Introduction
It remains evident that various services such as cleaning, reception desk maintenance, check-in procedure are essential elements of the hospitality industry and influence significantly the customer’s satisfaction during his/her stay in the hotel. Nonetheless, it is apparent that the hospitality industry implies the sufficient flow of business processes, as the quality of the provided services is strongly dependent on the overall efficiency of the organization (Anupindi et al. 2011). It could be said that the overall satisfaction of the customer is dependent on his/her perception of the hotel and his/her rapid fulfillment of his/her quickly arising needs. Nonetheless, the combination of the insignificant procedures and their sufficient flow are the critical determinants of success due to their interdependence.
Nevertheless, the duration of the processes cannot be explained theoretically, as the nature of the procedures in the hospitality industry is rather simple. In this instance, one of the services will be chosen for the analysis and evaluated in the theoretical context to improve its efficiency and maintain customer satisfaction on the same level. Despite being the complex system, the primary reason for the existence of the gap between the delivery of the service and the customer perception is the lack of collaboration between the front and back office due to the complications in the efficiency of the processes and the corporate culture.
The primary goal of this paper is to verify the choice of the hotel service and describe it using particular examples. In turn, the theoretical framework has to be evaluated and implemented in the context of the chosen service to explain the duration of the activity with the assistance of the article Service Businesses and Productivity by Schmenner, which is highly focused on the functioning of the hotel and maintenance of its efficiency and customer’s satisfaction on the high level (Schemenner 2004). Additionally, other sources and publications are used to explain the duration of the services. In the end, the conclusions are drawn to summarize the findings and to underline the importance of the business processes in the hospitality and tourism management.
The Choice of the Service
Firstly, the particular service has to be chosen, as the theoretical framework and explanation is highly dependent on the nature of the procedure. In this instance, I have chosen the maintenance of the check-in at the reception desk in the resort hotel, as it is one of the fundamental determinants of the company’s success from the beginning. In this instance, the primary duties of the reception desk should be clarified. The reception desk has to inform the other departments of the check-in and check-out of the guests, as, otherwise, the hotel rooms will not be prepared for the other visitors (Barrows & Powers 2008). In turn, it is also responsible for keeping track of the guests and maintaining the room availability and status. Furthermore, it is always in contact with the restaurant and other services to maintain the order in the hotel and inform the guests about the changes. Lastly, it remains evident that the clerk plays the role of the communicator between the clients and the hotel. Consequently, he/she has to make sure that the clients will return to the hotel in the future (Barrows & Powers 2008).
In the end, it could be said that the check-in mechanism of the reception desk is rather complex, as the functioning of the front desk is highly dependent on the efficiency of the other services and sufficient maintenance of their order. Nonetheless, it remains evident that the introduction of the automatization of the processes and high computerization in the hospitality industry improves the quality and speed of the services (Fitzsimmons, Fitzsimmons & Bordoloi 2014). Nonetheless, it is not enough to enhance the overall satisfaction of the visitors due to the increasing demands.
Theoretical Explanation of Time-Consumption
In turn, the primary goal of this section is to propose the right theoretical approach to explain the particular duration of the services and its dependence on the various aspects. Nonetheless, only the check-in procedure will be evaluated in the context of this section, as this process has its own theoretical explanation. In this instance, several sources are analyzed to determine the potential theoretical clarification for the existence of this phenomenon with the justification of the particular examples.
Firstly, the article Service Businesses and Productivity by Schmenner has to be discovered in more detail, as it discusses the correlation between the maintenance of efficiency and the level of involvement of the customer in the process (Schemenner 2004). In this case, the service matrix was introduced to divide the service providers into the categories such as service factory, mass service, service shop, and professional service (Schemenner 2004). Despite being modified over time, the matrix implies that different services involve different levels of the customer’s participation and labor intensity. Nonetheless, according to the article, the time consumption during the check-in can be explained by its dependency on the availability of the hotel rooms (Schemenner 2004).
This aspect can be explained by the fact that the front and the back office cannot only be prepared serially due to their codependence. One of the examples is the fact that the reception clerk has to report to the guest that his room is not ready due to the recent checkout and current cleaning process. This aspect increases the waiting time of the customer and decreases his/her satisfaction. In the end, the sufficient configuration of the back-front office relationship determines the quality and the speed of the service delivery, as it is the primary determinant of the flow of business processes in the organization (Blok, Meijboom & Broekhuis 2009).
In turn, the time consumption of the processes is affected by the input-transformation-output process and the process hierarchy and design (Slack, Chambers & Johnston 2010). In this instance, the design of the process requires the speed of the check-in to be dependent on the flow of the back-up processes such as cleaning. This aspect underlines the inability of the back and front office to act simultaneously.
Nonetheless, this problem tends to exist due to the differences in perceptions of the time for service delivery and the actual time, which is required for the maintenance (Johnston & Clark 2012). In this instance, this fact implies that the pressure on the service providers remains on the high level due to the necessity to correspond to the customer’s needs (Johnston & Clark 2012). In the modern world, the levels of stress and pressure are significant in the hospitality industry due to the increasing demands of the customers (O’Neill & Davis 2011). It could be said that this approach highly influences the speed of the service delivery, as the employees might not act fast enough due to the high volumes of stress. Nonetheless, this approach also underlines the fact the inability of the front and back office to act at the same time. In turn, the presence of this factor increases the stress and levels of pressure among the employees.
Furthermore, the high volumes of the paperwork is another reason for the increased time, which is required for the maintenance (Johnston & Clark 2012). In this instance, the presence of this obstacle increases the time, which is required for the sufficient flow of business processes. In turn, it increases the waiting time and significantly affects the customer’s fulfillment with the service delivery.
