Effective Customer Service in the Travel and Tourism Industry Lesson 3

• Travel and tourims
• Higher Education (non-degree)

Effective Customer Service in the Travel and Tourism Industry

Learning Objectives

• At the end of the lesson 
• you will understand the stages of customer journey
• evaluating customer service
• Mystery shopper task

The learner must produce a flow chart or report of the stages involved in the customer service journey and suggest ways of evaluating customer service.

Learners must then conduct different mystery shopper exercises to investigate the levels of customer service offered (this could be primary or secondary research). Examples could include:

• travel agents

• restaurants

• attractions

• museums

• galleries.

When preparing for and conducting different mystery shopper exercises, learners could consider:

• ease of booking or purchasing

• welcome

• meet and greet

• the appearance

• first impressions

• amenities

• the service provided.

The learner should produce a report summarising their experience and comparing it to current industry standards.

The learner must produce a flow chart or report of the stages involved in the customer service journey and suggest ways of evaluating customer service.

Learners must then conduct different mystery shopper exercises to investigate the levels of customer service offered (this could be primary or secondary research). Examples could include:

• travel agents

• restaurants

• attractions

• museums

• galleries.

When preparing for and conducting different mystery shopper exercises, learners could consider:

• ease of booking or purchasing

• welcome

• meet and greet

• the appearance

• first impressions

• amenities

• the service provided.

The learner should produce a report summarising their experience and comparing it to current industry standards.

Assignment Brief - LO1 Unit 2

The learner must produce a flow chart or report of the stages involved in the customer service journey and suggest ways of evaluating customer service.

Learners must then conduct different mystery shopper exercises to investigate the levels of customer service offered (this could be primary or secondary research). Examples could include:

• travel agents

• restaurants

• attractions

• museums

• galleries.

When preparing for and conducting different mystery shopper exercises, learners could consider:

• ease of booking or purchasing

• welcome

• meet and greet

• the appearance

• first impressions

• amenities

• the service provided.

The learner should produce a report summarising their experience and comparing it to current industry standards.

Grade Criteria - LO1 Unit 2

Thinking of a setting… could be a travel agent, restaurant, airline, airport, report representative… what would you consider the stages of your customers journey to be?

First impressions

Think about an organisation that you used for the first time recently could be a shop, a restaurant or a tourist attraction. What were your first impressions when you met a member of staff? What influenced that impression? If you cannot remember your first impression, this is just as important. Why do you think the member of staff failed to make any impression?

Discuss your ideas and experiences with the rest of your group.

What makes up a first impression? Research tells us that within 7 seconds you make a first impression of someone.

• Acknowledgement
  
• Eye contact
  
• Greeting
  
• Personal presentation/ appearance
  
• Hygiene
  
• Situ
  
• Organisational skills
  
• Rapport/ communication skills
  
• Behaviour

Service

• Listening
  
• Summarising
  
• Checking in with client
  
• Efficient/ time taken
  
• Reply when promised (under promise, over exceed)
  
• Amenities provided
  

Ways to evaluate customer service

Primary and secondary research

Primary research – involves active participation from the researcher themselves

Secondary research - is the summary of data or previous findings of someone else

Mystery shopper Task

Working in pairs, plan a mystery shopper exercise to be conducted on two different organisations.

• travel agents

• restaurants

• attractions

• museums

• galleries.

Mystery shopper Task

When preparing for and conducting different mystery shopper exercises, learners could consider:

• ease of booking or purchasing

• welcome

• meet and greet

• the appearance

• first impressions

• amenities

• the service provided.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.

Summary

• At the end of the lesson 
• you will understand the stages of customer journey
  
• evaluating customer service
  
• Mystery shopper task

Close / follow up

• Contact details
  
• Pressure
  
• Rapport
  
• Information