The tourism industry is service industry made up of many sectors. We are in the business of servicing people. Tourist are our guest from airlines, cruise ships, auto rentals, restaurants, amusement parks, recreational areas, to hotels and much more. Is there a difference between a customer and a guest? According to Steve DiGiola, the definition of a customer is “one that purchase a commodity or service, an individual usually having some specified distinctive trait. A guest is a person entertained in ones’ house, a person to whom hospitality is extended, a person who pays for the services of an establishment (Hotel and/ or restaurant). The industry provides a service in hopes of guest returning and encouraging others to experience what is offered.
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The industry is labor intensive and requires a skilled labor force. The people who work in the industry a very valuable asset. Hiring the right fit is first and for most. Companies must train and retrain their employees to stay abreast of expectations and when new technology is added. A clear career path must be known with work life balance to retain qualified employees (Edgehill, 2015). As we have previously looked at labor issues, employees want to know, they are a part of something bigger and be recognized for their contributions to the company. It is important to have the right people in the right places doing the right …show more content…
This is a culture that must be driven by upper management. Changing your employee focus from speed in delivery to customer orientated may be hard, it can be done. The industry for many years was focused on speed, being customer focused changes this perspective and slows down processes. A customer first culture is proactive around customer experience with a deeper understanding of customer needs. It is a strategy largely dependent on interdependency across functional groups (Lee, 2013). It is a united focus that breaks down silos in a company and motivates teams to work together. Fostering a customer first culture puts emphasis on customer feedback. A current problem with the hospitality industry is in the handling of customer feedback. Systemizing a customer feedback process can alleviate this problem. Customer feedback is important to having the competitive edge and improve customer service. Having channels for customer feedback gives insight on improving the guest experience. There should be multiple channels for collecting feedback such as surveys, quarterly business reviews, and comment boxes on websites and mobile and onsite (Beard,
The industry is labor intensive and requires a skilled labor force. The people who work in the industry a very valuable asset. Hiring the right fit is first and for most. Companies must train and retrain their employees to stay abreast of expectations and when new technology is added. A clear career path must be known with work life balance to retain qualified employees (Edgehill, 2015). As we have previously looked at labor issues, employees want to know, they are a part of something bigger and be recognized for their contributions to the company. It is important to have the right people in the right places doing the right …show more content…
This is a culture that must be driven by upper management. Changing your employee focus from speed in delivery to customer orientated may be hard, it can be done. The industry for many years was focused on speed, being customer focused changes this perspective and slows down processes. A customer first culture is proactive around customer experience with a deeper understanding of customer needs. It is a strategy largely dependent on interdependency across functional groups (Lee, 2013). It is a united focus that breaks down silos in a company and motivates teams to work together. Fostering a customer first culture puts emphasis on customer feedback. A current problem with the hospitality industry is in the handling of customer feedback. Systemizing a customer feedback process can alleviate this problem. Customer feedback is important to having the competitive edge and improve customer service. Having channels for customer feedback gives insight on improving the guest experience. There should be multiple channels for collecting feedback such as surveys, quarterly business reviews, and comment boxes on websites and mobile and onsite (Beard,