CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Customer satisfaction, a business term, is a measure of how products and

services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. It is

seen as a key performance indicator within business and is part of the four of

a Balanced Scorecard.

In a competitive marketplace where businesses compete for customers,

customer satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has

become a key element of business strategy.

There is a substantial body of empirical literature that establishes the

benefits of customer satisfaction for firms.

MEASURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Organizations need to retain existing customers while targeting non-

customers;. Measuring customer satisfaction provides an indication of how

successful the organization is at providing products and/or services to the

marketplace.

Customer satisfaction is an abstract concept and the actual manifestation of

the state of satisfaction will vary from person to person and product/service

to product/service. The state of satisfaction depends on a number of both

psychological and physical variables which correlate with satisfaction

behaviors such as return and recommend rate. The level of satisfaction can

also vary depending on other factors the customer, such as other products

against which the customer can compare the organization's products.

Work done by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (Leonard L) between 1985

and 1988 delivered SERVQUAL which provides the basis for the

measurement of customer satisfaction with a service by using the gap

between the customer's expectation of performance and their perceived

experience of performance. This provides the researcher with a satisfaction

"gap" which is semi-quantitative in nature. Cronin and Taylor extended the

disconfirmation theory by combining the "gap" described by Parasuraman,

Zeithaml and Berry as two different measures (perception and expectation)

into a single measurement of performance relative to expectation.

The usual measures of customer satisfaction involve a survey with a set of

statements using a Likert Technique or scale. The customer is asked to

evaluate each statement in terms of their perception and expectation of

performance of the service being measured.

Methodologies

American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is a scientific standard of

customer satisfaction. Academic research has shown that the national ACSI

score is a strong predictor of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, and an

even stronger predictor of Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE)

growth. On the microeconomic level, research has shown that ACSI data

predicts stock market performance, both for market indices and for

individually traded companies. Increasing ACSI scores has been shown to

predict loyalty, word-of-mouth recommendations, and purchase behavior.

The ACSI measures customer satisfaction annually for more than 200

companies in 43 industries and 10 economic sectors. In addition to quarterly

reports, the ACSI methodology can be applied to private sector companies

and government agencies in order to improve loyalty and purchase intent.

Two companies have been licensed to apply the methodology of the ACSI

for both the private and public sector: CFI Group, Inc. applies the

methodology of the ACSI offline, and Foresee Results applies the ACSI to

websites and other online initiatives. ASCI scores have also been calculated

by independent researchers, for example, for the mobile phones sector [5],

higher education[6], and electronic mail.

The Kano model is a theory of product development and customer

satisfaction developed in the 1980s by Professor Noriaki Kano that classifies

customer preferences into five categories: Attractive, One-Dimensional, M-

Be, Indifferent, Reverse. The Kano model offers some insight into the

product attributes which are perceived to be important to customers. Kano

also produced a methodology for mapping consumer responses to

questionnaires onto his model.

SERVQUAL or RATER is a service-quality framework that has been

incorporated into customer-satisfaction surveys (e.g., the revised Norwegian

Customer Satisfaction Barometer) to indicate the gap between customer

expectations and experience.

J.D. Power and Associates provides another measure of customer

satisfaction, known for its top-box approach and automotive industry

rankings. J.D. Power and Associates' marketing research consists primarily

of consumer surveys and is publicly known for the value of its product

awards.

Other research and consulting firms have customer satisfaction solutions as

well. These include A.T. Kearney's Customer Satisfaction Audit process[9],

which incorporates the Stages of Excellence framework and which helps

define a company’s status against eight critically identified dimensions.

For Business to Business (B2B) surveys there is the InfoQuest box[1]. This

has been used internationally since 1989 on more than 110,000 surveys (Nov

'09) with an average response rate of 72.74%. The box is targeted at "the

most important" customers and avoids the need for a blanket survey.

Improving Customer Satisfaction

Published standards exist to help organizations develop their current levels

of customer satisfaction. The International Customer Service Institute

(TICSI) has released The International Customer Service Standard (TICSS).

TICSS enables organizations to focus their attention on delivering

excellence in the management of customer service, whilst at the same time

providing recognition of success through a 3rd Party registration scheme.

TICSS focuses an organization’s attention on delivering increased customer

satisfaction by helping the organization through a Service Quality Model.

TICSS Service Quality Model uses the 5 P's - Policy, Processes, People,

Premises, Product/Services, as well as performance measurement. The

implementation of a customer service standard should lead to higher levels

of customer satisfaction, which in turn influences customer retention and

customer loyalty.

Customer

A customer, also called client, buyer, or purchaser, is usually used to refer

to a current or potential buyer or user of the products of an individual or

organization, called the supplier, seller, or vendor. This is typically through

purchasing or renting goods or services. However, in certain contexts, the

term customer also includes by extension anyone who uses or experiences

the services of another. A customer may also be a viewer of the product or

service that is being sold despite deciding to not buy them.

The word derives from "custom," meaning "habit"; a customer was someone

who frequented a particular shop, who made it a habit to purchase goods of

the sort the shop sold there rather than elsewhere, and with whom the

shopkeeper had to maintain a relationship to keep his or her "custom,"

meaning expected purchases in the future.

The slogans "the customer is king" or "the customer is god" or "the customer

is always right" indicate the importance of customers to businesses -

although the last expression is sometimes used ironically.

However, "customer" also has a more generalised meaning as in customer

service and a less commercialised meaning in not-for-profit areas. To avoid

unwanted implications in some areas such as government services,

community services, and education, the term "customer" is sometimes

substituted by words such as "constituent" or "stakeholder". This is done to

address concerns that the word "customer" implies a narrowly commercial

relationship involving the purchase of products and services. However, some

managers in this environment, in which the emphasis is on being helpful to

the people one is dealing with rather than on commercial sales, comfortably

use the word "customer" to both internal and external customers

Service

A service is the intangible equivalent of a good. Service provision is often

an economic activity where the buyer does not generally, except by

exclusive contract, obtain exclusive ownership of the thing purchased. The

benefits of such a service, if priced, are held to be self-evident in the buyers

willingness to pay for it. Public services are those society pays for as a

whole through taxes and other means.

By composing and orchestrating the appropriate level of resources, skill,

ingenuity,and experience for effecting specific benefits for service

consumers, service providers participate in an economy without the

restrictions of carrying stock (inventory) or the need to concern themselves

with bulky raw materials. On the other hand, their investment in expertise

does require consistent service marketing and upgrading in the face of

competition which has equally few physical restrictions. Many so-called

services, however, require large physical structures and equipment, and

consume large amounts of resources, such as transportation services and the

military.

