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Learner’s Note:
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Total quality management can be regarded as a very important aspect in any organization that
looks forward to delivery products, services or projects in a very efficient manner. The five
characteristics of TQM are as follows –
Benchmarking
Customer Feedback
Teamwork
Continuous Improvement
Empowerment
Ross (2017) suggested that customers are someone who buys certain products and services
for their own use. However, outside this category there are also people who, by being a part
of the distribution process act as customers. Four types of external customers are as follows –
Any individual or group that is in the internal environment of the organization, and benefits
from the efforts can be termed as internal customers. Few types of important internal
customers as follows –
Team Members
Colleagues
Committees and its members
Staff from different departments
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Q4: Why should you take the initiative to obtain information on customer needs and
expectations?
Consumers can be regarded as one of the most important stakeholders of any firm and
therefore, in order to secure consumer interests, obtaining information on consumer needs is
very important. The reasons below can also be termed as important.
Q5: List three formal and three informal ways to get information on customers’ needs
and expectations.
To understand the needs or expectations from the consumers there are many ways which can
be categorised in formal and informal ways. The formal ways are as follows –
Need Analysis
Competitor Analysis
Market analysis
Conducting Surveys
Consumer Interviews
Focus Groups
Q6: Discuss how you could obtain formal feedback from customers to research their
satisfaction levels.
Recording satisfaction is very important to make sure that firm is well aware of all the
different activities it needs to conduct to satisfy consumers. In this case, feedback can be
gathered by the following ways –
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Q7: What information do companies want to know about when conducting formal
customer feedback?
According to Lamberson & Page (2018), there are different types of information that
companies need to know when collecting feedback. Some of them are as follows –
Q8: Identify two ways you could provide opportunities for staff to give you feedback on
The staff at any organization can also be important for providing feedbacks so that services
and products can be tailored to perfection. Two ways to do this are as follows –
Q9: State three changes in the internal environment which could impact your quality
service planning.
Quality service planning can be very important in terms of makings sure that the quality
service planning has been done effectively. Three such changes in the internal environment
are as follows –
Management changes
Recruitment practices
Technological changes
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Q10: State two changes in the external environment which could impact your quality
service planning.
The external environment can also cause changes to happen within the service planning
process as there are a lot f stakeholders related with this part. The reasons for change can be
as follows –
Q11: List the policies and procedures that are created to ensure quality customer
service provision.
To ensure quality service provision it must be made sure that the certain procedures are taken
into account. The procedures that must be taken into account are as follows –
Q12: Describe how you can protect your plans to ensure customer service outcomes.
The plans that will be set can fail due to unavoidable circumstances and therefore, the
following aspects will help protect the plans effectively -
Enough capital
Adequate staff
Sufficient staff
Adequate facilities
Materials
Q13: List two professional service standards hospitality staff must adhere to.
The hospitality sector has many standards that it must follow in order to be effective and few
of them are as follows –
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Q14: What attitudes and attributes are expected by the service industry to work with
customers?
There are some specific activities that are expected from the employees within the hospitality
industry. Those are as follows –
Q15: Provide three reasons you should involve staff in developing customer service
practices.
The staffs in most of the occasions have a direct contact with the consumers and hence they
can communicate better with the consumers.
If the employees are more psychologically involved, they will be more loyal to the
organizations.
The process also encourages employees to be more responsible and thus they must be
involved in the practices.
Q16: Explain how staff can participate in developing customer service practices.
The staff can be effectively involved in the practices if the organizational management follow
the steps below –
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Q17: Discuss the similarities and differences between standards, policies and
procedures.
Standards are usually determined by law and it relates with the benchmarks that set
acceptance levels.
Policies are guidelines set by the internal management of any organization that helps in
guiding operations
Procedures are the rules that employees have to follow in order to execute the policies.
If a step by step process is followed, the policies and procedures can be developed effectively
Q19: Write a procedure for a customer service duty you commonly perform in your
In the workplace, if a consumer is unhappy with any equipment in his or her room. Then after
receiving the complaint, the main aim is to carry the complaint to the room service
department as soon as possible. The rule is to then inform the departmental manager who will
bring a technician to fix the issue.
Q20: Provide a brief description of consumer protection laws in these categories and an
organisation’s responsibilities under it for the following.
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Total quality management can be described as a process that is related to enabling every staff
to maintain high standards of quality of working so that operational results are according to
the desires.
Q22: Which people in the workplace should you communicate policies, procedures and
expectations to?
Corones et al. (2016) opined that within the working environment, the policies, procedures
and expectations must be communicated with the departmental managers or line managers as
well as the employees.
Q24: State two ways you can check that colleagues understand policies and procedures.
To check if colleagues understanding we need to ask them to explain the policies and
procedures to us.
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Physical Demonstration: The staff and colleagues could explain certain practical tasks
Q25: List five places you can keep policies so they’re readily available to both staff and
customers.
