Pearson Higher Nationals: Customer Experience Management Portfolio

Desklib offers solved assignments and past papers to help hospitality students succeed.

Pearson
Higher Nationals in
Hospitality Management
ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
Unit: 2Managing the Customer Experience
For use with the Higher National Certificate and
Higher National Diploma in Hospitality Management
Brief Number: 1
First teaching from January 2019
Issue 1

Higher National Certificate/Diploma in
Hospitality Management
AssessmentBrief
Student Name/ID
Number
Unit Number and
Title
2 Managing the Customer Experience
Academic Year 2019/2020
Unit Tutor Lachhuman Gurung
Assignment Title MTCE- Portfolio
Issue Date 28/01/ 2019
Submission Date Week 12
IV Name & Date Andrew Howard
Submission Format
This submission will be in the form of an individual portfolio that includes a range of
different assessment strategies including Handouts, Info-graphics, Chart and a
summary.
The recommended length of this submission is 2100-2300 words.
Where appropriate, learning theory and additional research must be used, and
referenced according to the Harvard Referencing system. The work must include a
bibliography for all referenced work using the Harvard referencing system.
‘Plagiarism ‘is presenting somebody else’s work as your own. It includes copying
information directly from the Web or from books without referencing the material;
submitting joint coursework as an individual effort; copying another student’s
coursework; stealing coursework from another student and submitting it as your own
work.
Learner Declaration
By submitting this form and signing below, I declare that:
2HNC/HND Hospitality Management

● I am the author of this assignment and that any assistance I received in its
preparation is fully disclosed and acknowledged in this assignment
● I also certify that this assignment was prepared by me specifically for this course
● I certify that I have taken all reasonable precautions to make sure that my work
has not been copied by other students
● I confirm that I have understood the College’s regulations on plagiarism
● I confirm that research resources are fully acknowledged.
Student Signature…………………………………………….
Date………………………………………….
3HNC/HND Hospitality Management

Unit Learning Outcomes
LO1Explain the needs and expectations of market segments for the service industry
LO2Explore the customer experience map to create business opportunities and
optimize customer touchpoints
AssignmentBrief and Guidance (A1)
Scenario:
You have recently been appointed as a Customer Service Manager in a multi-
national company. As part of your role, you have to conduct an induction to the
newly recruited staff members.
Task 1: Prepare an induction handout that should include the following:
(IndicativeWord count-500- 700)
 Main target customers of the organisation’ their needs, wants and preferences.
 Reasons why it is important to understand the needs, wants and preference of the
target group.
 What is customer engagement?
 What factors drive and influence customer engagement. What attracts customer to be
engaged with the product or the service?
 A review of the customer on-boarding strategies that the organization uses and how
these strategies are influenced by customer engagement factors.
 Explain how different types of customer groups' needs and expectations can be
identified based on how customer interact and engage with the organization. Make
your own judgment as to why customer interaction with the organization is crucial.
The Handout to be submitted in Week 3 as part of the formative assessment.
Main target customers of the company and their needs:
The company selected for such assignment is Hotel Marriott which is one of the
best examples of the hospitality industry. The services provided by the company to
its customers in order to provide the best experience of living in a hotel. The main
target customers of such company are as follows:
 Customers of age near 30 and having a high level of income
 Self-defined travelers
 Businessmen visiting for office meetings and conferences
 Seasoned travelers
 Couples
These all are the main targeted customers of Hotel Marriott. Their needs and
4HNC/HND Hospitality Management

preferences include highly comfortable rooms, delicious food as well as other
important facilities such as laundry, free wifi, etc.
Reason to understand the needs of customers
In order to satisfy the customers and provide them the best experience of their
visit to the hotel, it is very necessary to understand the needs, wants and
preferences of the customers. Once their preferences are identified, the company
can make efforts to satisfy such demands and provide a better and satisfactory
experience to the customers. It has become very important to identify the
requirements of the customers before providing them the services (Følstad and
Kvale, 2018).
Customer engagement
Customer engagement is considered the involvement of each activity of the
company in terms of marketing. In order to bring the flexibility as well as
transparency in the business, there is made the use of different techniques which
are used for customer engagement. The customer engagement is considered as
the business communication between the company as well as customers through
different channels of the correspondence.
Factors driving customer engagement
Following are the factors driving and influencing customer engagement:
 The use of the social media tools can influence the customer engagement in a
positive way.
 The check system as well as the free trials of the products or the services in order to
raise the confidence in the customers.
 Engaging the customers with the launch of new services to be provided by the
company.
Customer onboarding strategies
The desire of the customers: There is a strong link between the desire of the
customers and the services and products offered by the company. It is necessary
to consider the desires of the customers.
Transformations: To make the increment in productivity of the company, it is
very necessary to adopt the onboarding free trial matrix. It helps the customers in
buying the products or services.
Collection of customer data: This is also an effect on board strategy which is
used to collect the data of customer identify their choices. It helps in increasing the
engagement of the customers with the company.
Types of customer group needs
The needs, as well as the expectation of the customers, can influence the company
to increase the production of the company as well as increasing the profitability.
The customer interaction within the organization is very important because it is
helpful in bringing the transparency between the company as well as the
customers. The customers can provide their important feedback to the company
and the company can work further to make improvements in the operations of the
5HNC/HND Hospitality Management

company.
6HNC/HND Hospitality Management

Task 2: Further as part of the induction, create a detailed customer experience
map using an infographic or chart showing the following:
(IndicativeWord count400-600)
 Various touch-points throughout the customer experience. Identify a few of these
touch-points and discuss how this help create business opportunities for the chosen
organization.
 Various customer journey models and examine the activities and actions taken at
each touch-points that help create business opportunities.
 Explanation of how a selected service sector organization can optimize each of the
customer touch-points to influence the behavior, responses, and actions of its
customers to enhance the customer experience.
7HNC/HND Hospitality Management

