Republic of the Philippines

CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY

General Trias City Campus
General Trias City, Cavite
☏ (046) 509-4148
[Link]

BSHM 70: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

AND ETHICS

John Darren H. Lubaton

HRM Instructor, General Trias City Campus

+63 916-245-4713

MODULE TITLE: Customer Service ( Week 10 and Week 11 )

This module describes the skills, knowledge and performance outcomes required to develop the
ability of students to become professionals in their field by understanding the ideas of improving
one’s personality and ways on how they are going to be valued in the business industry by
means of presenting their ideas like company meetings, professional networking, interviews and
through proposals of services considering the proper collaboration to their associates and
portraying professional business ethics. It also teaches writing skills and emphasizes in verbal
communication and preparation of plans that requires them to research career options and
company potentiality and stability to develop a strong and effective career pathway.
MODULE CONTENT

1. Standard of service
2. Competitive edge training
3. The customer is always right

SUMMARY OF LEARNING OUTCOMES

After the completion of the chapter, students will be able to:

1. Explain and apply the principles of good customer service
2. Provide appropriate information to customers to assist them in planning :
3. Identify and describe ethical behavior in relation to client satisfaction
 Customer Service

The hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that provides
friendly, warm reception and entertainment of guests. In modern times, such services include
lodging and accommodation, event planning, theme parks, transportation, cruise line etc.

What is a Standard?
Standard refers to a principle or rule that usually implies a model or pattern for guidance, by
comparison with which the quantity, excellence, correctness of other things may be determined.
Simply put, standard is what we are trying to achieve (goal) in order to meet an expectation.

What Is Service?
Davidoff (1994) defines service as “anything of value other than physical goods which one
person or organisation provides another person or organisation in exchange for something,
usually money”. A more evocative definition of service was given by Zeithaml, Bitner and
Gremlar (2006) when they said that “services are deeds, processes and performance meant to
satisfy the needs of customers ”. In a nutshell, service can be said to be the combination of
outcomes and experiences delivered to and received by a customer - Johnson (2001)
What is Customer Service?
Customer service is the act of taking care of the customer's needs by providing and delivering
professional, helpful, high quality service and assistance before, during, and after the
customer's requirements are met.

Standardising Service in Hospitality Industry

Considering that provision of services in the hospitality sector has for a long time assumed a
global stature, there is the need to standardize services for the success of our own hospitality
industry. After all, a lot of guests that patronise these establishments come from all over the
world and they expect some basic standards. In order to achieve this goal however, there are a
number of aspects of the industry that need to be addressed.

Service standards are aimed at ensuring the guest's comfort and satisfaction, strengthening
your company's character and developing employees' loyalty. Standards have been developed
in order to combine the company's unique business concept with impeccable service and
excellent experience by the guest.

“In a world where things increasingly become commodities (especially services), the real
differentiator becomes the personal experience you are able to create in the lives of your
customers.” – John Bessant.

Setting the Standard: 10 guidelines from the Hospitality Sector.

1. STRIVE FOR LOYALTY Learn to be flexible and adaptable to the customer’s every need, no
matter how irrelevant those may seem. Give your guest all the right reasons why he/she should
come back. By doing so, you will be creating trust between the customer and your product, and
building a network of loyal clientele, essential amid the prevailing fierce competitiveness, the
numerous well-established brands, the varied concepts overflowing the market, and the guests’
more-than-high expectations. Customers who are satisfied with the hotel’s overall experience
will certainly be visiting again, regardless of the price, package, ordeal they are getting, as
comfort and trust are everything, and price is nothing but a factor in the selection process.

2. CONSISTENCY, CONSISTENCY, AND MORE CONSISTENCY As stated earlier,

consistency in the hotel and service industry is as essential as the air we breathe. Without it, the
business and the brand you are building will eventually lose its pillars and crumble. Consistency
covers every single aspect of the business; it is the most guaranteed form of maintaining high
standards and quality in all things, all of the time. Providing excellent service all year long can
suddenly prove insignificant if wrecked by a single misstep or a minor blunder. The customer
may actually swear off the brand because of that one mistake– and that is a big no-no!

