BTEC HND Travel and Tourism Management: Customer Experience Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of customer experience management within the Thomas Cook Group, a British global travel company. The assignment explores the value of understanding customer needs and wants, identifying target markets, and examining factors influencing customer engagement. It includes the creation of a customer experience map for the travel and tourism sector, discussing customer touchpoints to create opportunities, and assessing the role of digital technology in managing customer experience. The report also covers customer service strategies in the travel and tourism sector, offering a comprehensive overview of customer relationship management practices.

Managing Customer
Experience

BTEC HND in Travel and Tourism Management
Coursework
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Tutor: …………….
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................1
P1. Explaining the value and importance of understanding the needs, wants of selected target
market..........................................................................................................................................1
P2. Exploring the different factors that drive and influence customer engagement to different
target groups................................................................................................................................2
LO 2 ................................................................................................................................................4
P3. Creating a customer experience map for a selected service sector organisation..................4
P4. Discussing the touch points in order to create the opportunities throughout the customer
experience...................................................................................................................................6
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................7
P5. Examining how digital technology is employed in managing the customer experience......7
LO 4.................................................................................................................................................8
P6 Explaining the customer services strategies in travel and tourism sector..............................8
P7 ................................................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Customer experience is the concept that describes how a company can control its
customer and how they interact with them. Each organisation tries to build the satisfactory
customer relationship by offering the satisfactory services. Present report has been based on
managing customer relationship of Thomas Cook Group, it is British global travel company
which was formed in 19 June 2007 by the merger of Thomas Cook AG. However, present
assignment will be explaining the value and importance of customer understanding and their
needs and wants on the basis of their target customers. Customer experience also influence from
many factors that drive customer engagement, report will also describe the driven factors of
customer conflict.
However, this report also covering the important aspects of customer engagement by
preparing the customer experience map for the travel and tourism sector. Apart from that, this
assignment also discussing the potential customer touch points in order to create opportunities
throughout the customer experience in hospitality sector.
LO 1
Explaining the value and importance of understanding the needs, wants of
selected target market.
Identifying the target group of customers of the company is effective marketing strategies
in order to understand their needs and wants. In other words, target group of customers having
the similar needs or characteristics that company provides (Bowen and Chen McCain, 2015).
Thomas Cook having the details of 20 million people which they send on holiday every year,
from email, phone number, home addresses or even the family information as well. This showing
how people often travel with Thomas Cook. As per the data 175 million people using Thomas
Cook which is the benchmark for the company or for the cost (Thomas Cook: I’d be surprised if
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people really knew what we were doing with their data, 2018). Target group of customers of the
company are those people from 18 years to late sixties who lone travel and exploring the world
with the good experience with Thomas Cook.
In other words, target group of people are the potential clients who gives good profit to
the company every year. To measure the importance of customer needs and wants also helps
company to prepare the marketing plan of the organisation as well. In which company mentioned
their all market strategies, USP, plans or services they provide to the clients.
Understanding target markets is the part of marketing in which company sets the people
or group of people whom they want to provide the services ultimately. For this, company also
invest huge amount or time to analyse the potential target market (Bowie and et.al., 2016).
Importance of understanding target market
Product Description : By understanding the needs and wants of the travel and tourism
target market helps to serve better services at the end. But without understanding the needs,
company couldn't able to provide services accordingly. Once, understand the target group
Thomas Cook can easily shape given services accordingly.
Managing Expectations : Managing customer expectation is only possible when the
company knows every thing about the clients related to the product or services. This is very
essential for companies to understand the feelings and wants of the target customers in order to
gain high customer expectations.
Effective Targeting : Knowing target customer wants and needs make more easier to
build a marketing plan to attract the clients towards the services. Understanding the target market
helps to determine the better plan and strategies to attract them towards the services of the
company (.Chen and Lin, 2015). Such as Thomas Cook advertise their services through
magazines, TV, internet and YouTube. In other ways, Company showcase its holiday packages
under the different themes for example : Group travellers, Festive holiday, fusion holiday, cruise
holiday, adventure holiday etc.
