BTEC Level 3 in
Travel and Tourism
Assignment Brief
Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
BTEC Level 3 in Travel
and Tourism
Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
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Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Travel and Tourism
Introduction
Customer service is of vital importance to all organisations in the travel and
tourism sector. Excellent customer service results in a high level of satisfaction and
encourages customers to return and to recommend the organisation to others. Many
organisations in the travel and tourism sector offer the same or similar products and
services, and it is often the quality of the customer service which distinguishes one
from another.
Travel and tourism organisations realise that consistently high standards of customer service will
ensure customer loyalty and improve business performance. This unit introduces learners to the
principles of customer service as they apply to travel and tourism.
The skills needed by an employee of a travel and tourism organisation are developed in this unit.
Aspects such as personal presentation, teamwork and communication skills are all exceptionally
important to the provision of excellent service. Travel and tourism organisations are in the business
of providing information and selling products and services, and learners will have the opportunity to
develop and demonstrate these skills with customers in real or simulated situations across different
industries within the sector.
Meeting the specific needs of different customer types will be dealt with to ensure that all learners
appreciate the importance of treating customers as individuals. The knowledge that learners gain
from this unit will help to prepare them for offering excellent customer service within any travel and
tourism organisation.
Grading Criteria
P1
Explain the importance of providing excellent customer service in travel and tourism
organisations
P2
Describe customer service provision in travel and tourism organisations to meet the individual needs of
different types of customers
P3
Describe the customer service skills required to meet customer needs in travel and tourism
contexts
P4
Demonstrate customer service skills in travel and tourism situations
P5
Demonstrate selling skills in a travel and tourism situation
M1
Assess how customer service provision meets specific customer needs in travel and tourism
organisations
M2
Deal independently with customers in travel and tourism situations
M3
Demonstrate effective selling skills in a travel and tourism situation
D1
Make recommendations for how a travel and tourism organisation can improve its customer
service provision to meet specific customer needs
D2
Demonstrate good product knowledge, customer service and selling skills to provide a
consistently high standard of customer service in different situations
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Assignment Brief
Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Travel and Tourism
Learning Outcomes and Criteria Targeted:
Learning outcomes
Grading criteria covered
Learning outcome 1
Understand the importance of providing excellent customer
service in travel and tourism organisations
P1, P2, M1, D1
Learning outcome 2
Know how travel and tourism organisations adapt customer
service to meet the individual needs of customers
P2
Learning outcome 3
Know the customer service skills required to meet customer
needs in travel and tourism contexts
P3
Learning outcome 4
Be able to apply customer service and selling skills in travel
and tourism situations.
P4, P5, M2, M3, D2
Assignment 1 Task
Task 1
Grading criteria covered
Presentation
P1, P2, M1, D1
Assignment 2 Task
Task 2
Grading criteria covered
Training booklet
P3
Assignment 3 Tasks
Grading criteria covered
Task 3a
Face to face scenario
P4, M2, D2
Task 3b
Phone call scenario
P4, M2, D2
Task 3c
Written scenario
P4, P5, M2, M3, D2
Task 3d
Selling scenario
P5, M3, D2
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Assignment Brief
Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Travel and Tourism
Unit Content
1 Understand the importance of providing excellent customer service in travel and
tourism organisations
Customer service: first impressions; company image eg. logo, premises, organisational efficiency;
speed and accuracy of service; consistency; products and services offered; meeting customer
needs; offering information and advice; dealing with complaints; dealing with problems; meeting and
exceeding customer expectations.
Importance to the organisation: keeping existing customers satisfied; increasing customers’
loyalty; ensuring repeat business; enhancing an organisation’s image; providing an edge over the
competition; increasing sales and usage by attracting new customers; the consequences of poor
customer service for the customer, the staff and the organisation.
Importance to the customer: meeting individual customer needs; exceeding customers’
expectations; safe and secure environment for internal and external customers; Importance to the
employee: a happier working environment; job satisfaction; job security; higher self-esteem;
possibility of promotion.
2 Know how travel and tourism organisations adapt customer service to meet the
individual needs of customers
Different types of customer: individuals eg. leisure, business; groups.
Individual needs: products and services; stated; unstated; special needs eg. medical conditions,
mobility; customers with cultural and language needs; other needs eg. relating to age, gender,
socio-economic group, family circumstances.
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Assignment Brief
Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Travel and Tourism
Unit Content
3 Know the customer service skills required to meet customer needs in travel and
tourism contexts
Communication skills: face to face; telephone eg. call centre; building rapport; effective listening;
questioning; developing a dialogue; non-verbal communication eg. body language, eye contact;
written communication.
Presentation: of self eg. hygiene, dress, personality, appearance; of working environment.
Teamwork: eg. motivation, team roles, delegation of tasks, lines of authority; benefits of teamwork
to colleagues, customers and the organisation.
Business skills: completion of documentation eg. tickets, forms; use of IT eg. email, computerised
reservations system (CRS), internet; business standards eg. accuracy, legibility, business conventions.
