Project Report Individual project report, assessing learning outcomes 1 to 4
1. A critical evaluation of the main theories and principles of managing service quality. Justify the importance of measuring service quality.
2. A critical appraisal of the management of service quality for the given service organisation in the case study, establishing the impact of its current service delivery practices on the motivation and engagement of staff.
3. Produce a Customer Feedback System (CFS) framework that the organisation can utilise to monitor and continually improve service quality.
Make a reasoned argument in an academically well written report that leads the reader through argument and debate to a clear conclusion.
The argument will therefore embrace the service concept whilst identifying a range of theoretical quality models.
CASE STUDY: The Park Avenue Hotel. The Park Avenue Hotel is a 4-star hotel and has been operating in Central London since 2005 AD.
Situated close to Bond street station, the hotel has 100 modern and stylish en-suite rooms, including standard, executive and premier. In 2007, they opened a conference and banqueting suite of three event venue spaces which are suitable for hosting conferences, meetings, weddings and other functions.
Other Hotel facilities include a gym, spa and swimming pool. The food and beverage operations include a formal dining area where breakfast and lunches are served at the Brasserie, and William Bar and Restaurant which are open at lunch time and for evening service for a range of local and international cuisine.
The Hotel attracts both business and leisure guests, and has recently been refurbished; updating the reception area, restaurants and rooms. Since the refurbishment and development of the conference and banqueting suite, the Park Avenue Hotel has had a 100% increase in room and event bookings combined.
However, whilst profits have significantly increased, customer complaints have also risen within this period. In the last six months Trip Advisor reviews have been highlighting various issues within the Hotel – such as “Great facilities but poor service.
“long waiting times, busy front desk, staff trying really hard to accommodate all guests as they were understaffed and unable to cope”, “callous attitude of waiter to solve the problem, no apologies for inconvenience, lack of clarity about compensation”.
The Hotel Manager only checks Trip Advisor Reviews once a month and instructs employees to refer any customer complaints directly to him.
The management team has only recently become aware that customers are also leaving reviews on the Hotel’s Facebook page. As Hotel occupancy, conference, and banqueting event bookings have increased, the management team is struggling to find the time to respond to customer feedback.
The service culture emphasizes the importance of the guest’s experience, however staff feel that there is no ownership, and that they are not cared for. There are no reward schemes or active empowerment of the staff, and they feel that management do not value them.
Currently 50% of staff are employed part time, with only the management team and supervisors on full time contracts and staff turnover is increasing. There have also been complaints about the minimum wage paid, the bureacratic style of management and lack of empowerment.
In terms of recruitment, the management team has no planned approach and recruits on an ad hoc basis. Training lasts one week and is provided on the job by the on duty supervisor.
The Hotel used to operate on good service standards in quality assurance, recognition and attentiveness.
This included a personalized approach by using the guests name once it is known and by calling the guest 15 minutes after checking in to make sure the room is satisfactory. However, since the increase in hotel occupation and staff turnover, these standards are neither being upheld, nor are the management team enforcing it.
The management of the Park Avenue Hotel has approached you as a Service Quality consultant to analyse the present situation and to ensure that the Hotel maintains the standards expected; the hotel four star rating and modern and stylish en-suite rooms, food and beverage and public areas.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this module, students will have demonstrated
Knowledge
1. A critical understanding of the main theories and principles surrounding the management of service quality
2. A critical understanding of the range and importance of tools used for assessing service quality
Skills
3. The ability to critically appraise the management of service quality for a given service organization
4. The ability to critically evaluate a range of theories and sources associated with service quality
