Intercontinental Hotels HRM-304LON: Skills and Competencies Analysis

This case study solution focuses on the skills and competencies that Intercontinental Hotels needed to improve to meet changing customer needs, enhance customer experiences, and improve employee service delivery as part of their rebranding program. The solution identifies key skills such as empathy, clear communication, positive language, product and service expertise, strong interpersonal skills, personalized solutions, analytical and decision-making abilities, and clear goal orientation. It emphasizes the importance of these skills in the hotel industry, where high customer interaction and service encounters directly impact customer satisfaction and branding. The analysis highlights the need for employees to effectively manage time, listen to customer requirements with patience, and make quick decisions to provide excellent service.

3. What were the skills and competencies to be improved?
According to given case study, primary concern was changing customer needs, need for
enhancing customer experiences, improving employee service delivery. There is high
rate of customer interaction and service encounter in hotel industry, therefore staff
behavior and service have direct impact on customer satisfaction and branding.
Key skills and competencies to enhance customer experience are as follow;
 The ability to empathize with customer by stepping into customers position
 Clear and continuous communication with customer over email, phone or face to
face; it helps in performing right task at first time and customer does not have any
doubt. Using positive language during customer interaction helps in enhancing
perception in right way (Chianga, Back, & Canter, 2005).
 Employees needs to be expertise in product and service information, when a
customer traps into problem they seek customer support and quick solution.
 Employees must possess strong interpersonal skills, ability to listens customer
requirements with patients, understand it and perceive it correctly (Widjaja,
2003).
 In service industry, every delivery is different, no customer requirement is same,
and therefore employee must be open to personalize customer needs, solution,
effectively manage time. For example, customer seeks for quick response to some
problem.
 To deal with clear direction, must have strong analytical and decision making
skills as in hotel industry employees does not get time, always to consult, decision
must be quick (Gamio & Sneed, 1992).
 Employees must be clear regarding their goals and daily achievements; they must
possess micro skill of direction to deal better with their subordinates and
understand supervisors’ directions.
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Bibliography
Chianga, C.-F., Back, K.-J., & Canter, D. D. (2005). The Impact of Employee Training on Job
Satisfaction and Intention to Stay in the Hotel Industry. Journal of Human Resources in
Hospitality & Tourism, 99-118.
Gamio, M. O., & Sneed, J. (1992). Cross-Cultural Training Practices and Needs in the Hotel
Industry. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 13-26.
Widjaja, C. (2003). Managing Service Quality in Hospitality Industry Through Managing the
Moment of Truth: A Theoretical Approach. US: Petra Christian University.
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