Complaint letter

The facility itself is quite small, there are a receptionist desk and a small waiting area designated as the “quiet area” to relax before one’s service. Then there is a door that leads to a hallway of rooms where the massages and facials take place. The ambiance is very nice; there are comfortable couches, nice wall décor, relaxing music and water available in the “quiet area.” The service rooms are small but nice. There are also music playing and comfortable spa beds. However, the “quiet area” is adjacent to the receptionist desk with no wall or partition. Therefore, it can get very loud with customers talking to the receptionist or when the receptionist is on the phone. This completely defeats the point of it being a “quiet room.” The source of this problem relates to the physical environment and servicescape. This is part of the service design gap. Although the ambiance was pleasant, the size and space of the facility were too small. Personally, I expect to have privacy, space, and peace when going to a spa. I have been too many full-service spas before, so I have high expectations and a narrow zone of tolerance. In addition, while I was waiting in the “quiet area” the receptionist was eating her lunch at the desk. It smelled quite a bit and was unpleasant, especially when I was trying to relax and be at peace. This problem relates to service performance, the employee obviously did not recognize the impact her lunch had on customer’s experiences. I am not sure if the facility had an employee break room, but I would expect the receptionist to eat somewhere other than the receptionist desk right in front of the customers.

Unlike regular full-service spas, Massage Green does not have a locker room, steam room, Jacuzzi, showers or any other amenities. Massage Green does not offer those extra amenities and therefore can offer such great prices for their services. While I understand this is how the business model works, I prefer to have those additional amenities as it makes one’s experience much more enjoyable. This issue relates to the listening gap; some customers will expect more amenities during their spa experience. While Massage Green Spa does not advertise or promise those amenities, one might still expect those services. Such as myself, I am accustomed to full-service spa facilities with many amenities from my past experiences. The massage itself was the best part. My masseuse was very kind and asked what parts of the body she wanted my to focus on. The massage itself was great; she used good pressure and made it very relaxing. After the massage, you are expected to get dressed immediately and leave. There is no chance to six and relax after. The masseuse hands you a cup of water and ushers you out the door. Overall it is the beginning and end parts of this service process that are did not meet my expectations.

My recommendations would be for Massage Green Spa to rewrite their service design and standards. I would suggest that it establishes some ground rules for its employees, such as a requirement to eat lunch in the back and to speak more softly when speaking on the phone or with customers. In addition, I would have it expand its quiet room so there is more space and build a door or partition. I think there should be more than just water available, such as tea. I would suggest Massage Green develop more amenities, such as a shower room. Lastly, I would suggest it have comment cards available; to it can close the listening gap. Massage Green Spa has no clue that I had those complaints or recommendations. They only way they would know is if they asked me, or if I felt driven enough to directly tell them in person. This puts a hindrance on Massage Green Spa’s ability to use service recovery. If they don’t know there is a problem, how could they possibly know how to fix or solve it?

The best service encounter experience took place at Jim Kellogg and Company. Jim is a tax consultant. I was referred to him by my parents, who have used his services in the past. My mother and I made an appointment to go see him for my tax return. The office is in Fullerton, in a large business complex. Parking was easy, and finding his office wasn’t difficult. The office itself is quite small, and a bit messy. The receptionist was very pleasant and had me fill out some forms. Then we met with Jim. He was very kind and efficient. He had a very large list of questions to ask me, so his services were extremely personalized and customized, as it should be. This enabled Jim to close the knowledge gap; he was able to understand exactly what I needed. In addition, Jim’s services possess the attributes of reliability and assurance because he is extremely knowledgeable, trustworthy, detailed, clear and prompt. Jim Kellogg created a great relationship with me. This is related to relationship marketing, he provided good experiences for my parents. In turn, my parents referred me. As a new customer, he gained my loyalty and satisfaction; and therefore, he created customer retention. His attention to detail and personalization enhanced my experience. After we got through all the paperwork, he, my mother and I ended up having a very long, personal conversation not related to taxes. We took up the entire hour, even though we could have finished early. Jim is very knowledgeable, I felt very comfortable having him take care of my taxes. Jim’s ability to create a great relationship with myself and my parents is an aspect of delighting the customer. He took the extra time out of his day to be personable. I had never been to a tax consultant before, so my expectations were fairly moderate. However, now my expectations for the future are very high, and therefore my zone of tolerance is very narrow.

After the meeting, I was to expect a package with the tax return that he will file and an invoice for his services. We got the package very quickly, within about a week or so. I signed the return, my mother made a check and we sent it back to Jim, who then filed the tax return. His services were very quick and detailed. The price for his services was very reasonable. My return itself was a great surprise, I got money back. The latter part of his services is all behind the scenes. Luckily for me, everything went smoothly and there were no errors. Jim delivered on his promises, closing the communication gap. I gather that his service standards and processes are very streamlined and that he works very hard to perform according to those standards, and even outperform, closing both the service design and service performance gaps. As a consumer, I’ve learned that I typically hold moderate to high expectations. I play the role of a consumer and a provider on a daily basis. I am a server at Claim Jumper restaurants and I strive to give the best possible service. When I am working, I try to relate to my customers, especially when something goes wrong. When that does happen, I immediately tell a manager and enact all the service recovery practices necessary whether it is a complimentary dessert or taking an item off a bill. Most importantly, I am very empathetic and honest. That being said, as a consumer, I expect that same level of courtesy and attention. So perhaps some would consider me to be picky or a difficult customer. Typically my expectations are high and my zone of tolerance is narrow. For the most part, I try not to complain too much, unless it is a severe issue. I chose not to complain to Massage Green Spa because those complaints are very specific and picky and not directly related to the service I was receiving. However, I still think Massage Green Spa should have a system in place where it asks its customers for reviews and comments. If I were a manager of a company or organization, I would put a lot of my focus on the customer, if that isn’t already obvious. I would make sure the company is constantly communicating with its customers and asking questions. I think the most important gap is the first gap, knowing what the customers want and expect. It is the foundation for building the other three- design, performance, and communication. Whether this information is found by comment cards, email surveys, or in person, as a manager I would make sure the company is listening. In addition, I would make customer communication clear and nurture and respect customer relationships. Lastly, as a server (an employee), I want to be treated with respect and kindness. So if I were a manager, I would make sure that all the employees are treated with respect. I think a workplace should be an equal playing field. Teamwork and kindness will make any service experience better.