Part 1
Q1) To ‘delight the customers’ meant to provide the customers not just what their needs are but also what their wants are . As such, the customer satisfaction must be our highest priority. Quality customer service is our way to add value on our products and services. When I say quality, I mean to deliver a service or services in a way that the customer would experience superb satisfaction before, during and after transactions. The joy of servanthood reflects an individual experience of service. To effectively delight our customers, we must understand that customers are our reason for survival. And so we must give them a reason to return. Through this, we can effectively build relationships with them and build our profit in return.
Q2) I agree. The moments of truth identified for Kangaroo Car Rentals include inconvenience due to breakdowns, requested vehicles’ unavailability and inaccessibility of service; to which the company resorted to discounts, canceling charges and/or upgrades at no cost. Without realizing the consequences of their action, the financial status of the company had and will further suffer. The financial capability of the company is already struggling and compensating customer service dilemmas through ‘acting generously’ towards complainants will only be crucial for the company. The actions are not equitable since there are no defined compensation indicators for complaints. There are also no measures of identifying how much the company had provided – financially or otherwise – for a specific complaint. Instead of strategically gaining from that complaint in terms of customer buy-in or rate of returns, the company had lost a substantial amount that could have been beneficial if they devote such amount to fixing or buying new cars.
The company could have provide a compromise wherein they could promise that if conditions such as breakdowns or unavailability will happen again, then that would be the time that will provide discounts and upgrades. Conversely, the company had an established reputation regarding customer service. The probability that the customers will believe them is high. The company could either design a ‘compromise form’ as an instrument that reflects their credibility or token of appreciation (e.g. free gas, car accessories, etc.) for complaining. As such, they have to keep their word. If the complainant had agreed with the compromise, then the company could deal with the problem privately. They won’t have to wait for that second time to happen and so there is no need for the company to give them extra credits. The action never opted at selling the company’s reputation but only arriving at a win-win situation wherein the complainant could leave while clinging to such promise and the company could start on working on the complaint so as not to jeopardize their word.
Q3) The internal customer service could have guided the sales manager about the ongoing financial trouble within the company prior to converging with specific ‘value-adding’ customer service activities. Internal customer service refers to the people and the units within the organizations and the suppliers and other entities that help gel the work done. The key role of the internal customers is to ‘create an environment of sharing and helping’. Prior to anticipating the financial implications of the sales manager’s decision, Kangaroo Car Rentals should engaged with internal assessment whether the company is ready to float or not. Through this, the company could ascertain whether the sales manager is compatible with the organization. If they have done this, they could have identified the risks and the probability of success of the flotation. In addition, the company might discover the inadequacy in managerial skills and expertise, in business planning and in management commitment. The internal customers could have assisted the sales manager regarding product positioning. Aside from this, they could have provided informations on internal control mechanisms and handed him financial reports. In exchange, the sales manager should have made himself aware of the current status of the company, physically and financially, so that he must know what his subsequent actions or decisions would be and the consequences of such for him and for the company in general.
Q4) Supposing I have been appointed as the Customer Service Manager, I would employ new customer service strategies.
a. In order to determine the customer needs and expectations, I will use the customer feedback form, anecdotal record form, customer service survey form and internal customer survey. The customer feedback form is the most common method of obtaining feedbacks. Feedback forms could be given to the customers through disseminating response sheet at the end of every delivery process. The time to complete the form may be of big problem for the customer; hence, feedback forms must be simplified. An anecdotal record form is an evaluation tool that tells the story behind every complaint. The complainants could use this form to narrate critical incidents and list down necessary actions that he or she perceived to be important. The customer service survey form identifies which services are of best quality from a customer’s point of view. Survey forms could facilitate delivery of the highest level of customer service quality and experience. It encourages the customers to speak up and communicate their concerns. The internal customer survey is intended to the people that are directly connected to the company. This survey measures the satisfaction among them. Internal surveys constantly remind people that customer service is an organizational responsibility. The survey also includes internal customers’ perception on risk-sharing, knowledge management and information-sharing.
b. Once the customer needs and expectations are acknowledged, I would make the most out of them through a comprehensive data analysis. I will categorized the responses/feedbacks and informations accordingly. The segregation effort is aimed at converting the informations into useful and exploitative organizational strategies. Summarized findings will be reported to both internal and external customers so that they will be aware of the current position of the company with respect to customer service. This can be done via postings on the company website and/or putting posters on the different departments and distributing of leaflets. The feedbacks and informations could be used to add value on the products and services and the management as well. Through this, the company could identify the necessary treatments from the informations the customers had disclosed on surveys. From the information and feedbacks collated, I could possibly develop customer service benchmark practices and models of effective measures to handle complaints as well. The models, in addition, could serve as instruments to track customer service values and quality. The company could then discuss and decide on the appropriate actions from the emerged issues from the different survey forms. As such, the company could effectively prioritize customer-driven initiatives.