3. SET CLEAR EXPECTATIONS (AND GO ALL-OUT TO EXCEED THEM) Having recognized

the importance of loyalty and trust between the customer and the business, it goes without
saying that the service provided to the client –in our case, the hotel guests– should be
equivalent (if not higher) in quality, superiority, and standards to the expectations set by the
hotel on the offered and promoted products. The slightest disparities between “what is
expected” and “what is actually offered” can have a detrimental effect on the client’s trust in the
services provided by the hotel chain as a whole.

4. BUILD A TEAM ENVIRONMENT Sofitel The Palm Dubai owes its success to its staff, from
the bottom to the top of the career ladder; men and women from all across the world, working
hand-in-hand to uphold the brand’s reputation and name, and provide the guests with an
unmatched luxury experience. We believe in teamwork, and so should you. Our mantra is: all
team members should be working as a collective unit to achieve the brand’s goals, and
overcome the day-to-day challenges and odds.

5. LEAD BY EXAMPLE Positive team leaders instill in their subordinates a sense of target, a
resolve for success, and a strong belief in their ability to achieve the set goals. Leaders must
lead by example, set the tone for the staff, and teach them the best methods to interact with the
guests, and the safest, most efficient ways to tackle arising issues, and handle potential
problems beforehand.

6. CARVE A NICHE - Amidst an already crowded service industry, Sofitel The Palm Dubai, as a
five-star resort and spa, succeeded in positioning itself as a tropical retreat and a top hotel
destination for guests seeking subtle French elegance, relaxation, leisure, and rejuvenation. It
carved up its own niche, winning against competition, and attracting clients with its high-
standard services and its one-of-a-kind luxurious hotel experience.

7. WORK ON AN EFFECTIVE PR STRATEGY Public relations (PR) professionals are essential

to every business venture, as they rely on word-of-mouth communication to help build a positive
reputation to any given brand, and sell its product to a target audience, under different
arrangements. Adopting an effective PR strategy will not only help you organize your PR
activities, but also make strategic decisions around the best ways to market, and sell your
products smoothly and effortlessly.

8. REWARD LOYALTY When Ten Best Hotel Loyalty Programs to join in 2019 is the first link to
appear as you type the words “reward” and “program” in your search engine, then you know
exactly where you should be; up on that list, boasting an unrivaled rewards and loyalty scheme
to your guests. Such programs are generally utilized by hotels to attract and retain customers,
and entice business travelers or other frequent hotel guests to favor that particular brand or
group of hotels over others, when running through the ample number of choices. It is no secret
that customers, especially the frequent ones, would rather book hotels that offer such reward
and loyalty programs.

9. MASTER THE SOCIAL MEDIA GAME Social media has taken the world by storm.
Nowadays, not a single business, industry, or idea can carve its way through to the public,
unless it is social media-smart. We at Sofitel The Palm Dubai believe in the power of beautifully
crafted messages and aptly-delivered ideas, not only through content marketing, but also by
means of social media, so as to reach the widest range of customers. You can be a click away
from feeling that virtual sentiment of relaxation and zen offered to you by our hotel’s spa facility,
or a scroll away from indulging in an unmatched luxury experience –again, virtual– only
accessible if you choose to book a stay at our hotel. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and
Twitter proved to be of great value in terms of fueling the audience’s –followers, in social media
language– sense of craving for our hotel’s product and services.

10. SKILL IS KEY Invest in a team of seasoned professionals whose skills can be mirrored in
the hotel’s growth, advancement and success. Having the right talent in the right place is
essential to organizing the business and developing the team’s abilities, each in their field of
expertise. Leadership, creativity, time management, organizational skills, strong work ethics,
positive attitude, and ability to accept criticism and learn from it are all qualities and skills you
should be looking for in potential staff members. Last but not least, permeate your team
members with a customer-centric approach to all they do, and invest in building up their
knowledge on hospitality, leisure, health, and wellness.

