University Hospitality Module: Conflict and Customer Service Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of conflict management within the hospitality sector. It begins by exploring the causes of conflict, including misunderstandings, poor communication, lack of planning, and staff issues, while also detailing effective strategies for avoiding and turning conflict into opportunities. The report further examines customer service through role-play scenarios, emphasizing effective communication and responsiveness to diversity. It outlines procedures for handling customer complaints and addressing conflicts, followed by a case study analyzing a restaurant employee conflict and suggesting management strategies for resolution, including promoting open communication, impartiality, and fostering a culture of conflict intolerance. The report provides valuable insights into managing conflicts, improving customer service, and creating a harmonious work environment in the hospitality industry.

Running head: HOSPITALITY
Hospitality
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note:

1HOSPITALITY
Executive Summary:
The report her consist of three parts. The fisrt part of the report which is Assessment 1 gives
an overview of dealing with conflict situation. In this part, the report gives a brief description
of the causes and reasons of conflict, ways to avoid conflict, ways of turning conflict into an
opportunity and the industry procedures of dealing with the conflict situation. The second
part is Assesment 2 which gives a description of dealing with customer conflict through
effective comunication and responsing to diversity. The report also have a third part which is
Assessment 3 which describes with dealing with conflict of a given situation.

2HOSPITALITY
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................5
Assessment 1 : Dealing With Conflict Situation Report............................................................5
Assessment 2: Customer Service Role Play...............................................................................8
Assesment 3: Case Study........................................................................................................12
Conclusion................................................................................................................................15
References:...............................................................................................................................16

3HOSPITALITY
Introduction
The report discusses about the causes of conflict in the hospitality sector. The report is
divided into three parts, Assessment 1, 2 amd 3. Assesment 1 in the report describes dealing
with a conflict situation with focus on the reasons and causes responsible for causing the
conflict. In this part the report also describes for avoiding conflict and also find ways for
turning them into opportunity. The second part of the report which is Assessment 2 deals with
customer service role play with focus on effective communication and response to diversity.
There is also a third part of the report that gives solutions in resolving a conflict situation in a
restaurant.
Assessment 1 : Dealing With Conflict Situation Report
What can Cause Conflict?
Conflict is very much a part of normal life and there exist varied number of issues that
can lead to rise in conflict within organizations. Conflicts occur between committee
members, ordinary members, volunteers, clients and employees (Van Evera 2013). This can
be of a highly destructive nature if not resolved within time. The hospitality industry can
however take necessary steps for minimizing the potential situations that gives rise to conflict
or can resolve it in a constructive manner.
Common Reasons for Conflict
There are five common reasons mentioned below that might lead to conflict in the
hospitality sector:

4HOSPITALITY
1. Conflict can arise due to misunderstandings about the objectives, aims and nature
of a job and also difference in expectations of how things need to be executed. Conflict also
arises through misunderstandings in different responsibilities of employees’ and
management. Also it might be due to priorities, needs, beliefs and values.
2. Conflict might arise due to poor communication between employees and
management or between staff and clients.
3. Conflict arises due to lack of planning. This happens when the hospitality sector
have just overcome one crisis and is about to face the next one.
4. Conflict may arise due to bad staff selection. Thus, the hospitality sector can land
up in a situation of conflict when some inappropriate staffs make an entry into the industry.
5. Conflict in the sector may also arise due to burnout, stress and frustration.
Ways of Avoiding Conflict?
The arisen Conflict can be avoided by adopting the following measures (Anderson and
Wallace 2013):
1. To avoid a conflict the industry must first acknowledge the concern of its
employees and management.
2. Through calmly discussing the concern that each other holds
3. The employees and the management should also be given a chance to speak
4. While dealing with a conflict the hospitality sector must try to deal with the
situation with respect

5HOSPITALITY
5. The person appointed for dealing with the conflict must work with his/her body
language.
How to Turn Conflict into Opportunity?
There are however eight ways for turning conflict into an opportunity. These are as
follows (Savel and Munro 2013):
1. Conflict can be turned into opportunities when it involves a group. This is because a
team can try and often sort out problems by working as a group.
2. The communication can receive a positive vibe through conflict. Through resolving
conflict and undertaking measures communication gets better and improved.
3. Conflict can pose an alert on morale issues and make one alert low morale can be a
reason for conflict.
4. Conflict also moves people out of their comfort zone and make them realize their
hidden capabilities.
5. Conflict also helps in improving productivity
6. Conflict also leads to sound ground for negotiations.
7. Conflict also brings in opportunities for growth.
8. Conflict can also lead to improvement in meetings because then everyone present in
the meeting provides a perspective for resolving the issues
Procedures Adopted by Hospitality Industry in Dealing with Complaints
To deal with customer complaints the hospitality industry has adopted the following
procedures (Chen, Shie and Yu 2012):
1. Listening to the customers without interrupting them

6HOSPITALITY
2. By empathizing this will make the customers realize that their complaints are heard
by the authorities.
3. By asking for an apology even for situations that they are not in control off.
4. Through improvising necessary actions
Assessment 2: Customer Service Role Play
Situation 1 Role Play
In this situatio managers are dealing with a conflict situation where customers are dissatisfied
with the features and amenities of the hotel.
Situation 2 Role Play
In this situation the manager has to deal with deal with loud guests who refuse to keep their
volume level down.
Communicating Effectively
Conflict can get ignited from tiniest of action or word and can thereby result in destructiven
behavior and responses as is mentioned in the above situations. The concern should be
specified and one must ensure avoiding attacking the the other person with accusations.
However,with strong nonverbal and verbal communication that refers to making of eye
contact, usage of physical actions that are non threatening, verbal expression the manager can
effectively deal with the first situation. However, the second situation seems a bit
complicated as the guests refuse to listen and creates a situation of disturbance.Thus, the
managers must undertakeeffective communication in resolving conflict in a successful
manner by addressing the single issue with patience.