Q5) The kangaroo car Rentals could focus either on fleet or receivership. Or better yet, the company could converge in the combination of the two. The quality car products and services will be their key. The company must design an effective marketing strategies and buzz worthy slogan that puts the car features and benefits at the center. In this way, they could redeem their reputation while also developing the business, the products and the services. Through marketing and promotions, the company could win over, retain and produce customer buy-in. They could also use this feature-benefit to restructure and realign internal processes and systems most especially for sales and advertising. They could also reassess their business applications and databases to facilitate identification of which products and services are no longer beneficial for the company.
KANGAROO CAR RENTALS
FEATURES
BENEFITS
- Upgraded vehicles
- High performance vehicles
- Fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly
- Collection of sports and luxury cars
-Inclusive of navigation system and satellite radio
- Capacity
- Safety features like safety bags
- Unlimited mileage
- Budget prices that are inclusive of third-party insurance
- Direct linkage with airlines and major international car rental companies
- Non-hazardous to health
- Freedom to choose
- Tracking device that assures direction assistance
Part 2
Q1) There are different ways to measure the lifetime value of the customer. These techniques include: a) mail surveys (conventional in-depth or ‘bare bones’), in-depth telephone interview, products- and services-focused online surveys, mind share research and focus groups.
(1) Mail surveys
The main advantage of mail surveys is that it is less costly compared to the use of telephone interviewing methodology. However, mail surveys had an inherent drawback which is the low response rate and lack of depth in findings. Conventional in-depth surveys involve the use of layman language, five-point Likert scale and a space for customers’ response on key products and services. The ‘bare bones’ survey includes the core activities such as customer support, order fulfillment, billing, communications and personnel along with products and services and a space to account for the opinions of the customers.
(2) In-depth telephone interview
Telephone interviews effectively give voice to the customers. It also gives the interviewer an opportunity to probe and dig through open-ended questions. In-depth telephone interviews capture complete responses and important comments from the customers. It is also easy to code and tabulate responses in real-time. On the other hand, in-depth telephone interviews may be very costly depending on the size of the customer database. The length of interviews and the availability of the interviewees are other concerns.
(3) Online surveys
To wit, any company, regardless of size and scope, must not neglect the role of technology as it can effectively drive business profits. Online surveys are relative short, non-demanding and contain a combination of open-ended and short answer questions. The usability of online surveys allows the customers to respond to the questions at their preferred time. Though online surveys tended to be less expensive, they are very time-consuming. The products-focused is consists of simple questions such as the usability of the products for the customers, their preference of own products over competitors and the reasons and the customers view of the products. The services-focused is consists of ratings on company’s overall performance, customer and technical support and observable traits and attitudes of the service providers.
(4) Mind share research
Mind share research answers how people perceive the products and services of a certain company over their competitors. The benefits of mind share include increasing the accuracy of marketing, sales and production planning, development of competitive positioning and communication strategies through customer service and tracking the customer service performance of the company. The risks of this research are evident on the subjectivity of the responses and lack of depth.
(5) Focus groups
Focus groups are in-depth qualitative interviews with a small number of circumspectly selected people. Focus groups are very efficient in terms of learning about the attitudes and behaviours of the customers. They are brought together to discuss customer service and it facilitates a give-and-take flow of information.
b) For this small car wash business, I intend to use the mind share research to identify the level of customer satisfaction. In reality, mind share is used to recognize the favorable awareness of a company’s product or service. For example, an individual whom is contemplating the service of car washing would have at least fifty other choices within the vicinity. Those to be considered will likely to be three to six. Of these, with which the individual is most familiar with could be said to enjoy the greatest mind share. From a personal standpoint, mind share is directly related to customer satisfaction. They are products of quality customer service experiences; hence, manifests that variations in levels of customer satisfaction largely depends on such experiences. The underlying idea is to convert mind share into profits and in so doing, the car wash must build and develop clear-cut strategies that support customers in terms of complaint diagnosis and solving products- and services-related issues. For the company, mind sharing research could be done through “cooperative negotiation” which is based on win-win mentality and is designed to increase joint gain. I could design a portal wherein customers could fill-up a questionnaire while waiting, delegate someone to disseminate customer-response flyers or place an email log or book near the cashier to acquire information on their level of satisfaction and their suggestions to further improve the services and products in document and/or virtual formats.