Competitive Edge

Technology advancements within the last decade have brought huge competition within the
hospitality industry. With companies such as Airbnb and HomeAway, a new mainstream threat
has been placed on hospitality and the traditional getaway experience. These new competitors
are beginning to take over the market, forcing hotels to lower their nightly rates and squeeze
profits or result in losses. The growth of such new competitors forces hospitality organizations to
invent new strategies or focus on niche markets; Airbnb may be growing among the cost-cutter
leisure travelers, but most of the traveling market revenue is still generated by business travel,
which these online-marketplace companies have yet to find a way to make any real impact in.

So, what does all of this mean for traditional hospitality companies? It means that now is the
time for change. Hotel and food chains must start promoting what makes business travelers still
choose to go the traditional route for their travel needs: the service. Guest service is the main
differentiator between the mainstream hospitality and traditionalist groups. Many travelers still
choose to be pampered and serviced while they are away from home and the only way to
ensure that type of top quality service is by hiring and training high-quality staff. With the new
competition looming over traditional hospitality companies, executives are turning to HR to build
them a strong workforce that will provide the best guest service and experience, and keep them
in front of the competition.

In order to satisfy long term business needs and improve the company’s competitive position,
HR departments put together and execute talent strategies that focus on acquiring, developing,
and retaining talent that can make a difference in the guest's experience, thereby positively
impacting the company’s bottom line. Most of the initiatives they undertake rotate around
organizational improvement in HR, which can most effectively be done using talent
management software designed for the hospitality industry.

1. Process automation. Manual processes are both time consuming and expensive. A
great HR system can help your organization reduce stress factors and mitigate many
challenging issues through automated processes and workflows. Becoming automated
can increase data-input accuracy and gain a competitive edge, which ultimately leads to
a more streamlined business process, smarter hiring decisions, and more control over
your workforce.
2. Turnover reduction. Losing talented and skilled employees in the hospitality industry is
a costly endeavor. Hospitality organizations work around the clock, and while some
enjoy the excitement and rush it brings, many employees find the environment to be too
taxing and stressful and decide to quit at a moment’s notice, leaving the HR department
to pick up the pieces and find a replacement to fill the position. Talent management
software designed for the hospitality industry can help organizations understand and
reduce turnover in a number of ways, including analytical exercises, employee
engagement programs, and process improvement.
3. Recruitment & onboarding process optimization. Hospitality is a challenging and fast
paced industry that requires a unique workforce that can thrive under pressure and think
quickly on their feet. This means that human resources within hospitality industries need
to be prepared to not only hire top talent, but also to use an automated human resources
system that helps hire more efficiently and effectively. But once you recruit them, how do
you retain them? Well it all starts with a strong onboarding process, as that is their warm
 welcome into the company. It is important to give them hands on training such as a tour
of the facility, and shadowing people with similar roles.
4. Enforcement. Compliance is essential within a hospitality industry, but achieving and
maintaining a required level of compliance is not the easiest task for many organizations
due to the nature of its workforce. Employees are more mobile, diverse, and spread out.
Add to the challenge the fact that most seasonal employees are millennials with
sophisticated technical and social needs, and managing compliance becomes a
challenge that requires a complex strategy and execution mechanism. A talent
management system designed for the hospitality industry takes these factors into an
account and provides you with tools to make compliance easy. Getting to that point
reduces costs and risks, thereby positively impacting the bottom line.
5. Better training and communication. A poorly managed restaurant or hotel along with
poorly trained staff is a direct correlation to negative guest experiences. Throwing
employees into a position of any kind without the proper training can result in an entire
department of unproductive and inefficient staff. Human resource automated solutions
allow companies to address skill set weaknesses throughout the workforce, improve
employee performance by creating a development program that can bring all employees
to a higher level, and keep consistent training and knowledge for issues such as safety
and responsibilities within your organization.
6. Better reward & recognition programs. Guests love reward programs provided by
hospitality companies and your employees are no different. A reward program benefits
more than just your employees; when implemented correctly, your organization can align
business goals and initiatives with the parameters of the program. For example, if an
organization is looking to increase productivity in a particular department, you can create
a recognition program that is based on performance. HR systems designed for
hospitality can provide companies the ability to build these programs within the platform
which allows for a communication hub between all parties involved in the program, as

well as reporting tools that can monitor and track each stage of the program.

The customer is always right.

