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Higher National Diploma in

HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

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Managing Customer
Experience

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Contents
Abstract:...........................................................................................................................................4

Introduction......................................................................................................................................5

P1 Explain the value and importance of understanding the needs, wants and preferences of target
customer groups for a service sector industry.................................................................................6

P2 Explore the different factors that drive and influence customer engagement of different target
customer groups within a service sector organization.....................................................................8

P3 Create a customer experience map for a selected service sector organization.........................11

P4 discuss how the customer touch-points throughout the customer experience create business
opportunities for a selected service sector organization................................................................13

P5 Examine how digital technology is employed in managing the customer experience within the
service sector, providing specific examples of customer relationship management (CRM)
systems...........................................................................................................................................15

P6 Illustrate customer service strategies in a specific service sector context................................16

P7 Demonstrate how customer service strategies create and develop the customer experience in a
way that meets the needs of the customer and required business standards..................................17

Conclusion:....................................................................................................................................21

References......................................................................................................................................22

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Abstract:
This research paper will help us to understand about managing customer experience. And how
proper managing of customer experience will bring business opportunities to the service sector
industry. In the first section of this reaserch paper, we will discusss about understanding what
customers actally needs, what they want and what they demand form the service industry. Then
we will discusss about some customer groups and what factors could affect them or influence
them in choosing a hospitality organization. Then we will discuss about how customer
experience map helps an organization to create business opportunities for them. Then we will
talk about different touch point regarding to the customer experience map. Then we will discuss
about how the digital technology could impact on keeping a good customer relation. Then we
will talk about some customer service strategies to provide better service toward the customers.
And finally we will develop the customer experience in such a way that will meets the need of
the customers.

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Introduction
Customers are the vital factor for any company. They are the one who takes service from the
company. CEM or customer experience management is a system to make sure that customer is
getting their service as expected. And if possible giving them service more than their expectation
[ CITATION Gar17 \l 1033 ]. The company makes a product or arrange service only for the
customers. If customers are happy and satisfied, then their business will be a success. So,
everything a company does to gain profit are involved with customers. If customers are not
happy then everything will be spoiled. So, it is the company most important priority to satisfied
their customers. And in today’s world, satisfy a customer is more difficult because now
customers have a lot more options to choose and competitors always trying to give service at the
lower price possible for them.

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P1 Explain the value and importance of understanding the needs,
wants and preferences of target customer groups for a service sector
industry
If a company or organization don’t understand what their customers want, then they won’t be
able to see any success. Hotels are the best example to demonstrate the service of the hospitality
industry. As for the service industry they give service to their customers. And if they don’t
provide the service as their customer wants, then those customers won’t go to the next time. For
this part of the research paper, I have selected The Goring Hotel in London. It is one of the top-
rated hotels in London. It is situated in the Belgravia, London. Below various customer’s groups
and the importance of understanding what they need, what they want in a service sector industry
are described.

Needs of customer group: The needs of the customer could be categorized into two groups.
First one the potential customers. This type of customers is not yet company customer for The
Goring or nor they spent anything for the hotel. This kind of customers has some interest towards
the company. And most probably with better understanding their needs they could turn as a legal
customer for the organization. All they need is more attention and value than other company
gives him. Secondly, the customer that just taken some service for the first time form The Goring
hotel is considered to be member of new customer group. It is said that first impression the most
crucial impression. So, The Goring hotel treats the new customer’s very carefully. Because they
know that if they can’t make a good first impression then most likely those customers won’t
come to them next time. [ CITATION Jac16 \l 1033 ]

Wants of customer group: It is human nature, they just want more and more. So, eventually all
the customer will want best service at what they are paying. As, potential customers are not any
legal customers for the organization but they have some interest to take the service from the
organization. The Gordon hotel have to give proper attention to them, at what they are wanting,
what they are not finding in their current service provider. If company can find what they want
and not finding in other company, then The Goring have to take some steps to show those

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potential customers that they will provide those missing necessary things. As we already
discussed, new customers are the one who just took the service from The Goring hotel recently.
As they are new to the company. They have to create a very good impression by providing what
they want. Company have to figure out what they want and always have to keep themselves
ready to provide the best service to their customers. This could be better view, better bathroom,
better meal, ac, laundry, Wi-Fi, etc. it could be many thing and they have to be prepared.

