1 Challenges faced by the Hotel Managers in terms of customer satisfaction Reicel Piquero Marigold Ferrer English 2 Mr. Noel Pit March 8, 2018 2 Introduction Customer contentment is a business viewpoint which tends to the making of value for customers, anticipating and handling their expectations, and demonstrating ability and obligation to satisfy their wants and needs. Qualities of service and customer satisfaction are critical factors for success of any business (Gronoos, 1990;Parasuraman et al., 1988). The key to achieve sustainable advantage lies in delivering high quality service that results in satisfied customers (Shemwell et al, 1998). Hotel Managers are in charge of overseeing workers and for arranging, marketing, planning and administering hotel administrations, for example, providing food and convenience facilities for any events. Being a hotel manager is not an easy job, they are facing different challenges and problems. They are the one who supervise the hotel staffs in different departments and making sure that everything is ready for the guests to check in, for the customers to take orders, or for customers who are conducting events in one of the hotel function rooms. The manager makes sure that the hotel is meticulously clean, foods will be served at a certain time, making sure that the hotels have towels in every bathroom; in short perfection is their aim. The manager has to consider that everyone has different preferences. And also managers are not only after to its customers’ satisfaction but also consider the staffs who are working under its managements. Customer satisfaction is the result of client's view of the value received in a transaction or relationship, where value equals perceived service quality, contrasted with the value expected from transactions or relationships with 3 competing other business (Blanchard & Galloway, 1994; Heskett et al., 1990; Zeithaml et al., 1990). In order to reach customer pleasure and happiness, it is important to recognize and to anticipate customers' needs and to be able to satisfy them. Enterprises which are able to promptly comprehend and satisfy customers' needs and wants, make greater returns than those which fail to understand and satisfy them (Barsky&Nash, 2003). Since the cost of attracting new customers is higher than the cost of retaining the existing ones, in order to be successful managers must concentrate on retaining existing customers implementing effective policies of customer satisfaction and loyalty. Nowadays one of the biggest challenges for managers in the hotel industry is to provide and sustain customer satisfaction. Customer requirements for quality products and service have become increasingly evident to hotel managers (Lam & Zhang, 1999; Yen & Su, 2004). Guest relationships are a strategic advantage of the business (Gruen et al., 2000) and customer satisfaction is the starting point to define how well the hotel managers are doing their duties and responsibilities. In this research paper it would be able to understand the challenges and problems that the hotel managers are facing in their job. Able to come up with new strategic plans, solution on how to possibly avoid common problems that hotel managers are currently facing. Researchers will analyze the results to highlight the most common problems and challenges that the hotel managers are experiencing. And researchers conclude discussing the results and proposing improvements in customer satisfaction management for the hotel managers. 4 Research Problem This study investigates the challenges faced by the Hotel managers in terms of customer satisfaction. Statement of the Problem What are the problems faced by the hotel managers in terms of customer satisfaction? What could be done to resolve these problems? Review of Related Literature According to Ross Beard (2013) Excellent customer service and high customer satisfaction must start with understanding customer expectations. You need to know who your customers are and what they want. The hard facts about customer expectations: A study by A. Parasuraman, Leonard L. Berry and Valarie A. Zeithaml which was posted by the MIT Sloan Review, found these key insights when they were researching customer expectations across 16 focus group participants: Customers expect service basis – there is a perceived expectation that every customer has when going into a business relationship. For example, a hotel customer thinks that when they pay more they expect more. The service process is the key to exceeding expectations – companies are supposed to be accurate and dependable and provide the service they promised. It’s unlikely for a hotel to exceed customer expectations if they 5 only just have the customers’ room ready. The opportunity lies in the ability to surprise the customer with an uncommon swiftness, face, courtesy, competence, commitment, or understanding. Customer expectations are duel-leveled – The study found that customers’ expectations had two levels: desired and sufficient. The desired level is the service the customer hopes to obtain while the sufficient level is the service which the customer finds acceptable. Customers want relationships – relationships are important to customers. Many of the customers interviewed want to be ‘relationship customers’, they want ongoing, personalized relationship with the same representative from the company. They want a company representative to contact them, rather than always having to initiate contact themselves. Manage promises – to manage expectations, companies can first start managing their promises. The study found that some observers recommended deliberately under-promising the service to increase the likelihood of exceeding customer expectations. This is something I regularly recommend to our customers all the time. There’s nothing worse than over-promising and under-delivering! Keep in mind that there are some risks with under promising as it can reduce your competitive appeal, so make sure you are aware of your competitive environment. Theoretical/Conceptual Framework 6 Date Gathering References Rose Beard (2013) http://blog.clientheartbeat.com/customer-expectations/ A study by A. Parasuraman, Leonard L. Berry and Valarie A. Zeithaml https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/understanding-customerexpectations-of-service/ Delivered by: Advance systems https://advancesystemsinc.com/employee-relations-issues-handle/ Debbie Muller (2012) https://hracuity.com/50-employee-relations-issuesyou-should-be-documenting/ Customer Satisfaction in the Hotel Industry: A Case Study from Sicily (PDF Download Available).https://www.researchgate.net/publication/47619084_Customer_ Satisfaction_in_the_Hotel_Industry_A_Case_Study_from_Sicily [accessed Mar 12 2018].This is especially true in the hotel industry. https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/problems-and-challengesencountered-by-inpremise-restaurant-managers-of-tuguegarao-city-21670269-1000305-94053.html Appendices
