Hospitality and Customer Service Management (UG)

Module Objective 

The Hospitality Industry is categorised as a service industry and it is highly dependent on the quality of service. The main focus of the Hospitality Industry is to provide excellent customer service whilst fulfilling the needs of the customers. Hospitality Management focuses on the study of the running of restaurants; tourism and travel related organisations and businesses as well as hotels. Therefore, the profit of an organisation within the hospitality industry is highly dependent on the attraction of specific customers and ensuring the retaining of said customer.   This module will help students understand the importance of customer service management within their organisation specifically within the Tourism and Hospitality Industry

Learning outcomes:

Knowledge:

a) Introduction to Customer Service:  The role of customer service in Tourism & Hospitality. 

b) The Marketing Mix.  

c) Understanding the Customer:  a. Expectations.  b. Global Trends in Customer Behaviour and the Customer Experience. 

 d) Developing and Maintaining Customer Service:  a. The role of the employee in delivering service. b. Training and Development of the Workforce. c. The role of the customer. 

 e) Measuring Customer Service Quality: a. Market Research. b. Gaps Analysis. c. Different Research Areas. 

f) Building and Maintaining a good Relationship with the Customer: a. Relationship Marketing. b. Strategies for Customer Retention. c. Loyalty Programmes in Tourism and Hospitality. d. Benefits of Marketing. 

g) Technology and Customer Service.  

h) Service Recovery.  

i) Promoting Customer Service. 

Skills

a) Show an understanding of the importance of customer service management when working in any given organisation especially whilst working in the tourism and hospitality industry. 

b) Demonstrate an understanding of the marketing mix and how to cater for the various types of customers. 

c) Use various methodology to understand the expectations of consumers as well as the global trends which shape the expectations of the consumers to enhance the customer experience and ensure customer retention. 

d) Operate within an organisation whilst complying with the principles of developing and maintaining customers. 

e) Show an understanding of the role that technology plays in customer service. 

Judgment Skills and Critical Abilities

a) Assess the importance of customer service management to ensure the success of the hospitality organisation. 

b) Examine the importance of implement training and development to the workforce to ensure that said employees are up to date with the global trends shaping the expectations of the customers. 

c) Interpret the data retrieved from various research initiatives carried out to see the quality of the customer service being provided at the place of work. 

d) Measure the quality of the customer service using different methods taught within this module including the Gaps Analysis and propose ways to improve. 

e) Evaluate the importance of technology when ensure good quality of service to customers. 

f) Judge on the best methods to strengthen the customer services. 

Additional Module Specific Communication Skills

a) Report on the quality of the service being provided at the hospitality organisation by the analysis carried out through various market research initiatives. 

b) Discuss and present data in a manner that colleagues understand to help the overall quality being provided at the place of work. 

c) Interact with customers in a manner that provides them with the expected quality of service. d) Undertake further studies within the subject. 

Competences

a) Collaborate with colleagues working within different departments in the workplace to ensure good quality of service. 

b) Carry out research initiatives to measure customer service quality using models like GAPS model of service quality. 

c) Monitor customer service quality using various market research. 

d) Be responsible for providing good customer service to the customers whilst also understanding the value that this in return brings to the hospitality organization overall. 

e) Ensure the provision of good customer service to assure customer retention within the workplace. 

f) Manage service encounters by assessing the importance of the role of the employees, the role of the customer and the role of training your employees to cater for said consumers.