Report: Customer Service Quality and Recovery at Sea Containers Hotel

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of customer service quality within the context of the Sea Containers Hotel in London. It begins with an introduction highlighting the importance of service quality in the hospitality industry and its role in achieving a competitive advantage. The main body of the report delves into the SERQUAL model, discussing its dimensions and applications in assessing service quality. The report then explores service recovery strategies through the lens of four acid tests: customer satisfaction, customer retention, process improvement, and financial performance. A survey report is presented, detailing the methodology, questions, and recommendations for enhancing customer service, including the adoption of advanced technology, staff training, integrated maintenance, total quality management, and checklists. The conclusion summarizes the key findings and emphasizes the significance of service quality for the hotel's success.

Customer service

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
LO2..................................................................................................................................................3
Service quality (SERQUAL).......................................................................................................3
Acid Tests of service recovery within Sea Containers, London..................................................5
Survey report with recommendations for better customer service..............................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
Service quality in the hospitality industry has turned out to be important factors for
gaining the sustainable competitive advantage and customer confidences. Service quality is
being the great chance to create service differentiation for organization. A successful hotel will
deliver excellent quality service to customer creating life of hotel. Hence providing the world
class customer service will strengthen customer relationships as invaluable assets to hotel and
hospitality venture.
Sea Container is remarkable south bank hotel with design reminiscent of a 1920s
transatlantic cruise liner, award-winning food and drink outlets and an electric energy. in this
report, there will be discussion on service quality focussing to different dimension and gaps. The
report will demonstrate understanding in four acid test providing recommendation for further
customer service.
MAIN BODY
LO2
Service quality (SERQUAL)
SERQUAL is the shortened version of service quality as model to designed out the way to
improve and match between service and expectation of customer to make better satisfactions on
the serve. A successful hotel will deliver excellent quality service to customer looking at the
important dimension such as physical activities, staff material. This is further divided into
functional quality ad technical quality.
The SERQUAL model is primarily the qualitative analysis which mainly depends on the
transaction between suppliers and buyer through generic and environmental factors. The
model is paying major emphasise on the five-service dimension for hospitality industry to
improve as- acronym as RATER. As per focussing on dimension
 Reliability
This is important aspects in SERQUAL Model for ability to perform accurately as service is
been promised. So, the Sea container have the need to perform all activities promised in
advertising.
 Assurance
Assurance is the quality customer service and sales staffs. Sea container have need to make
customer in confidence in the employee of companies. For example, Sea Containers should
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make employee knowledgeable about their products and make solution to problems
satisfactorily. Employee have nee d to be friendly and courteous.
 Tangible
Tangible is service quality creating Sea container as tangible environment and physical
aspect. It is important to look into appearance of staff along with high quality equipment.
 Empathy
Empathy is about customer service team for employee to be sharing and pay attention
proving service to customer. Sea container should pay intension on employee careful needs
and give individuals attention.
 Responsiveness.
Responsiveness is service quality about how staff is willingness to help customer and
provide prompting servos to customer. Sea container should be on time as been always reach
to each someone with willingness to help and solving the issue of customer. The hotel see
container have to find out better understanding on above mentioned factors to get increase
in customer satisfaction. As customer will have proper evaluation on the satisfaction after
service by comparing to differ perception and expectation of use service.
SERQUAL model tends to deal with important gaps relaying between the firm
understanding and customer expectation. It is needed to better understood by Sea container
hotel. Both the communication between the customer and the service-providing organisation, as
well as the organisation’s internal communication, are of vital importance for the level of quality
of the service.
Knowledge gaps
A gap rises when an organization have knowledge of customer expectation is lacking.
So, the Sea container should prevent this gap from approaching consumer in right manner.
Standard gaps
The organization have already forming out its own ideas to be customer experts from
their service. This is significant to customer actually expect from their service. There is
significant risk that’s the organization will be translating the quality and reSearch
corresponding rules.
Delivery gap
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A gap has organization offers service is different from customer had expected. This have
involved an incorrect implementation as looking out to have to carry out policy.