On our website
In staff manuals
In common areas
In contracts
Q26: What are the roles and responsibilities of management, supervisors and other
employees in the monitoring and provision of quality customer service?
According to Lau et al. (2017), roles and responsibilities can be assigned as follows:
fashion each reporting to their super ordinates. They prepare policies, analyze reports
Supervisors: Their main job is to look after the staff and ensure they follow
Customer service staff: Main workers who keep stores clean and interact with
customers.
Trainee: Apply their new skills to work like other staffs but within restraints.
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Q27: Write two open questions you could use to start a conversation with a colleague
about customer service problems or training needs.
Q28: List four types of internal or external staff training you could initiate to enhance
customer service.
Distance learning
Self-directed study
Attending seminars
Coaching
Q29: Your customer service team is concerned about a new colleague whose
performance is not up to scratch. They say the trainee’s bad attitude is affecting
customer service outcomes. Describe what you would do.
To improve customer service we should deal with the new employee, talk to him about
policies and understand his problems related to the job. We should try to resolve his issues
and provide him with a more comfortable environment to strengthen his bond with other team
members.
Q30: State the steps you would take to resolve any team disputes that have arisen from
the issues with customer service.
To manage team disputes, we must sense the issues of customer service and understand the
factors leading to disputes like employee stress and personal disagreements in customer
service techniques.
Q31: List four attitudes and attributes you should model as a manager of service
industry personnel.
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Hanna & Dodge (2017) suggested that the four attitudes and attributes we should model as a
manager are:
Increased job satisfaction: We must cater to the needs of the employees and regard
ourselves as a family.
Increased loyalty: Loyalty is earned from both customers and employees and it adds
Increased team spirit: Team members in customer service must have an instilled sense
Q32: Describe six ways you can demonstrate responsibility and accountability.
Keeping commitments
To help us understand every member’s role within the departments and teams.
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To help us understand the organisational hierarchy and where we are located in the
structure tree.
Q34: List six policies you should make readily available to customers.
Dress code
Cancellation policies
Package inclusions
No smoking policies
Q35: Identify six industry schemes aimed at improving customer service (including but
not limited to accreditation schemes).
ISO Accreditations
GreenPower Accreditation
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Q37: List five ways you can prevent or resolve communication breakdowns.
Q38: Identify three ways you can seek ongoing feedback from staff and customers.
Celuch et al. (2015) opined that three ways to seek ongoing feedback are:
Q39: List four measurements you can use to assess and evaluate your effectiveness when
it comes to business performance, customer satisfaction, staff performance, etc.
Q40: Identify six more general methods of assessing and evaluating your effectiveness
with regards to quality customer service.
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Employee satisfaction
Q41: Explain four ways you can identify when you need to adjust standards, systems,
policies and procedures.
Customer service issues identified: When problems regarding customer services are
Changes made: When new changes are made, new policies and standards should be
implemented.
Failing to meet customer needs: Sometimes policies do not work as intended, and in
Outdated procedure: Some procedures, efficient in the past have become ineffective
Continuous Improvement Approach states that syatems and procedures must always improve
and evolve with customer needs, change in economy and society. They aim at evolving the
operations and processes by eliminating the time wasted in redundant and outdated
procedures and hence enhancing the performance.
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Permanent employees
Loyal customers
Q44: Provide three tips for communicating new customer service approaches
effectively.
Three tips for communicating the new customer service approach are:
Make a list of all employee names, both permanent and casual to ensure the total
Make a checklist to keep track of people communicated and those that are yet to be
informed.
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Q46: Look at the performance matrix. What is the systemic service problem that will
need some attention?
The performance problem lies in the customer service department. Even though importance is
given to the knowledge of tour leader, it fails to please the customers. Also, more importance
is needed to be given to bus facilities.
Q47: List two sources of information on current service trends in the hospitality
industry that affect service delivery.
Two sources of information on current service trends that affect service delivery are:
Customer profile: It enlists the most frequent customers. It would help in gaining
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References:
Celuch, K., Robinson, N. M., & Walsh, A. M. (2015). A framework for encouraging retail
customer feedback. Journal of Services Marketing, 29(4), 280-292.
Corones, S. G., Christensen, S. A., & Howell, N. (2016). Submission to Australian Consumer
Law Review Issues Paper.
Hanna, N., & Dodge, H. R. (2017). Pricing: policies and procedures. Macmillan
International Higher Education.
Lamberson, P. J., & Page, S. E. (2018). First mover or higher quality? Optimal product
Lau, P. Y. Y., Tong, J. L. T., Lien, B. Y. H., Hsu, Y. C., & Chong, C. L. (2017). Ethical work
climate, employee commitment and proactive customer service performance: Test of
the mediating effects of organizational politics. Journal of Retailing and Consumer
Services, 35, 20-26.
Ross, J. E. (2017). Total quality management: Text, cases, and readings. Routledge.
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