Providers of services make up the tertiary sector of the economy.

Service characteristics

Services can be paraphrased in terms of their generic key characteristics.

1. Intangiblity

Services are intangible and insubstantial: they cannot be touched, gripped,

handled, looked at, smelled, tasted or heard. Thus, there is neither potential

nor need for transport, storage or stocking of services. Furthermore, a

service cannot be (re)sol owned d or by somebody, neither can it be turned

over from the service provider to the service consumer nor returned from the

service consumer to the service provider. Solely, the service delivery can be

commissioned to a service provider who must generate and render the

service at the distinct request of an authorized service consumer.

2. Perishability

Services are perishable in two regards

The service relevant resources, processes and systems are assigned for

service delivery during a definite period in time. If the designated or

scheduled service consumer does not request and consume the service

during this period, the service cannot be performed for him. From the

perspective of the service provider, this is a lost business opportunity

as he cannot charge any service delivery; potentially, he can assign the

resources, processes and systems to another service consumer who

requests a service. Examples: The hair dresser serves another client

when the scheduled starting time or time slot is over. An empty seat

on a plane never can be utilized and charged after departure.

When the service has been completely rendered to the requesting

service consumer, this particular service irreversibly vanishes as it has

been consumed by the service consumer. Example: the passenger has

been transported to the destination and cannot be transported again to

this location at this point in time.

3. Inseparability

The service provider is indispensable for service delivery as he must

promptly generate and render the service to the requesting service consumer.

In many cases the service delivery is executed automatically but the service

provider must preparatorily assign resources and systems and actively keep

up appropriate service delivery readiness and capabilities. Additionally, the

service consumer is inseparable from service delivery because he is involved

in it from requesting it up to consuming the rendered benefits. Examples:

The service consumer must sit in the hair dresser's shop & chair or in the

plane & seat; correspondingly, the hair dresser or the pilot must be in the

same shop or plane, respectively, for delivering the service.

4. Simultaneity

Services are rendered and consumed during the same period of time. As

soon as the service consumer has requested the service (delivery), the

particular service must be generated from scratch without any delay and

friction and the service consumer instantaneously consumes the rendered

benefits for executing his upcoming activity or task.

5. Variability

Each service is unique. It is one-time generated, rendered and consumed and

can never be exactly repeated as the point in time, location, circumstances,

conditions, current configurations and/or assigned resources are different for

the next delivery, even if the same service consumer requests the same

service. Many services are regarded as heterogeneous or lacking

homogeneity and are typically modified for each service consumer or each

new situation (consumerised). Example: The taxi service which transports

the service consumer from his home to the opera is different from the taxi

service which transports the same service consumer from the opera to his

home - another point in time, the other direction, maybe another route,

probably another taxi driver and cab.

Each of these characteristics is retractable per se and their inevitable

coincidence complicates the consistent service conception and makes service

delivery a challenge in each and every case. Proper service marketing

requires creative visualization to effectively evoke a concrete image in the

service consumer's mind. From the service consumer's point of view, these

characteristics make it difficult, or even impossible, to evaluate or compare

services prior to experiencing the service delivery.

Mass generation and delivery of services is very difficult. This can be seen

as a problem of inconsistent service quality. Both inputs and outputs to the

processes involved providing services are highly variable, as are the

relationships between these processes, making it difficult to maintain

consistent service quality. For many services there is labor intensity as

services usually involve considerable human activity, rather than a precisely

determined process; exceptions include utilities. Human resource

management is important. The human factor is often the key success factor

in service economies. It is difficult to achieve economies of scale or gain

dominant market share. There are demand fluctuations and it can be difficult

to forecast demand. Demand can vary by season, time of day, business

cycle, etc. There is consumer involvement as most service provision requires

a high degree of interaction between service consumer and service provider.

There is a customer-based relationship based on creating long-term business

relationships. Accountants, attorneys, and financial advisers maintain long-

term relationships with their clientes for decades. These repeat consumers

refer friends and family, helping to create a client-based relationship.

Service definition

The generic clear-cut, complete and concise definition of the service term

reads as follows:

A service is a set of singular and perishable benefits

delivered from the accountable service provider, mostly in close

coaction with his service suppliers,

generated by functions of technical systems and/or by distinct

activities of individuals, respectively,

commissioned according to the needs of his service consumers by the

service customer from the accountable service provider,

rendered individually to an authorized service consumer at his/her

dedicated trigger,

and, finally, consumed and utilized by the triggering service consumer

for executing his/her upcoming business or private activity.

Service specification

Any service can be clearly, completely, consistently and concisely specified

by means of the following 12 standard attributes which conform to the

MECE principle (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive)

1. Service Consumer Benefits

2. Service-specific Functional Parameters

3. Service Delivery Point

4. Service Consumer Count

5. Service Delivering Readiness Times

6. Service Support Times

7. Service Support Languages

8. Service Fulfillment Target

9. Service Impairment Duration per Incident

10.Service Delivering Duration

11.Service Delivery Unit

12.Service Delivering Price

The meaning and content of these attributes are:

1. Service Consumer Benefits describe the (set of) benefits which are

triggerable, consumable and effectively utilizable for any authorized service

consumer and which are rendered to him as soon as he trigger one service.

The description of these benefits must be phrased in the terms and wording

of the intended service consumers.

2. Service-specific Functional Parameters specify the functional

parameters which are essential and unique to the respective service and

which describe the most important dimension(s) of the servicescape, the

service output or the service outcome, e.g. maximum e-mailbox capacity per

registered and authorized e-mail service consumer.

3. Service Delivery Point describes the physical location and/or logical

interface where the benefits of the service are triggered by and rendered to

the authorized service consumer. At this point and/or interface, the

preparedness for service delivery readiness can be assessed as well as the

effective delivery of the service itself can be monitored and controlled.

4. Service Consumer Count specifies the number of intended, clearly

identified, explicitly named, definitely registered and authorized service

consumers which shall be and/or are allowed and enabled to trigger and

consume the commissioned service for executing and/or supporting their

business tasks or private activities.

5. Service Delivering Readiness Times specify the distinct agreed times of

every day of the week when

the described service consumer benefits are

o triggerable for the authorized service consumers at the defined

service delivery point

o consumable and utilizable for the authorized service consumers

at the respective agreed service level

all the required service contributions are aggregated to the triggered

service

the specified service benefits are comprehensively rendered to any

authorized triggering service consumer without any delay or friction.

