Customer Service in Tourism

Customer Service in Tourism Organisations

Tourism organisations have to meet the needs of their customers if they are to be successful. As mentioned previously, customers use tourism organisations to enjoy themselves, to relax and have a good time with their family and friends. No matter how good the products of the organisation are, customers will not enjoy themselves if the service provided is not of a high standard.

The benefits of good customer service

Providing a high level of customer service is important to tourism organisations for a number of reasons.

Customer satisfaction

It is very important to keep customers happy by meeting their needs and even exceeding their expectations. If customers feel that they have received good service and have enjoyed themselves there will be a number of benefits to the organisation. There is likely to be fewer complaints and customers are more likely to return.

Customers are more likely to return if they have enjoyed themselves.

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Customer Service in Tourism

Recommendations

If customers have enjoyed themselves and received good service, they are more likely to recommend the organisation to others. They will be able to explain what a good time they had and how much they enjoyed themselves. this way, the organisation is likely to attract more customers, which will be good for business.

Repeat business

Not only will organisations attract new customers, but also existing customers are likely to return, perhaps on a regular basis. This can only be good for the organisation.

Sales and profit

Generally, more customers mean more sales and more profit, so the more customers the better, whether they are returning customers or new customers. This will enable the organisation to invest more money into developing new products or updating equipment.

Competitive advantage

Many tourism organisations are competing with one another by supplying similar products and services. An example would be the restaurants in a city centre. Good standards of service at a particular restaurant may well give the restaurant an advantage over its competitors, simply because the standard of service is better.

Company image and reputation

Some tourism organisations have an image of good service, and in some cases the image is of poor service. A good image can be extremely important and lead to a customer choosing the products of one organisation as opposed to another. A good example is that some airlines have a much better image and reputation for customer service than others.

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Customer Service in Tourism

Job satisfaction and workforce morale

Generally, workers who are happy with their job provide a better level of service. Also, providing a good level of service gives job satisfaction to many people. Knowing that you have helped someone to have a good time and enjoy themselves can be very rewarding. So happy staff leads to better levels of service and good levels of service leads to happy staff.

Staff that enjoy their jobs generally provide higher levels of service to customers.

Customer service situations

Customer service takes place in a range of situations and for a variety of reasons. By no means does all customer service take place face to face and involve a conversation. Signs, and information provided by websites are also part of the customer service provided by an organisation.

Providing information

There are many situations in which information is provided to customers. Websites provide a wide range of information about opening times, prices and

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Customer Service in Tourism

other items with which customers need to be aware. Tour guides provide more detailed information and can explain aspects of a destination or attraction, which makes a visit more enjoyable.

Guides give customer service by providing information about a destination.

Giving advice

Advising customers about the range of products and services available and suggesting which best will meet their needs is a very important part of customer service. Jobs from travel agents to cabin crew involve advising customers about what product would suit them.

Receiving and passing on messages

There are many situations where tourism organisations receive messages from customers and have to pass information on to the correct person. Some of these situations include:

• Changes to a flight schedule for a holiday

• Booking accommodation at a hotel

• Changing arrangements for a fitness session

• Altering the number of seats required for a theatre outing

• Changing the pick-up time for a coach outing

It may be that the customer has to contact the organisation to change arrangements, or the organisation has to inform the customer about changes.

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Customer Service in Tourism

This information may be transmitted in a face to face situation, or by a written communication, increasingly by email. It is vital that both parties are perfectly clear about the precise arrangements that have been made and that the organisation makes sure that the customer has the up-to-date, correct information.

Messages can be passed on to customers in a number of ways.

Keeping records

Customer records can help provide a good standard of service in a number of ways. Hotels often find it useful to keep details of regular guests so that they can meet their needs more effectively. Travel agents and other travel companies keep records of past customers so that they can inform them of offers that they might be interested in. Records may be kept of other organisations as well as of individuals. For example, a restaurant may well keep a record of each family who booked a birthday party so that they can contact the family again in the future

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Customer Service in Tourism

Providing assistance

There are many situations where customers may need just a little extra help. This happens in lots of situations. Helping customers with luggage in a hotel or a parent with a pushchair can make a great deal of difference.

Helping customers get on to a ride at a theme park can be very much appreciated.

Dealing with problems

Some customers have problems while they are visiting tourism organisations. These may range from small matters such as a forgotten toothbrush to a major crisis involving a serious injury or even death. Whatever the problem, the customer needs to be sure that the organisation can deal with the problem in an appropriate way. Most problems are not serious and can be solved by a sensible approach on behalf of the staff of the organisation.

Dealing with dissatisfied customers

There may be situations where customers are not happy with the product of the organisation or the service they have received. This could involve a relatively minor complaint, such as a meal being cold or service being slow, or could be a major situation that will require the involvement of senior staff of the organisation. The customer is not always right, and some customers may complain hoping to receive compensation from the organisation.

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Customer Service in Tourism

All tourism organisations have procedures for dealing with complaints, and these procedures have to be followed by all staff.

Complaints about other guests in a hotel being untidy or noisy can be difficult to deal with.

Offering extra services

Offering to provide extra services, which the customer may have to pay for, also helps to provide a higher level of service. Morning newspapers or a wake-up call in a hotel would be a good example. Programmes for events and theatre productions would also be an example of an extra service for which the customer might be prepared to pay.

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