Customer Service

• Service is an activity that is done for another person

• Customer service in a hospitality business is the total customer experience with that business

• This includes: performance of the staff• courtesy of the staff• cleanliness of the property• and way customers are

treated during their 1st visit

Customer vs. Guest

A customer is someone that purchases products or services from a business

A guest is a customer who purchases products or services from a hospitality business

These words may be used interchangeably!

Main Reason….

• Customer is the main reason for the hospitality industry

• No customers; no business!!!

• The industry depends on return customers• Poor service is the #1 reason customers

do not return• Service is critical……………………….

Who are the customers?

• It’s everyone in all shapes, sizes, nationalities, religions, backgrounds, etc.

• With the increase in world travel, people are traveling everywhere. In just 1 resort you could have guests from all 50 states, Japan, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

• They would all have different languages, customs, expectations and needs

• The best way to understand people is to develop empathy-----ability to put yourself in their shoes and know how they feel

Customers’ Needs

• Hungry? Need a place to eat• Hot? Need a cool drink and place to

cool off• Tired? Need a place to rest, sleep• Want to feel welcomed? Return to a

familiar place where server recognizes you,

• THE QUALITY OF FEELING WELCOME IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE QUALITY OF THE FOOD OR THE HOTEL ROOM

Hospitality Businesses satisfy both physical and

psychological needs!• Maslow: created a method to describe

how needs are met• He ranked them in order to most basic

to higher needs• Called a hierarchy; represented in a

pyramid

Most basic are at the bottom (physical and safety needs)---these must be filled before the person has the energy to pursue higher needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Higher Needs

• These are mostly psychological needs• These include: need to feel accepted• need for self esteem• desire for self-

actualization• Self-actualization means expressing

your true self through reaching personal goals and helping other people

• This is being all that you can be; reaching your full potential!

Satisfying Customer Needs

n. Positive feeling customers have about a business that meets their needs

• Customer satisfaction is the positive feeling customers have about a business that meets their needs

• Quality service is service that meets or exceeds customer expectations

• Consistent quality service is providing the same good service each and every time they come into your business

Why is quality service important?

• Word of Mouth publicity----people talk about their experiences to their family and friends and whether good or bad pass on an opinion about a business

Hospitality Employees

• Front of house: area of a hospitality business that customers see…..dining room, entrance

• Back of house: area of a hospitality business that customers usually do not see: kitchen, laundry

• Customer focused employee: one who can anticipate customers needs

Critical Moment

A time when the customer’s experience makes a bigger impact on a customer’s satisfaction than at other times

such as: phone calls, building entrance,

The greeter, the wait, the table or hotel room, busser or server, manager, arrival of food, restroom, the bill or check, the goodbye!