The time data are specified in 24 h format per local working day and local

time, referring to the location of the intended and/or triggering service

consumers.

6. Service Support Times specify the determined and agreed times of every

day of the week when the triggering and consumption of commissioned

services is supported by the service desk team for all identified, registered

and authorized service consumers within the service customer's

organizational unit or area. The service desk is/shall be the so called the

Single Point of Contact (SPoC) for any service consumer inquiry regarding

the commissioned, triggered and/or rendered services, particularly in the

event of service denial, i.e. an incident. During the defined service support

times, the service desk can be reached by phone, e-mail, web-based entries

and/or fax, respectively. The time data are specified in 24 h format per local

working day and local time, referring to the location of the intended service

consumers.

7. Service Support Languages specifies the national languages which are

spoken by the service desk team(s) to the service consumers calling them.

8. Service Fulfillment Target specifies the service provider's promise of

effectively and seamlessly delivering the specified benefits to any authorized

service consumer triggering a service within the specified service times. It is

expressed as the promised minimum ratio of the counts of successful

individual service deliveries related to the counts of triggered service

deliveries. The effective service fulfillment ratio can be measured and

calculated per single service consumer or per service consumer group and

may be referred to different time periods (workday, calenderweek,

workmonth, etc.)

9. Service Impairment Duration per Incident specifies the allowable

maximum elapsing time [hh:mm] between

the first occurrence of a service impairment, i.e. service quality

degradation, service delivery disruption or service denial, whilst the

service consumer consumes and utilizes the requested service,

the full resumption and complete execution of the service delivery to

the content of the affected service consumer.

10. Service Delivering Duration specifies the promised and agreed

maximum period of time for effectively rendering all specified service

consumer benefits to the requesting service consumer at his currently chosen

service delivery point.

11. Service Delivery Unit specifies the basic portion for rendering the

defined service consumer benefits. The service delivery unit is the reference

and mapping object for the Service Delivering Price, for all service costs as

well as for charging and billing the consumed service volume to the service

customer who has commissioned the service delivery.

12. Service Delivering Price specifies the amount of money the service

customer has to pay for the distinct service volumes his authorized service

consumers have consumed. Normally, the service delivering price comprises

two portions

a fixed basic price portion for basic efforts and resources which

provide accessibility and usability of the service delivery functions,

i.e. service access price

a price portion covering the service consumption based on

o fixed flat rate price per authorized service consumer and

delivery period without regard on the consumed service

volumes,

o staged prices depending on consumed service volumes,

o fixed price per particularly consumed service delivering unit.

Service delivery

The delivery of a service typically involves six factors:

The accountable service provider and his service suppliers (e.g. the

people)

Equipment used to provide the service (e.g. vehicles, cash registers,

technical systems, computer systems)

The physical facilities (e.g. buildings, parking, waiting rooms)

The requesting service consumer

Other customers at the service delivery location

Customer contact

The service encounter is defined as all activities involved in the service

delivery process. Some service managers use the term "moment of truth" to

indicate that defining point in a specific service encounter where interactions

are most intense.

Many business theorists view service provision as a performance or act

(sometimes humorously referred to as dramalurgy, perhaps in reference to

dramaturgy). The location of the service delivery is referred to as the stage

and the objects that facilitate the service process are called props. A script is

a sequence of behaviors followed by all those involved, including the

client(s). Some service dramas are tightly scripted, others are more ad lib.

Role congruence occurs when each actor follows a script that harmonizes

with the roles played by the other actors.

In some service industries, especially health care, dispute resolution, and

social services, a popular concept is the idea of the caseload, which refers to

the total number of patients, clients, litigants, or claimants that a given

employee is presently responsible for. On a daily basis, in all those fields,

employees must balance the needs of any individual case against the needs

of all other current cases as well as their own personal needs.

Under English law, if a service provider is induced to deliver services to a

dishonest client by a deception, this is an offence under the Theft Act 1978.

The service-goods continuum

The dichotomy between physical goods and intangible services should not

be given too much credence. These are not discrete categories. Most

business theorists see a continuum with pure service on one terminal point

and pure commodity good on the other terminal point.[citation needed] Most

products fall between these two extremes. For example, a restaurant

provides a physical good (the food), but also provides services in the form of

ambience, the setting and clearing of the table, etc. And although some

utilities actually deliver physical goods — like water utilities which actually

deliver water — utilities are usually treated as services.

In a narrower sense, service refers to quality of customer service: the

measured appropriateness of assistance and support provided to a customer.

This particular usage occurs frequently in retailing.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during

and after a purchase.

According to Jamier L. Scott. (2002), “Customer service is a series of

activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the

feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation."

Its importance varies by product, industry and customer; defective or broken

merchandise can be exchanged, often only with a receipt and within a

specified time frame. Retail stores will often have a desk or counter devoted

to dealing with returns, exchanges and complaints, or will perform related

functions at the point of sale.

Customer service may be provided by a person (e.g., sales and service

representative), or by automated means called self-service. Examples of self

service are Internet sites. However, In the Internet era, a challenge has been

to maintain and/or enhance the personal experience while making use of the

efficiencies of online commerce. Writing in Fast Company, entrepreneur and

customer systems innovator Micah Solomon has made the point that "Online

customers are literally invisible to you (and you to them), so it's easy to

shortchange them emotionally. But this lack of visual and tactile presence

makes it even more crucial to create a sense of personal, human-to-human

connection in the online arena."

Customer service is normally an integral part of a company’s customer value

proposition. In their book Rules to Break and Laws to Follow, Don Peppers

and Martha Rogers, Ph.D. write that "customers have memories. They will

remember you, whether you remember them or not." Further, "customer

trust can be destroyed at once by a major service problem, or it can be

undermined one day at a time, with a thousand small demonstrations of

incompetence."

From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort,

customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to

generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service

should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic

improvement.

Some have argued that the quality and level of customer service has

decreased in recent years, and that this can be attributed to a lack of support

or understanding at the executive and middle management levels of a

corporation and/or a customer service policy.

Instant feedback

Recently, many organizations have implemented feedback loops that allow

them to capture feedback at the point of experience. For example, National

Express, one of the UK's leading travel companies invites passengers to send

text messages whilst riding the bus. This has been shown to be useful as it

allows companies to improve their customer service before the customer

defects, thus making it far more likely that the customer will return next

time.

