Imperial Hotel Case Study: Improving Customer Experience

This case study examines the challenges faced by the Imperial Hotel in London, focusing on customer satisfaction issues stemming from untrained staff, poor facilities, and ineffective complaint handling. The analysis delves into the problem from the customer's perspective, highlighting issues such as unhygienic rooms, delayed responses, and outdated technology. The report emphasizes the importance of staff training in customer service, including effective communication, etiquette, and handling complaints related to faulty products or internal problems. It outlines an action plan for the hotel, including treating guests as dignitaries, providing personalized service, upgrading technology, and measuring customer service performance. The conclusion stresses the need for a world-class service culture and consistency to enhance customer satisfaction and improve the hotel's performance. The study provides a comprehensive overview of strategies to enhance customer experience and drive business growth.

Imperial Hotel case study

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Analyse the problem from the customer’s perspective..........................................................1
Making staff aware about customer satisfaction ...................................................................2
Training staff for handling customer complaints...................................................................3
Feedback to complaining customers to solve problems.........................................................4
Action plan ............................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
For a business organisation, it is required that they manage their functional and
operational activities in effective manner which helpan effective manner which helps them to
provide desired outcomes easily. Management activity is based on operation process that
includes planning, managing, staffing, guidelines, monitoring, training or learning and
controlling. In this world, most of the hospitality industries develop their business structure
through effective services that they provide to local and international customers (Abe, 2010). For
this process, it is required that they build business management process in an effective manner
that helps them to in getting effective growth easily. In this process, some organisations can
easily mange all management and operational process through their working approach to gain
higher productivity of employees and maximum profitability as well as desired growth in an
appropriate manner. The current report is based on Imperial hotel Hotel which is located in
London. This is a well knownwell-known international chain which is operateoperates approx.
25 hotels in UK. At resentRecently, this hotel faces lots of difficulties due to the reason of Poor
poor customer’s satisfaction. These This kind of problems are arises due to some specific reason
as untrained staff, poor facility, ineffective accommodation, improperand improper quality of
food and less customer’s satisfaction towards organisation's services. For this, organisation need
to build some specific approach that help them to build quality for employees and interaction
with customers in effective manner that helping them to earn long term benefits easily. This
report includes problem from the customer’s perspective, making a specific process for staff to
build awareness about customer satisfaction, training staff for handling customer complaints and
appropriate action plan that needs to be taken according tonto specific situation.
Analyse the problem from the customer’s perspective
There are various kind of issues regarding service of Imperial hotel Hotel which are
facing faced by its customers and it will impacts on as reducing reduction in its goodwill. It is
essential to solve all problems from client perspectives by implementing effective rules and
techniques. This will facilitates to improve profitability of an given organisation as well as retain
regular customers. Some of issues which were analysed by guest satisfaction survey with client
cards fulfilled by them are given below:
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Untrained staff:-: - The Imperial Hotel did not havehas not appointed more skilled,
qualified and experienced staff members. This will impacts impact negatively on customers
while providing products or services to complete their needs and wants in proper manner.
Employees are not trained; sio thatthus, they are unable to address people properly (Alvesson,
2012).
Unhygienic rooms:-: - There are various issues in Imperial Hotel regarding cleanliness
of surroundings and rooms as they are not putting efforts towards this aspect. They are not able
to satisfy their clients because they have unhygienic rooms which does notare not preferred by
customers. The firm's management do is not taking care of health and hygiene.
Delayed response of complaints:-: - Staff members are not not active and provide
delayed services to clients by which people are facing many problems by waiting for long period
of time for just one order. Imperial Hotel does not have punctual staff members and they are not
understand roles and responsibilities towards their consumers.
Slow technology:-: - The hotel in is using old technology as well as its electrical
equipmentsequipment like lights, fans, and air conditioning is are noisy are as well as also not
working properly. Due to this, people are facing several problems and do not want to purchase its
services again because they are not satisfactory. Organisation is not using current, new and
innovative techniques to enhance their performance.
Improper facilities:-: - There are many facilities like room service, improper taps and
many other aspects which isare important for a personpeople when they are staying at a place
are not working. All these requisites are not working properly. AndIn addition, Imperial Hotel
staff not able to actively respond to any kind of queries customers as well as service issues
which creates problems for clients (Anderson, 2015).
