1. Service Failures and Recovery in Tourism and Hospitality: A Practical Manual
Erdogan Koc

2. Chapter 11 Staff Training for Service Failures and Recovery

3. Learning Objectives After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
Define staff training, service failure and service recovery.
Explain the importance of staff training in service failure and recovery.
Offer training recommendations to overcome service failure and manage the service recovery.

4. Figure 11.1 Training Process and Service Recovery
Implementation
Learning Evaluation
Competency Development
Curriculum Design
Need Analysis
Training Content Development
Empowerment
Service Recovery
Customer Satisfaction
Employee Satisfaction
TRAINING
Knowledge
Skill
Attitude

5. Importance of Trained Staff?
Training programmes:
General organizational policies, values and strategies
Service standards, job descriptions and expectations of employees
Analysing the problems (before they occur)
Analysing the customer
Dealing with irritated and frustrated customers
Understanding the situation and making explanations

6. Training Programs For Service Recovery
Training programmes (continued);
Finding an appropriate and quick solution while thinking about alternative recoveries
Respecting customers with special needs
Importance of reporting service failures
Importance of involving customers in the service process
Importance of encouraging customers to make a complaint first and then to join recovery

7. (Types Of) Training Practices
Group 1 Training Practices to Influence Customer Attribution

8. Figure 11.2. Training Practices, Customer Attribution of Service Failure
Orientation
Critical Event
Role Playing
Knowledge
[Basic Services &
Possible Service Failures]
Skill
[Customer Perception Management]
Attitude
[Behaviour Development]
Training Content
Training Techniques
Service Failure Dimensions
Controllability
Stability
Locus
Customer Satisfaction

9. Example 1 (Controllability)
CASE
- not being able to provide the requested room to a customer who is respecting the check-in hours and any other rules of the hotel
ROLE PLAY TRAINING
for the receptionists
- ensure that the employee displays appropriate behaviours while dealing with an angry customer
OUTCOMES
- prevents negative reaction from the customer
- creates awareness in employees regarding the responsibilities of being on the frontline (managing both positive and negative customer reactions to create a good corporate image, despite the fact that the responsibility for the failure is not theirs)

10. CRITICAL EVENT TRAINING
Example 2 (Locus)
CASE
- current customer staying in a room type which is limited in number in the hotel does not leave the room on time and thus another customer cannot check-in
CRITICAL EVENT TRAINING
- to manage the customer’s perception that the failure has arisen as a result of factors out of their control by giving detailed information about the high quality service process
OUTCOMES
- prevents negative reaction from the customer to employees and management
- service failure perceived by the customer as the failure of another customer, independent from the management

11. (Types Of) Training Practices
Group 2 Training Practices
Justice Perception and Service Failure Type:
Distributive Justice (Outcome Failure- Tangible Recovery)
Interactional Justice (Process Failure- Intangible Recovery)
Procedural Justice (Process Failure- Intangible Recovery)

12. 11.3. Training Practices, Service Failure & Recovery Types, Justice Dimensions
Training Content
Training Techniques
Service Failure and Recovery Type
Interactional Justice
Procedural Justice
Process Failure
Intangible Recovery
Mentoring
Conference
Sensitivity
(T- Group Training)
Knowledge
[Process in detail & How to involve customer in]
Skill
[Communication Skills & Nonverbal Behavior Development]
Attitude
[Behavior Development & Create Awareness of Differences]
Distributive Justice
Customer Satisfaction
Outcome Failure
Tangible Recovery
Orientation
Role Playing
Case Study
[Policies, values and strategies of the organization]
[Customer Perception Management]
[Behavior Development]

13. Example 3 (Outcome Failure)
CASE
- when a customer faces problems associated with overbooking in a hotel and cannot find any room in accordance with his/her reservation
ORIENTATION TRAINING
- their authority
- general outline of the limitations of recovery activities (when an outcome failure occurs)
- experienced examples
OUTCOMES
- provides efficient recoveries
- avoids unacceptable responses from employees
- avoids redundant recoveries

14. Example 4 (Process Failure)
CASE
- current customer staying in a room type which is limited in number in the hotel does not leave the room on time and thus another customer cannot check-in
SENSITIVITY (T GROUP) TRAINING
- employees examine not only feelings and perceptions but also reactions and behaviours
- employees show empathy and compassion along with honesty and politeness
OUTCOMES
- provide efficient recoveries
- cared-for and satisfied customer
- develop skilled employees in accordance with all the perspectives of the organisation, group and individual

15. (Types Of) Training Practices
Group 3 Training Practices for Service Recovery Process
Employee Recovery:
Employee Response to Service Delivery Failure
Employee Response to Customer Needs and Requests
Unprompted employee actions
Problematic Customer Behaviour

