1. Service: The Heart of Hospitality
Hospitality Services
Unit 4

2. Objectives
Discover why customers are important to the hospitality businesses
Describe the types of needs that are satisfied by hospitality businesses
Explain the importance of quality service
Describe the two types of hospitality employees
Identify the 6 characteristics of customer-focused employees
Determine the 11 critical moments in customer service
Demonstrate methods of handling customer complaints

3. Soooo…What is Service? 1
An activity that is done for another person—the customer
Often we think of service as the act or manner of serving food and beverages
But, this industry involves more business than just restaurants, specialty beverage shops, and taverns.
Hospitality is the business of satisfying people’s needs
Customer service in a hospitality business is the total customer experience with that business including:
Performance of staff
Courtesy of staff
Cleanliness of the property
And the way customers are treated during their visit

4. Soooo…Who is the Customer?1
A customer is someone who purchases products or services from a business
Hospitality customers are often referred to as guests
The customer is the main reason for the hospitality industry—without customers, there would be no business, no profits, and no salaries
The success of any hospitality business depends on return customers which makes customer service a critical part of the hospitality industry
Poor service is the #1 reason customers do not return to a business
Hospitality workers need to develop the ability to understand and relate to a variety of people
People from all over the world are traveling everywhere
Customers come in all shapes and sizes, abilities and personalities, ethic backgrounds, and religions
These travelers have different languages, customs, and expectations

5. What are Customer Needs?1
Facts:
Customers return to the same restaurant/hotel where servers recognize them
The quality of feeing welcome is often more important than the quality of the food or the comfort of a hotel room
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
The needs at the bottom must be at least partially met before a person can work to meet the needs at a higher level.

6. What Types of Needs Are Satisfied?2
Physical and Safety Needs
Restaurants provide food
Hotels provide overnight lodging and some have gift shops that provide clothing
Cruise ships have medical facilities on board
Psychological Needs
The need to feel accepted
The need for self-esteem
The desire for self-actualization-expressing your true self through reaching personal goals and helping others
Hospitality businesses meet customers’ acceptance and esteem needs through the way they treat their customers- with respect and dignity
Remembering a customers name and using it when you see him/her builds self-esteem and a feeling of acceptance

7. How Can You Satisfy Customer Needs?2
Customer Satisfaction is the positive feeling customers have about a business that meets their needs
Hospitality companies meet the needs of their customers through quality service.
Quality service is achieved by thoroughly training employees in the art of customer service
Quality service is service that meets or exceeds customer expectations and is the key to establishing and maintaining a successful business
Customer expectations change with the situation
For example: customer expectations at a fast food restaurant will probably be different from expectations at a 5-star restaurant
Service always depends on the employees who provide the service regardless of the type or level of the business
Certain customer expectations are universal
To be treated with dignity and respect
To have their requests handled accurately and efficiently
To expect honesty in product descriptions and answers to questions
To expect money transactions to be handled honestly and accurately

8. Customers Frequently Compliment:2
Cleanliness and attractive appearance of facilities and grounds
Conditions of the rooms
Quality of the food
Beauty of the main entrance, patios, pool area
Employees who respond quickly to requests
Front desk
Waitpeople
Room service personnel
Employees who anticipate customer needs
McDonald’s major goal: ensure consistency at all McDonald’s restaurants meaning the same quality, served with the same good service, in a clean and cheerful restaurant

9. The Importance of Consistent Service2
Quality service is service that meets or exceeds customer expectations and is the key to establishing and maintaining a successful business
Quality service is receiving the same good service and products each and every time a customer enters your business
McDonald’s major goal: ensure consistency at all McDonald’s restaurants meaning the same quality, served with the same good service, in a clean and cheerful restaurant
Quality service is important because people share their experiences with other people and because people recommend businesses because of those experiences
Word-of-Mouth Publicity—one of the major ways people learn abut a hospitality business. It can be both positive and negative.
90% or more of unhappy customers do not return
Those unhappy customers will describe their bad experience to at least 9 other people
Out of 100 customers, 90 will not come back and will tell (90 x 9) 810 people
Those 810 people will probably not even try the business

10. Types of Hospitality Workers2

11. Customer-Focused Employees2
Quality service occurs when customers do not have to ask for anything. All of their needs are anticipated and provided. A Customer-focused employee is an employee who can anticipate customer needs.
Customer-focused employees have 6 characteristics
They make immediate eye contact
They have good posture
They smile warmly
They respond quickly to requests
They use the customer’s name whenever possible
They are clean and well-groomed

12. Critical Moments in Customer Service2
Critical Moments in Customer Service
All service encounters are important, however, certain encounters have a greater impact on customer satisfaction than others. These encounters are called Critical Moments. Proper responses at critical moments reflect quality customer service. Employees must make sure these critical moments leave a positive impression.
11 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

13. Handling Customer Complaints2
There will always be customer complaints. The key is to resolve these complaints to the customer’s satisfaction.
7 Techniques to help you resolve customer complaints:
Listen with empathy - attempt to understand and feel what the customer is feeling. In most cases, customers want to know that someone has listened to them, that their feelings have been understood, and someone is willing to help.
Allow the customer to vent – give customers the time to completely vent their feelings and separate yourself from the complaint. The customer has a complaint about the situation not with you. Even if the customer is wrong, he/she feels they have a legitimate complaint so you must listen and try to resolve the problem.
Be supportive – Let the customer know that you want to find a solution to the problem. Even if the customer is angry, let them know they have the right to be angry. Take notes or fill out a form to help your business keep track of complaints and find ways to solve them.
Do not blame someone else or make excuses – this only makes you look bad. The discussion should be about what can be done about the situation not who is to blame. If you are at fault, admit your mistake and apologize to the customer.

14. Handling Customer Complaints2
7 Techniques to help you resolve customer complaints:
Have a Positive Attitude – to the customer and the relationship the customer has with the business. NEVER be negative at any time during the complaint process.
Offer Solutions – offer the customer one or more solutions to resolve the complaint. If none of the solutions are acceptable, ask the customer what it would take to satisfy him/her as long as the solutions are within the company’s policies. If you are not sure, ask your manager as he/she may have to authorize the request.
Follow through on the Solution – follow through personally to make sure the solution is carried out correctly and quickly. Most customer complaints can be settled with an apology and quick action.
If a complaint is handled poorly, the customer will probably never come back. On the other hand, if the complaint is handled in a positive way, you may gain a loyal customer.

15. Hyatt Hotels and Resorts