| Checkpoint 1 | ||
| Question 1: Indicate whether the following statements relating to formal and informal research methods are true or false? | ||
| 1. A conversation with a customer or supplier is considered informal research. | True
False |
|
| 2. Formal research generally involves gathering data and then compiling and reporting on the data. | True
False |
|
| 3. Collecting survey forms from 100 customers in the hotel is an example of using informal research. | True
False |
|
| 4. Using formal research methods enables you to methodically collect, review and analyse data and responses. | True
False |
|
| 5. Informal research is unplanned, casual and unsystematic. | True
False |
|
| 6. If a customer had filled out a questionnaire and you then analysed the results and compared them to other customer’s responses, then this would be considered formal research. | True
False |
|
| 7. Formal research cannot be measured and is based on assumptions only. | True
False |
|
| Question 2: What is the purpose of sharing information you have gained from research with staff? | ||
| The main purpose of sharing information that is gained from the research is that it gives direction to the employees or the team members to perform the business activities. The information should be shared with the teammates so that they can enhance their knowledge. The shared information also helps to update the skills of the employees. The skills like assessing the latest and most sophisticated technologies, and tools. With the help of market research, the staff got to know about their weak areas that need improvement and their strengths. | ||
| Question 3: Provide 5 examples of internal factors in a business environment that can affect an organisation? | ||
| The internal factors that can affect the business environment of an organization include
· Organizational structure of the business · Corporate culture · Quality and productivity of the human resources · Business policies and regulations · Labour unions of the business (Dragnić, 2014). |
||
| Question 4: List 5 examples of external factors in a business environment that can affect an organisation. | ||
| The internal factors that can affect the business environment of an organization include
· Economic factors like GDP, recession, inflation, etc · Technological advancement · Government rules and policies · Legal requirements and legislation · Social factors (Dragnić, 2014). |
||
| Question 5: Indicate whether the following statements relating to customer service policies are true or false? | ||
| 1. A policy relating to charging cancellation fees must be outlined in the service/booking agreement signed at the time of booking. | True
False |
|
| 2. A statement like “extra fees may apply” in your small print may cause conflict with customers. | True
False |
|
| 3. Your cancellation policy should give customers an indication of what fees, how much they are, or why they need to pay them. | True
False |
|
| 4. Displaying a sign which says ‘No refunds’ ensures that you will not breach legislative requirements. | True
False |
|
| 5. Substituting a ‘Premium Spirit’ for a cheaper one without informing the customer is a breach of Consumer Protection Law. | True
False |
|
| Checkpoint 2 | ||
| Question 6: Provide 2 examples for typical needs of each of the following client groups? | ||
| 1. Family tourists – Getting a safe and secure shelter to stay
Getting love and belongingness from the people of the tourism city or place
2. Backpackers – getting complete camping tools and materials Getting appropriate and suitable place for camping, hiking etc.
3. Domestic tourists – getting a place of stay in a reasonable rate and cost Getting all the facilities like food, water, etc. 4. Conferences and the corporate market – getting a suitable place for the meetings and conferences Getting a competitive market that can give them competitive Advantage. |
||
| Question 7: Indicate whether the following statements relating to feedback and customer service are true or false? | ||
| 1. Staff feedback about products or services is valuable because they are in direct contact with customers. | True
False |
|
| 2. A customer evaluation questionnaire contains a series of written, open questions that ask the customer to rate their opinion on your service or products. | True
False |
|
| 3. Constantly monitoring the customer service being given to your customers will allow you to improve your service delivery. | True
False |
|
| 4. Staff feedback about products or services is irrelevant because they only supply the product and do not purchase it. | True
False |
|
| Question 8: Provide 5 examples of ways to set examples for customer service to your staff? | ||
| Following are the ways that can set an example for better customer service-
· Practice active listening · Should use positive language and a soft tone with customers · Learn to empathize with the customers · Improve technical and problem-solving skills · Try to communicate clearly |
||
| Question 9: Provide 5 examples of industry or accreditation schemes in the TH&E industry? | ||
| Following are the examples of industry or accreditation schemes in the TH&E industry-
· Gault & Millau · Ecotourism Australia · Gold anchor global marina accreditation · Caravan Industry Association of Australia National Accreditation Program. · China Ready Training and Accreditation.. |
||
| Checkpoint 3 | ||
| Question 10: Provide 1 example for a source where you could find information for each of the following sectors of the Tourism, Hospitality and Event industry? | ||
