Customer Service Training Marketing Plan, Essay Example

Company Introduction

Home Style Hotel is an upper-middle to high-end hotel. It is not a franchise and is dependent on every customer for its survival. They have continued to show increases year after year, and in many cases have managed to make more annually than most of the other local competitors. One thing that Home Style Hotel’s owner learned early on is that service adds value to the customer. “The core product is the central component that supplies the principal problem-solving benefits customers seek.” (Wirtz & Lovelock 2011) Even if the hotel and its amenities are perfect, a poor service experience will ruin the overall impression. Home Style Hotel is committed to a service training marketing plan, and to create an environment where customer service is just as important as their facility.

Orientation

During employee orientation, there are many topics that need to be addressed in detail. First, it’s implementation of corporate culture. This is what characterized the organization, what signifies it, what it is known for. In order for any employee to be successful at this hotel, they have to understand that service is a number one priority. Whereas keeping the hotel clean and updated at all times, the employee’s interaction with every customer is just as imperative. “In order to survive in this demanding market place, service organizations have only one choice, to successfully develop and launch new services.” (Kitsios 2006) Consistency and creativity in the service area will set one establishment apart from another.

Due to distinctive challenges in customer service training, it is necessary to implement the 7 P’s of services marketing. These include Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, and Physical evidence. The product is Home Style Hotel and all of its amenities. The product sells itself, but it cannot distinguish itself apart from other hotels. The price is very comparable with the local competitors, and when the service is factored into the equation, the guest definitely gets their monies worth. When discussing the place in the hotel industry, it refers to the location. Home Style Hotel is centrally located to be easily accessible from anywhere in the city. Accessibility adds value as well. In the customer service training marketing program, the primary promotion used is a word or mouth and referrals. This hotel depends heavily on the guests telling their family and friends about their experience and referring them on. The only other promotion used is their website, and occasional ad placed in travel magazines. All of the 7 P’s in service marketing are important; however, one of the most crucial is people. Customers base their opinion, not only on the facility, but on the employees equally. If an employee lacks proper training, aptitude, people skills, and the basic ability to offer above and beyond service to the guest, it can form the consumer’s opinion on the facility. The employees are who give us the competitive advantage. The process is the how the day to day business is handled. This includes checking the guest in, taking reservations, responding to service needs immediately and professionally. There is a very strict process in place to address every guest in a quick and professional manner. And finally, the physical evidence is an element that affects the consumer’s opinion about the organization. The hotel’s appearance, its cleanliness and an inviting environment all add to the service marketing. Each and every one of these factors are important for the overall success of this training program.

The values of proposition must address and utilize three main factors: Core product, supplementary services, and delivery process. The core product is Home Style Hotel’s building. This includes the rooms, the pool, the workout facility, the banquet halls, and the bar. Whereas the building is very appealing that is not enough to distinguish Home Style Hotel from its competitors. The last main point in the value of the proposition is the delivery process. If a customer asked the employee to carry the bags to their room, and the employee does so, but begrudgingly, the delivery has completely voided out the entire service process. Having great amenities and service is invaluable if it cannot be delivered well. This coincides with the hotel’s service guarantee. We ensure our customers will be satisfied with their stay, if something is wrong we will make it right.

Ongoing Training

Expectations are measured by the quality of service. This means Home Style Hotel has set a standard with their service marketing, now there is an expectation in place from their consumers. With that in mind, there ongoing training is essential to maintain changing standards and the demands of the market. Training attributes measure both tangible and intangible goods and services provided to the consumer.

An important factor to keep in mind as well when implementing ongoing training is the halo effect. This is when one experience changes the entire view of the consumer. All of the good that had happened up until that point becomes nonexistent. Home Style Hotel realizes that it would only take one employee who is void of the adequate training to ruin a customer’s perception of the hotel. There are mandatory training hours that have to be fulfilled by every employee on staff yearly. Management needs eighty-hours of ongoing training and the regular employees it is forty-hours.

Home Style Hotels does respect model-management. This is the theory that employees are capable of being self-motivated and if trained adequately can make appropriate decisions in regards to customer service and delivery. By utilizing ongoing training, they are assuring that the employees are able to be self-motivating and function with minimal supervision.

Measurement of Training

The hotel measures the training by the success of the business. Regardless of how structured any one training program is, there is no way to tell if it is a benefit until you see the students in action. “Experts say that no single training method is right for every situation. Instead, training is situational; some objectives can be more easily accomplished through one method while other objectives are more easily achieved through another method.” (Woods) Knowing that the training program has to adapt based on the need, the demand, and the consumer allows changes to be made in the training program as necessary. Increased business and the customer service satisfaction are the only true measurement of the implemented training.

Develop the Training Techniques

Utilizing the 4’s of marketing to Services. The hotel considers the core product with limited supplemental services.  They enhance it with the supplemental service and in the end they have the total package of both benefits and experience.  In order for this to work, the hotel has to develop the best training techniques.  This can be done by researching what competitors do and notating the points that stand out.  Home Style Hotels teaches consistency in an inconsistent environment.  Training how to adapt to any situation, expected or unexpected. Sticking with a process until it is perfected; commitment is just as relevant as creativity. Accountability:

Training personnel how to provide excellent service is completely void of value if there is no accountability in place. This means holding them to the standard by which they have been taught. Even the best made customer service training marketing program will be worthless if there is no means of accountability implemented. There are many ways to hold employees accountable, but it is important to have a means to track performance as well.

Control Chart to graph quantitative changes in service based on predetermined standards. This will show factors both tangible and intangible in regard to a customer’s visit. Utilizing comment cards and always having a manager on duty will not only allow the customer to express any potential concerns, but will allow them to be fixed immediately. And competency check points in the customer service training marketing program. By implementing a means to track performance based on standard will be a viable step in employee accountability. If employees are never held accountable for their service and performance, most likely they won’t follow the standards set for them throughout this training process.

“Service marketing is relationship driven. It is individuals you know and who know you and respect your skills.” (Horton) Home Style Hotel has implemented this training program with the intent of being relationship driven. They have and will continue to earn respect for their facility and the service they provide to each and every one of their consumers. Their service marketing, ongoing training, and accountability will be what give them the competitive advantage over the other programs.

References

Wirtz, Jochen & Christopher H. Lovelock. (2011)  Services Marketing 7th Edition. Prentice Hall

Kitsios, Fotis C. (2006) Services Marketing in the Hospitality Economy: An Exploratory Study. Retrieved from:   http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/10043/1/sp06ki04.pdf

Horton, James L. The Secret of Service Marketing.  Retrieved from: http://www.scribd.com/doc/19431241/Service-Marketing-Secret

Woods, Robert H. Ph.D. Training and Development.  Retrieved from: https://www.imcea.org/cmce/chapter18.pdf