Exploring the different factors that drive and influence customer engagement to
different target groups
Customer nature is dynamic which constantly change on the basis of current demand and
preferences. So in terms, there are different driven factors that influence customers purchasing
approach. Some other driven factors are given below:
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Change social conversations
It has been proved by the recent research that many of the 5 percent people influenced by
social media platform and change their purchasing decision making process. Customer thinks
that social media platform has providing more great deal with some unique manner (De Mooij,
2018). But 62% says that social media platform is not at all influence while making the decision
making approach.
Psychological factor
This factor influence customer from the starting point to till the time when services is
finished. In other words, motivation is the biggest tool that motivate travellers to take decision
when they planning to explore the new different places. So in the whole process many of the
factors affect their decision making power (Hollebeek, Conduit and Brodie, 2016). So to attract
travellers Thomas Cook needs to offer some unique marketing strategy to attract those potential
buyers.
Social factor
Social factor based on external biases which typically influence on consumer purchase
decisions which is based on peer references groups and social status and all fall within this
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clarification. Different target people or customer having different perspective towards the brand
some customer wants reasonable and affordable services and some wants luxurious services. In
order to eliminate this driven force Thomas Cook should have required to build a good
relationship between customers and also should need to aware about their own target group of
travellers (Keller, 2016). For this company also should adopt strategy in which there are effective
balance between influencer and brand as well as the influencer and the customers.
Cultural Factor
Cultural factor influence customer engagement due to differencing in social class and
subculture of each people. Social class and subculture have given the great influence over the
values and decision process of consumer. In decision making process family, friends,
environment all plays an important role. In other words, each market having different cultural
preferences.
LO 2
Creating a customer experience map for a selected service sector organisation.
Find Solution Pre Sales Place Order Seek Help
Customer Experience
Actions Finding the
solution to the
customer
problems/issues
 Ask
customers
about the
company
services.
 Collect
reviews of
prices
 Ask for
discounts
 Order
through
official
websites.
 Order
through
reseller.
 Ask for
the
product
related
questions.
 Ask non
product
related
questions.
Front Stage
People  Back  CS  Reseller  CS
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stage
people are
responsibl
e to
handle the
customer
marketing
needs
representa
tives
representa
tives
 Technical
support
staff.
Things  Search
engine
 Ticket
 E-mail
 Phone call
 Instant
message.
 Invoice  Ticket
 E-mail
 Phone call
 Forum
post
Back Stage
People  It consists
marketing
departmen
tal
functions
 Technical
team
 Inventory
Supervisor
 Re-seller  Technical
requireme
nt
System
/Processes
 Marketing
advertise
ment
 Website
developm
ent
 Ticket
system
 Ticket
system
 Bug
fixing.
 Forum.
 Product
enhancem
ent
Feelings  Negative
views
 Confused  Unstable  Feedback
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Touching points  Social
media
sites
 Customer
service.
 Sales team
 Billing  Review of
rating
On the basis of above given customer mapping which define the customer experience
throughout the service. The main purpose to define customer mapping is to explore about the
journey of customer with the organisation (Kim and Park, 2017). To understand the journey of
the customer helps to implement the further marketing strategies to get overcome from the
prevision mistakes. This is very important and necessary to gain customer engagement and good
experience. Mainly, it contains three process customer experience, front stage, back stage in
which role of each stage has mentioned according to the requirement. Creating customer
mapping is very significant for the Thomas Cook in order to build the good public image.
Company presents visual representation of the entire customer journey which involves the action
and feedback from the customers. Customer journey can also help to prepare the customer touch
point to create the excellent image in front of the customers.
Discussing the touch points in order to create the opportunities throughout the
customer experience.
There are different meaning of customer touch points which refers the same and similar
output results in order to engage the customer experiences and using effective marketing design.
In hospitality sector customer touch points (Kim, Jang and Adler, 2015).
Customer touch points is the best way to analyse the effective developing results in order
to meet the customer satisfaction approach and target. According to the effective management
source management goals helps to define the management opportunity and goals. Online
reputation are the best way to promoting the market in a more appropriate manner to define the
customer wants and results. In other words, customer touch points are basically the process to
interact customers with the brand product and services etc. developing an understanding of each
touch point. Developing an understanding of each touch point means that one can design better
and better customer experience. With the help of effective customer touch points it helps to
define presenting the changes which are now impacting one or all of these stages in the customer
journey (.Larivière and et.al., 2017). This would help to make more travellers towards the
company. It also helps to bring new travellers and profitability growth within the business. This
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process helps to empowered the consumer. Customer good experience is highly based on the
services which company provided to attract the customer this is called customer touch points. In
other words, it also helps to make the good interrelationship between company and buyers.
