LYCEUM-NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Dagupan City, Pangasinan

COLLEGE OF HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT
COLLEGE OF TOURISM MANAGEMENT

TM_3 Tour and Travel Management with Airport and Airline

Familiarization

Prelims - Study Guide

Lesson 1
Customer Service

I. Overview

In this lesson, students will understand the importance of customer service in the
Hospitality and Tourism Industry, particularly the travel industry and food service
industry. Students will analyze how to anticipate customer needs.

II. Module Learning Outcomes

After completing this study guide, you will be able to:

1. Identify the importance of customer service
2. Enumerate the skills needed for customer service

III. Key Concepts

1. Qualities, types and roles of Customer Service.

IV. Content/ Lectures/ Readings/ Learning Resources

1. Participate in a discussion and answer this question:

a. What are your past experiences with customer service in a hotel/resort
where you stay in the past?
b. Why customer service important in the tourism industry?

2. Read and follow the instructions stated in the learning activities part of this
module on how to participate in the discussion.

3. Watch the YouTube Video Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnQ7L4WFrcQ

The following are guide questions which will guide you as your read your main
reference book and watch the video:
 • What is the importance of customer service in the business?
• What are the most important customer service skills a good customer service
needs?
• Why customer service is important?

4. Lectures
a. Qualities, types and roles of Customer Service.
b. Importance of customer service.
c. Effects of a good customer service.

Lesson 1 – Customer Service

Why Customer Service is Important in the Hospitality Industry. To better

understand the importance of customer service in the hospitality industry, you must first
look at the industry itself. The hospitality industry includes all businesses in which
customer interactions is a core component of their operations, including but not limited
to hotels, restaurants, bars, resorts, theme parks and tourist destinations. When
hospitality businesses such as these overlook the value of customer service, they
typically attract fewer customers and generate fewer sales.Customer Services Affects
70% of all Purchase Decisions. Many factors affect whether or not a consumer will
purchase a hospitality business's products or services. Among the most influential,
though, is customer service. According to a McKinsey study, 70% of all purchase
decisions are affected by customer service.Customers are Twice as Likely to Share a
Negative Experience. Another reason customer service is important in the hospitality
industry is because it affects businesses' reviews. A report published by American
Express suggests that customers are twice as likely to share a negative experience
about a business than a positive experience.Why does this matter? It matters because
people search for online reviews -- especially for hospitality businesses -- before buying
a business's products or services. If a hospitality business acquires dozens of negative
customer reviews, it will discourage other prospective customers from visiting their
establishment and buying their products or services.Customer Service Differentiates
Hospitality Businesses from their CompetitorsThe hospitality industry isn't without
competition. There are tens of thousands of hospitality businesses throughout the
country and abroad. However, hospitality businesses can differentiate themselves from
their competitors by offering exceptional, positive customer service. When a customer
has an excellent experience with a business, he or she will remember that business,
thereby increasing the chance of future purchases.

List of the Most Important Customer Service Skills (According to Data)

1. Persuasive Speaking Skills

Think of the most persuasive speaker in your organization. Is he or she a salesperson?
Chances are the answer is yes. Persuasion has long been recognized as an important
sales skill, but it can also be invaluable for your customer service.

2. Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s emotions and to understand their
point of view. How is empathy an important service skill? Consider that 70% of buying
experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated. It’s not about
whether the problem was solved, if there was a refund, or how much time was spent —
at least, it’s not entirely, or even mostly, about those issues. Business people are so
used to thinking about the bottom line, but the bottom line in most customers’ minds
isn’t financial; it’s emotional. Emotions are more important than facts, plain and simple.

3. Adaptability
When you work directly with the public, your days are never exactly the same. People
aren’t the same. Did you know that 60% of customers change how they contact you
depending on where they are and what they’re doing? That means you’ll have inquiries
coming in via phone, email, social media, and maybe even in person — sometimes all
from the very same customers. Luckily, a good CRM is equipped to handle this
challenge by integrating ticket sources and making customer information available no
matter what channel you’re using. Customer service reps need that same mental
flexibility to respond to a variety of situations in whichever way your customers prefer at
the moment.

4. Ability to Use Positive Language

If your customer contacts you, chances are it’s because he or she has a problem. But
despite a customer’s anger, frustration, or defeatism, reps need to stay positive. It’s
okay to empathize with the customer — in fact, it’s a key component of great service —
but keep it as upbeat as you can. Steer the conversation toward a positive outcome with
use positive language. Focus on the solution. Thank customers for their patience,
understanding, and valued loyalty.

5. Clear Communication Skills

In fact, 33% of clients say that efficiently answering questions is the most important skill
that a customer service agent can have. Mumbling, losing focus, or using unclear
language can be the source of many dissatisfied customer experiences. Your agents
can be the most empathetic, professional, and positive people in the business, but they
also must be able to communicate well with customers.

6. Self-Control
To piggyback on a well-known truism, working in customer service is like a box of
chocolates: You never know what you’re going to get. It could be an irate customer one
minute, a completely confused person the next, or a perfectly patient customer who
turns around and criticizes your company on Facebook. In a world where a single
negative social media post about your company has as much impact on buyer decisions
as five positive ones, that’s a pretty big deal. As stressful and anxiety-inducing as
customer service can be, your reps need to have self-control — even when your
customers don’t. They need to remain calm even when attacked, positive when faced
with pessimism, and professional when a customer gets personal. There are very few
consequences for a customer when they blow up at a rep. The consequences of not
having self-control when interacting with a customer, however, are often irreparable.

