The Business of Leisure
Customer Service at Alton Towers Resort
Customer Service
• Customers are the most important factor of the leisure and
tourism industry.
• It is vital to provide a high level of customer service at all times
to ensure customers return and recommend us to their friends
and family.
• It is easier for a business to retain its existing customers than it
is to attract new ones.
Customer Service
Good Customer Service involves putting the
customer first
Customer
Satisfaction
Good
reputation
Safe
Environment
For
Customers
& staff
Secure
Environment
For
Customers
& staff
Good
Customer
Service
Loyal
Customers
Return to
park
Increased
Ticket sales
Increase in
profits
Staff Job
Satisfaction
Delivering Good Customer Service
• To help deliver good
customer service, it is vital
that we recruit the most
suitable employees and
train them as best as
possible.
Transport&
Accommoda
tion
Recruit
Learning
& Growth
Welfare
Human Resources are
responsible for achieving
this journey.
Employee
Engagement
Support &
Guidance
Delivering Good Customer Service
•
Once staff are recruited, we need to ensure
they have the knowledge to respond to any
queries
•
Training Courses- Welcome & Dazzle to
introduce and live our company values–
–
–
–
•
Forever Forward
That’s Entertainment
All for one
Facing Reality
A staff handbook is issued to all new
members and contains specific information
about the park and other useful information
Delivering Good Customer Service
•
There are 10 magical rules that
help create good customer
service
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Warm welcome
First impressions
Stars of show
Appearances count
Excuse me?
Fun, Fun, Fun
Be prepared
Positive thinking
Litter
Winning team
Delivering Good Customer Service
• Alton Towers Resort customers are classed in two ways:
– Internal customers
– Those who work in another department within the same organisation
– 1600 Theme Park & 600 Hotel employees
– Permanent & Fixed Term
– External customers
– Those who visit an organisation to purchase or use goods/services, but
are not linked with the organisation in any way
External Customers may use or buy
– Goods - tangible things you can touch
– Services- intangible and what people do for you
Alton Towers Resort
Internal Customers
Central
Administration
Conference
& Events
Customer
Services
Sales &
Marketing
Retail
Rides
Costume
Alton Towers
Resort
Hotel
Entertainments
Tech
Services
Finance
Health &
Safety
HR
Guest
Services
Medical &
Security
External Customers
• With diverse customer base, not every guest has the same needs
• We must recognise different customer needs to ensure that all
of our guests receive the best customer service
• Customer service does not only include face-to-face interaction
on the park, but also any phone calls
• We receive approximately 15,000 calls a week to live operators;
of which approximately 3,750 are related to Alton Towers
Resort
• All of these calls must be handled quickly and efficiently to ensure
that the customer can get the accurate response to their call
Dealing with Customer Complaints
• Every one of our employees is trained on how to deal with complaints
• We use the HEART acronym
H Hello (Introduce yourself)
E
Empathise (I can understand…)
A
Apologise (I’m very sorry this has happened to you)
R
React (Do something to help)
T
Thank You (Thank them for their feedback)
• Complaint handling process:
– Complete Form
– Use satisfaction pad (where necessary) for complimentary
coffee/meal/retail item
– Complaints entered into database and monitored monthly
– Review complaints and take necessary action
Measuring Customer Service
• Market research tells us
what the customers think
of their experience at the
Alton Towers Resort
• Questionnaires cover all
aspects of the Alton
Towers Resort
2007 STATS
overall enjoyment of Resort experience
-8.7 out of 10
Customer Service- 8 out of 10
13% of guests were visiting us for the
first time and 28% of respondents
visited us the previous year
Q Spoilt my day – 27%
2008 STATS
overall enjoyment of Resort experience
-8.9 out of 10
Customer Service- 8.3 out of 10
13% of guests were visiting us for the
first time and 29% of respondents
visited us the previous year
Q Spoilt my day – 25%
Conclusion
• We have discussed how good customer service is essential as it
leads to an increase in sales and intention to return.
• Good levels of customer service are important for both internal
and external customers, we use various methods of market
research to measure our effectiveness.
• By delivering the right training to internal employees, external
customers will receive a better service.
• Positive complaint handling is a vital tool in delivering good
customer service.
Any Questions?
Thank You