Setting the right KPIs

A challenge working with Customer Service is to ensure that you have

focused your attention on the right key areas, measured by the right Key

Performance Indicator. There is no challenge to come up with a lot of

meaningful KPIs, but the challenge is to select a few which reflects your

overall strategy. In addition to reflecting your strategy it should also enable

staff to limit their focus to the areas that really matter. The focus must be of

those KPIs, which will deliver the most value to the overall objective, e.g.

cost saving, service improving etc. It must also be done in such a way that

staff sincerly believe that they can make a difference with the effort.

One of the most important aspects of a customer service KPI is that of what

is often referred to as the "Feel Good Factor". [1] Basically the goal is to not

only help the customer have a good experience, but to offer them an

experience that exceeds their expectations. Several key points are listed as

follows:

1. Know your product - Know what products/service you are offering back

to front. In other words be an information expert. It is okay to say "I don't

know", but it should always be followed up by... "but let me find out" or

possibly " but my friend knows!" Whatever the situation may be, make sure

that you don't leave your customer with an unanswered question.

2. Body Language/Communication - Most of the communication that we

relay to others is done through body language. If we have a negative body

language when we interact with others it can show our lack of care. Two of

the most important parts of positive body language are smiling, and eye

contact. Make sure to look your customers in the eye. It shows that we are

listening to them, not at them. And then of course smiling is just more

inviting than someone who has a blank look on their face.

3. Anticipate Guest Needs - Nothing surprises your customer more than an

employee going the extra mile to help them. Always look for ways to serve

your customer more than they expect. In doing so it helps them to know that

you care and it will leave them with the "Feel Good Factor" that we are

searching for.

Standardization

There are few standards on this topic. ISO and The International Customer

Service Institute (TICSI) have published the following ones:

ISO 9004:2000, on performance improvement

ISO 10001:2007, on customer service conduct

ISO 10002:2004, on quality management in handling customer

complaints

ISO 10003:2007, on dispute resolution

The International Customer Service Standard (TICSS)

There is also an Information Technology service management standard:

ISO/IEC 20000:2005. Its first part concerns specifications and its second

part the code of practice

Hospitality industry

The hospitality industry consists of broad category of fields within the

service industry that includes lodging, restaurants, event planning, theme

parks, transportation, cruise line, and additional fields within the tourism

industry.

The hospitality industry is a several billion dollar industry that mostly

depends on the availability of leisure time and disposable income. A

hospitality unit such as a restaurant, hotel, or even an amusement park

consists of multiple groups such as facility maintenance, direct operations

(servers, housekeepers, porters, kitchen workers, bartenders, etc.),

management, marketing, and human resources.

The hospitality industry covers a wide range of organizations offering food

service and accommodation. The hospitality industry is divided into sectors

according to the skill-sets required for the work involved. Sectors include

accommodation, food and beverage, meeting and events, gaming,

entertainment and recreation, tourism services, and visitor information.

Usage rate is an important variable for the hospitality industry. Just as a

factory owner would wish to have his or her productive asset in use as much

as possible (as opposed to having to pay fixed costs while the factory isn't

producing), so do restaurants, hotels, and theme parks seek to maximize the

number of customers they "process".

In viewing various industries, "barriers to entry" by newcomers and

competitive advantages between current players are very important. Among

other things, hospitality industry players find advantage in old classics

(location), initial and ongoing investment support (reflected in the material

upkeep of facilities and the luxuries located therein), and particular themes

adopted by the marketing arm of the organization in question (such as a

restaurant called the 51st fighter group that has a WW2 theme in music and

other environmental aspects). Very important is also the characteristics of

the personnel working in direct contact with the customers. The authenticity,

professionalism, and actual concern for the happiness and well-being of the

customers that is communicated by successful organizations is a clear

competitive advantage.

Accommodations

Destination spas

Floatels

Hostels

Hotels

Inns

Motels

Restaurants & Bars

Cafes

Nightclubs

Public houses

Pubs

Restaurants

Travel and Tourism

Airline Cabin Staff

Travel agents

Hospitality

Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, or the act or

practice of being hospitable. that is, the reception and entertainment of

guests, visitors, or strangers, resorts, membership clubs, conventions,

attractions, special events, and other services for travelers and tourists.

"Hospitality" can also mean generously providing care and kindness to

whoever is in need.

Meaning of Hospitality

The word hospitality derives from the Latin hospes, which is formed from

hostis, which originally meant a ) to have power. The meaning of "host" can

be literally read as "lord of strangers."[1] hostire means equalize or

compensate.

In the Homeric ages, hospitality was under the protection of Zeus, the chief

deity of the Greek pantheon. Zeus was also attributed with the title 'Xenios

Zeus' ('xenos' means stranger), emphasizing the fact that hospitality was of

the utmost importance. A stranger passing outside a Greek house could be

invited inside the house by the family. The host washed the stranger's feet,

offered food and wine, and only after the guest was comfortable could ask

his or her name.

The Greek concept of sacred hospitality is illustrated in the story of

Telemachus and Nestor. When Telemachus arrived to visit Nestor, Nestor

was unaware that his guest was the son of his old comrade Odysseus.

Nonetheless, Nestor welcomes Telemachus and his party lavishly, thus

demonstrating the relationship between hostis, "stranger," and hostire,

"equalize," and how the two combine in the concept of hospitality.

Later, one of Nestor's sons slept on a bed close by Telemachus to take care

that he should not suffer any harm. Nestor also put a chariot and horses at

Telemachus' disposal so that he could travel the land route from Pylos to

Sparta rapidly, and set his son Pisistratus as the charioteer. These illustrate

the two other elements of ancient Greek hospitality, protection and

guidance.

Based on the story above and its current meaning, hospitality is about

compensating/equalizing a stranger to the host, making him feel protected

and taken care of, and at the end of his hosting, guiding him to his next

destination.

Contemporary usage

In the contemporary West, hospitality is rarely a matter of protection and

survival, and is more associated with etiquette and entertainment. However,

it still involves showing respect for one's guests, providing for their needs,

and treating them as equals. Cultures and subcultures vary in the extent to

which one is expected to show hospitality to strangers, as opposed to

personal friends or members of one's in-group.

The hospitality service industry includes hotels, casinos, and resorts, which

offer comfort and guidance to strangers, but only as part of a business

relationship. The terms hospital, hospice, and hostel also derive from

"hospitality," and these institutions preserve more of the connotation of

personal care.

Hospitality ethics is a discipline that studies this usage of hospitality.

