms of communication will be used by the hotel in
order to convey their message to the customers and also to know the feedbacks and feeling of
them. By this they will be able to understand each other and will be able to function in the
manner by which best services will be provided resulting into overall development of Crown
plaza. This will be used to provide the employees with the instructions that are required to be
followed by them. Also they will provide the management with the report in relation to the
customers needs and also their responses. Proper guidelines will be framed and also evidences
will be available in this respect.
2.2 Analysation of influence on customer perception by customer service provisions.
In the hotel business the main aspect that should be taken into consideration is the quality
of services that are offered by it to its customers as this is the factor on which its whole success is
dependent (Ladhari and Leclerc, 2013). In order to retain the customers in the long run it is
highly required that level of quality is maintained as if this will not be done then the perception
of the consumers will become negative towards hotel.
There are various parameters that can be used in order to measure the quality of the
services that are provided by the hotel to its customers. Some of them are responsiveness,
assurance, empathy, reliability and tangibility (Yang, 2010). If the response to the services that
the customers are providing is good then it can be said that the quality is maintained and if the
response is poor then it will be required that changes should be made in the maintenance of
quality. The other factor is the assurance and reliability which the customer places on the hotel
for the various services provided by them as this will only happen when they will be having
positive perception towards the hotel. This will only be possible when they will be satisfied as
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when a person is satisfied then only he will place his reliance on something and by this the other
party will be able to ensure that the services that are given are such in which the quality is
maintained at satisfactory level.
From the above discussion it can be said that if the parameters that have been set to
measure the quality of the service are met then the services are of good quality otherwise not. By
the good service quality the customers will have the positive perception towards the hotel. It is
highly required that all the needs and demands of the customers that are required to be provided
should be identified by the crown plaza and then plan should be formulated in such a way by
which all those requirement can be fulfilled (Jara and Cliquet, 2012). It should also be ensured
that they are provided in the manner which will provide them with the maximum satisfaction as
this is the only way by which positive image can be made in the eyes of customers.
All these are measures by which it can be said that the customer service provisions are
very important in establishing the perception of the customers and therefore should be
maintained by the crown plaza in the best manner possible for them.
TASK B(1)
3.1 Sources of information on customer requirements.
In every business there are different types of customers and all of them have different
needs and requirements that are required to be fulfilled by the hotel. It is majorly required in the
service sector to comply with the needs and since hotels are also covered in this sector so they
will also be required to comply with it (Pan, Sheng and Xie, 2012). The hotel will be able to
achieve the targets that have been set and also the growth will be attained only if it will be
capable of fulfilling the expectations of the customers and if not then it will be a loss for the
business and will not be able to grow at the rate that have been set earlier. There are various
methods by which the requirements and the expectations of the consumers can be identified and
met. The information that will be needed is collected by the use of various sources that are
available with the business in order to receive the required relevant information. Some of them
are staff members, customers, management, feedback forms, and industry analyst.
From the mentioned sources the most important source is the customer itself. This is
because this is the easiest manner and also the information that will be collected by this method
will be most reliable (Lovelock, 2011). In this the managers of the hotel will be personally
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asking each customer about their experience and will also demand from them the feedback
regarding what they will like to be added in the list of services or require to be improved. It will
be identified that whether they are satisfied and if not then they will be asked the reason for the
same regarding what are activities or services which are not liked by them. In this manner
information will be attained. It will be possible to know the areas of correction and then required
changes will be made so that the customers can be satisfied to the greater extent. The next source
is staff members who will prove to be of great help in the collection of information. This is
because they are the people who provide the customers with the services and interact most with
them. Due to this they are friendly with the customers and know the needs and requirements that
they want to be provided. So they will also provided it to the hotel which will use it for their
benefit.
From the time to time analysis is carried out for the whole industry by the analyst who
are researchers or the proffesional who understand the trend and the needs of the market. They
will be conducting a survey in the whole market by which the general needs and requirements of
all the consumers will be identified and then they will be used by Crown plaza (Krystallis and
Chrysochou, 2014). Information can also be gained from the records that are maintained in
relation to customers by the various call centers or other organisations by which hotel will be
able to use that informtion and attract more number of consumers towars the services by
improving the quality and providing best services. By the collection of all the information they
will be able to provide the services in the required manner and satisfy the customers which is
highly required for achieving the success in any business.
3.2 Research on the customer requirements and satisfaction level.
In order to achieve the success it is highly recommended that research should be carried
out so that the requirements of the customers can be identified and also the level of satisfaction
that they are getting can be measured (Baier and Stüber, 2010). For this purpose proper planning
will be required and a plan will be needed to be formulated. Also the survey will be conducted
by which the needs will be known and this is usually done because the customers who are
satisfied are the biggest asset for any business as they will be the one who will tell others about
their experience and by this other will also be attracted and by this the business will have an
additional advantage. Crown plaza offers its customers various services that too in best quality at
the most affordable prices in comparison to what others are providing.
