Service: The Heart of Hospitality

1. Service: The Heart of Hospitality Chapter 2 Hospitality & Tourism

2. Introduction • Service: activity that is done for another person (often refers to the act or manner of serving food & drink-more than that-satisfy people’s needs) • Customer Service: total customer experience with that business (performance of all staff, cleanliness of property, and the way customers are treated during their visit)

3. Customers • Customer: is someone who purchases products or services from a business (department store, hotel, etc.) • Guest: customer who purchases products or services from a hospitality business • Guest & Customer are used interchangeably • Customer is the main reason of the hospitality industry • If there were no customers, there would be no business • Poor service is the #1 reason customers do not return to a business

4. Who is the Customer? • Come in all shapes, sizes, abilities, personalities, ethnic backgrounds, & religions • Come from all over the world • Different languages, customs, & expectations • Some have special needs (diabetes, wheelchair, etc) • Hospitality workers need to develop the ability to understand and relate to all different kinds of people • Empathy: ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and know how that person feels • Will help you figure out customer’s needs

5. Customer’s Needs • Customers look for a place where they feel welcome • Quality of feeling welcome is often more important than the quality of the food or the comfort of the hotel room • Hospitality industry satisfies both physical and psychological needs of customers • Abraham Maslow: developed a method to describe how human needs are met. • Maslow’s Hierarchy • Basic needs are at the bottom of the pyramid • Needs at the bottom of the pyramid must be partially or fully met before you can move up the pyramid

7. Satisfying Customer Needs • Customer Satisfaction: positive feeling customers have about a business that meets their needs • Hospitality companies meet the needs of their customers through quality service • Quality Service: service that meets or exceeds customer expectations • Expectations change with the situation • Expectations at a fast food restaurant are different than those at a 5 star restaurant • Certain expectations are universal (treated with dignity & respect)

8. Quality Service • Quality service is the key to establishing & maintaining a successful business • Important service elements: • Cleanliness and attractive appearance of facilities and grounds • Employees who respond quickly to requests • Employees who anticipate customers’ needs • These elements are based on good training and the attitude of employees

9. Consistent Service • Consistent quality service: providing the same good service and products to customers each and every time they come to your business • Delivering quality service always involves people • Service Encounter: interaction between a customer and a staff member • Basic building blocks of quality hospitality service • Service encounters occur before, during, and even after the customer’s visit • Employees must be at their best at all times to ensure good service encounters • Hospitality businesses often fail or succeed based on the quality of service

10. Importance of Service • Quality service is important because people often talk about their experiences • Customer Focused Employees: employee who can anticipate customer needs • Customer Focused Employees have the following 6 characteristics • Make immediate eye contact • Have good posture • Smile warmly • Respond quickly to requests • Use the customer’s name whenever possible • Clean and well groomed

11. Hospitality Employees • People who provide quality service in the hospitality industry • Two groups • Front of House: employees that guests usually see (entrance & dining room, lobby, etc.) • Interact with customers-servers, cashiers, hosts & hostesses, bell attendants, front desk staff • Back of House (guests usually do not see) also called the heart of the house (kitchen, receiving, storage areas, laundry, offices, boiler room) • Rarely involved with customers-chefs, cooks, dishwashers, housekeepers, building engineers, grounds attendants

12. Hospitality Employees • Customer Focused (can anticipate customer needs) • Make immediate eye contact • Have good posture • Smile warmly • Respond quickly to guests requests • Use the customer’s name whenever possible • Clean & well groomed

13. Critical Moments • Critical moment: time when the customer’s experience makes a bigger impact on customer satisfaction than at other times (11 critical moments in hospitality) • Phone calls, building entrance, the greeter, the wait, the table or hotel room, the busser & servers, the manager, the arrival of food, the restroom, the check/bill, the goodbye (See page 53 box at the top)

14. Customer Relation Techniques • Communication Skills • Verbal Communication • Written Communication • Nonverbal Communication

15. Handling Customer Complaints • Listen with empathy • Allow the customer to vent • Be supportive • Don’t blame someone else • Have a positive attitude • Offer solutions • Follow through on the situation