In the western context, with its dynamic tension between Athens and

Jerusalem, two phases can be distinguished with a very progressive

transition: a hospitality based on an individually felt sense of duty, and one

based on "official" institutions for organized but anonymous social services:

special places for particular types of "strangers" such as the poor, orphan(s),

ill, alien, criminal, etc. Perhaps this progressive institutionalization can be

aligned to the transition between Middle Ages and Renaissance (Ivan Illich,

The Rivers North of the Future).

Hospitality around the world

Biblical and Middle Eastern

In Middle Eastern Culture, it was considered a cultural norm to take care of

the strangers and foreigners living among you. These norms are reflected in

many Biblical commands and examples.[1]

Perhaps the most extreme example is provided in Genesis. Lot provides

hospitality to a group of angels (who he thinks are only men); when a mob

tries to rape them, Lot goes so far as to offer his own daughters as a

substitute, saying "Don't do anything to these men, for they have come under

the protection of my roof." (Genesis 19:8, NIV).

The obligations of both host and guest are stern. The bond is formed by

eating salt under the roof, and is so strict that an Arab story tells of a thief

who tasted something to see if it was sugar, and on realizing it was salt, put

back all that he had taken and left.

Classical World

To the ancient Greeks and Romans, hospitality was a divine plight. The host

was expected to make sure the needs of his guests were seen to. The ancient

Greek term xenia, or theoxenia when a god was involved, expressed this

ritualized guest-friendship relation.

An example of the importance of hospitality in the classical world is the tale

of Baucis and Philemon. In this tale, the ancient gods Zeus and Hermes are

visiting the town of Phrygia disguised as simple peasants. Their search for a

meal and a place to stay for the night meets a lot of closed doors, until they

arrive at the house of Philemon and Baucis. Though poor, the couple acts as

good hosts by giving the little they have to their guests, and when they

realize their guests are actually gods in disguise, they even propose to slay

the one goose which guards their house. As a reward, the gods grant them

one wish, besides saving them from the flooding of the rest of the

unhospitable town.

Hospitality in Celtic Cultures

Celtic societies also valued the concept of hospitality, especially in terms of

protection. A host who granted a person's request for refuge was expected

not only to provide food and shelter to his/her guest, but to make sure they

did not come to harm while under their care.

A real-life example of this is rooted in the history of the Scottish Clan

MacGregor, from the early seventeenth century. The chief of Clan Lamont

arrived at the home of the MacGregor chief in Glenstrae, told him that he

was fleeing from foes and requested refuge. The MacGregor welcomed his

brother chief with no questions asked. Later that night, members of the

MacGregor clan came looking for the Lamont chief, informing their chief

that the Lamont had in fact killed his son and heir in a quarrel. Holding to

the sacred law of hospitality, the MacGregor not only refused to hand over

the Lamont to his clansmen, but the next morning escorted him to his

ancestral lands.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The literature review is based on researches that have been conducted in

other countries. However, the factors analyzed that influence the customer

satisfaction in restaurants are the same, for example, all research done in

Spain, China, Hong Kong and USA used the basic factors to determine

customer satisfaction. Factors that are considered are service quality and

product quality. Although these researches used different conceptual

frameworks in their research, they are still aligned with the model that has

been adapted and modified in this research, which is the Transaction-

Specific Model. However, the importance of a particular attribute varies

according to the type of restaurant and the type of customer [2].

A. Transaction-Specific Model

This model was suggested by Teas (1993) and later expanded by

Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1994) – PZB henceforth . This model

posits a customer’s overall satisfaction with a transaction to be a function of

his or her assessment of service quality, product quality and price .

Transaction-specific satisfaction significantly influences overall customer

satisfaction . Customers are likely to consider specific aspects of the

transaction such as product features (e.g. food quality and restaurant

ambience), service features (e.g. responsiveness of the server), as well as

price to be satisfied with the overall restaurant experience . The full model

was found to be significant . They further state that the results suggested that

the model satisfactorily explains customer satisfaction and that full service

restaurant owners should focus on three major elements, which are service

quality (responsiveness), price and food quality (reliability).

B. SERVQUAL Model

As adapted from the research conducted by Andaleeb and Conway (2006),

not all the five dimensions of SERVQUAL were used in this research. This

is because not all the dimensions play an important role in determining

customer satisfaction in the restaurant industry. In the restaurant industry,

the customer’s risk is low given the purchase price, the outcome of the

service and the alternatives available. Hence assurance is not as important in

this industry. However, there is a possibility of only particular elements of

the dimensions relevant to the study. Andaleeb and Conway (2006),

acknowledges that elements of assurance – knowledge and courtesy – are

important but may have contextually modified meanings.

The dimension empathy may not be applicable in the restaurant industry

context . Empathy is defined in the SERVQUAL literature as provision of

care and individualized attention that is displayed to each customer .

Customers do not want doting server providing personal attention when all

they want is to enjoy the food and the company . Therefore, only elements

related to the researched industry was used by Andaleeb and Conway

(2006). However, this study will use the transaction specific model in a staff

cafeteria where the preference of factors related to customer satisfaction may

be different. Therefore, elements of the SERVQUAL Model as well as other

factors have been included in this research. Nonetheless, since perception of

customer satisfaction will be studied in this research, the SERVPERF Model

will be used since its elements are the same as in SERVQUAL. The

SERVPERF Model will be further illustrated in the consequent literature

review.

C. Models Used to Evaluate Service Quality

A related theory to customer satisfaction that has been adapted by Bartlett

and Han (2007) in customer satisfaction is the SERVQUAL model by

Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1991). This model indicates that there

are five dimensions used in measuring customer service quality. The

dimensions included in this model are tangibles, reliability, responsiveness,

empathy and assurance. The tangibles include the physical appearance of the

facilities, equipment, personnel and materials used to communicate with

customers . Elements within the tangibles dimension are cleanliness, space,

atmosphere, appearance of server and location. Measuring element of

responsibility and reliability are speed, willingness to respond, accuracy and

dependability. The dimension of assurance and empathy may be measured

using elements of knowledge, trained professional, communications and

caring.

Other models that have been used to evaluate service quality are

DINESERVE by Stevens et al , Two-Way by Schvaneveldt, Enkawa and

Miyakawa (1991), SERVPERF by Corin and Taylor (1992), Normed

Quality by Teas (1994) and QUALITOMETRO by Franceschini and

Rossetto (1997) . The theoretical background of the Two-Way model uses

latent evaluation factors: services quality is evaluated by answers given by

customers to questions about “objective” (quality attributes) and

“subjective” (satisfaction levels). The SERVPERF model evaluates service

quality by perceptions only, without expectations and without importance

weights. While in the Normed Quality model, the problems for expectations

become a redefinition of this component and discrimination between ideal

expectation and feasible expectation. In the QUALITOMETRO model,

customer expectations and perceptions are evaluated in two distinct

moments.

