Unit 4 – Customer Service
P1- The Importance of Customer Service:
Customer service is vital for many businesses in all industry’s. This is especially true in the Travel and
Tourism industry. It is vital that all company’s train their employees to an appropriate standard as
they are most likely always the face of the company. If they were to leave a bad impression on the
customer then the company will risk loosing business and ultimately income. Due to the rise of the
internet being used and accessed more frequently, there are many ways for customers to leave
reviews of the business, and thus make it easier to put the company in bad light if they were to leave
a bad review as many people will see it and may choose to boycott the company. However, if they
were to get good feedback, due to good customer service then it is likely that the customer will
recommend them to friends and family’s and thus meaning they gain more traction and income.
Furthermore, if the company makes sure that they are providing great customer service, it is likely
that they will gain repeat customers that they will be able to rely on in future if they ever struggle
financially as they will have gained customer reliability. It will also increase their image in the
industry and gain more traction as more people will choose to use them. If they do not provide
satisfactory customer service then it is very likely that the business will eventually fail. This is likely as
the staff will get frustrated and eventually leave due to them wanting to find a better job, they will
also project their feelings onto the customer as they will not care about the business if they are not
being treated right by the company and thus wont care if they loose business.
It is important for the customer as they are choosing to invest their money into the company and
thus will expect a high level of satisfaction. If they receive good customer service, then it is likely that
they will return in future (which is good for the company as they gain a loyal customer that they can
rely on), they will also make sure that they choose to invest more money in the company and
recommend it to people whom they know. They would expect from a company to receive friendly,
polite and helpful customer service as this will help them feel welcome and will increase their level
of satisfaction. If the customer is not happy with the product, it would be still beneficial for them to
receive good customer service as they will then have something positive to reflect on when they
think about the company or are looking to use them again in future.
It is also very important for the employee. This is because if they provide bad customer service then
it is likely they will get positive feedback from the company that they are working for and will most
likely get incentives or a promotion which is appealing for them as they will make more money and
progress in the business. Furthermore, if they feel satisfied with the fact they are providing good
customer service then they will most likely stay on in the company and thus feel like they have job
security, which will then lead on to a happier working environment which then will ultimately reflect
back on them providing even better customer service if they are feeling satisfied with their job.
P2 - describe customer service provision in travel and tourism organisations to meet the
individual needs of different types of customers:
Emirates is a leading example in providing great customer service regarding the products
and services offered. They offer a range of products and services depending on which ‘class’
you are in. For example, if you are in economy you will only get basic service – a pillow,
blanket, standard meal and the option to check in online, however, if you are in First class
then you get access to the lounges for free, chauffer service, 3 course meal, the option to
choose your seat beforehand for free and an amenity’s kit, crew usually spend more
attention on you as well, as there is less passengers. This is a range of products and services
, which will suit almost everyone’s needs and wants. Furthermore, they provide these
services at a reasonable price to accommodate peoples needs.
Ryanair are very good at dealing with complaints they receive from
customers. If you complain to Ryanair, then they have a complaints
procedure that they will follow. Depending on the nature of the complaint, they will ask
what flight it was and for your booking reference, they will then perhaps offer you
something such as a gift card – such as £20 off the next flight you book with them. They will
also apologise and try and follow up with the complaint and inform people involved. This is
good customer service as they ensure that what they offer will entice the customer to use
them again in future.
Depending on which TUI service you use, there may be different problems that occur. For
example, if you are on a TUI flight, and it ends up being delayed then they will apologise and
offer additional information to when the delay will be fixed. They train their staff thoroughly
on ways to handle numerous issues and look to employ staff that have experience in
customer service and are problem solvers and look for the best solution in a short amount
of time
EasyJet reply fairly quickly to emails and tweets and if they are contacted on their phone
number. This is helpful as many customers will want their complaints, questions and queries
to be answered quickly as they may have other stuff to sort out. They aim to reply in 24
hours as they understand that it is not fair on customers to keep them waiting for a reply as
some queries can be very important and require a quick prompt reply.
There are many bad press stories about United, these will
not help their company images at all. Therefore, it is vital
that their company service is up to a high standard in order for them to not get any more
bad press. Therefore, any reviews that they receive are very important to them. They also
make sure that their crew receives regular training. They want to make sure they provide
good customer service in order to keep an income within the company, otherwise they will
loose profit. By making sure they keep a good company image through customer service,
then this will reflect onto the customers who will want to return as they have received good
service.
EuroStar try and meet customer needs in different ways. For example, they have disabled
access for disabled customers, food and drink services offered on board which are helpful if
someone suffers with diabetes, 24x7 customer service, special ticket options if you must
travel with a career and the option to book special assistance. This is an example of good
customer service as they are taking all different types of customers and their needs into
consideration, therefore will lead them onto feeling like they are cared about the majority
of the time by the company.
P&O aim to make every journey memorable and therefore they try to exceed customer
expectations in many ways, for example, if It’s your birthday and you have subscribed to
them then they will often send you a gift voucher. Furthermore, if it’s someone’s birthday
on board during a cruise they often offer Birthday Cake and Champagne for them.