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For the conduction of the research the hotel will be required to select a group of people
from all the customers and that will be done on random basis. This method is known as random
sampling and is most commonly used method. After this any of the measure such as interview or
questionnaire will be used so that their response can be gained. In that a set of questions will be
made and those will be asked to them. The questions will be in relation to their level of
satisfaction and any other services which are required by them. Customers will provide the
answers to them by which it will be known that what is their perception and what they require
from the hotel. After that the responses will be evaluated and all those areas in which correction
is required will be identified so that they may be improved. Apart from this secondary research
may also be used in which the publications of others or the government will be used and then
steps will be taken according to their findings.
For the improvement of those services that are found unsatisfactory, various steps will be
taken by the hotel. They will be provided certain additional services as complementary and that
too without any charge (Fornell, Rust and Dekimpe, 2010). This will attract more customers as
the services are not provided by any other hotel so they will prefer crown plaza. Some weekend
packages may be provided in which such facilities will be provided that are required by any
person to relax on the weekends and they will be provided at that amount which will be easily
payable by most of the public. The activities that were found unsatisfactory in the research will
be improved by making changes in those areas in which problem is present. The staff will be
provided additional training so that they can deal with the customers in more effective and
efficient manner. Also some additional incentives will be provided to them which will work as
motivation for them and they will work with the full potential in the best manner. By this the
hotel will be benefited in great way.
Following is a survey conducted on 50 customers, some of them were first time visitors and
other were permanent customers.
Q1. Are you satisfied with the services provided in our hotel?
Ans. (A) Yes (80%)
(B) No (20%)
Q2. What rating would you give to our food quality out of 5?
Ans. (A) 5 (30%)
(B) 4 (50%)
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C – 3 (10%)
(D) 2 or below 2 (10%)
Q3. Which new food should we introduce in our hotel?
Ans. (A) Chinese (40%)
(B) Spanish (20%)
C- Indian (30%)
(D) Italian (10%)
From the above research it can be analysed that most of the customers are satisfied with food
quality and services, they want more dishes in menu card from Asian continent.
TASK B(2)
4.1 Customer services in business and service sector.
Customer services are very important for both the business as well as service sector and it
is required that they should be delivered in the most appropriate manner possible (Martinez and
Martinez, 2010). For this it will be needed that the services that are required to be provided will
be identified. There are various services that are provided and they depend on the type of
customers that are associated with the business. Some of the different customer services will
include support, sales, marketing, customer analytics and technical support.
First is the support services in which it which the activities in relation to billing,
registration of the new customers will be provided. In this the services will be provided in such
manner by which the work of the customers will be made easier. In case of business the services
will be provided in relation to both before and after sales. Next is the marketing service in which
the customers will be made aware regarding all the products and services that are provided by the
relevant business. This is done as they will avail the services only when they will know about it
and this will prove to be beneficial for the company as a whole.
It will also be required that in business the services of sales are provided in which all the
tasks in relation to sale will be considered such as order booking and delivering. The customers
will be provided service of free delivery or will be charged the minimal amount for the
transportation (Pantano and Viassone, 2014). The most important service that is required in all
the business is in relation to maintenance of the quality of the product and the services as this is
the main aspect that will decide the level of satisfaction of consumers. For this it will be needed
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that quality department should ensure that best quality is provided and this will be required to be
conducted on the timely basis. All of these are the services that will be delivered and by them the
success of the business will be ensured.
The customer services shall be delivered in the most appropriate manner so that they can
satisfy the customer. There was once a case in which the customer was not satisfied with the
room provided to them because the AC of that room was not working in proper manner. So in
order to deal with this situation it was ensured that he was provided with the new room with
better facility and that too at the same cost that he was paying earlier. Also there sometimes arise
a situation that customers want some special food due to certain health issue or any other
problem so in that situation it is noticed that they are provided with what is required and are
given extra importance so that there is no negligence in this respect by which the customer can
feel that they are not being entertained in the proper manner.
Once a customer, who booked a room, in hotel missed his flight. He did not have more
money to pay for rooms, he was one of the permanent customer so management allow him to
stay in room and pay for it once he went to his home. Cited hotel gave him free food and booked
his ticket in next flight. In hospitality sector these incident made a great positive impression on
mind of client and they recommend hotel their friend and family members.
4.2 Review of own performance and recommendations for improvement.
In any business only provision of the services is not important and in addition to this it is
also required that the performance should also be evaluated (Finn, 2011). This is required
because then only the shortcomings will be identified and measures will be taken to overcome
them. It has been observed that the services that are provided by crown plaza are satisfactory for
the consumers to a great extent. It maintaining good coordination with its staff members and by
this they are able to deliver the services in the best manner. Also the communication skills are
good by which proper interaction is established between the client and the hotel and they are able
to know the viewpoint of the consumers. By this the needs and requirements of them will be
fulfilled in the most appropriate manner as they will be provided the same service which they are
expecting. There are various qualities in me in relation to the services provided to the customers
such as my communication skills are very good due to which I am able to contact with the people
in best manner. Also the friendly nature which I have helps me in making good relations with the
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