Trainer Tools - Basic Customer Care Case Study

1 Enda Larkin 2010 Trainer ToolsCustomer CareCase Study Enda Larkin 2010 case Study A Night OutTrainer GuidelinesThere are many ways in which the A Night Out case studycan be used. Perhaps it is mostbeneficial when usedduring the early stages of any generic Customer care training programme, andis more relevant to junior staff levels. It provides a Basic description of a night outtakenby anaverage couple and reflects a fairly typical Customer experience,with a mix of good and not sogood elements incorporated into a Trainer it is helpful to use this studyto get participants thinking aboutthe service journey concept the psychological processsurrounding any Customer interaction:ExpectationsExperienceEvalua tionPrior to introducing the case Study to participants, it is important for you astrainer to deliver ashort input session explaining to participants that as people who areresponsible for looking afterguest needs, they need to understand the process that customers go through every time theyexperience service of some other words you should put theprogrammeparticipants in thecustomer s shoes so to speak.

2 This can be achieved in a number of ways such as;Get participants to imagine iftheyhad just booked their summer holiday-they would buildup expectations as the holiday drew nearer. Then off they would go and experience the holiday. Then on their way home,they would give some thought as to whether they hadenjoyed the holiday, or in other words they would evaluate it. In realitythey would justbe going through the above should then explain that as customers we all go through this journey every time weexperience service. Sometimes it is in a big way like going on holidays and sometimes in asmall way like buying food in our local that, you should explain that their guestsgo through this journey every time they experience theirservice; it is up tothemto maketheir experience as enjoyable and memorable as possible by ensuring that the servicetheyoffer notonly meets but surpasses the case StudyOnce you have drawnout the service journey concept, you can then have participants work onthe case Study .

3 They should; First,read theCase Study individually allow 10 minutes approx Then, divide the participants into groups and get them to: Identify GuestExpectationsfor this particular night out HighlighttheGood/Bad elements of theExperiencein chronological order Consider whattheythink the guests Evaluationwas likely to have been?The full exercise should take about 30 minutes, including feedback. Enda Larkin 2010 Handling FeedbackThe issues in the case Study are fairly self-evident and the groups should have no difficulty indrawing them out. As a tutor, you should ensure that you flag the following points during thefeedback;Inconsistent the experience wasobviously inconsistent and this is a major problem in anyservice business, particularly in a competitive environment.

4 Inconsistent service confusesthe Customer and leads to a breakdown in factor building on this point regarding inconsistency, you should also draw out thatwhilst individual customers may continue to go to a place where service isinconsistent,they will only do so when it represents low risk to them. For example, we all go to localrestaurants or pubs which may not be great,but they are convenient and at the end of theday, if it s notagreatexperience,only weourselvessuffer. However, we don t use suchplaces for the more high risk events in our lives:weddings, important meetings orconferences, special family occasions the danger of things not being right istoo high(as per the wedding example in the case Study ).But for a hospitality business thereal money is in the high risk the final key point to draw out is that there is no pointin one person, or anindividual department, delivering excellent service if all employees in all departmentsdon t do the same.

5 The Customer judges the whole experience and as such good teamworkis critical in uses for the case StudyThis case Study couldalsobe used with a more senior supervisory or management group,but ratherthan focus on what is detailed above, you could get the participants to read the Study and identifywhat might be theunderlyingcauses of the poor performance;-Poor training-Low Motivation levels-Lack of standards-Inadequate supervision the Study in this context is useful as an opener to getting management groups to considerwhatbroader issuesmay have tobeaddressed in theiroperationin terms of enhancing servicequality. Enda Larkin 2010 case Study 1-A Night OutThisparticularweek had been a nightmare for Mary. The kids had come down with the flu and hadbeen home from schoolsince Tuesday.

6 So,rather than havingher usual few quiet hours eachday,shefound herself stuck at home all week. By Thursday night she waswell and truly at her wits-endand needed a night out. She chatted to her husband John about how she felt, so they decided theywould go out on Friday Friday morning Mary telephoned a local hotel. The receptionist who answered was very wasn t sure of the opening times of the restaurant,as she was only new,but she offered toconnect Mary toher colleague inThe SunflowerRestaurant, so she could make a bookingwith the call transfer, ayounglady answeredthe phone: Is this the Sunflower? asked Mary. Yes,it is, what can I do for you? answered the girl. Ehm,I d like to make a booking for two people for tonight,if possible?

7 That sfine, hangonandI ll checkfor you, came the reply and the girl went off to find she did so, in the background,Mary could hear her calling out to someone tohelp herfind thediary. Mary waited andeventually the girl came back: Now, howmany people was that for? the girl asked. It s for two, at , said Mary. And your name is? You can book it in the name of John Roche. Ok. that s greatso,see you tonight then. Thanks, bye, Ehm, could we have a quiet table by Marywas just asking thisquestionwhen the phone went , she saidto herself, she s in a bitofa hurry,but,sure, we can sort it out the rest of the day,Mary was looking forward to her night out. She eventhought ofbuyingherself a new outfitas a treat,but she knew John would hit the roof, so she just picked out one ofthe outfits she liked.

8 John arrived home about six and started to get ready. Mary could tell he dhad a bad day as he was miles away. As soon as the baby-sitterarrived drove uptowards the hotel, John started to relaxa little and they chatted away;Mary mentioned the newsabout her sister getting married. John made some smart comment about love being blind whichmade them both laugh. Asthey drove into the car park they could tell it was quite busy. A securityguard was on duty directing traffic. John couldn t find a space for ages and eventually squeezedinto a space at the end of a row of cars. They were just getting out of the car whenthe guard cameover: Hey,you can t park there. But,this is the only place I could find, replied John. Look, you ll have to move it anyway, Normally John would have argued the point,but he could tell by looking at Mary that it was the lastthing she needed.

9 Yougo on ahead,Mary,and I ll find a spaceand follow you in shortly. As Mary walked into the hotel,she noticed how clean the obviously keep it niceshefelt. As she waited in the lobby,shenoticedthat they held weddings at the hotel. I must tellsis about this place-it would be nice for her wedding, she thought. Shealsonoticed they had abrochure stand and made a mental note to collect one on the way out. When John arrived into thelobby,she could tell he was on a short fuse. We re a bit early, let s go for a drink first, said Marycalming him down and they headedtowardsthe bar. Onceinside,they were glad to see that therewere some tables free. None of them were clean,but at least they had somewhere to sit. Enda Larkin 2010 They waited for a while for lounge service but finally John went to the bar.

10 On his way back withthe drinks,he asked one of the floor staff if they would come over and wipe the table. As soon as Iget this order, was the reply. The lounge boy did come overshortlythereafter. Mary smiled toherself as she saw him coming becausehe had his shirt sticking out at the back. Good evening, saidthe lounge boy,and he nodded towards their lifted both drinks and he wiped the table. You rebusy tonight, said Mary. No,not really, it s just that there s never enough staff on here,so we re run offour feetasusual. Can Iget you anything else while I m here? No thanks, theybothreplied and off he they had finished their drinks,theymoved towardsthe restaurant. As they entered,a girl ata little desk inside the door looked up briefly and asked them if they had a reservation.