Demands of customer group: Potential customers are not yet any customer for The Goring
Hotel. But they do have some kind of interest toward the company. So, company customer
experience team must do some research to find out what those potential group members wants
from the organization. The customer who have taken service from The Gordon hotel recently
will be considered as the new customers for the company. New customers are very sensitive
customer for any organization. Because if they don’t get impressed in their first time service then
the most likely they won’t come to the hotel again. So The Gordon hotel always gives most
priority to their new customer. Because they know it better that, if they can satisfy them, then
they will come again and could be a loyal customer of the company. And they will tell other
probably about the good service that is The Goring hotel providing. And that will increase the
business growth rate.

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P2 Explore the different factors that drive and influence customer
engagement of different target customer groups within a service
sector organization

Factors that influence business person: There are many factors that could influence a
business person in The Goring Hotel. Those factors are described below:

Wi-Fi: For a business person Wi-Fi is a must thing. Because a business person always had to
keep in touch with his organization. And without internet it is not possible. And it not possible
by to do all the work in the mobile device where cellular data is available. Good for The Goring
Hotel that they have free Wi-Fi access for all of their guest. [ CITATION Vir16 \l 1033 ]

Electricity: A business always does his work on many electronics gadget. And even if does his
works on a battery powered device like a mobile or a laptop he is going to need to charge them.
For that he needs electricity. The Goring has a 24/7 stable electricity arrangement.

Good Meal: A business is always busy. And they have high expectation in the food. That’s why
good food with good arrangement will always influence a business person. The Goring has the
best in class food arrangement.

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Spacious space: A business person will always be influence by the hotel which have a bigger
space. Because they may have to arrange meeting in their hotel room.

Factors that influence college student: There are many factors that could influence a
college student in The Goring Hotel. Those factors are described below:

Wi-Fi: Nowadays for a college student Wi-Fi is a must thing. Because a college student always
has to keep in touch with his friends and classmates. And without internet it is not possible. And
it not possible by to do all the work in the mobile device where cellular data is available. Good
for The Goring Hotel that they have free Wi-Fi access for all of their guest.

Proper Transport system: A college student will most likely wants to choose a hotel where is
no transport problem. And The Goring have a very good transport system for their premium
clients.

Cheap meal: A student doesn’t have a lot money to enjoy pricy meal. So he/she will always opt
for the cheap meal at their best value. The Goring Hotel has some attractive student meal
package for student customer.

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Factors that influence couple on a date: There are many factors that could influence a
Couple in The Goring Hotel. Those factors are described below:

Candle light dinner: Candle light dinner is a very romantic dinner for a couple. If a hotel have
arrangement for the candle light dinner, then couple will be really influence by it.

Good Meal: Couple could have some difference expectation in the food. That’s why good food
with good arrangement will always influence a couple. The Goring has the best in class food
arrangement.

Location: Couples will naturally opt for a good location hotel. Where is no problem of weather
and have some kind of romantic situation present. The Goring is situated on such a place where
is usually no weather turbulence happens.

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P3 Create a customer experience map for a selected service sector
organization
Customer experience map is kind of a document where an organization customer experience are
noted from a customer viewpoint [ CITATION Spo17 \l 1033 ]. It can be also termed as a
feedback from the customers. This helps a company to understand how they are giving service
and how their service is accepted by their customers.

Customer experience map is also similar to a customer journey map. Touch points to create an
experience map for The Goring Hotel are described below:

Website: Nowadays most of the customer uses organization website to book the service or pay
for the service. And some website has feedback option. From where organization could get idea
about their customer service condition. Other than that, by analysing the website activity The
Goring Hotel could get an idea about customer experience.

Review Site: Similar to website but it is used only to give review about the organization. The
Goring has a well optimized review site.

Text message: To map the customer experience company has to follow various way to take the
feedback from the customers. Text message is another effective way. They could simply just ask
to their customer about service. They could ask if they satisfied or not.

E-mail: E-mail questioning is another way to take the feedback from the customers. The goring
Hotel uses email way to ask their clients about their service. How was their service and how
could they improve their service.