Complaint handling: listening; questioning; empathising; understanding the problem; taking
control of the situation; agreeing solutions; follow up.
Selling skills: building rapport; establishing customer needs and expectations; product knowledge;
features and benefits; overcoming objections; closing the sale.
4 Be able to apply customer service and selling skills in travel and tourism situations
Customer service: providing information and advice; providing assistance; dealing with complaints;
dealing with problems eg. overbookings, lost property; making sales; after sales advice; product
knowledge.
Situations: verbal (face to face, telephone); non-verbal (written, electronic); holiday sales eg.
accommodation reservations, flight bookings, ticket sales, excursion sales; requests for information
eg. flight and journey details; requests for advice eg. visa and health requirements; complex requests
eg. airport assistance, priority seating and flight upgrade; complaints eg. flight delays, poor quality
accommodation.
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Assignment Brief
Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Travel and Tourism
Assignment 1 Tasks
Task 1: Presentation
Explain the importance of providing excellent customer service in travel
and tourism organisations
P2 Describe customer service provision in travel and tourism organisations to
meet the individual needs of different types of customers
M1 Assess how customer service provision meets specific customer needs in
travel and tourism organisations
D1 Make recommendations for how a travel and tourism organisation can improve its customer service provision to meet specific customer needs.
P1 T1
You must:
Produce a digital presentation to be shown to the students that explains the importance of excellent
customer service and describes and assesses how customer service provision meets individual
needs. You should then make recommendations on how to improve the provision for one of the
organisations.
Scenario:
You work as a recruitment officer for a travel industry training organisation known as ‘Travel Train’.
You have been invited to a local college to make a presentation to a group of students who are
wishing to take up employment in the industry.
You have been asked to represent your organisation, Travel Train, and produce a presentation
explaining the importance of customer service, and how it is provided by two travel organisations of
your choice.
In your answer, you must explain the following elements in relation to two travel and tourism
organisations.
Customer service: first impressions; company image eg. logo, premises, organisational efficiency;
speed and accuracy of service; consistency; products and services offered; meeting customer
needs; offering information and advice; dealing with complaints; dealing with problems; meeting and
exceeding customer expectations.
Importance to the organisation: keeping existing customers satisfied; increasing customers’
loyalty; ensuring repeat business; enhancing an organisation’s image; providing an edge over the
competition; increasing sales and usage by attracting new customers; the consequences of poor
customer service for the customer, the staff and the organisation.
Importance to the customer: meeting individual customer needs; exceeding customers’
expectations; safe and secure environment for internal and external customers; Importance to the
employee: a happier working environment; job satisfaction; job security; higher self-esteem; possibility
of promotion.
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Assignment Brief
Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Travel and Tourism
Your presentation should be split up into four sections. The information you need to include within
each section is listed below: Your presentation should include:
Section 1 (P1): An explanation of the importance of excellent customer service to the
organisation, to the customer, and to the employee.
• Include examples of how excellent customer service has its benefits in at least two
travel and tourism organisations
• You should refer specifically to the different aspects of customer service which you
have learnt about in this assignment. For each organisation you should explain
the principles of customer service, the importance of providing excellent customer
service to the organisation, customer and employee, different types of customers and
individual needs. You should also provide examples for each organisation to support
the points you make in the presentation.
Section 2 (P2): A description of customer service provision within the travel and tourism
organisations, and the ways in which they adapt their provision to meet the individual needs of
different types of customers
• The different types of customers you should discuss are individuals on a day trip,
groups, and internal customers (staff who work there)
• You must include products and services, stated and unstated needs, special needs,
customers with cultural and language needs and other needs (for example, age,
gender, socio-economic group, family circumstances etc.)
Section 3 (M1): A report which assesses the customer service provided by the organisations.
You will need to judge whether customers were left with a positive impression of the organisation,
and whether or not their needs were met
Section 4 (D1): Make recommendations of how one of the selected organisations could better
meet their specific customer needs.
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Assignment Brief
Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Travel and Tourism
Assignment 2 Tasks
T2
Task 2: Training booklet
P3
Describe the customer service skills required to meet customer needs in
travel and tourism contexts.
Scenario: You work as a trainer for a travel industry training organisation known as ‘Travel Train’.
You have been invited to a family-run travel agency to host a ‘customer service training’ event for all
new staff.
You must: Produce a training booklet to be handed to staff at the agency that describes the
customer service skills required to meet customer needs in travel and tourism contexts.
Your training booklet must describe the skills required to meet customer needs in travel and tourism
contexts, including:
• Communication
• Presentation
• Teamwork
• Business skills
• Selling skills
• Complaint handling.
You should refer to more than one travel and tourism organisation and include examples of each of
these customer service skills within each organisation.
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Assignment Brief
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Travel and Tourism
Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
Assignment 3 Tasks
T3a
Task 3a: Face to face scenario
P4
M2
D2
Demonstrate customer service skills in travel and tourism situations
Deal independently with customers in travel and tourism situations
Demonstrate good product knowledge, customer service and selling skills to provide a consistently high standard of customer service in
different situations.