Q2) a) Five-star hotels depend heavily on tourists that demand the highest quality services possible. The usual customers are corporate travelers whom are very particular with privacy, efficiency and service delivery. What makes this segment distinct for backpackers hostel clientele includes the following raesons: backpackers are always interested with different culture, enjoy different adventures and activities and are tended to travel independently or with a companion. This market is generally cost-conscious. They prefer to stay in lower-cost accommodation, using lower-cost transport. The purpose of this is to afford the higher cost of the travel itself and the activities that come with it. Backpackers, also known as budget travelers and independent travelers, tend to stay for a longer period. The backpacker segment is increasingly becoming an important segment in the tourism industry.
b) For five-star hotel market segment:
· direct linkage between airports and seaports and the hotel
· wide array of transportation that links to the main district or the urban area
· different, inclusive amenities such as restaurants, bars, conference facilities and health clubs and spas and lounges
· fully-equipped rooms with small refrigerators, mini bar, air-conditioning, telephones, television sets and broadband Internet connection
· s small kitchenette inside the rooms that mostly include kettle and tea, coffee sachets and sugar cubes
· clarified payments settlement system e.g. charges for ordered snacks and drinks must be paid at the time of departure
· round-the-clock hotel staff
· convenience
For backpackers hostel market segment:
· private and dormitory rooms and free lockers
· no curfews and lock outs
· Internet access and laundry facility
· self-catering kitchen with coffee-maker and microwave, communal TV room, games room and individual common showers with 24-hours a day hot shower
· direct linkage to vintage and souvenir stores and other shop houses
· budget accommodations
· experienced staff
· healthy cuisines for in-house eatery
· provision for lounges, porch or decks and courtyard with benches
· easy access to airports and subways
· travel plans offer and map assistance
· walking distance convenience stores
· free ventilation
· affordability
c) I presumed that a great five-star hotel service purports a direct connection with the airports and seaports authorities but with a more focused on seaports. The benchmarks will include maintenance, personnel training and knowledge, travel and payment options form, additional accessories or specific services needed and monitoring system. As a manager, I would consider linkage with the most modernized port facilities within the vicinity. The effort is in line with the company’s purpose which is to provide excellent, highest quality service. In particular, I, together with the staffs, will solicit different airports and seaports within the area. Then, I would suggest collaboration with the appropriate authorities to secure necessary permits and access to cruise terminals. Subsequently, I will ensure that there are many travel options for the visitors. Since the clients are mostly high-end profile, I think that they would appreciate that the company would have in-house car rental of luxurious and sporty cars. I could also suggest to the management to hire, or train, people whom are experts in cruising so that they can guide first-time cruisers and assist cruise-savvy individuals.
On the other hand, I would choose Internet access and laundry facility for backpackers hostel. The Internet is an indispensable part of a backpacker’s life and they are now a necessity. It is a way to update their loved at their hometowns and so there is an immense need for this service. I will design a plan to install and ensure connection in every room and set up an online forum for the purpose of soliciting inquiries and propositions regarding this and other services. Putting up a laundry area ensures that independent travelers could wash, dry and iron their clothes. I would allot a time to carefully plan, designate area and identify complete facilities that would be needed and then delegate someone to put it up. The benchmarks will include technical maintenance both for computers and washing machines, in-house housekeeping and monitoring system.
d) Backpackers Hostel: Customer Service Survey on Internet Access and Laundry Area
Introduction
In our ongoing effort to provide high quality products and services to meet our customers’ demands, Backpackers Hostel Company designed a customer survey on out two basic services as Internet access and laundry area services.
Please take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire and return it to the box near the hostel entrance.
Thank you in advance. Your opinion counts!
1) What do you like best about our a) Internet access service? b) laundry area?
a)
b)
2) What do you most dislike about these services?
a)
b)
Please rate the service according to the different factors identified on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is poor and 10 is excellent.
For Internet access:
Speed
Computer Accessories
Drops
PC Utilities
Existing Softwares
For laundry area:
Capacity
Storage and availability of laundry soaps, detergent and fabric conditioner
Availability of laundry bags and laundry sorter
Laundry room décor/design
Usability of machines
Space and lighting
How do you use the services?
a) Internet access
_____ Every three to five hours
_____ Once a day
_____ 24/7
_____ Every other day
_____ A few times a week
_____ A few times a month
_____ Haven’t use it yet
Please indicate whether the Internet access service…..
_____ Greatly exceeded your expectations
_____ Slightly exceeded your expectations
_____ Met your expectations
_____ Fell slightly short of your expectations
_____ Failed to meet your expectations
b) Laundry area
_____ Once a day
_____ Twice a week
_____ Three times a month
Please indicate whether the laundry area service…..
_____ Greatly exceeded your expectations
_____ Slightly exceeded your expectations
_____ Met your expectations
_____ Fell slightly short of your expectations
_____ Failed to meet your expectations
Would you consider checking-in in our hostel again?
_____ Definitely would
_____ Probably would
_____ Probably would not
_____ Definitely would not
_____ Not sure
Would you refer the hostel to a friend?
_____ Definitely would
_____ Probably would
_____ Probably would not
_____ Definitely would not
_____ Not sure
Please enter any final comments/opinions/suggestions here.
Thank you! Remember, at Backpackers Hostel you have a say!
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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