| 1. Restaurants and Cafés – customer surveys
2. Hotels – social media platforms 3. Amusement, Leisure, Recreation – market research and surveys 4. Travel Agents – search engines 5. Tourism – official websites 6. Events – digital platforms 7. Guiding and Tours – data from travel agents |
||
| Question 11: What are the steps in the general complaint handling process? | ||
| Following are the steps that should be taken to handle any customer complaint-
Step 1- carefully listening to the customer’s problem and query Step 2- give the customer some time to get calm and give time to have some patience if the customer is angry or not in a good mood Step 3- show trust and empathy for the concerns of the customers Step 4- thank the customer for registering a complaint, as it gives the company a feedback Step 5- sincerely and politely show apologies for the problem faced by the customer, even if the customer service provider is not the cause of the problem. Step 6- getting feedback from the customer Step 7- try to understand the cause of the problem Sep 8- offer a solution to the customer (Knox & Van 2014). |
||
| Question 12: Indicate whether the following statements relating to handling complaints are true or false? | ||
| 1. Establishing guidelines for complaints helps to resolve them. | True
False |
|
| 2. Complaint guidelines should outline appropriate responses and the correct personnel to deal with the different types of complaints. | True
False |
|
| 3. If a complaint is escalating or the customer makes unreasonable demands you should involve a manager. | True
False |
|
| 4. If the customer asks to speak directly to the manager, they should be asked to leave. | True
False |
|
| Question 13: Which of the following are benefits of a customer database? Indicate true or false? | ||
| 1. Recognising customers who are loyal and who are profitable to the business. | True
False |
|
| 2. Identifying purchasing trends which will assist in developing future marketing plans and promotional material. | True
False |
|
| 3. Informing existing customers of new products and special deals. | True
False |
|
| 4. Profiling customers based on socioeconomic circumstances in order to prevent unwanted customers. | True
False |
|
| 5. Identifying products which could be on-sold to existing customers depending on their preferences and buying profile. | True
False |
|
| Checkpoint 4 | ||
| Question 14: Standards of service in a business should be based on the specific profile of the business. Provide 4 examples of what this typically would include? | ||
| It is true that Standards of service in a business should be based on the specific profile of the business. For example-
Consultant- provide best suggestions and advice to their clients that will help them to make good decisions Advertising and marketing- to provide the best marketing tools and techniques to the clients that will help to grow in the market Financial institution- the business standard for financial institutions is to provide financial assistance to their clients at economical interest rates. Hospitality business- provides the best services like rooms, food, healthy meals, and other necessary amenities. |
||
| Question 15: Service standards should follow the SMART principle and reflect what it is the business is trying to do. What do you use this principle for? | ||
| All business organizations should follow the principle of SMART in their organization, as it gives a complete direction to the employees working in an organization. The acronym of SMART is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. The principle of SMART is basically a concept of management that will help the business to perform its business activities efficiently and effectively.
The principle can be used as- Specific- The goal and objective of the business should be specific and it should be clear in the minds of each and every employee of the organization. In this, the employees should be clear about what is to be done, why the goal is significant, and which resources are needed to perform the task, etc. basically the specific point is to give the answers to the ‘W’ (Terziev, & Klimuk, 2021). Measurable- It is important for an organization to track and measure the performance of its activities. Without identifying the progress, or the performance, the employee did not know about their performance ad their weak areas that need to be improved. Achievable- the next in this list is achievable. The goals and objectives of the business organization should be realistic and should be based on actual facts. The goals should be achievable that forced the employees to perform to their best abilities. Relevant- This step ensures that the stated objectives and goals matter to the employees. The employees should perform the task with their best efforts and have control over them. Time-bound- it is very important to set a deadline and time to complete any task in the business organization. If there is no deadline for the tasks and activities then there can be delays in the activities and the goals can not be achieve on time. |
||
| Question 16: What is the difference between a policy and a procedure? Which details would be included in each? | ||
| Policies- Policies are said to be the general guidelines of the business organization. The main objective of developing policies is to convey and communicate the culture of business, organizational values, and philosophy. Policies reflect the mission of the business organization.
