CENTRAL LUZON STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND ACCOUNTANCY

Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija

Delivery of Quality Customer Service through Continuous Training of Massage Therapists

at Different Spa in San Jose City

Cacho, John Emerson D.L.

Khan, Zaira Mae

Palma, Cristelita

Group 9

Dr. Carolyn P. Gonzales-Marzan

Instructo
INTRODUCTION

In our daily activities we encounter problems and other circumstances that results stress.

And there are millions of ways to unwind and release such negative aura in ourselves and one of

it is through massage therapy. According to an Evidence-Based Research entitled Effectiveness

of Massage Therapy, massage therapy is the practice of massage by accredited professional to

achieve health and well-being (physical, functional and psychological outcomes) in clients.

Massage could help us to release our stress, feel relaxed and rebuild ourselves again. Moreover,

in Alexa Nota’s blog define massage as the manipulation of the muscles and facial (connective

tissue) uses the hands and other tools to release tension and correct improper muscle firing to

alleviate pain and correct imbalances in the body.

Through a variety of techniques, such deep tissue massage and trigger point therapy,

overactive or injured muscles are encouraged to heal and function properly to allow the

musculoskeletal and other body system to operate. A Massage Therapist is a professional who

treats clients by using touch to manipulate the soft-tissue muscles of the body. With their touch,

massage therapist relieve pain, rehabilitate injuries, reduce stress, increase relaxation and aid in

the general wellness of their clients (CareerExplorer). And every customer desire for the quality

service that they pay for such as customer satisfaction. And through trainings, these professionals

such as Massage Therapists will be able to deliver the quality service that the customers are

aiming for.

In this study, the researchers would like to know how the operating spas in San

Jose City, Nueva Ecija conduct its continuous training in order to maintain quality customer

service, since this is very important to organizations because it is one of the factors that has a
huge effect from the bottom line of the business up to how the public look at your business

(McQuerrey, 2019).

Some of the main reason why we need to maintain good customer services is that, it is

easy to maintain customers that gaining new customers or regaining old ones that have been

unsatisfied due to poor customer service. According to R.L. Adams (2016) providing an

excellent customer service is that: we already know how expensive to gain the trust of the

customers so we must not lose it and we must take care of it so we will not lose our valuable

customers, because it is costlier than the first time we gain their trust.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

According to the Training and Development book, training is the process to develop

employees’ performance on a presently held job or one related to it. And in order to be effective,

training must involve a learning experience, planned organizational activities and designed in

response to identified needs. Training is an essential activity in a business even in different

industries in able to improve their employees’ performance and to provide quality service to their

customers. Although training is a must, there are still small and medium establishments who did

not take these matters seriously.

Continuous training allows managers to evaluate employees more accurately which turn

helps them foster improvements in areas where employees could benefit the most ( Stuart Hearn,

2017). This means that the employees will be able to reach the higher level of performance due

to continuous improvements through trainings. And since Massage therapists are dealing with

people such as through their body when they’re seeking for relaxation and relieve stress or

through health problems proper and continuous training is a must. Continuous training improves
the level of employees’ performance and results the delivery of quality service to their

customers. And through the delivery of quality service to its customer, it increases the company

image and maintains customers’ retention.

According to Sarah Rawlinson’s,” Training and Development in Spa Industry”, training

and development are one of the best investments the spa can do in order to perform good quality

services. However, for small enterprise spas in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija will find training and

development or continuous training provided through formal learning is costly for them so they

need to find a way where they can provide continuous training to maintain to quality services

through informal learning, this is where the therapist will learn in the workplace with the help of

his/her manager and co-workers. According to Hoyer and MacInnis (2001), quality customer

service will lead to customer satisfaction, because it has a huge effect on organization’s

profitability, customer satisfactions can lead to repeatedly customer purchase, customer loyalty,

and positive word of mouth.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aims to determine the impact or influence of continuous training of Massage

Therapists to their performance in delivering the quality customer service.

Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:

1. What is the socio-demographic profile of the respondents in terms of:

a. Age

b. Sex

c. Trainings Attended

d. Certificate Received

e. No. of years in Service

2. What is the extent of impact or influence of continuous training of Massage Therapists to

their performance in delivering the quality customer service when the following

trainings /learnings are performed:

a. Formal Training

b. Non-Formal Learning

c. Informal Training

3. What are the factors that will affect the continuous training of the Massage Therapists:

a. Budget

b. Time

c. Commitment

4. Is there a significant relationship between how the continuous training on Massage

Therapists will improve their performance in delivering the quality customer service

when they are grouped according to their profile?

 5. Is there any significant difference in the respondent’s assessment on the extent of impact

or influence of continuous training of Massage Therapists to their performance in

delivering the quality customer service when they are grouped according to their profile?

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

General objective:

The main objective of this study was to determine and evaluate on how
continuous training will enhance the quality customer service in different Spa
establishments at San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.

Specific objectives:

 To know and assess if there are existing training plans for the continuous
improvement of the employees
 To analyze the different training/learnings courses of massage therapist in order to
provide quality service for customer satisfaction
 To determine and evaluate different factors that will affect or develop the training
program for the success of Spa Industry and will be appropriate for the
effectiveness of the operation in the business
 To provide recommendations in having continuous training program.
 Conceptual Framework

Independent Variables

Demographic Attributes
Dependent Variables

 Age
 Sex
 Training Attended
Dependent Variables
 Certificate
Received Quality Customer Service
 No. of Years in  Customer
Service Satisfaction
Continuous  Customer Loyalty
Training/Learning  Customer Retention
 Formal Training
 Non-formal
Learning
 Informal Training

Intervening Variables
 Budget

 Time

 Commitment
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The result of this study will provide great benefits to the following:

Massage Therapists

This study will help the massage therapist in enhancing and improving their services to
their clients in terms of achieving quality customer service through continuous training program
they will be conducted. It will also determine factors that affect their training program to develop
their massage skills.

Spa Owners:

This study will help different Spa Owners to determine other factors that will affect their
spa business and also through their customer feedback to improve their performance in
delivering quality service.

Students:

This study may serve as a guide and reference for the students who will undertake similar
studies.

Future Researchers:

This research will be very useful reference or it will serve as basis for the researchers
who would plan to make a related study precisely about Delivery of Quality Customer Service
through Continuous Training for the Massage Therapists.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The proposed study will focus only in determining different spa business at San Jose
City, Nueva Ecija if they have a continuous training program for the massage therapists in
achieving quality service for their customers. This research will cover up only the responses of
the questions provided by the questionnaires including the profiles of the respondents in terms of
age, sex, trainings attended, certificate received and number of years in service.
 Also through interview we can analyze if the training they have is appropriate for the
employees in gaining customer satisfaction and retention or they should devise training that is
compatible to their therapists. The target respondents of this study were the Spa
Owners/Managers and Massage Therapists with the use of survey questionnaires. The study will
only focus to the development and enhancing their quality customer service through their
different training program. The factors will use in the study categorized into the Formal Training,
Informal Training and Non-Formal Learning.