Communication gap
External marketing communication be reason for creating wrong expectation among
customers So the reorganization should pay major focus on Sea container communication and
promising thing that are not line up to deliver the customer.
Satisfaction gap
Dissatisfaction results from significantly difference between the service a customer is
experiencing and the quality they have actually experienced. Hence, this will eventually lead to
biggest gaps in the experience of quality.
Acid Tests of service recovery within Sea Containers, London
Service Discovery can be defined as actions that an organisation take in order to respond to
failure of a service. There are several reasons because of which service failure can ok you in Sea
Containers London and there are different acid test through which organisation can identify
service failure. Service recovery helps organisation in identifying bad experiences of customers
because of service failure and receives a response to the issues and taking actions in order to
convert them in loyal customers. Acid tests for service recovery in Sea Containers are as follows-
Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction can be defined as measure through which organisation can determine
success of it product and services in meeting expectation of customers regarding that product or
service. Every organisation works on ensuring highest level of customer satisfaction and this is
why this is an important acid test for service recovery (Cheng and et.al., 2019). High customer
satisfaction indicates that services Sea Containers, London is capable in meeting customer
expectation. However when customer satisfaction in Sea Containers London is not good in such
situation it is important that organisations identify what are the reasons behind low customer
satisfaction. Identification of these reasons for low customer satisfaction is likely to help Sea
Containers London Inn taking step to mitigate this reasons and ensure high customer satisfaction.
High customer satisfaction will lead to loyal customers for Sea Containers London.
Customer Retention (customer loyalty)
Customer retention refers to organisational efforts to encourage customers and getting
reputed business from existing customers of Sea Containers London. Customer retention is a
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result of customer loyalty and this is a very important element and acid test through which
organisation can identify whether their services are capable in retaining customers and
maintaining customer loyalty (Liat and et.al., 2017). High level of customer retention refers to
effectiveness of services of Sea Containers. In case there is no customer retention and customers
are not loyal for Sea Containers London there is requirement of identifying reason behind low
customer loyalty. By identifying reason for low customer loyalty Sea Containers London can
work on service recovery. Customer retention and customer loyalty can be identified with help of
number of repeated customer or guest in Sea Containers London. This is because only loyal
customers are likely to utilise services of Sea Containers London and their loyalty is significantly
depend dependent on effectiveness of organisational service quality.
Process Improvement (Any process improvement)
Process improvement is another important acid test in service recovery. Process
improvement is an business practice through which Sea Containers London identify analyse and
work on improving existing business practices and processes. This is done to optimise
performance and meeting best standards of business practices in other words it can be defined as
improving quality and User experience for guest and customers. Sea Containers London can
identify processes and practices that require to be improved by organisation (Van Vaerenbergh
and et.al., 2019). Identifying this processes and practices also involve identifying how they
impact quality of processes on customers and their satisfaction. Process improvement is very
important for service recovery and creating customer loyalty for Sea Containers London.
Financial Performance
Financial performance is also very important acid test for service recovery. Financial
performance of organisation is significantly dependent on service quality customer satisfaction
of the organisation. It is very important that organisation is performing well on financial aspects
and this requires effective quality and high customer satisfaction. In case financial performance
of Sea Containers London is not well in such situation it is important that they focus on customer
satisfaction and quality of services of organisation (Bergel and Brock, 2018). High and effective
quality of services is very important and service recovery can help in improving financial
performance of
Survey report with recommendations for better customer service
Background to the Survey
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This survey has been conducted by Sea Containers, London and aim of the survey is to
enhance existing service quality of hotel. For this hotel has considered taking suggestions from
customers and indentifying weak areas in form of customer suggestions (Redmile and et.al.,
2017). In order to gather customer suggestions and identify weak area of service of hotel, survey
has been conducted through interviewing guests of hotel.
Survey Questions
Question asked in survey are-
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 are your experiences about Hotel’s Maintenance department?