A witness statement will need completing by an independent witness, reporting on your role play
activity. Once the document has been completed, save it to your zip folder (instructions on how to
create a zip folder are on the task page), and upload your file. Video footage can also be included.
Scenario: You have worked at The Deep, a large Aquarium, as a member of the customer relations
team for the past year. Your main role is to ensure that customers who visit the attraction are happy
and their needs are being met. You work with a range of customer types and enjoy meeting new
people.
A customer has come to you to report that another member of staff has been rude to them when
they asked for information on one of the products. Taking this scenario as a role play situation, you
must establish the full details and complete a customer complaints form.
You must demonstrate the full range of customer service skills:
• Communication skills
• Presentation skills
• Teamwork
• Business skills
• Complaint handling skills.
Complete the complaints form to properly record the complaint that is made. You should create a .zip
file with all your documents in for this assignment task and then upload the zipped file.
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Assignment Brief
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Travel and Tourism
Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
Assignment 3 Tasks (cont’d)
Task 3b: Phone call scenario
T3b
P4
M2
D2
Demonstrate customer service skills in travel and tourism situations
Deal independently with customers in travel and tourism situations
Demonstrate good product knowledge, customer service and selling skills to provide a consistently high standard of customer service in
different situations.
A witness statement will need completing by an independent witness, reporting on your role play
activity. Video footage can also be uploaded.
Scenario: You have worked at The Streetlife Museum in Hull for two years. You are in charge of
taking bookings for the attraction and promoting the range of events and services they offer. Your
main role is to take bookings and ensure that staff at the venue are aware of any group visits, and
that people who come to the Streetlife Museum as a group are risk assessed and safe on site. You
also arrange talks for visitors.
A call is put through to you from a tutor who wishes to make a group visit for 20 students. They want
to visit the Streetlife Museum to learn about customer services and Hull as a tourist destination. They
want a talk and somewhere to eat their sandwiches.
As a role play situation, you must establish the full details of this scenario and complete
a booking form.
You must demonstrate the full range of customer service skills in the role play,
including:
• Communication skills
• Presentation skills
• Teamwork
• Business skills.
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Assignment Brief
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Travel and Tourism
Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
Assignment 3 Tasks (cont’d)
T3c
Task 3c: Written scenario
P4
P5
M2
M3
D2
Demonstrate customer service skills in travel and tourism situations
Demonstrate selling skills in a travel and tourism situation
Deal independently with customers in travel and tourism situations
Demonstrate effective selling skills in a travel and tourism situation
Demonstrate good product knowledge, customer service and selling
skills to provide a consistently high standard of customer service in different situations.
Scenario: You have worked at Flamingo Land, a large amusement park and zoo, for five years as
a customer service assistant. Your main role is to help with enquiries, direct customers around the
attraction and upsell your products and services, including events and activities.
Two customers have written to you and you need to respond to each one, demonstrating your
customer service skills and selling skills within your written responses. You can view the two letters on
the task page.
• The first customer has asked for advice, information and guidance in relation to upcoming
events and activities. In your response to this customer, you must promote your ‘What’s
on’ guide, try to sell tickets to this customer for one of the events or activities, and
establish the full details of this scenario via a reply letter.
• The second customer wants to book a large birthday party at the amusement park and
is asking what special offers you can provide, including any special discount. You should
demonstrate your customer service and selling skills within your reply letter.
You must demonstrate the full range of selling skills in your response letters,
including:
• Building a rapport
• Establishing customer needs and expectations
• Product knowledge
• Features and benefits
• Overcoming objections
• Closing the sale.
You can demonstrate selling skills by building rapport, establishing customer needs and expectations,
showing product knowledge, including some features and benefits, and demonstrating some skills to
overcome objections and close the sales.
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Assignment Brief
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma In Travel and Tourism
Unit 4 | Customer Service in Travel and Tourism
Assignment 3 Tasks
Task 3d: Selling scenario
T3d
P5
M3
D2
Demonstrate selling skills in a travel and tourism situation
Demonstrate effective selling skills in a travel and tourism situation
Demonstrate good product knowledge, customer service and selling skills to provide a consistently high standard of customer service
in different situations.
A witness statement will need completing by an independent witness, reporting on your role play
activity. Video footage can also be uploaded.
You must: Demonstrate effective selling skills, highlighting good product knowledge and customer
service.
Scenario: It is a busy Saturday morning at your travel agency and an elderly couple come in to book
a holiday with you. They require a walking holiday for seven nights in the Yorkshire Dales, but would
like to stay in a hotel that offers an evening meal followed by entertainment. Advertise to them the
products you can offer, taking into account their requirements, and react to their rejections of certain
suggestions you make.
You need to:
• Demonstrate selling skills
• Demonstrate good product knowledge, highlighting the relevant features and benefits
and how to overcome any objections that may present themselves
• Demonstrate strong selling skills, including ‘switch selling’ and ‘upselling’, as well as
additional sales.
You should create a .zip file with all your documents in for this assignment task, and then upload the
zipped file below.
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Assignment Brief
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