Finally in the DINESERVE model, expectations were the measure of this

instrument. Quality evaluation according using this model is carried out by

means of a comparison between quality expectations and perceptions

profiles using MCDA. Although these stated models use different response

scales but all of them consist of five dimensions which are tangibles,

reliability, assurance, responsiveness and empathy. A research using the

DINESERVE model as a basis was conducted by Aigbedo and

Parameswaran (2004). They used this evaluation model in their research

where it was a performance-only measure. Their research was conducted in

USA regarding importance-performance analysis for improving quality of

campus food service. An example of a research conducted using the

SERVPERF model is by Soriano (2002) determining customer satisfaction

factors in restaurants, a situation in Spain.

D. Attributes of Quality Service to Measure Customer

Satisfaction

The research studied in Spain by Soriano (2002), also looks into these main

factors. Offering good food and service is not enough to attract and retain

consumers . In order to gain a competitive advantage in today’s market;

restaurants have to offer meals that offer good value in a favorable

ambience.

The research done by Bartlett and Han (2007) was based on experiences

from dining in China. Their research was based on the SERVQUAL model;

however, many items did not fit within those categories or needed to be

analyzed further. Other categories that evolved in terms of customer

satisfaction in the restaurants in China included quality of dishes and price .

They further state that in the restaurant industry both the food and the

service quality create the total experience for the consumer.

The research conducted in Hong Kong by Kivela, Inbakaran and Reece

(2000), analyzed customer satisfaction factors based on five-dimensions

which are first and last impressions, service excellence, ambience

excellence, food excellence and feeling comfortable eating there and

reservations and parking . Another Hong Kong research conducted by Pun

and Ho (2001), mentioned that the competitive location, prices, food quality

and customer services were among the main determinants of people

considering the restaurant services.

The purpose of the research conducted in USA by Andaleeb and Conway

(2006) was to determine the factors that explain customer satisfaction in the

full service restaurant industry. According to them, full service restaurants

should focus on three elements which are service quality (responsiveness),

price and food quality (reliability) if customer satisfaction is to be treated as

a strategic variable.

OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

To study the level of Customer Satisfaction with reference

to Sagar-Ratna.

To know about the Customer preference about Services.

To Analogy between the customer's expectation and his

actual perception of the service performance.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research methodology is systematic representation of research or any

other problem. It is a written game plan for conducting research. It tends to

describe the step taken by researcher in studying the research problem along

with logical background.

Research methodology has many dimensions, it includes not only the

research methods but also consists the logic behind the methods used in the

context of the study and explains why only a particular method of technique

had been used so that search lend themselves to proper evaluation. Thus in a

way it is a written game plan for concluding research. Therefore in order to

solve our research problem it is necessary to design a research methodology

for the problem as the same may differ from problem to problem.

Research Design

Research design is the conceptual structure within which the research is

conducted. Its function is to provide for the collection of relevant evidence

with minimum expenditure of effort, time and money. But, how this can be

achieved depends on the research purpose. In my study the research purpose

is exploratory research study i.e. to gain familiarity with phenomena or to

achieve new insights in it.

Area of Study:

To analyze the consumer’s preference with regard to Customers

Satisfaction, of the residents of Ambala City, sample survey method has

been implemented. Though other methods important, this method is

given prime significance in modern research because of its extensive use

to study the relationship of different factors, attitudes and practices of

society and to explore the problems that cannot be treated by experiment

methods.

SAMPLING DESIGN:

It is a sample random probability sampling and sample is selected on the

basis of the draw of lots. I have also mention likert – type scale in

questionnaire for rating.

Sample Size: 100 Respondents

Distribution of Sample:

AreaConsumer

Ambala City 100

DATA COLLECTION

The data can be collected from primary and secondary sources. The

basic premises of my study are primary data but at the same time it is

supplemented with the secondary data.

Primary Sources:

For the purpose of market survey and characterization of market,

field survey of consumer of the targeted market segment about their role and

their aspirations about the same is conducted.

Secondary Sources: Websites

Method of Data Collection:

The data is collected individually by visiting the chosen

respondents and method followed was questionnaires method. The data was

collected through interviews carried out in person and the tool used for the

purpose was structured schedule. The schedule contained both close ended

as well as open ended questions.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM:

The research deals with the study of Customer Satisfaction in

Services with special reference to Sagar Ratna. The study is precise and

comparative one as it also deals with Segmentated Market Whether it is

from the sight of Company or of Consumer. Questionnaire has been

designed for customers for the purpose of reaching the desired objective.

Further the study will also analyze the role of different types of

influences that lead to the purchase service product.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Time Constraint

Customer Satisfaction is a vast concept. Time is too short to conduct

the study in depth and the area of the research was vast.

Area Constraint:

As the survey is conducted in limited area there was a problem of

limited number of respondents.

Small Sample Size

As due to shortage of time, the entire population cannot be covered.

So there is a chance of error in sample size.

Lack Of Experience

The research is conducted for the first time therefore the lack of

experience was felt by the researcher.

Non Co-operation of some Respondent

Some Respondents did not properly cooperated for giving answers.

The basic reason for non cooperation was non-availability of time

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

India is one of the oldest civilizations on earth, and like every culture has its

own favorite stories including quite a few on hospitality. That of a simpleton

readily sharing his meager morsels with an uninvited guest, only to discover

that the guest is a God in disguise, who rewards his generosity with

abundance. That of a woman who lovingly cooks up all the Khichdi she can

afford, for everyone who is hungry... till one day when she runs out of food

for the last hungry person to whom she offers her own share, and is

rewarded by the god in disguise with a never ending pot of Khichdi. Most

Indian adults having grown up listening to these stories as children, believe

in the philosophy of "Atithi Devo Bhava", meaning the guest is God. From

this stems the Indian approach of graciousness towards guests at home, and

in all social situations.

Cultural value or norm

Hospitality as a cultural norm or value is an established sociological

phenomenon that people study and write papers about (see references, and

Hospitality ethics). Some regions have become stereotyped as exhibiting a

particular style of hospitality. Examples include:

Minnesota nice

Southern hospitality

Hospitality ethics

The term "Hospitality Ethics" is used to refer to two different, yet related,

areas of study:

1. The philosophical study of the moral obligations that hold in

hospitality relationships and practices.

2. The branch of business ethics that focuses on ethics in commercial

hospitality and tourism industries.