7. Taking Responsibility
Just because you solve a customer’s issue doesn’t mean they’ll stick around, but how
you solve an issue is just as important as providing a solution. The key is to take
responsibility for the customer’s care.

8. Patience
When being shouted at, insulted, and rudely rushed are all just a part of your day, it
can seem like playing Russian Roulette every time you pick up the phone or otherwise
greet a customer. But keeping your cool is critical to great customer service. According
to a study at the University of Toronto, impatience makes doing hard things (like
talking down an irate customer) even harder. It also impedes your enjoyment of life,
and if you think dealing with unhappy customers is a pain, just wait until they make
your whole department ornery. Instead, breathe. Realize that this person’s anger has
little to do with you, but that you have the chance to turn their day — and their problem
— into something positive.

9. Effective Listening
All of your agents could do their jobs better with a little more training, and an easy way
to start is by teaching your staff how to listen effectively. Listening skills are about more
than just turning up the volume on a headset. It’s about taking the time to truly
understand a customer’s issue and then letting them know you’re paying attention.
Often, simply rephrasing the issue in your own words and asking a customer if that
sounds right is enough to make them feel like you really understand them.

10. Attentiveness
According a 2015 Employee Engagement Trends Report, your customer service reps
are probably among the least engaged of your employees. And if they’ve checked out,
your customers will, too, and you’ll miss the chance to stop them from moving on to one
of your competitors.

11. Time Management

Process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between different
activities.

12. Willingness to Improve

Willingness to improve is a skill you need in your employees no matter what department
they’re in. It’s a skill we all need in order to succeed.

13. Knowledge
If your reps aren’t up-to-date on company policies, product specs, and how the
purchasing process works, they won’t be able to answer customer questions efficiently.
Plus, believe it or not, many customer service inquiries can be great opportunities to
make yet another sale. The chances of selling to an existing customer are 50 to 55%
better than selling to a new customer — but only if your reps know enough to make the
right offer at the right time.

14. Ability to Admit You Don’t Have the Answer

Customers arm themselves with knowledge and generally attempt to solve their own
issues before contacting your reps. While it may be embarrassing when a customer
knows more than your customer service representative, if that rep gets flustered while
trying to hide a lack of knowledge, you may lose business. Instead, encourage your
reps to admit when they don’t know something or are wrong, and offer to find the
answer.

15. Thick Skin

Reps are on the front lines of your business, and they need some solid armor.
Insults, anger, and frustration need to bounce off them like Nerf balls.
A strong customer service department is founded by solid leadership and empowered
employees. Start there, then build your team with an emphasis on the customer service
skills listed here, and your customer satisfaction scores will react accordingly and in
your favor.

Effects of Good Customer Service in a Business:

1. Customer Loyalty – it costs more to acquire new customers that it does to retain
them. Excellent customer service ensures customer loyalty.
2. Word of Mouth – customers love to talk about their experiences. Good customer
service will ensure a positive message passed along.
3. Differentiator – with so many competitors out there, it is difficult to keep
differentiating your product and price. Excellent customer service is an effective
way to differentiate yourself from your competitor.
Optional Activity:

You will be given extra points in your class standing if you will be able do this activity
Answer this question:
State where you experienced good and bad customer service in any tourism related
establishments (hotel, resort, restaurants, parks etc.). How did you feel? How did you
deal with it? What is your observation: what could have done better?

Note: If it is not possible to participate in an online due to internet problems, just save your answers in a digitized
format in a USB flash drive then send it thru courier at Lyceum-Northwestern University College of Hospitality
Management, Tapuac District, Dagupan City, Pangasinan or drop it thru the designated drop-boxes at the university.

V. Assessment/ Evaluation

The assessment at the end of this lesson involves students acting out the customer
service scenarios they developed in the independent practice section.

Important:
Submit your answer in the submission bin in Google Classroom entitled “Submission
Bin for Assessment 1: Customer Service” (Due: Sept 13,
2021,9am)

Rubric for Assessment 1:

Note: If it is not possible to participate in an online due to internet problems, just save your answers
in a digitized format in a USB flash drive then send it thru courier at LyceumNorthwestern University
College of Hospitality Management, Tapuac District, Dagupan City, Pangasinan or drop it thru the
designated drop-boxes at the university.

VI. Module Summary

Customer Service is Important in the Hospitality Industry. To better understand

the importance of customer service in the hospitality industry, you must first look at
the industry itself. The hospitality industry includes all businesses in which customer
interactions is a core component of their operations, including but not limited to
hotels, restaurants, bars, resorts, theme parks and tourist destinations.

List of the Most Important Customer Service Skills (According to Data):

- Persuasive Speaking Skills

- Empathy
- Adaptability
- Ability to Use Positive Language
- Clear Communication Skills
- Self-Control
- Taking Responsibility
- Patience
- Effective Listening
- Attentiveness
- Time Management
- Willingness to Improve
- Knowledge
- Ability to Admit You Don’t Have the Answer
- Thick Skin

Self-Reflection Questions
Kindly reflect on the following questions:
1. Was I able to know the importance of customer service?
2. Was I able to know the proper way to handle customers?