Paper mail: This kind of feedback process is now kind of old dated. But in early 20s it was used
greatly by service sector to collect the data.

Telephone: This is another way to collect the feedback directly from a customer. In this way
The Goring Hotel manager call the customer after he left the hotel. And asks him was he
satisfied and if not then how could they improve their service. [ CITATION Str16 \l 1033 ]

Staff: Company manager could simply just ask their staff about their clients behave. Was they
satisfied or did they complain about anything.

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Management: Management department know it well about which department of the Goring
hotel do well and which department ignore their responsibility. And they will know it first if any
customer complaints about their service.

By analysing those factors, The Goring Hotel could create a customer experience map easily.
And could take all the necessary steps if any customer had bad experience.

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P4 discuss how the customer touch-points throughout the customer
experience create business opportunities for a selected service sector
organization
If a company fail to satisfy his customers or clients, then his business will never see the face of
the success. Customer satisfaction is everything to become successful. And customer satisfaction
is much more important for a service industry. Because here no product is being sell rather they
are providing the service. For this kind of situation customer experience really helps a lot to
create business opportunities. Because it helps to understand what customer is wanting. How
customer experience could help the Goring Hotel to create profitable business opportunities are
given below in the form of a role play.

Manager: Good morning, Sir!

Customer: Good morning!

Manager: Sir, are you enjoying here, I belive you are having no problem here.

Customer: No, here the service is quite impressive. Thanks for asking.

Manager: Your'e most welcome Sir!. If you need anything then please let us know.

Customer: Sure. Actually i was going to ask you something. Do you know any good place for
doughnuts. nearby. My daughter realy loves doughnuts so much.

Manager: Yes sir! I can definitely help you with that . In fact we have room only for doughnuts.
its on your left side. Do you want me to escort you there?

Customer: Oh really! That’s really helps me a lot, now I don’t have to go far.

Manager: It's our pleasure sir. And out doughnuts are so popular. I hope your daughter will love
them.

Customer: Now that I know here is a Doughnut room, I'm liking this hotel more than before. my
daughter will be so glad.

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Manager: Thank you sir! I believe your daughter will enjoy the doughnut and you will enjoy
staying here.

How these touchpoints create business opportunities?

Customer experience touch points helps a company to understand about their service and how
the customers are reacting or to their services. How those touch points create profitable business
opportunities for the company are given below:

Website: Nowadays most of the customer uses organization website to book the service or pay
for the service. And some website has feedback option. From where organization could get idea
about their customer service condition. [ CITATION Cal19 \l 1033 ]

Review Site: Similar to website but it is used only to give review about the organization. The
Goring has a well optimized review site.

Text message: Text message is another effective way. They could simply just ask to their
customer about service. They could ask if they satisfied or not.

E-mail: The goring Hotel uses email way to ask their clients about their service. How was their
service and how could they improve their service.

Paper mail: This kind of feedback process is now kind of old dated. But in early 20s it was used
greatly by service sector to collect the data.

Telephone: In this way The Goring Hotel manager call the customer after he left the hotel. And
asks him was he satisfied and if not then how could they improve their service.

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P5 Examine how digital technology is employed in managing the
customer experience within the service sector, providing specific
examples of customer relationship management (CRM) systems
Doing business as a service organization is really tough nowadays. Because there are too much
competition and competitors are coming with new tactics every time. So customers are just
wanting more and more. For this kind of reason, The Goring Hotel always has to keep up with
the latest customer needs and what other their competitors are offering. They always try to keep
a good relation with their customers. [ CITATION Jes14 \l 1033 ] And modern digital
technology helps them to keep in touch with them easily. How the digital technology impact in a
customer relationship are described below.

Customer needs: Customers satisfaction is everything. So company always needs to know what
their customer wants. For this they have to keep in touch with them. And for this digital
technology are being used to communicate with them. It is used to map the customer experience.

Target market: There could be hundreds of service organization within the UK. But everyone is
unique than the other. And not all of them are targeting the same type of audience. In this
situation technology comes handy. The Goring hotel uses Facebook ads to promote their
business. And Facebook knows it better which person has the interest of The Goring Hotel
service.