7HOSPITALITY
Challenges
However, the major challenge faced in initiating effective communication is prevention of
escalation of conflict which might result in communication that is broken, negative
commitments and false assumptions. Therefore rather than reducing the conflict things might
get aggravated.
Benefits
The most notable benefit for making use of effective communication in resolving conflict
refers to reduced anxiety and maintainence of an ambience where everyone seems happy and
at peace.
Recommendations
Fosusing on the relationship with the person responsible for the conflict will enable
one to deal with it in a constrctive manner. Finding ways to resolve the conflict in the best
possible manner by trying to understand the situation from the perspective of the person
responsible for the conflict. This must also be rememnered that successful solution to a
conflict is a result of flexibility, maturity and empathy.
Responding To Diversity
One must therefore remember that treatent of others should be done in a manner in
which he or she wants to be treated (Schmitz and Ganesan 2014). There are however some
common principles that will ensure responding to diversity and dealing with customer
diversity in both the situations
1. Reinforcing the importance of recognition of customer diversity
All business have a culture and hence respecting diversity must be considered as one
of the prime values in guiding the team

8HOSPITALITY
2. Knowing the customers and seeking out for culture specific knowledge
It is very necessrary for sprending time whenever possibe for learning about the
whereabouts of the customers and thus developing a knowledge on values, beliefs and world
views.
3. Listening actively and recognizing communicating patterns
In this case a better practice would be paying attention to the communication traits of
the customers and thereby mirroring them for increasing the effectivity of interaction.
4. Creating an environment of diverse workforce
Diverse work environment can be created by hiring employees who are bilingual
thereby ensuring they speak more than a single languge. These employees will not only help
in creating unique customer experience but wil also be able to deliver unique insights about
varied cultures.
5. Sharing experiences with colleagues about consistent approaches
The experieces gathered while interacting with a customer from a different culture
must be conveyed to the colleagues.
Dealing with Customer Conflict
`This is a rule of every business where manger needs to deal with angry or unhappy
clients from time to time (Komunda, M. and Osarenkhoe, A., 2012). However, in effectively
dealing with the conflict with the customer the following steps:
1. Adjusting the mindset which will help the managers in dealing with unhappy
clients quite effectively

9HOSPITALITY
2. By actively listening actively to the viewpoints of the clients will help the
managers understand the grievances and deal with it accordingly.
3. Repetition of concerns will enable the managers in addressing the right issue
4. By apologizing and being empathetic will help the customers understand how
better the managers understand their situations.
5. By incorporating a proper solution that will be able to make the clients happy
6. By taking action and following up will enable the clients to understand that you
have taken up steps in resolving the issue of the client
7. Making use of feedback that helps in reducing the chances of reoccurrence of the
situation
Assesment 3: Case Study
The fighting of the restaurant employees over the new implemented roster can result
in an awkward situation for the customers and make the restaurant potray a scenario that is
completely unprofessional. However, as a part of the management team if I try to break the
arguments in public then it can worsen the scenario(Fleming, Lamont and Welburn 2012).
Thus, to handle such situations it is very important for developing a verbal cue where the
employees are asked to meet in private as a team. I believe this can help my management
team avoid embarrasing situations and also shield the image of the restaurant. As a part of the
management team it is my utmost duty to determine the existing conflict amongst the
employees and suggest them a solution that would resolve their problem instantly. Thus,

10HOSPITALITY
through proper communication enough time should be given to the employees in cooling
down.
However, the solution achieved must be a balanced one. Moreover, I must make the
employees realize the impact their behvaiour might have on the customers. To resolve the
conflict I must deal with both sections of the employees in an equal manner(Riskin 2013).
This is because resolving the issue through one to one conversation might result in ensuring
an unfair advantage to a storyteller who is more persuasive.

11HOSPITALITY
I can even adopt ways where I can divide the employees in quieting the conflict. After
which I can address a separate meeting with each of the employee in presence of another
manager. This will not only allow the employees to place their viewpoints but the presence of
two managers will also enable a proper understanding of the situation. Further, I should not
be judgemental about the conflicting employees but try to be impartial and provide
interactive solutions that might stop the conflict(Deyoe and Fox 2012). Thus, I should try to
mimimize as much negative energy as possible.
However, ongoing conflicts if not addessed can result in needless turnover thereby
resulting in distracting employees from ensuring proper customer service. Though the
comflict cannot be totally avoided but I still must try in fostering a culture that will put across
a message of conflict intolerance. Further, identification of the root causes of conflict is
necessary for making the job space less stressful for the employees. Therefore looking for
areas that serves as a common groud for bringing the employees together must be emsured.
Thus, to spread harmony as a part of the management team I must ensure rewards for
team behaviour. In addition to this, it must be enusured that plans for compensation not only
recognizses individual performance but also overall customer satisfaction. Moreover, the
maanagement team should also make it a point of celebrating the big restaurant revenue day
with the employees.
At the same time it must also be remembered that sometimes conflict can be resolved
with a no response from the management when the employees disagee on a particular
situation. In such cases, attention muts be paid to the employees suggestions in providing a
solution to the conflict. Sometimes, some of the valuable employees might have some
important suggestions which must be listened(Petree, Broome and Bennett 2012). In addition