Overall it helps to make the best developing results in order to full fill the company opportunity
gain. In other words, customer touch point having the better task and effective task effective
goals and objectives. Touch points makes overall service effective and enlarging. It brings more
understanding between customers and company (Liu and et.al., 2016). Customer touch points
bridge the gap between customer or company that might be more effective for the development
of company goals.
Events During And after purchase
Social media Store Billing
Review of rating Website Customer service
Advertisement Call centre Follows up etc.
Marketing Sales team Email
LO 3
Examining how digital technology is employed in managing the customer
experience.
Digital transformation is forcing companies to change their business models and adapt to
the new market reality. Digital marketing technology is the tool or technique to build up the
customer effective engagement task (Lovelockand Patterson, 2015). That makes the process
more effective and challenging working opportunity to bring the effective management task.
Nowadays, customers are very well educated and maintained high standards to well understand
the company providing services. Travel and tourism provides many strategies and ways to their
customers which create many long term services to the market. Today's technology has also
advanced better products for home security. They can compare prices, find alternative outlets,
find stores in their locality and business approach. Online Marketing lets a business build its
brand almost overnight.
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Travel and tourism is relied on the digital technologies to provide the best customer
service. Digital technology transform service in travel and tourism market in different manner
such as booking online tickets, track customer through digital tools, address customer query by
the help of internet etc. this overall system helps company to measure the effective development
results to the company in order to build up the best customer experience and sustaining business
results and growth (Maslowska, Malthouse and Collinger, 2016). With the help of advanced
technologies, Thomas Cook has been developing the best developing the best dealing and
managing the work effective performance and better development growth. There are three major
ways which transform the travel and tourism sector.
Personalization
Digital marketing such as Big data, cloud computing and Cognitive computing
techniques makes company work easier to provide better customer servicing. Tourism and travel
company mainly focused on premium class customers by using actionable who wants unique
procedure of effective working task.
Becoming Social
In present market scenario social media marketing has been playing most crucial role
such as websites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Instagram along with travel review
websites, have changes the way traversable research. This sites helps customer to know recent
updates of the company new holiday package offer by the company and many more exciting
services for customer satisfaction.
Going Mobile
Recent studies show today traveller is spending huge amount on the development of
customer satisfaction. A Million of people using mobile devices to search anything from the
internet regarding anything (Nylén and Holmström, 2015). Besides, travellers also book tickets
and choosing company after doing the research on the mobile. Integrating booking and payment
are the easiest way for customer to get services that helps to get higher customer service and
satisfaction results.
LO 4 Explaining the customer services strategies in travel and tourism sector.
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In order to improve the customer service within the travel and tourism Thomas Cook has
to adopt some attractive strategies and development areas for the customer betterment. Customer
relationship management is one of the most frequent topic under discussion in all industries.
Customer relationship management is one of the most leading strategy that makes customers
happy or satisfied (Xu and Li, 2016). There are given some strategies to build the effective
customer service for Thomas Cook Customers.
Chatbox & Artificial Intelligence : Nowadays, customer wants instinct solution from its
problems, it is possible by the side of the company when they adopt the possible system or
machines to perform the functions that traditionally required human involvement (Nylén and
Holmström, 2015). This is the best way to promoting the customer service in terms of effective
management task and achieving the company profitability. Thomas Cook provides 24 hours 7
customer service or fully automated booking processes.
Personalised Marketing : This is the another customer service strategy that company
adopts. Apart from that, it discovers the new developing outputs for the company betterment and
growth. Thomas Cook improving its customer relationship management by connecting clients
directly by direct personalised experiences. Another strategy they apply to customer service to
providing the all information on websites with rich content in order to grab the attention of
customers. Personalised marketing is the leading technique these days that adopted by the
service sector in order to encourage their customers and their satisfaction level.
Virtual reality : Virtual reality strategy is been growing in very fast speed from last few
years in within the service sector (Pansari and Kumar, 2017). In tourism sector VR is now
become the most essential and wanting mainstream in customer product. Such as Thomas Cook
also avail hotel room bookings facilities, travel agent. They itself own hotels and travel agencies
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