"The customer is not a moron. She's your wife."

That’s a quote from advertising executive David Ogilvy’s 1964 book, Confessions of an
Advertising Man.
In the 1950s and '60s, many brands treated customers like they lacked brain cells and used
loud and obnoxious voices and obviously exaggerated print. Ogilvy wanted to point out that
companies and advertisers needed to connect with customers and treat them intelligently.

His ideas reflected a notion popularized in the early 1900s: “The customer is always right.”

This attitude was new and influential for its time. Imagine a world where the customer actually
had some power? Thanks to social media, today we live in world where the customer may not
always be right in your view, but they are armed with social media and can use it as a weapon
against you

The customer is always right is a phrase pioneered by Harry Gordon Selfridge, John
Wanamaker and Marshall Field. These men were successful retailers and learned early in their
careers that the success of their stores depended on the happiness of their customers.

Selfridge, who founded the department store Selfridges in the U.K.; Wanamaker, who opened
the first department store in Philadelphia; and Marshall Field, owner of the store Marshall Field
and Company in Chicago, owe much of their careers to respecting customers. It’s unclear who
was actually the first person to coin the phrase, but it’s definitely an idea they all followed and
used to run their businesses. They didn’t actually intend the phrase to mean that the customer
was in the right in every situation. Instead, it was a signal that customers were special. Staff
were instructed to treat customers as if they were always right, even if it was obvious they
weren’t. The change in mindset was a radical shift to how customers were used to being
treated, and people flocked to these department stores.

According to a Sears, Robuck, and Co. publication from 1905, "Every one of their thousands of
employees are instructed to satisfy the customer regardless of whether the customer is right or
wrong.” These retailers knew the power of customers. They believed it’s better to trust
customers and risk getting taken advantage of occasionally than to get a reputation of being
mean or disrespectful.

“The customer is always right” particularly stood out during a time when misrepresentation was
rife and "caveat emptor" was a common legal maxim. We might know the phrase better as “let
the buyer beware.” “Caveat emptor” puts all of the responsibility on the customer. They are
responsible for checking the quality of a product before they buy it. If there’s anything wrong
with the item after they make the purchase, that’s on the customer. The seller doesn’t have to
declare anything or help the customer in any way. It’s the opposite view to “the customer is
always right,” where brands go out of their way to serve and trust customers.
“The customer is always right” may be the most famous expression of customer loyalty, but it
isn’t the only one. The idea has spread around the world in different forms.

"Le client n'a jamais tort" (the customer is never wrong) was the slogan of Swiss hotelier César
Ritz, founder of Ritz Carlton hotels. He said: "If a diner complains about a dish or the wine,
immediately remove it and replace it, no questions asked” in the 1890s. That attitude still
permeates Ritz Carlton hotels and is a big factor in the brand’s success. Customers know that
when they stay at a Ritz Carlton, they will be treated very well and have all their needs met. The
company doesn’t spend time questioning customers’ complaints but instead works to quickly
solve problems.

In Spanish the phrase is “El cliente siempre tiene la razón.” In Italian, it’s “il cliente ha sempre
ragione.” Both phrases translate to “the customer always has a reason.” It’s up to employees
and customer service agents to find that reason and make sure customers are treated well.
In Germany the phrase is "der Kunde ist König" (the customer is king). Germany recently
updated its consumer protection laws to provide more options and support for customers.
Customers can really feel like kings when they have legislative rights and can stand up for
themselves.

The Japanese have the motto, "okyakusama wa kamisama desu" ( お 客 様 は 神 様 で す ), meaning "the
customer is a god.” That sentiment is echoed in Japan’s Consumer Contract Act, which assures fair trade
for customers and prohibits unfair commercial practices.
The view towards customers has evolved over time. But no matter where you are in the world,
being customer-centric means thinking about the customer experience. The customer might not
always be right, however being thoughtful in your approach to customer experience will always
serve your company well. Companies need to embrace customer experience and trust every
customer to build successful relationships.

REFERENCES:

1. [Link]
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Standardising_customer_service_in_the_hospitality_industry
3. [Link]
traditional-hospitality-gain-a-competitive-edge/
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