Improving Customer Service at Ned London Hotel: A Comprehensive Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of customer service at the Ned London Hotel. It begins with an introduction to customer service and its importance in the hospitality industry. The main body of the report utilizes the SERVQUAL model to analyze service quality, focusing on its dimensions (reliability, responsiveness, tangibles, assurance) and identifying service quality gaps. The report then delves into the four acid tests of service recovery within a hospitality organization, emphasizing their impact on customer satisfaction, retention, process improvement, and financial performance. A survey report, based on an online questionnaire, is presented, detailing customer experiences with front office operations, housekeeping, dining, and maintenance. The survey results highlight areas needing improvement, such as check-out procedures, dining options, and maintenance staff training. The report concludes with actionable recommendations for enhancing customer service, including suggestions for staffing, menu improvements, staff training, and leadership strategies.

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Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................3
Analyse the service quality with focus on the dimensions and gaps ..........................................3
Knowledge and understanding of the four acid tests of service recovery within the hospitality
organisation..................................................................................................................................5
Preparation of survey report with recommendations for improving customer service on the
basis of questionnaire made by hotel...........................................................................................7
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
Customer service a type of provision in term of existing consumer service before, during and
after purchasing a particular product or services. This process will help for hotel to identify
perception of success through interactions which dependent on the staff members, who will
adjust the current hotel services in proper manner.
This report will concern about the priority an enterprise assigns various consumer service
regarding pricing, product innovation. This report will describe about the service quality of hotel
by using “SERVQUAL Model” with specific focused on the gaps and dimensions. Furthermore,
it will discuss about the concept of acid tests in term of service recovery within hospitality
organization. However, it will demonstrate or prepare survey report with proper
recommendations for better customer service, identifying the appropriate questionnaire.
MAIN BODY
Analyse the service quality with focus on the dimensions and gaps
The service quality model or SERVQUAL was established and implemented by American
marketing. In order to capture and measure all essential service quality measurement on the basis
of experienced by customers.
The relational manager in Ned London hotel is increasing a lot of pressure to demonstrate the
customer services. It is also focused on the entire performance improvement which being
delivered. At certain point, The Ned London hotel should give financial and other resources
constraint under enterprise. In this way, it can easily manage the customer satisfaction and
measured all necessary gaps in term of service quality (Haming and et.al., 2019). The important
information that assists a manager to identify cost/price which become effective way to close
service quality. Afterwards, it will make an effective decision in hotel service quality
improvement.
Basically, this model was emphasis on the effective development quality of entire system.
This is why important to improve the multiple services of Ned London hotel in global
marketplace.
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Dimension of SERVQUAL Model
This model is one of important aspect of Ned London hotel in term of service quality
measurement. It is most often used as approach for identifying suitable elements and compare
with existing guest expectation before encounter service and perception of service delivered.
Basically, SERVQUAL model should be considered different dimensions such as
responsiveness, reliability, tangible, communication, security, competence and other accessibility
(Knop, 2019). These are different dimensions that mainly applicable in Ned London hotel in
order to implement the accurately services.
Reliability- it shows the ability to provide the better customer service on specific time
intervals. The Ned London hotel is required to maintain consistency while implementing
appropriate service, commitment towards potential consumers.
Responsiveness- It is based on the measurement criteria that able to resolve problem of
existing consumers by The Ned London hotel. Afterwards, it deals with client complaint
effectively and willing to help client in order to need customer expectation level in proper
manner.
Tangible- the Ned London provide the facilities such as equipment, materials,
accommodation, information system and other machine. It is always influencing the client to
create an effective environment and then influencing both customer and employees in term of
cognitive, psychological and emotional levels.
Assurance- the Ned London will create a credibility, trust for loyal consumers in order to
consider as essential professional service, communication skills. in this way, it become easier for
client to believe on the service quality of hotel.
Service quality gap
The model is helping to identify the different gaps in term of service quality and
associated with the externals customers. Since, they have been established the direct relationship
with existing client in marketplace.