Procedures- procedures are step-by-step instructions to perform the day-to-day business activities. The procedures include the to-do list or the steps for taking any business actions. It follows the logical and systematic process. |
||
| Question 17: List 5 examples of service-related policy and procedure documents? | ||
| The service-related policy and procedure documents include-
· Code of conduct · Non-smoking policy · Health and safety policy · Policy of recruitment · Anti-discrimination and harassment policy |
||
| Question 18: Indicate whether the following statements relating to staff involvement and training provisions for policies and procedures are true or false? | ||
| 1. Staff should be trained on policies and procedures as part of their induction, and ongoing staff training. | True
False |
|
| 2. Staff should only be trained on policies and procedures if there is a customer complaint. | True
False |
|
| 3. Communicating your policies and procedures to your staff and customers helps to avoid difficult service experiences. | True
False |
|
| 4. You should not involve staff in creating policies because they don’t have a full understanding of the business. | True
False |
|
| 5. Staff should be involved in creating policies and procedures because they deal with customers and suppliers on a day to day basis. | True
False |
|
| 6. Staff are in a good position to analyse trends and developments. | True
False |
|
| 7. Involving staff in creating policies helps achieve buy-in from the staff and helps them feel part of the team. | True
False |
|
| Question 19: List 5 important aspects relating to format and content you need to consider when developing a policy. | ||
| Following are the important aspects relating to format and content that a manager needs to consider when developing a policy-
· Identification of the need · Proper participation of stakeholders · Effective communication · Defining areas of policies · Identification of business environment |
||
| Checkpoint 5 | ||
| Question 20: List 4 examples of ways to make your policies and procedures readily available to your customers? | ||
| Following are the ways through which the policies and procedures readily available to the customers-
· Through broadcasting media · Public conferences · Stakeholders meetings · Print-media like magazines and newspapers |
||
| Question 21: What is the importance of policies and procedures in terms of business success and staff-customer interactions? | ||
| Policies and procedures in the business organization plays a vital role in the success of the business. The following are the importance of policies and procedures-
· It gives directions to the employees to perform the business task · It helps the employees to achieve the organizational objectives · Provides code of conduct in the organization · Helps to maintain discipline and integrity in the organization · Contribute in the growth and development of the business · Helps to achieve individual goals and targets (Valero, & Roland, 2015). |
||
| Question 22: List 5 examples for knowledge a manager could share with staff to ensure positive service outcomes? | ||
| Following are the knowledge that a manager could share with staff to ensure positive service outcomes-
· Effective communication with the clients and customers (Terziev, & Klimuk, 2021). · Should patiently listen to the customers · Should use soft and polite tone with customers · Show interest in the concerns of customers · Try to identify the root cause of the customer query. |
||
| Question 23: List 5 examples for key steps which should be followed to help to achieve quality customer service? | ||
| Following are the key steps which should be followed to help to achieve quality customer service-
· Understand needs of the customers · Promote and seek the feedback from customers · Try to delight the customers by exceeding their expectations · Try to resolve their problem and query · Show apologies for the inconvenience |
||
| Question 24: What is the key for communicating expectations with staff to ensure a department or organisation achieves its goals? What does this require from you as a manager? | ||
| Following are the key for communicating expectations with staff to ensure a department or organisation achieves its goals-
· Emphasize and focus on the objectives of the business · Give authority and accountability to the employees · Assign duties and responsibilities to the employees · Expectations should be set early · Motivates employees to give their best efforts · Track their performance and progress |
||
| Checkpoint 6 | ||
| Question 25: Quality management is the process of overseeing, monitoring and reviewing quality service. List 5 aspects of quality management? | ||
| Following are the aspects of quality management-
· Policies and objectives of quality · Responsibilities and organizational structure · Customer satisfaction · Quality of the product · Continuous improvement (Garza-Reyes, et al., 2015). |
||
| Question 26: Provide 5 examples of ways to obtain customer feedback about your level of service? | ||
| Customer feedback can be obtained by following ways-
· Through emails · By filling customer surveys · Through digital platforms and channels · Through user testing · Through focused groups |
||
| Question 27: Indicate whether the following statements relating to monitoring performance and goals in an organisation are true or false? | ||
| 1. Continuous monitoring of performance not only allows you to determine if the goals are being met, but also to investigate the reasons behind goals not being met. | True
False |
|
| 2. This is important because the market is continually changing. | True
False |
|
| 3. A goal that is not reached must be investigated so that it can be determined if the reasons are in-house, there is a new competitor in the market, or if it is the result of some environmental variable outside the control of the business. | True
False |
|
| 4. If a goal is repeatedly not being reached you will have to lower your standards accordingly. | True
False |
|
| Question 28: Which key business factor must be considered when assessing and adjusting customer service procedures? | ||
| Following are the key business factor must be considered when assessing and adjusting customer service procedures-
· Accessibility · Navigation · Proactive approach · Convenience · Real time · Intuition |
||
| Question 29: What needs to occur when a change or improvement to policies and procedures needs to be implemented in an organisation? List 4 examples? | ||
| It includes
· When the targets are not achieved, the improvements is required · When the performance of the business starts decline · Revenues of the business stats to decrease · Mismanagement in the organization · Conflicts and confusion among the employees. |
||
References
Dragnić, D. (2014). Impact of internal and external factors on the performance of fast-growing small and medium businesses. Management: Journal of contemporary management issues, 19(1), 119-159.
Garza-Reyes, J. A., Rocha-Lona, L., & Kumar, V. (2015). A conceptual framework for the implementation of quality management systems. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 26(11-12), 1298-1310.
Knox, G., & Van Oest, R. (2014). Customer complaints and recovery effectiveness: A customer base approach. Journal of marketing, 78(5), 42-57.
Terziev, V., & Klimuk, V. (2021). Improving social performance of a resource cooperation model-Science Education Business Power-based on “Smart Specialization” principle. Available at SSRN 3851269.
Valero, A., & Roland, I. (2015). Productivity and business policies. Centre for Economic Performance Paper EA021.