Whereas Ethics goes beyond describing what is done, in order to prescribe

what should be done; Hospitality Ethics prescribes what should be done in

matters related to hospitality. Hospitality theories and norms are derived

through a critical analysis of hospitality practices, processes, and

relationships; in various cultures and traditions; and throughout history.

Ultimately, hospitality theories are applied, and put to practice in

commercial and non-commercial settings.

As a standard of conduct, hospitality has been variously considered

throughout history as a law, an ethic, a principle, a code, a duty, a virtue, etc.

These prescriptions were created for negotiating ambiguous relationships

between guests, hosts, citizens, and strangers. Despite its ancient origins and

ubiquity amongst human cultures, the concept of hospitality has received

relatively little attention from moral philosophers, who have tended to focus

their attention on other ethical concepts, e.g. good, evil, right, and wrong.

Yet hospitality as a moral imperative, or ethical perspective, preceded many

other prescriptions for ethical behavior: In ancient Middle Eastern, Greek

and Roman cultures, the Ethic of Hospitality was a code that demanded

specific kinds of conduct from both guests and hosts. One example: Chivalry

required men of station to offer food and lodging to any men of station that

requested it.

In many ways, these standards of behavior have survived into the present

day in the commercial hospitality industry, where descendents of the ancient

ideas continue to inform current standards and practices.

Hospitality Ethics in practice

Ethics in commercial hospitality settings. Applied ethics is the branch of

Ethics which investigates the application of our ethical theories and

judgments. There are many branches of Applied Ethics: Business ethics,

professional ethics, medical ethics, educational ethics, environmental ethics,

and more.

Hospitality Ethics is a branch of Applied Ethics. In practice, it combines

concerns of other branches of Applied Ethics, such as business ethics,

environmental ethics, professional ethics, and more. For instance, when a

local hospitality industry flourishes, potential ethical dilemmas abound:

What effect do industry practices have on the environment? On the host

community? On the local economy? On citizens' attitudes about their local

community; about outsiders, tourists, and guests? These are the kinds of

questions that Hospitality Ethics, as a version of Applied Ethics, might ask.

Since Hospitality and tourism combine to create one of the largest service

industries in the world, there are many opportunities for both good and bad

behavior, and right and wrong actions by hospitality and tourism

practitioners. Ethics in these industries can be guided by codes of conduct,

employee manuals, industry standards (whether implicit or explicit), and

more.

Though the World Tourism Organization has proposed an industry-wide

code of ethics, there is presently no universal code for the hospitality

industry. Various textbooks regarding ethics in commercial hospitality

settings have been published recently, and are currently used in hospitality

education courses.

Customer satisfaction in Restaurants industry

The ‘Customer is the king!’. And, if we believe this timetested and accepted

philosophy, then we also know as to how difficult it is to make the ‘King’

happy. The newage customer is highly demanding as far as expectations of

hospitality services from Restaurants. Human interaction is an important part

of managing all facets Restaurants operations. Each interaction between the

customer and the Restaurants staff plays an important role in customer’s

unique experience at the Restaurants. Therefore, human interaction is the

key to making a customer feel like a king.

Following are the typical characteristics of a modern Restaurants customer:

Young, highly qualified and globally exposed

General knowledge and social consciousness is high

Expectations of quality of service and hygiene are very high

More and more women are also the potential customers

Customer come from diversified national and cultural backgrounds

Modes of interaction have dramatically increased

We may look at the visit of a customer to the hotel as a project i.e. it is

unique, temporary, and evolving. Research indicates that Emotional

Intelligence (EI) is a key determinant in guarantying a project’s success. In

such an environment, it is not surprising to see that the Restaurants

personnel with higher EI easily surpass many of their senior colleagues.

Also, in the Restaurants environment, the total experience of the customer is

directly affected by the team work of all concerned. Thus, individual

contributions merit lesser significance than the ability of people to work

with ALL stakeholders. To repeat, people skills are at the heart of customer

satisfaction.

The journey of EI commences with discovering more about ourselves,

understanding emotions of others, and realizing their impact in the work

environment. Organizational success is heavily dependent on ability to

create an Emotionally Intelligent work environment. In era of rapid change

and high competition, Emotionally Intelligent workforce is the most

valuable asset of any organization.

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

1. Analysis of Respondents who eat outside.

TYPE No. of RespondentsOnce in a week 15

Once every fortnight. 45

After Month 30

Occasionally  10

TOTAL 100

INTERPRETATION

From the above chart it reveals that 20% Respondents eats once in a week,

45% every Fortnight, 30% after month and few Respondents eats

occasionally.

2. Analysis of Respondents who always prefer Sagar Ratna for eating

out.

TYPE No. of Respondents

Yes 60

No 40

TOTAL 100

INTERPRETATION

From the above data it reveals that, 60% respondents agreed that they always

prefer Sagar Ratna for eating out and 40% respondents not prefer Sagar

Ratna for eating out.

3. Analysis of the wait time for a particular order processing.

TYPES No. of Respondents

Within 5 minutes 20

10-15 minutes 40

15-25 minutes 30

More than 30 minutes 10

TOTAL 100

INTERPRETATION

From the above data it reveals that 20% respondents wait for 5 min, 40%

respondents wait for 10-15 min, 30% respondents wait for 15-25 min and

few respondents wait for more than 30 minutes.

4. Analysis of the Respondents who are satisfied with the parking

arrangement of the restaurant.

1 2 3 4 5

Excellent

Good

Average

Below

Average

Poor

5. Analysis of the time taken for preparation is justified.

TYPES No. of Respondents

Yes 65

No 35

TOTAL 100

INTERPRETATION

From the above data it reveals that 65% respondents feel that the time taken

for preparation is easily justified and 35% respondents feel that the time

taken for preparation is not Justified.

6. Analysis of Respondents on a scale of 1-5 to you satisfied with the

service provided by the staff.

1 2 3 4 5

Excellent

Good

Average

Below

Average

Poor

7. Analysis of Respondents who rate the food in the particular

parameters (Rate 1-5).

TYPES Rate(1-5)

Quality 4

Presentation 3

Quantity 4

Freshness 5

Variety 3

INTERPRETATION

From the above data it reveals that On the Scale of 1-5 Respondents should

given 4 points for Quality, 3 points for Presentation, 4 points for Quantity, 5

points for Freshness and 3 points for Variety.

8. Analysis of people who prefer Sagar Ratna for Different type of hang-

outs.