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Gap-1: Guest expectations or management perception: The lack of marketing research, upward
communications and other layers of management (Raimo, Zito and Caragnano, 2019). These are
considered as important aspect that mainly identified the Gap within Ned London hotel.
Gap-2: Service specifications and perception of management- inadequate commitment of hotel in
term of service quality towards consumers, unfeasibility of perception. Inadequate task and
absence of specific goals, settings. In this way, it may increase the complex situation or condition
in Ned London Hotel.
Gap-3 External communication and service delivery- inadequate horizontal communication and
other type of over promise. It may increase the problem for hotel to weak communication or
interaction with potential client (Le, Nguyen and Truong, 2020). Service delivery is basically
depending on the external communication that can transfer data from one place to another.
Gap-4 the discrepancy between client expectation and service perception: it can influence the
customer on the service providers. But it will possible to fulfil specific need or requirement of
client. Afterwards, it would be recommendations to assume past service experience and then
change accordingly.
Knowledge and understanding of the four acid tests of service recovery within the hospitality
organisation
Service failure is one of the main issues that can occur within hospitality industry. There
are various kinds of recovery measures that are required to be taken by hospitality industry in
order to overcome from this service failure and its negative impact upon organization can be
reduced. Four acid test of service recovery helps an organization to become customer oriented
and enhance overall customer satisfaction, increase customer retention rate, bring improvement
within process improvement so that overall financial performance of organization can also be
improved. Service recovery helps an organization to address all kinds of service failures before
any official compliant from customer or clients is made. It can be seen as an opportunity to
recover from failure so that it does not convert into complaint made by customers. It can help in
identifying problem areas that are faced by employees or customers and turn it into improved
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areas. Four acid test of service recovery focuses upon four main aspects that can be impacted due
to service failure.
 Customer Satisfaction: It is the bottom- line impact of recovery. One of the main factors
that degrade satisfaction level of customers is that they thing that the system has remained
unchanged because of which they think that the problem is likely to occur again. Four acid
test plays a vital role in hospitality industry as it helps the organization to identify ways in
which bringing improvement within problem areas can enhance. It can be done but collecting
failure data and analysing it. It will help the firm in identifying areas in which customers face
problem and because of which their satisfaction level is impacted. Identifying true scale of
customer dissatisfaction can help company in preparing for service failure. Allocating the
better resources in order to meet customer expectation level. This can support to enhance
overall business productivity as well as profitability in marketplace.
 Customer Retention (Customer Loyalty): It is another factor which is checked though acid
test for service recovery. Customer retention and recovery are another important aspect
which is required to be focused upon by hospitality organizations as high customer retention
rate helps in enhancing revenue and profitability. Resolving service failure without letting it
convert into complaint helps in increasing loyalty of customers and increasing their retention
rate. Analysing retention rate of customers after service failure can help hotels in developing
an idea reason because of which retention rate of customers is lower.
 Process improvement (Any process improvement): By analysing the problem area and
customers experience can help the organization in identifying area of improvement can be
identified and can also be prioritized so that according to the priority level, improvement
within service recovery plan can be brought to recover for service failure. This can support
for identifying the improvement areas in which needs to be provide the better facilities and
service for potential consumers.
 Financial Performance: After working on process improvement, changes within financial
performance can be analysed. Financial performance of an organization can be leveraged by
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bringing various kinds of improvement within service failure areas by ensuing that service
recovery process is customer friendly rather than only focusing upon satisfaction level of
customers all the four main aspects of acid test can help also help hospitality industry
organization to recover from service failure easily. The overall financial performance is
depending on the manager where they can improve the overall business process while
implementing suitable budget.
Preparation of survey report with recommendations for improving customer service on the basis
of questionnaire made by hotel
Survey questions
Q1: Your overall experiences about hotel Front Office operations, including Check-in and
Check- out and complaint handling procedures by the Guest Relations officer.
Q2: Your experiences about hotel’s Housekeeping performance.
Q3: Your overall dining experiences in the hotel’s Restaurants. (Breakfast, Lunch, afternoon tea
and Dinner).
Q4: What is your experiences about Hotel’s Maintenance department?
