Introduction
The hospitality industry is quite complex in that the experience a customer receives depends on a combination of both tangible and intangible aspects. It is therefore instrumental for any organization in this sector to look into four key elements i.e. management operations, aesthetics of the built environment, customer character, and other environmental factors. The paper shall look at what these elements entail and how organizations can use them to provide memorable and unique experiences to their consumers.
Management operations
Effective management operations entail possessing the ability to lead hospitality teams to achieve some objectives set out for them. This implies that companies need to have a direction against which they are moving and it is the task of the management operations function to ensure this occurs. In close association with the latter aspect is the need to have a management style that works for a particular organization. This is because whatever management style one selects, then can affect the way a certain organization performs. If this is done well, then it can be reflected in customer experiences and thus lead to success. (Rush, 2004)
Marketing information is essential in any hospitality organization and management operations need to have the capacity to interpret and understand the complexities of such information. By doing so, then the organization will realistically market itself. (Bradley & Hyton, 1994) This means that when consumers get to receive services from the latter organization, then they will essentially be getting what had been promised. This means that their consumer experiences will be heightened.
Management operations also entail managing one’s staff properly. Having an ability to do this effectively is likely to improve the service qualities thus making the entire process quite effective.
Management operations encompass understanding different touch points that work together in achieving consumer satisfaction. A successful hospitality organisation is one that maximises all these various touch points to maximise consumer experiences. (Lockwood & Jones, 1993)
Hotels, restaurants or any other organisations within the hospitality industry need to merge all their operations in such a manner that caters to consumer behaviour or consumer desire. An example of how this is done is when an individual visits a relatively large hotel. At the entrance, a consumer can be greeted by a smiling doorman who then directs the client towards a registration area. At the latter section, one can then be told to be about all the services and amenities available to the client who can then be escorted to his or her room. Once in one’s hotel room, a customer can then access several services that are geared at making his/ her experiences more pleasant. In the morning, housekeeping staff can then arrive and offer the client assistance as the client takes his or her breakfast. Upon departure from the latter hotel, the consumer is asked by a front office attendant what their experience was in the hotel. The latter inquiry is usually holistic in nature in that it seeks to find out experiences related to the entire hotel stay and not just the core business of offering a room. (Gutman, 1997) The latter example indicates that management operations entail combining all hospitality functions to offer the best service possible. In other words, there should be no sharp distinctions between non core and core functions offered by a company as this is the main goal of management operations.
Aesthetics of the built environment
Companies within the hospitality industry have the potential to differentiate themselves from their competitors through facility design. This can be achieved by the layout of the premises. In case it is a restaurant or hotel, the manner in which it has been arranged should be of uttermost importance because it adds to the appeal of the business. It also affects traffic flow hence time spent within such an area. It also reduces the need for moving unnecessarily within the premises. A well built environment has the capacity to create a sense of security, privacy, well being as well as comfort and this means unique consumer experiences. (Masoudi & Ikiz, 2008)
A built environment’s effectiveness will largely depend on the core business under considerations. In the case of restaurants, owners need to look for the best methods of adding beauty within their premises without necessarily utilising a lot of space because one would not want to interfere with eating space. On the other hand, hotels have a different need that they have to meet through their built environment owing to the fact that consumers usually stay a lot longer there. In this regard, the built environment must be such that it allows consumers to relax, sleep, unwind, dine as well as play sports. Consequently, such places ought to have tennis courts, gyms, swimming pools, lounging areas and dining rooms. The artistic elements must be incorporated depending on the consumer base being targeted. Here, interior decor must be such that it meets consumer expectations. Also, architecture must be such that it conveys the major business objective. For instance, companies intended on serving business clients, will be better off if they chose to create a building that seems a bit more formal. However, a more adventurous design would work for a client base made up of tourists or the like. (Fitzsimmons, 1998)
A number of issues have to be considered when creating the built environment to increase customer experiences and these include: arrangement of room services in such a manner that increases the beauty of the room, layout of the reception and many other aspects. All these will go a long in making consumers pleased with services received thus enhancing service quality. (Barsky, 1992)
Customer character
Organisations are in a unique position to boost customer experiences if they can fully understand customer character. This can be done by internalising these consumers’ track record. Customers may be such that they possess a high level of customer loyalty while others may simply want to keep altering the places they approach for hospitality service. Businesses that understand this well can use different methods to convince these clients on making repeat sales. Aside from that, it may also be imperative to look into a range of demographic features inherent within all individuals that make them unique clients. For instance, one’s age, education background or area of residence can affect their patterns of expenditure or their choice to approach a certain company for services. It is therefore incumbent upon any hospitality industry to familiarise itself with these qualities properly. (Borysowich, 2008)
Other environmental factors
There are several environmental factors that must be considered during service offerings in any hospitality organisation in order to boost the level of customer experiences. A number of consumers believe that queue management systems and their capacities contribute to their experiences because this highly affect the time and comfort experienced by those individuals. In line with this is a company’s ability to deliver what they had promised to deliver. Here, customers usually approach certain business for services depending on what had been advertised or what had been marketed to them. If these qualities are present throughout reception of the entire service, then chances are that the customer’s experiences will be highly enhanced. (Raisman, 2002)
Environmental factors also entail the ability of an organisation’s employees to perform their duties effectively. In other words, consumer experiences are likely to be enriched if staff members tend to respond to consumer inquiries quickly and promptly, if they seem confident in what they are doing or if they offer individualised attention to their clients. Employees need also to display an enthusiastic mood with punctuality and customer assistance being top on the list.
All the latter issues make up the social environment of the hospitality industry. Consumer experiences can be enhanced if these aspects of the social environment are made uniform and predictable. It should be noted that employee behaviour and attitudes tend to change from time to time. Consequently, their interactions with consumers will definitely change and this may reduce the levels of service delivery that may be reaching them. Therefore, it is incumbent upon any hospitality organisation to standardise service provisions. Consistency is key in ensuring success within this industry. This means implanting positive attitudes within one’s employees while at the same time ensuring that these staff members fully understand what is entailed in service delivery processes. (Schmitt, 2003)
Conclusion
Hospitality organisations need to realise that no particular element can be sufficient to meet the different consumer needs. Instead, management operations need to be combined with a sound understanding of customer character together with effective applications of environmental factors as well as suitable and customer appropriate built environments.
References
Bradley, B. & Hyton, G. (1994). “Principles in front office operations.” Journal of Hospitality Research 3(4): 78
Barsky, H. (1992). “Measurement and meaning in the hotel industry.” Journal of Hospitality Research 16 (1): 70
Gutman, E. (1997). Management of customer interaction within service businesses. Lexington: Lexington Books
Fitzsimmons, J. (1998). Strategy, IT and operations in service management. New York; Mc Graw Hill Publishers
Lockwood, A. & Jones, P. (1993). Management of Hotel Operations. MA: Cassell Publishers
Schmitt, B. (2003). “Customer Experience management.” Journal of International hospitality management 5 (26): 108
Raisman, N. (2002). Customer service in hospitality. Business Officer: 37
Rush, R. (2004). Customer retention – its all about the experience. Web.
Borysowich, C. (2008). Customer characteristics and productivity. Web.
Masoudi, A. & Ikiz, A. (2008). A Servqual approach to hotel service design. Web.