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Service: activity done for another person
Hospitality is the business of satisfying people’s
needs
Customer Service: total customer experience
with that business
› Includes performance of the staff, courtesy of the
staff, the cleanliness of the property, and the way
customers are treated
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Empathy: ability to put yourself in someone
else’s shoes and know how that person feels
› Why might it be important to be empathetic to your
customers and their needs?
Customer: someone who purchases
products or services from a business
Guest: customer who purchases products
or services from a hospitality business
Guest and Customer are used
interchangeably in hospitality
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Customers are the main reason for
hospitality industry
› Without customers there would be no
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business
No business = no profits
No profits = no money
Success depends on returning customers
POOR SERVICE is the number one reason
customers do not return to a business.
Customers look for a place where they
feel welcome
 Hospitality businesses satisfy both the
physical and psychological needs of
customers
 Maslow's Hierarchy (next slide)
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Way to describe how human needs are
met
 Ranked needs in order from most basic to
higher needs
 Basic needs are at the bottom
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› Physical/Safety
› Must be partially met to pursue higher needs
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Higher needs are psychological needs
› Self actualization: expressing your true self
through reaching personal goals or helping
others
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How can the hospitality industry help
meet the needs in the pyramid?
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Customer Satisfaction: the positive feeling customers
have about a business that meets their needs.
Quality Service: Service that meets or exceeds
customers’ expectations .
Quality service is the key to establishing and
maintaining a successful business.
Service always depends on people, the employees
who provide the service
Customers frequently compliment the following
service elements:
› Cleanliness and attractive appearance of facilities and
grounds
› Employees who respond quickly to requests
› Employees who anticipate customer needs
Quality service is necessary but more
important is consistent quality service.
 Consistent Quality Service: providing the
same good and service each and every
time they come to your business.
 Think McDonalds, Olive Garden
 Delivering quality service always involves
people.
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› Depends on interactions that take place
between customers and staff.
› Service encounter: an interaction between a
customer and a staff member.
People choose restaurants based on
recommendations from friends and
coworkers
 WORD OF MOUTH PUBLICITY: informal
conversation people have about their
experiences with a business
 In hospitality, word of mouth is one of the
major ways people learn about your
business
 Can give a business good publicity or bad
publicity
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People who provide quality service are the hospitality
employees. (2 groups)
› Front of the House: area in hospitality business that guests
usually see. (entrance, dining room, lobby area)
› Back of the House: area that guests usually do not get to
see. Also called the heart of the house. (kitchen, receiving,
storage, laundry, broiler room, storage, offices)
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Front of the house employees work with customers
and have direct contact with customers. (front desk
staff, hostess, wait staff/servers, bell attendants
Back of the house employees are rarely involved with
customers (cooks, chefs, dishwashers, housekeepers,
engineers, etc.)
Customer focused employee: employee
who can anticipate customer needs
 Customer focused employees have the
six following characteristics
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1. Make immediate eye contact: Shows you
have a willingness to serve and are giving
the guest your complete attention.
2. Have good posture: relaxed but alert; do
not stare at the ground or look off into
space.
3. They smile warmly: communicates respect
for the customer and readiness to help.
4. They respond quickly to requests: attitude
should be positive and business like
5. They use the customer’s name whenever
possible: when customers hear their own
name, they feel important and welcome
6. They are clean and well groomed: Image is
made from impression that staff gives;
companies have strict regulations that
employees must follow.
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Critical Moments: time when customer’s experience
makes a bigger impact on customer satisfaction than
at other times.
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Phone Call: guests first impression
First View of the building entrance
Interaction with the greater
Wait for a table or a room
First moments at the table or in the hotel
First encounter with bussers and servers
Encounter with the manager
Arrival of the food
Visit to the restroom
Presentation of the check or the bill
The last interaction with the server or the office staff
Customer relation skills are skills that are
necessary to provide good customer
service.
 Communication Skills
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› Critical for every employee at every level
› Managers must communicate the rules of
the company, standards of customer
service, and information about the business
to their employees
Verbal communication: includes the
tone of the voice you use and the way
you speak.
 Use proper grammar at all times, not
slang
 Never use profanity (shows a lack of
manners, lack of respect)
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MUST communicate in written form
 Write menu orders clearly
 Write down specifics about different
orders
 Write publications, articles
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Nonverbal communication is how you
communicate with your body language.
 Facial expressions, hand gestures,
posture, and eye contact are ways that
we communicate nonverbally
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There will ALWAYS be customer complaints!
The key is ALWAYS to resolve the complaints
with customer satisfaction.
› Listen with empathy
› Allow the customer to vent
› Be supportive
› Do NOT blame someone else
› Have a positive attitude
› Offer solutions
› Follow through on the situation