In conclusion, it could be said that the primary reason for the increased time consumption of the check-in maintenance is the inability of the functioning of the front and back office simultaneously. This fact can be explained by the fact that the availability of the rooms is affected by the maintenance services such as cleaning. In turn, the front desk cannot inform the readiness of the room until all required procedures are done. In the end, it could be said that the primary solution to this issue is the right configuration of the back/front office maintenance and creation of customer-centered corporate culture with the focus on the rapid service delivery.
Potential Ways to Reduce Time
Lastly, it is essential to propose relevant to the solution to reduce the time, which is required for the efficient maintenance of the service without damaging customer satisfaction based on the theoretical explanation of the time consumption. In this instance, vehement attention has to be paid to the improvement of the capacity and quality of the operations (Slack, Chambers & Johnston 2010). The quality of the services determines the company’s success in the tourism and hospitality industry.
The Computerization and introduction of self-service technologies to ease the access to the existing services and minimize the costs and waiting time (Meuter et al. 2005). Nowadays, an extended number of the hotels utilize the self-service for check-in and check-out (Oh, Jeong & Baloglu 2013). In this instance, the clients do not have to wait in front of the reception desk to check-in. Moreover, this approach increases the maintenance of the rooms and assists and developing a sufficient flow of processes without damaging the customer’s satisfaction.
Another aspect is the maintenance of some rooms in reserve by introducing enough time between the checkout and the check-in of the next client. Nonetheless, it remains evident that the minimization of the cleaning time is the primary aim of all the hotels (Simon 2003). However, it is better to assure that the person has enough time for cleaning, as the outlook of the rooms affects the customer’s satisfaction of the hotel. In this instance, the relationship between back and front office can be measured by the KPI including the time, which is required for cleaning.
Furthermore, reducing stress levels is vital due to its influence on the organizational performance (Akgunduz 2015). In this case, the employees have to be provided with the free time, which will help them decrease the volumes of stress. In turn, it remains evident that building trusting relationships between different levels of subordination is essential, as employees do not tend to report to the management about experiencing high levels of pressure (Seager 2014).
An easy reporting system has to be introduced to increase the speed of the back-office operations, as they define the flow of the operations of the reception desk. Availability of the reporting system and access to the relevant information are essential attributes while maintaining the speed of the flow of the operations in the hotel. In this case, the introduction of the sufficient ERP system will contribute to the rapid response to the different levels of subordination due to the accessibility of the relevant information (Azevedo, Azevedo & Romao 2013).
Managing people is another essential approach for the maintenance of the business processes, as employees are the key drivers for the organizational success of the company (Hill & Hill 2012). In this case, the workforce of the hotel has to be highly trained, as training provides the workers with the required competencies to perform their duties with care. In this instance, paying attention to the training programs and seminars will increase the flow of the processes of the organization due to the ability of the employees to work as a team.
Establishment of the right corporate culture plays a significant role in the ability of the company to develop a sufficient flow of the business processes within the organization (Johnston & Clark 2012). One of the examples is the research of the Bahrain hotel, which implies that the corporate culture highly influences the organizational and financial performance (Doran, Haddad & Chow 2004). Nonetheless, the orientation towards the achievement of the organization while working as a complex mechanism should be one of the main values of the hotel.
Implementation of the elements of the lean production could be considered as one of the relevant approaches due to the rapid flow of processes and the absence of inventories (Womack, Jones & Roos 1990). In the context of the hotel, it can be explained as the ability of the departments to increase the speed of replacement each other by focusing on the quality at the same time. For example, the reception desk is informed as soon as the cleaning department completed its duties. This approach will minimize time, increase customer satisfaction, and generate additional income due to the expansion of the customer’s base.
The cultivation of the understanding that service is the key driver of the sufficient communication with the customer is essential for the development of the customer-driven operation strategy (Wilson 2008). In this instance, all employees of the hotel have to work as a team and aim at delivering only the high quality of the services to the final consumers. The customer has to be considered as the center of the relationship, and the employees have to pay attention to the customer’s feedback and encourage it.
In the end, it remains evident that the interactions between the business units define the flow of the business processes in the hotel. Maintaining the interactions between departments and cultivating customer-centered corporate culture are the essential attributes of the company’s success while establishing a relationship with the customers. In turn, the minimization of the complexity of the processes and reduction of the paperwork will contribute to the creation of the high quality of the services, which enhance the organizational performance. Nonetheless, these modifications have to be implemented simultaneously to reach the desired outcomes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it could be said that the combination of the small processes defines the customer’s satisfaction determines customer satisfaction because the procedures inside the hotel define the flow of the business processes and determine the efficiency of the hotel. It remains evident that the customer satisfaction is the crucial driver of the success of the hotel. Consequently, paying attention to the quality and speed of the services is essential in the hospitality industry.
Nonetheless, the theoretical approach revealed that the functioning of the reception desk while performing the procedure of check-in is dependent on the availability of the rooms. In this instance, the room maintenance defines the speed of the delivery to the final service to the customer. Consequently, the significant time consumption occurs due to the inability of the front and back office to act simultaneously, as the actions of the front office are affected by the speed of the back office’s activities. Additionally, the time delivery might be increased due to the high volumes of stress and paperwork. Nonetheless, the aspects are the primary consequences of the back-front office configuration.
In the end, the quality of the services can by enhancing the relationship between front and back offices. In this case, the cultivation of the customer-centered corporate culture, computerization, introduction of self-service, principles of lean production, and low-stress levels are the primary attributes for the sufficient and efficient functioning of the hotel. Nonetheless, the introduction of these changes will help build a strong perception of the necessity of the high-quality service delivery and interdependence between the quality of interactions within the organization and the outcome.
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