Developing Key Skills for Customer Service Excellence at Air Hotel

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments. This report details an employee's personal and professional development journey at Air Hotel.

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Assignment 1...................................................................................................................................3
Assignment 2...................................................................................................................................7
Assignment 3.................................................................................................................................17
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................20
Reference List................................................................................................................................21
Appendix........................................................................................................................................24
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Introduction
The hospitality industry growth is rapid in terms of the revenue generation and personal as well
as professional development of employees. It must be noted that in a professional context, there
must be equilibrium between the personal and professional life of employees. In order to
maintain a balance between professional and personal life, the employees need to be more
flexible along with changing the approaches of the work. In this report, the employees of the Air
Hotel are expected to enhance their personal skills as well as continue to improve their
professional skills. Hence, the employees of Air Hotel can develop their skills through acquiring
knowledge along with producing Personal and Professional Development Plan.
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Assignment 1
1.1: Evaluate approaches to self-managed learning
In a workplace context, self-managed learning is about the employees of the business being
responsible for their own learning and development (Cunningham, 2017). Hence, there are
several approaches to self-managed learning, which is related to the personal as well as
professional life of the workforce. The approaches of self-managed learning are as follows:
Conferences: The employees of Air Hotel can improve self-managed learning through the
attending seminars and conferences. As the HR advisor of the hotel, it can be stated that these
programmes shall be effective in helping old and experienced staff to explore and enhance their
knowledge and adopt the changes in their work approach. This approach is beneficial for as it
shall help the employees both new and old by providing more information (Bennett, 2017).
Use of the Internet: In order to encourage the employees about self-managed learning, the HR
advisor can emphasis on the use of the internet as an approach for expanding the arena of
knowledge. It is quite beneficial for the employees because the use of internet allows access to
abundant information, which can improve their knowledge and enhance their skills.
Kolb’s experiential learning styles: According to Kolb’s learning cycle, it can be stated that the
self-managed learning can be attained through the four stages of this learning cycle. As per this
model, the learner acquires different concepts and theories through different experiences, which
is the first stage of concrete experiences. In the second stage of reflective observation, the learner
is able to acquire knowledge through the observation and looking it through different
perspectives. The third stage of abstract conceptualisation enables the learner to use logic to
understand different concepts. Active experimentation stage allows the employees to apply
practically the things taught (Smith, 2016).
1.3 Evaluate the benefits of self-managed learning to the individual and organisation.
The notable benefits of self-managed learning for individuals are as follows:
Promotes natural development of confidence, perseverance, life satisfaction and initiative
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It must be noted that self-managed learning helps the employees by enhancing their level of
confidence as well as increasing the ability of the person to be intelligent as well as able enough
to make own choices and decisions (Sithole et al., 2017).
Provides Opportunities for a wide range of activities
It must be noted that with self-managed learning provides the individuals with a wide range of
opportunities, which shall benefit not only that individuals but also the organisation Air Hotel.
Self-managed learning helps the individual employee to expand its knowledge, and it helps them
to enhance their efficiency and enables them to carry out a diverse range of activities.
The benefits of self-managed learning for the organisation are as follows:
Creation of better performance at work
In an organisation, if the employees are encouraged to follow self-managed learning then they
shall acquire more and diverse knowledge, which shall improve the efficiency of the employees.
With the employees becoming more efficient and performing better, the organisation shall be
benefitted by their performance, as it will lead to the increment of overall productivity
(Merzenich, 2017).
Increasing motivation and confidence levels
When the organisation is encouraging its employees to follow self-managed learning, it is
indirectly motivating them and contributing towards increasing their confidence levels. It must
be noted that with self-managed learning the individual shall become more motivated and
confident about their work, as they are constantly acquired knowledge. Thus, with increased
motivation and confidence, the employees shall perform better and contribute to the productivity
of the organisation.
1.2 Propose ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts
Lifelong learning can be defined as the continuous pursuit of knowledge for both personal as
well as professional reasons.
Ways of Lifelong learning at personal level
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For personal level, Lifelong learning shall benefit the individual employee through the following
ways:
Improving skill sets:
It must be noted that lifelong learning is the consistent acquiring of knowledge, which is capable
of benefitting the individuals at a personal level. Since set of skills are important and essential
for performing better, as it is through the skill sets that the employees are able to implement
different tasks and activities. Further, it allows the individual to stay updated about the specific
area of work along with being an expert in that the particular area. Thus, Lifelong learning can
help the person by enhancing their skill set and providing them with opportunities (Graves,
2018).
Creates new opportunities:
The employees are able to stay updated and improve their knowledge and skill sets with lifelong
learning. Further, with more knowledge, the individual shall be able to have more opportunities.
Moreover, acquiring more skills, the employees shall be exposed to brand new opportunities
along with being eligible for promotion or switching to better jobs.
Ways of Lifelong learning at professional level
For the professional level, the ways of Lifelong learning are as follows:
Making learning goals as important as performance goals: The organisation must encourage
its employees to practice Lifelong learning. Hence, at the professional level, lifelong learning can
be by making specific learning goals, which is as important as the performance goals. It is
perceived that when the employees are working, their learning usually tends to stop, as they are
inclined towards attaining the goals of the work. In case the organisation wants its employees
indulged in learning as well, it can encourage them to connect learning with performance and it
shall be beneficial for the organisation as well (Marsick and Watkins, 2015).
Allowing employees to self-direct learning: It is better to ask the employees about the specific
things that the employees are interested to learn. Hence, the organisation can encourage the
employees to take advantage of their personal interests and taking up self-managed learning.