 

TYPES No. of Respondents

Family Gathering 22

With Friends 44

Just To Eat Out 19

Time Pass 15

TOTAL 100

INTERPRETATION

From the above data it reveals that 22% respondents prefer Sagar Ratna for

eating out with Family Gathering, 44% respondents go with Friends, 19%

respondents go just to Eat Outside and 15% respondents go Sagar Ratna For

Time Pass.

9. Analysis of unique selling proposition (USP) as per the Sagar Ratna is

having.

TYPES No. of Respondents

Lunch 22

Dinner 15

Fast- Food 61

Any Other 2

TOTAL 100

INTERPRETATION

From the above data it reveals that 22% respondents prefer Sagar Ratna For

lunch, 15% prefer Sagar Ratna for Dinner, 61% prefer Sagar Ratna for Fast-

Food and few respondents are remaining under Any Other.

10. Analysis of Respondents who rate Sagar- Ratna on the scale of 1-10

in the following parameters.

TYPES Rate (1-10)

Quality of Food 9

Courtesy of Staff 8

Ambience 8

Location 5

Staff Responsiveness 9

Billing System 7

Brand Image 6

20% Respondents eats once in a week, 45% every Fortnight, 30% after

month and few Respondents eats occasionally.

60% respondents agreed that they always prefer Sagar Ratna for eating out

and 40% respondents not prefer Sagar Ratna for eating out.

20% respondents wait for 5 min, 40% respondents wait for 10-15 min, 30%

respondents wait for 15-25 min and few respondents wait for more than 30

minutes.

65% respondents feel that the time taken for preparation is easily justified

and 35% respondents feel that the time taken for preparation is not justified.

On the Scale of 1-5 Respondents should given 4 points for Quality, 3 points

for Presentation, 4 points for Quantity, 5 points for Freshness and 3 points

for Variety.

22% respondents prefer Sagar Ratna for eating out with Family Gathering,

44% respondents go with Friends, 19% respondents go just to Eat Outside

and 15% respondents go Sagar Ratna For Time Pass.

22% respondents prefer Sagar Ratna For lunch, 15% prefer Sagar Ratna for

Dinner, 61% prefer Sagar Ratna for Fast-Food and few respondents are

remaining under Any Other.

CONCLUSION

Upon conducting this research, new findings were discovered. However, the

main objectives of this research were achieved. The research managed to

determine the relationship between qualities attributes of food, service and

place/ambience with customer satisfaction. From the analysis conducted to

test relationships, all three attributes had a significant relationship with

customer satisfaction. However, only service quality and place/ambience

had a positive relationship. Food quality revealed an unsuspected result of a

negative relationship. This result showed that although perception of

customers towards food quality was low, their satisfaction was still high.

Finally, to conclude it all, future research is still needed to justify and

strengthen the outcomes of this research. There may have been research

similar to this topic but the situations in all the researches may be different,

including this research. A slight change in the research context could bring

about changes in findings. Therefore, future researchers are welcomed to

conduct a similar research as this in the same context.

SUGGESTIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Providing a consistent level of quality customer service is always a work

in process for Restaurants managers. Couple that with the fact that the labor

pool in many markets is relatively shallow and that turnover remains high as

compensation remains low, and it is easy to see why some managers are

reverting to the 'fog the mirror' method of hiring!

Understanding the sensibilities of a generation of potential employees raised

on teams and that heavily participates in community sites like MySpace and

FaceBook makes it easier to hire and motivate a customer service team.

First of all we need to reflect the mirror back on Restaurants traditional

methods of training for customer service. In many Restaurants, training is

focused on process issues, how to check in and check out a guest, how the

reservation system works, how the equipment works and as an afterthought,

oh yes, be nice to the guest. We fail to incorporate customer service training

into the skill sets upon which the employee will be evaluated.

We neglect to build in evaluations based upon measurable behaviors that

impact the quality of the customer's experience. We assume that they

understand that they need to smile and make eye contact as well as say 'how

can I assist you' - don't bet on it! Many of the individuals that we hire don't

check into Restaurants and have little experience with being a Restaurants

guest except when they were on vacation with their parents. They lack

empathy for what it feels like to be a Restaurants guest.

• Ask the Team how they would respond to a negative comment. The

guest service team in the comment should be asked to participate in the

formulation of a balanced conciliatory response. Our employees want to feel

that their input is valuable - that their opinions are considered. This is a

perfect way to get them involved and the more we involve them the more

committed they become.

• Use the guest comments to reinforce positive training behaviors.

Congratulate them when a comment includes remarks on the friendliness of

the staff or how a staff member went out of their way for a guest. Let them

read for themselves how a poor guest experience impacts a real human, the

guest, in their own words.

• Empower them with responsibility for monitoring guest reviews

online. Make the guest service team part of the process - assign

responsibility to the team for monitoring and printing out reviews from

review sites. Copy and distribute them for the next meeting so that team

members can make comments and suggest solutions.

Try to reduce guest complaints and to get more satisfaction :-Five Tips

to Improve Restaurants Customer Service with User Generated Reviews -

your article and theory are much effective to our hospitality industry.

Suggestion: Guest complaints can be separated into four categories of

problems: Mechanical, Attitudinal, Service-related, and unsual.

QUESTIONNAIRE

1. How often do you eat outside?

Once in a week

Once every fortnight.

After Month

Occasionally 

2. Do you always prefer Sagar Ratna for eating out?

Yes

No

Please Specify ………………………………………….

3. What is the wait time for a particular order processing?

Within 5 minutes

10-15 minutes

15-25 minutes

More than 30 minutes

4. How much you are satisfied with the parking arrangement of the restaurant?

1 2 3 4 5

Excellent

Good

Average

Below

Average

Poor

5. Is the time taken for preparation is justified?

Yes

No

6. How much on a scale of 1-5 to you satisfied with the service provided

by the staff?

1 2 3 4 5

Excellent

Good

Average

Below

Average

Poor

7. How you rate the food in the particular parameters (rate 1-5)?

Quality ………….

Presentation…………..

Quantity ………….

Freshness ………….

Variety ………….

8. For what type of hang-outs, you prefer in the restaurant?

Family Gathering

With Friends

Just To Eat Out

Time Pass

9. What is the unique selling proposition (USP) as per the restaurants is

having?

Lunch

Dinner

Fast-Food

Any Other

10. On the scale of 1-10 please rate Sagar- Ratna in the following

parameters?

Quality of food ……….

Courtesy of Staff ……….

Ambience ……….

Location ……….

Staff Responsiveness ……….

Billing System ……….

Brand Image ……….

11. Any suggestions for improvement?

Please Specify

………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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