Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
Melrose Abbey mini case study
Background information about Melrose Abbey may be found in the
‘Understanding Travel and Tourism’ mini case study.
Staffing
The success of any organisation is closely linked to the quality of the
management and the staff.
There are only a very few members of staff at Melrose Abbey. There are two
teams that work on site, the Visitor Services team and the Conservation &
Preservation team. Here is an organisation chart for the Visitor Services team.
Head of Visitor Services & Business Development*
Regional Visitor Services Manager*
District Visitor Services Manager*
Monument Manager (full-time)
One full-time Steward
One part-time Steward
Two members of seasonal
staff (Apr – Sept)
* Not based at Melrose Abbey
The Conservation and Preservation team has the responsibility of maintaining
the grounds surrounding the Abbey. Specialist stonemasons are also employed
to ensure preservation of the Abbey stonework.
Career Progression
Staff within Historic Scotland are employed on a “banding” structure and as they
progress in their careers they will go up a band.
Training
Training of the staff at Melrose Abbey is carried out internally within Historic
Scotland and also through local training initiatives in the Borders. These
initiatives include World Wide Welcome, Scotland’s Best, Welcome Host, and
Handling Customer Comments.
Training in Guiding is provided by the Training & Development department at
Historic Scotland.
Information Technology
Even in days of modern technology a number of visitor attractions still operate a
manual system. Melrose Abbey is one of these. At Melrose Abbey staff currently
still use the traditional mail postage system, as email has not been installed at
the attraction. A number of Historic Scotland properties that are in rural locations
like Melrose, are waiting for the arrival of broadband connections before installing
internet access and software for sending and receiving emails. This will help to
speed up communications within Melrose Abbey and between Historic Scotland
and staff at Melrose Abbey.
Computers are used, however, to collate visitor numbers, using the EPOS till
system. When visitors pay to get in, this records the number of visitors and ticket
types.
Historic Scotland has a very up-to-date website that encourages online purchase
of tickets and passes. A page on the website provides potential customers with
information about Melrose Abbey.
Customer Satisfaction
Mystery Visitor Scheme
Melrose Abbey participates in a Mystery Visitor scheme. This helps to monitor
standards in the attraction.
The attraction is audited once every two months. The Mystery Visitor audit
contains set criteria covering over 10 different categories. In this audit the criteria
take the form of a series of statements, for example one statement under the
Retail category reads ‘Staff were knowledgeable when handling queries’. The
Mystery Visitor has to decide about the extent to which he or she agrees with
each statement. The Mystery Visitor has to give an actual score for each
statement.
Below is an extract from the Mystery Visitor Form, for the category ‘Staff Service
Skills and Image’. The statements are numbered 1 to 6. These give an idea of
what most customers are hoping for when they visit Melrose Abbey or another
Historic Scotland attraction.
Extract from Mystery Visitor Audit Form
Staff Service Skills and Image
Potential
Score
1
Staff were smartly attired in uniform
and wearing a name badge.
2
2
*Proactive Interaction from staff.
3
3
Staff were friendly and helpful.
3
4
Staff were knowledgeable.
3
5
6
The service provided by staff would
encourage you to return.
Staff displayed exceptional customer
service.
Score
(* Proactive means taking the
initiative, for example not waiting
to be asked and trying to find out
what the customer really wants.)
2
2
15
Actual
Score
Comments
Quality Ratings
Melrose Abbey currently has a 4 star rating from VisitScotland, and is aiming for
5 stars by investing in new interpretation panels.
Accessibility
VisitScotland carries out assessments of attractions so that visitors who are
wheelchair users or with other mobility difficulties will know in advance if an
attraction is suitable for them.
There are three categories:
1. Category 1 – unassisted wheelchair access
2. Category 2 – assisted wheelchair access
3. Category 3 – access for visitors with mobility difficulties
Details about accessibility and the ratings for Melrose Abbey are given in the
‘Understanding Travel and Tourism mini case study’.
Information about Melrose Abbey can be
found on the Historic Scotland website:
www.historic-scotland.gov.uk