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Further, on the one hand, the organisation promoting lifelong learning can exercise control over
its employees by providing them with suitable course materials along with sharing knowledge
from self-directed learning. Thus, the organisation can invest in employees’ lifelong learning and
benefit the productivity and operations of the firm (Jones et al., 2017).
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Assignment 2
2.1 Evaluation for current skills
1 skill area which meets professional standard
As per the viewpoint of Ren et al. (2016), in time of working in the hotels, it is necessary to
provide attention to the customers so that they feel satisfied using the service of venture. It helps
to bring organisational reputation in the contemporary merchandise market. In addition to this, if
staffs are able to give attention to customers and solve their query, this can enhance the
performance level of workers in the venture. Therefore, as a customer executive of Air Hotel, I
am attentive to the customers and it helps to solve the queries of them. As I provide full
attention to the new customers, they automatically feel satisfied and give good review related to
my service. It can help to develop my standard in the venture of Air Hotel.
3 skills which do not meet professional standard
● Communication barrier
● Time management
● Lack of ability to read customer’s mind
In the opinion of Rahimi and Kozak(2017), if customer executives need to know various
languages such as English, French, Spanish so that they can handle all kind customers in the
venture. As a customer executive of Air Hotel, I can communicate with customers, who know
English very well. However, in time of communicating with foreign customers, I do not give my
best, as I know only English language. On the other hand, I try to give best service to the
customers, many a times; I cannot manage time, which gives disgusted feeling to the customers.
In addition to this, I cannot understand the requirement of customers before they express it
clearly. As mentioned by Lee and Bugler, (2017), customer executives need to have capability of
mind reading so that they can attract customers by meeting their requirements. As a customer
executive of Air Hotel, I need to hear all words to customers, as I cannot understand behavioural
psychology of customers.
Customer executive of Skill audit
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Air Hotel
Skills Personal Rating Evidence
0 1 2 3 4 5
Attention I hear all words and requirements of
customers
Communication
barrier
I can know only English and local
languages
Time management As I hear all words of workers, it
takes too many time to move on the
next procedure
Lack of ability to read
customer’s mind
I cannot understand the behavioural
psychology of customers
Table 1: Skill audit
(Source: created by learner)
2.2 Identification of own development needs
Plan Action Duration Impact
To remove
communication
related barrier
-Learning foreign
languages such as
French, Japanese
12 months Positive
Development of -Reading books or -3 months Positive and
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knowledge on
human psychology
journals on human
psychology
-Hearing experience
of seniors related to
managing customers
-Once within 2
weeks
negative both
Development of
time management
skills
-To prepare proper
schedule related to
work
-Try to receiving
training on time
management from
hotel
3 months Positive
Table 2: Action Plan
(Source: Created by Learner)
It is noticed that in order to increase the number of customers in the hotels, according to Sangster
(2017), employees need to communicate with them properly so that consumers feel satisfied. As
a customer executive of Air Hotel, I know only English and colloquial languages. As a result, I
cannot communicate with foreign clients. Therefore, I try to learn French and Japanese so that I
can attend the customers of France and Japan also. If I can develop my knowledge related to
languages, it leaves positive impact on venture as number of foreign customers is increased in
this hotel.
On the other hand, as suggested by Rubens et al. (2018), if customer executives are able to
understand the behavioural psychology and gesture of customers, they can easily assume about
their requirements. However, as a customer executive of Air Hotel, I am very poor to understand
the human psychology. For example, without analysing culture and economic status customers, I
offer expensive services to them. For this reason, many a times, customers reject to use services.
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Therefore, I will try to read books on behavioural psychology so that I can remove this issue. In
addition to this, I will discuss with senior customer executives so that I gain knowledge in this
genre. Therefore, it can be deduced that if I understand more than the basic gestures of customers
such as smiling face for accepting offer, shaking head for rejecting offer, it will help to attract
customers to the venture easily. On the other hand, it needs to keep in mind that wrong
interpretation of gesture can reduce the number of customers in venture. Therefore, it can leave
negative impact on my performance.
As asserted by Davies et al. (2017), time management is most important part related to the
customer service sector. As a customer executive of Air Hotel, I give much time to one
customer. Hence, the number of customers, with whom I try to communicate, is very low, which
decreases my performance level. In order to remove this issue, I try to make a schedule and
apply it so that I can get positive outcome. It also helps to develop my skill accurately.
2.3 Development opportunities
Current needs Development opportunities
Time management Handling more customers in a day
To understand behavioural psychology of
customers
Increasing sale of Air Hotel
Future needs Development opportunities
Need to know various languages such as
French, Spanish, Japanese
Handling foreign customers and promotion
Usage of powerful positive language It helps to influence customers so that they
want to use service of Air Hotel. Thus, it is
quite natural that if I can attract more
customers to venture, it will develop my
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position in the company.
Table 3: Development opportunities
(Source: Created by Learner)
2.4 Professional and personal development plan
Skills Plan Activity Duration
Communication -To learn languages
for serving
handicapped
customers
-Learning Braille
-Learning signing
language
6 months
Time management -To manage time so
that customers feel
happy using the
service of Air Hotel
-In time taking order
-To solve queries
properly
-Need to receive
training so that I can
gain knowledge on
time management
3 months
Understanding
psychology of
human behaviour
-Increasing more
knowledge related to
behavioural
psychology
-Reading more
books and journals
on human
psychology
6 months
Table 4: Professional and personal development plan
(Source: Created by Learner)
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