Figure: Customer touchpoints
Source: wots the big idea
Following are different touchpoints which are helpful in determining the customer
experiences:
Social Media: It is one of the major touch points of customers because it can
influence the customers to buy any product or avail any services offered by such
company.
Rating and reviews: These are the touchpoints which encourage or motivate the
customers to buy any particular product or services. The good rating and reviews
trigger the customers.
Store: The customers can directly visit the stores or the company to avail the
products or the services which they are going to purchases.
Website: Website is also a method for customers to book any services or
purchase any products.
Marketing emails: After the sales, the marketing emails to further provide the
offers to the customers are also considered as the important touchpoints.
Customer Journey Models:
In order to create the customer journey model for the company, it is required to
take the following steps:
 First of all, there is a need to identify who is the actual customers of the company.
 The next step is to understand the objectives of the buyers of products or services.
 The next step is to map out the touchpoints of the customers which are necessary
8HNC/HND Hospitality Management

for the customers to buy the products.
 The next step is to identify the pain points of the customers.
 In the fifth step, there is a requirement of prioritizing as well as fixing the
roadblocks.
 In the end, there will be updated and improved the customer journey map.
Influence of touchpoints
The customer experience can be increased and be better through optimizing
various touchpoints identified for the customers. These touchpoints are important
factors driving the sales of any product or services. Every customer possesses
different types of touchpoints and they might have a different impact on the
behavior responses as well as the actions of such customers. The social media is a
very big influencer because it can impact on the buying behavior and the choices
of the customers to buy any product or the services. Marketing plays an important
role in influencing the behaviours of the customers.
9HNC/HND Hospitality Management

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria
Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Explain the needs and expectations of market
segments for the service industry
D1 Evaluate a broad range
of different target
customer groups' needs
and expectations in terms
of customer engagement
for a service sector
organization
P1 Explain the value and
importance of
understanding the needs,
wants and preferences of
target customer groups for
a service sector industry
P2Explore the different
factors that drive and
influence customer
engagement of different
target customer groups
within a service sector
organization
M1Review how customer
engagement factors
determine customer on-
boarding strategies for
different target customer
groups within a service
sector organization
LO2Explore the customer experience map to create
business opportunities and optimize customer
touchpoints
D2 Analyse how a service
sector organisation can
optimise each of the
customer touchpoints to
influence the behaviour,
responses and actions of
its customers to enhance
the customer experience
P3 Create a customer
experience map for a
selected service sector
organisation
P4 Discuss how the
customer touchpoints
throughout the customer
experience create
business opportunities for
M2Create a detailed
customer experience map
that charts the customer
journey model and
examines the activities
and actions taken at each
customer touch point to
create business
opportunities for a
selected service sector
10HNC/HND Hospitality Management

a selected service sector
organization
organization
Unit Learning Outcomes
LO3 Investigate the impacts of digital technology in customer relationship
management
Assignment Brief and Guidance (A2)
Debate:
Topic: “The use of digital technology (CRM) in managing customer experience in
service sector is an unnecessary cost to the organisation as it does not add any
value to the customer experience.”
Form a group of 3-4 members and debate on the above topic.
Follow the instruction provided by the tutor during the debate. Guidance on debate
discussion points will be provided separately.
After completion of the debate, each individual will need to provide a summary and
reflection statement on the following:
(IndicativeWord count400-600)
 2-3 different ways in which a specific company has used digital technology to
create customer experience in its business.
Provide example of how CRM has been implemented in the business.
The CRM or the digital technologies within the businesses have created a great
impact on the customer experiences in the companies. Marriott is also making
the use of CRM in order to make better the experience of customers. Following
are the different ways that are being adopted by the multinational companies to
enhance the customer experiences:
Artificial Intelligence: The artificial intelligence can be helpful in finding and
providing the solutions for the queries of the customers in the minimum time. It
also helps in maintain the performance of the organization through increasing
the customer experience (Stein and Ramaseshan, 2016).
Chatbot: This way has proven to be very useful in the mapping of customer
problems within the landscape of business and providing them the best
solutions. The customers can raise their queries through this service.
Big- Data Analytics: This is helpful in sending the personalized offers to the
customers as per their set priorities. The customers, who share their information
willingly to the company, get such offers.
Virtual reality: This technique is helpful in capturing the imagination into
reality. This technology is helpful for the business to delight and satisfies the
11HNC/HND Hospitality Management

customers in a better way.
 Advantages and disadvantages of using digital technology in managing customer
experience.
Advantages of using digital technologies in business:
Less cost: The digital systems help in reducing the costs of the business as
compared to manual and physical work done by the employees.
Social connectivity: The customers can be in touch will the company and provide
them feedbacks through digital technologies such as social media.
Security: The digital technologies are very useful for the businesses to keep all
the data secure as well as confidential. The password authentications are helpful in
the facilitation of online transactions for customers (Peltola, et. al., 2015).
Disadvantages
False identities: The digital technologies raise the chances of the falsification to
be done by the hidden identities which are causing to the continuous rise in the
frauds.
Complications: There can be increased the complexities within the business due
to the lack of knowledge in the employees regarding the technologies.
12HNC/HND Hospitality Management