Unit 4-Understand the impact of customer service at hospitality and tourism destinations 4.01-Understand customer service skills to ensure guest and customer satisfaction at hospitality and tourism destinations. 4.02-Understand fostering relationships with clientele for the hospitality and tourism destinations.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Characteristics of Hospitality and Tourism Employees Empathy when handling hotel guest’s complaints Treat all customers with respect Provide good customer service Exceed customers’ expectations Active listening skills Remain calm during complaints Problem solving Proactive Building positive customer relationships through quality service

Service encounter Service encounter: interaction between a customer and a staff member. Example: a bellhop carries a customer’s luggage to their hotel room.

Service Service: activity that is done for another person. Hospitality and tourism businesses monitor customer service satisfaction levels to remain competitive and to have customers recommend the businesses to family and friends through word of mouth promotion. Some services may serve as a convenience for customers. Example: Self-checkout kiosks

Ways to maintain customer service satisfaction Comment cards Training employees Follow-up with customers to build clientele.

Critical moments Critical moment: time when the customer's experience makes a bigger impact on customer satisfaction than at other times. During critical moments, customers form impressions about the business.

Eleven critical moments First phone call to the business First view of the building entrance Interaction with the greeter Wait for a table or room First moments at the table or in the hotel room First encounter with bussers and servers Encounter with the manager Arrival of food Visit to the restroom Presentation of the check or bill Last interaction with server or front office staff

Steps to handling customer complaints: Listen with empathy Allow the customer to vent Be supportive Do not blame someone else-Example: blaming the kitchen staff Have a positive attitude Offer solutions Follow through **It is very important that employees have a customer-service mindset to maintain a positive relationship with customers.**

Handling customer complaints If customers complains, the best way to handle the guest would be to offer the guest a discount. If an airline makes customers miss their connecting flight they should refund the passengers’ money for the flight due to the inconvenience and stress. If a guest receives an incorrect food order the server should apologize for the mistake and correct the food order.