16. Figure 11.4. Training Practices for Employee Recovery
Customer Satisfaction
Training Content
Training Practices
Employee Recovery
Service Recovery
Employee Response to Service Delivery Failure
Employee Response to Customer Needs & Requests
Unprompted Employee Actions
Problematic Customer Behaviour
Orientation, Job Rotation, Lectures
Conference Orientation, Coaching, Group Discussion
Role Playing, Case Study, Brain Storming
Knowledge [Providing Perfect Service; Expectations of Customers]
Skill [Communication and Technical Skills, Customer Analysis]
Attitude
[Behaviours to and not to Display;
Develop Improvisational Behaviour]

17. Example 5 (Employee Recovery)
CASE
- despite detailed information given by the receptionist, a customer who could not enter a room and had to go back to reception tends to blame the employee for that problem.
COACHING,
ROLE PLAY TRAINING
- employees ensure that there is no problem with the card and make the customer feel good and comfortable
- employees neither hint nor blame the customer for not being able to open the door
OUTCOMES
- provide efficient recoveries
- cared-for and satisfied customer
- develop skilled employees
- calm and satisfied employees

18. (Types Of) Training Practices
Group 4 Training Practices
Process Recovery
Determination of Performance Standards
Understanding the importance of service recovery
Customer Recovery
Involved in the service process
Easy Complaint System

19. Example 6 (Customer Involvement)
Competes with the service business
prefers to travel under his own guidance without the use of a tour guide during his journey
Contributor to the service business
prefers a comfortable travel option with no overnight accommodation to allow him to visit more cities during his journey
Resource of the travel service
Private tour is planned according to a customer’s special request

20. Training Practices
Should be designed via communicating with employees:
intranet through all departments
voice s
job rotation
social activities between employees
bulletin boards
meetings
i-service trainings

21. Training Practices Provide realistic foresight Role playing
Simulation training
Provide an understanding of the organization
Rotation training
Develop the behaviours required by the organization
Multi-skills training
Provide experience
On-the-job training
Renewed regularly

22. TRAINING FOR EFFICIENT SERVICE RECOVERY: HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

23. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
Customer Complaints – Service Failures (24 April – 30 May 2015)
Technical Issues
Structural Issues
People-driven Issues

24. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
The most common service failures related to employees of Main Restaurant:
Rude behaviours of employees
Unwillingness of employees to meet customer requests
Careless and rushing service
Employees ignoring customers

25. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
The most common service failures related to employees of an a la carte restaurant:
Employees’ insufficient knowledge about the menu
Food served at an incorrect temperature
Wrong order service
Slow service

26. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
Training Programme I:
(5- 15 June 2015 / 15 hours in total)
Communication techniques
Customer relationship
Complaint management
Time management
Problem-solving techniques

27. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
Outcomes of Training Programme I:
(After 60 days)
Customer complaints from main restaurant decreased by more than 60%
Customer complaints related to the a la carte restaurant decreased by just 17%
No difference in customers’ satisfaction from a la carte restaurant.

28. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
Situation Analysis after Training Programme I:
customers were paying too much at the a la Carte restaurant
preventing service failures was not sufficient alone
efficient service recovery was needed to prevent customers complaints
Suggestion: A la carte restaurant’s employees to be distinctively trained and also be provided with autonomy by the management

29. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
Training Programme II:
(20-30 August 2015/ Role Playing & Case Study etc.)
Customer psychology
Emotional intelligence
Understanding people and motivation
Empathy
Dealing with difficult people
Service recovery techniques

30. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
Outcomes of Training Programme II:
(After 45 days)
Customer complaints from the a la carte restaurant decreased by 86%
customers’ satisfaction from the a la carte restaurant increased by 17%

31. TRAINING FOR EFFICIENT SERVICE RECOVERY: HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT II

32. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
Unsatisfactory Responses of Employees to Customer Complaints and Requests – Inefficient Service Recoveries
The most common customer complaints:
Uncompensated losses
Unsolved problems
Not being able to reach out to any managers
Employees’ incomprehension of customer request
Feeling unwillingness of employees to comprehend the problem etc.

33. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
Training Programme I:
(Guest Relations Department Staff)
Problem solving techniques
Conflict management
Dealing with angry and difficult customers
Personality analysis
Stress Management
Importance of feedback to customers and applicable techniques

34. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
Outcomes of Training Programme I:
The level of customer complaints was much higher than expectations even after a significant decrease
Guest Relations Department staff were unable to develop empathy

35. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
Training Programme II
(Guest Relations Department Staff / Off-the Job Training)
Each employee was individually sent to Z hotel which was qualified as successful in customer complaints management
Trainees as the customer of Z hotel had some problems and communicated to GRS of Z Hotel

36. Service Failures: Hospitality Management I
Outcomes of Training Program II:
Considerable performance improvement in the short-term
Reduction in customer complaints in the long-term

37. The Role of Training in Service Recovery Process
Activity Think of a situation where you had a process failure and outcome failure. What kind of training would be better to develop employees and recover the failures?

38. The Role of Training in Service Recovery Process
Questions
How do we define service failure and recovery?
Why is training important for service recovery?
What are the main reasons for service failures?
What is the relationship between staff training and service recovery success?
How can the service recovery process be managed?