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Illustration 1: Coustomer experience Journey, 2016
Making staff aware about customer satisfaction
It is important to make the staff to know and understand about the needs of the customer
to for satisfying them. Providing better hospitality to customer will increase the growth, positive
customer feedback and maximum profitability easily. Some of the important factors and benefits
of making the staff aware about customer satisfaction are as follows:
Attending manners to customers –customers – The hotel staff must greet the customer
with warm wishes and smiling face which will infuse positivity among the customers. This
activity will make the customer feel that they have chosen right hotel for their accommodation.
Keep it consistent –consistent – It must make sure that every staff members is keeping
the same intension and vibes in meeting every customer. The manner must be adequate such as
dress codes, same intensity , hospitality and interactionand interaction. So, being consistent is
key for proper customer satisfaction.
Staff Etiquette – It is all about manners and behaviour in appearance. The staff should
be dressed in a manner so that they are comprehensible all the time. They Also, the management
ofmanagement of Imperial Hotel must ensure that their staff are skilled, presentable all the time,
also calm and composed behaviour while dealing with customers.
Communication – The main pillar of customer service is effective communication at
different levels of dealing with customers. Staffs should be trained to have effective
communication with the customers and among them, this will have very effective
impactimpression on the customer. A better communication will help in better transfer of
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information without any conflicts. This will also produce a better collaboration and coordination
between the staff members (Combe, 2014).
Training staff for handling customerhandling customer complaints
Training and development is one of the key feature of makingof making an organisation
work effectively. In Imperial Hotel, the manager must focus on providing training and
development for better customer satisfaction. There are some of the factors which must be
focussed upon so that they can handle customer in a proper way.
Faulty products- It- It is very common error which occurs in the large hotel,
organisation. There are many cases that customer receive faulty products like furnituresfurniture
or leaked unpacked food items. Those complaints must be at priority otherwise, it will havewill
have negative effect in the mind of people. The staffThe staff members must ensure that they
check the rooms and products before providing them to their customers.
Complaints about systemabout system – In some cases, the customers challenges the
way the hotel works. Some customers suggests them politely and some react abruptly .
SoConsequently, to sort out this problem, the employees must be trained to convince the
customers about their strategy and its effectiveness.
Complaint about internal problems – There are some systems of doing certain things
which are not accepted by employee, this will generate disputes and clashes between the
employeeemployees and affect the services of the hotel.
Skills and knowledge – The employee must be provided with ample skills and
knowledge to handle different situations which arises in business. The employee must be given
the jib job according to their skills and ability for makingfor making the work in an effectual
way (Hislop, 2013).
These are some of the factors which must be considered for flourishing business and
providing better customer services.
Feedback to complaining customers to solve problems
Feedbacks of customers are important because they provide ways of improving services
and products of an organisation more effectively. The Imperial Hotel have has to ask for
suggestions and feedbacks to its clients so that they can identify various threats or issues to solve
them immediately. This will facilitate to easily determine such aspects which are really needed to
be boost up with help of unique or innovative methods to render services. Moreover, it is
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necessary to manage the initial complaint successfully and in proper time. This will become
possible by several ways which are as follows:
Stay professionally calm:-: - Imperial Hotel have has to appoint such staff members and
render them induction events by which they camcan learn manners to behave with clients. It is
necessary to give them instruction to be professional while addressing customers in proper way.
Employees should know to let clients speak in frustration and do not take it personally and losing
their cool mind (Kern, 2011).
Assure hygiene services:-: - They need to appoint such staff members who can take care
of cleanliness of hotel area including its rooms and surroundings as well. It is essential because
people always prefer hygienic place to stay and eat. They have to ensure prospects of health and
hygiene of people.
React immediately:-: Imperial- Imperial Hotel havehas to give instructions to take
immediate actions to solve issues and complaints of customers so that they feel satisfactory. It is
important to build a special team to take care of problems of people then it will create positive
image of hotel. Appropriate actions must be applied to solve issues on in correct way.
Utilise innovative technology:-: - Today's trend of market is based on digitalisation to
perform faster. Imperial Hotel have has implement new and innovative software to provide their
service immediately. It will facilitates to save time of firm as well as clients utilising for
reception queues.
Figure 1Revenues earned through using different digital sources
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Improve equipmentsequipment of rooms:-: - Basic need of customer is to have
comfortable services in respect of equipmentsequipment of rooms like lights, fans, taps,
furnitureand furniture and so on. Imperial Hotel needneeds to evaluate threats of rooms on
regular basis and improved them by implementing better qualities of things (Kim, 2012).