Survey methodology
As due to the situation of Covid-19 online questionnaire was conducted so, the type of
this methodology is online.
Presentation/Answers
1. In the context of front office operations including complaints handling, check in, check out it
is stated that majority of customers said that they had to wait for check out. Otherwise, overall
performance was quite good.
2. When customers were asked about housekeeping performance then they give satisfactory
answers and said that housekeeping services were all good. Members were well-trained and also
followed hygiene.
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3. When they were asked about one of the main important service of hotel of dinning then
customers did not give satisfactory answers. Most of the customers said that there were lack of
desserts items in food menu. It was not as per the kids choice.
4. As like other departments' hotel maintenance department also plays a vital role. In the context
of services of this department, customers said that they felt that staff members were not trained
enough. Resources were not managed properly and accurately.
Recommendations
It is stated from above answers given by customers when they asked about services of
hotel then it is found that hotel requires improvements in some areas. There are some areas in
which hotel is lacking behind and for atracting customers and increasing their experience it needs
to improve them. In the context of overall front office services it is found that guests had to wait
for check out. It can happen because of lack of staff members. So, it can be suggested that hotel
should focus on employing more staff by which customers can get their front office services in
a timely and in an effective manner (Górecki, 2020). By making use of external recruitmnetg and
selection from directly with educational institutes, hotel can get skiled workforces.
In addition, in the context of housekeeping performance it is known that customers were
fully satisfied but for dinning services they complaint and suggested to hotel that it should focus
on adding more items. Hotel offers food services for family and older age group of people and
there is lack of focus on kids items. So, it can be recomemnded to this hotel that it should focus
on developing its food services and by adding some items in desserts like difefrent varities of
ice creams, shakes, brownie and others (Utama, 2019). It can atract more customers and can
increase sales.
In the context of hotel maintenance department some negative comments were recveived
by customers as they were not satisfied with these services at all. So, for improving services and
making employees able it is important for manager of this hotel to provide training. By getting
training employees can know apporpriate and effective ways of performing functions. It can
increase their knowledge. In addition, it can also be suggested to hotel that it should provide
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financial-non financial rewards to staff members. By making use of transformational
leadership where leaders work with team and improve them, hotel can solve this problem. An
efefctive leadership style can improve all these areas and can satisfy customers (Hoch and et.al.,
2018.).
CONCLUSION
In above analysis, it has concluded that customer service help for organization to enhance
overall business capabilities and abilities. It can be used the “SERVQUAL Model” with specific
focused on the gaps and dimensions. It has identified the acid tests in term of service recovery
within hospitality organization. However, demonstrate or prepare survey report with proper
recommendations for better customer service, identifying the appropriate questionnaire
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REFERENCES
Book and Journals
Górecki, J., 2020. Characteristics of the sector in terms of employment, structure, and relations
with the external environment. Outsourcing in European Emerging Economies:
Territorial Embeddedness and Global Business Services.
Haming, M. and et.al., 2019. The application of SERVQUAL distribution in measuring customer
satisfaction of retails company. The Journal of Distribution Science. 17(2). pp.25-34.
Hoch, J.E. and et.al., 2018. Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above
and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management. 44(2).
pp.501-529.
Knop, K., 2019. Evaluation of quality of services provided by transport & logistics operator from
pharmaceutical industry for improvement purposes. Transportation Research Procedia.
40. pp.1080-1087.
Le, D.N., Nguyen, H.T. and Truong, P.H., 2020. Port logistics service quality and customer
satisfaction: Empirical evidence from Vietnam. The Asian Journal of Shipping and
Logistics. 36(2). pp.89-103.
Raimo, N., Zito, M. and Caragnano, A., 2019. Does national culture affect integrated reporting
quality? A focus on GLOBE dimensions. In 9th International Symposium on Natural
Resources Management, May 31st, 2019, Zaječar, Serbia (pp. 383-392). Belgrade:
Megatrend University.
Utama, I.P., 2019. The role of traditional product development in building relationship quality
and its impact on resort hotel brand loyalty. Global Business & Finance Review (GBFR).
24(1). pp.44-58.
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