Market Segmentation: There could be a lots of potential customers. But not all the potential
customers will take the service from the organization. So technology helps to understand which
types of customers has the possibilities to take the service from the company. Here also
Facebook, twitter ad system comes handy to understand customer type. [ CITATION Myb18 \l
1033 ]

Research: In a hospitality organization like The Gordon Hotel there are many guest every day.
And their records are being saved on a data management software. So analysing those data
management software will help them to research about customer reaction to the service they are
providing.

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P6 Illustrate customer service strategies in a specific service sector
context
If a company or organization don’t understand what their customers want, then they won’t be
able to see any success. Hotels are the best example to demonstrate the service of the hospitality
industry. As for the service industry they give service to their customers. And if they don’t
provide the service as their customer wants, then those customers won’t go to the next time. So
satisfying a customer required trained and professional employees to handle them. If company
wants to satisfy their customer, then they must choose some strategies. Few good customer
service tactics are given below:

 All the employees of must have a deep and complete knowledge about their hotel and
their services.
 Using all the latest technology to keep in touch with their clients and give proper service
via online.
 Listen to individual’s customer needs. What he/she wants.
 Train employees to understand the organization better and to give better service.
 Take all the negative review seriously. And deal with them to satisfy those customers.
 There should be always people for customer service.
 There should be various option for the customers to choose from.
 No customer problem should not be ignored or given less priority than other.

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P7 Demonstrate how customer service strategies create and develop
the customer experience in a way that meets the needs of the
customer and required business standards
For any company customer should be the most important factor. In the hospitality sector it is
much more vital. Because in a hospitality sector there is no particular goods to sell that will
cover bad service. In a hospitality industry service is the everything that matters. Now every
major company knows it better that customer satisfaction is everything if they wants to become
successful. The Goring Hotel has a great tract record of providing excellent service for their
customers. For those reason people value their hotel. How customer service strategies can help to
meet all the customer’s needs are given below:

 Every employee must know about everything of their hotel. So that, there will be no
situation where a customer can’t provide any service regarding to hotel information.
 They should provide service as they advertise. There should be no difference in service
and ad they provide online.
 They should always prioritize their customer needs. They should always sincere about
what their customers are wanting.
 By providing good service always they should create such a brand value that will create a
trust among their customers.
 Any individual customer problem should be dealt with the highest priority, so that they
don’t feel cheap by any means.

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Customer Audit Trail, Critical Observations

Name of hospitality business visited: The Lanes of London

15.11.2019-18.11.2019
Date and time of visit:

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Conclusion:
Customer takes the service from the company and pay for that. By that way company makes
profit. Customers are the vital factor for any company. They are the one who takes service from
the company. CEM or customer experience management is a system to make sure that customer
is getting their service as expected. And if possible giving them service more than their
expectation. The company makes a product or arrange service only for the customers. If
customers are happy and satisfied, then their business will be a success. So, everything a
company does to gain profit are involved with customers. If customers are not happy then
everything will be spoiled.

References

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crm.com/the_integration_of_technology_in_customer_relationship_management.html
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Firute, J., 2016. LiveChat BLog. [Online]

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Gartner, 2017. Gartner. [Online]

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management-cem
[Accessed 18 11 2019].

grind, S., 2016. startup grind. [Online]

Available at: https://www.startupgrind.com/blog/customer-experience-mapping-what-is-it-and-
how-to-do-it/
[Accessed 18 11 2019].

Jessoaks11, 2014. Smartdata. [Online]

Available at: https://www.smartdatacollective.com/how-technology-changed-customer-relation-
management-systems/
[Accessed 18 11 2019].

miner, C., 2019. Engagement optimization. [Online]

Available at: https://callminer.com/blog/what-is-a-customer-experience-map-how-to-create-an-
effective-customer-experience-map/
[Accessed 18 11 2019].

Spotless, 2017. Spotless. [Online]

Available at: https://www.spotless.co.uk/insights/8-things-you-should-include-in-your-customer-
experience-map/
[Accessed 18 11 2019].

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Virgin.com, 2016. Virgin. [Online]
Available at: https://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/six-factors-consider-when-choosing-location-
your-business
[Accessed 18 11 2019].

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