Action plan
As per this report, Imperial Hotel, is needs to build world class service culture for their
customer to provide them appropriate satisfaction. Consistency is an the key element which
differentiates good quality from exceptional service within any organisation.
In this hotel line industry, service is an the key element which helps in boosting
performance as well as productivity. There are 4 different ways are highlighted to improve
service quality for guests or customers :customers:
Treat every guest like a dignitary: For hospitality industry it is requires that they
manage all their activity in effective meaner to provide higher customers satisfaction. For this,
they need to manage their employees and staff member properly who can easily provide effective
services to them customers according to their need and demand (By Tony D’Emidio, David
Malfara, and Kevin Neher. 2018).
Provide personalized customer service :service: Consistency does not reflect that every
customer gets same service but quality of relevant service should be same. Quality of service
with personalization makes guest feel as they are the most important person at that moment for
them irrespective of their position (Lynch, 2011).
Upgrade technology toolbox :toolbox: By adopting new technology tools, Imperial
hotel Hotel can easily achieve its desired goals and targets with respect to customer satisfaction.
Software's like Property Management System ( PMS( )PMS) must be adopt and implement
within hotel group for maintaining records ofrecords of check in or check out ,out, financial
records and daily tasks and many more in a much more simplersimpler way which saves time
and capital of group.
Measure customer service performance :performance: Hotel group must have efforts
to determine guest issues or problems or any concerned regarding its products or services quickly
and efficiently as soon as possible. Manager should personally address customers concerned
through online or offline feedback system which helps in enhancing performance and
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productivity of products and services of Imperial Hotel as well as it supports in competing with
its rivalry's (Nekvapil, 2015).
CONCLUSION
From this study or report, it has been concluded that management is an administration
which is associated with efficient and effective functioning of whether it's a business, non-profit
organisation or government body. Planning, maintaining as well as organising a task or projects
within an organisation is a key function of management entity. Management of Imperial Hotel
plays essentiala vital role in identifying strength ,strength and weakness of its own group as well
as opportunities and threats which helps in enhancing and improving performance as well as
productivityas productivity in services for each guest. This whole report or study is totally based
on feasibility of this prestigious group of hotels. This is ana well renowned group in terms of
hospitality speciallyespecially in the field of 4 star group of hotels. They are known for their
service or hospitality but at a the moment, they facesface several challenges and difficulties in
management procedure which reflects in their services. This mismanagement within staff
membersmember’s service and guest happens because of lack of leadership skills and
communication gap. These difficulties raises because of negative working culture that reflects
de-motivation within staff member's which decrease their performance and productivity, lack of
communication between higher level management authority and ground level staff member's
reflects on monitoring and controlling system. After appointing new manager, they have adopted
new strategies andstrategies and methodologies as well as the latest technology tools with
training sessions for staff members foraimed at satisfying customer demand and need as well as
maintaining its reputation among competitive market.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Abe, M., 2010. Introduction: Japanese management in the 21st century. In Innovation and
change in Japanese management (pp. 1-11). Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Alvesson, M. and Willmott, H., 2012. Making sense of management: A critical introduction.
Sage.
Anderson, D.R. and et. al., 2015. An introduction to management science: quantitative
approaches to decision making. Cengage learning.
Combe, C., 2014. Introduction to management. Oxford University Press.
Hislop, D., 2013. Knowledge management in organizations: A critical introduction. Oxford
University Press.
Kern, D., 2011. Introduction. In Essays on Purchasing and Supply Management (pp. 1-3). Gabler
Verlag.
Kim, J.H., Jvm Co., Ltd., 2012. Automated medicine storage and medicine
introduction/discharge management system. U.S. Patent 8.281.553.
Lynch, M., 2011. Introduction to management. Clinical Pain Management: A Practical Guide.
pp.89-96.
Nekvapil, J. and Sherman, T., 2015. An introduction: Language management theory in language
policy and planning. International Journal of the Sociology of Language. 2015(232).
pp.1-12.
Wilkinson, A., Wood, G. and Demirbag, M., 2014. Guest editors’ introduction: People
management and emerging market multinationals. Human Resource Management.
53(6). pp.835-849.
Online
Analyse the problem from the customer’s perspective 2018. [Online]. Available through
<https://support-works.com/vital-take-customer-perspective-problem-management/>
Improving the customer experience to achieve government-agency goals
By Tony D’Emidio, David Malfara, and Kevin Neher. 2018 [Online]. Availabe through
<https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-sector/our-insights/improving-the-
customer-experience-to-achieve-government-agency-goals>.
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