Survey Methodology
In order to conduct survey interview was conducted of guests at Sea Containers, London
conducted interview of 10 guests who stayed in hotel who have stayed in hotel for 3 or more
days. Reason behind this is that insights from such guests are more reliable as they have stayed
in hotel for longer period. Interview is one of the best methods of survey because it allows for in-
depth knowledge and information. This means that is there is certain element of service that
guests do not like interview allows to know why they do not like it. In addition to this
suggestions of guests can also be collected through interview and why are they suggest particular
measure for Sea Containers, London.
Presentation of Survey report
Survey was conducted using Interview method and for this, suggestions from 10 guests
who have stayed in Sea Containers for 3 or more days were collected. On the basis of
information and suggestions gathered from customers analysis was conducted about service
quality of the Sea Containers was decided. On the basis of survey and interview some
recommendations have also been developed.
Recommendations
Advanced Technology - Hospitality organisations are using technology to their best and this is
why Sea Containers should also utilise advanced technology in order to enhance customers
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experience (Buhali and Leung, R., 2018). From mobile check-in to using augmented reality
hospitality organisations are considering technology for their sustainability and using it to
enhance quality of processes of hotels and organisation and this is why it is very important that
organisations advanced technology is used by Sea Containers, London.
Staff Training- This is very important that Sea Containers, London provide effective training to
its employees in order to enhance their performance which will lead to customer satisfaction. For
providing high quality hospitality services well trained staff is key requirement.
Integrating maintenance with housekeeping- This is also an important recommendation for
Sea Containers, London, integrating both these will help in better maintenance of the
organisation as housekeeping department remains well aware of different maintenance
requirement of property.
Adopting Total Quality Management- This is also a recommendation for Sea Containers,
London that they should adopt total quality management in which they should consider and
involve staff at all level in hotel. This will allow them to gain insights from all employees of the
organisation (Bouranta and et.al., 2019). There are several employees who directly interact with
guests and this is why they have better knowledge about requirements and complaints of
customers. Including them in organisational decision-making will enable them to take better
customer-centred decisions.
Including checklist- This is a recommendation for management and different departments that
they should include a checklist in their working in order to ensure that all tasks are completed on
time. This will also help in avoiding situations like omission and duplication of work and will
enhance quality of performance of employees within organisation.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above discussion, it can be concluded that service quality of Sea
Containers, London was analysed and on the basis of different dimensions it can be concluded
that service quality of Sea Containers, London is good. Later different acid tests for service
recovery were also included in discussion for Sea Containers, London and these acid tests were
customer satisfaction, customer retention, financial and process improvement within Sea
Containers, London. These are very important elements of service recovery in hospitality
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organisation. Later in this assessment a survey report was conducted on the basis of interview of
10 guests of Sea Containers, London.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bergel, M. and Brock, C., 2018. The impact of switching costs on customer complaint behavior
and service recovery evaluation. Journal of Service Theory and Practice.
Bouranta, N and et.al., 2019. The key factors of total quality management in the service sector: A
cross-cultural study. Benchmarking: An International Journal.
Buhalis, D. and Leung, R., 2018. Smart hospitality—Interconnectivity and interoperability
towards an ecosystem. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 71. pp.41-50.
Cheng, B.L and et.al., 2019. Service recovery, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty:
Evidence from Malaysia’s hotel industry. International Journal of Quality and Service
Sciences.
Liat, C.B and et.al., 2017. Hotel service recovery and service quality: Influences of corporate
image and generational differences in the relationship between customer satisfaction
and loyalty. Journal of Global Marketing. 30(1). pp.42-51.
Redmiles, E.M and et.al., 2017. A summary of survey methodology best practices for security
and privacy researchers.
Sutherland, K and et.al., 2020. Public relations and customer service: Employer perspectives of
social media proficiency. Public Relations Review, 46(4). p.101954.
Van Vaerenbergh, Y and et.al., 2019. The service recovery journey: Conceptualization,
integration, and directions for future research. Journal of Service Research. 22(2).
pp.103-119.
Xu and et.al., 2017, May. A new chatbot for customer service on social media. In Proceedings of
the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 3506-3510).
Online
https://morningcow.com/servqual/
https://www.marketingstudyguide.com/understanding-the-servqual-model/
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