Facility and Events Paper 1
The Role of Customer Service in Facility and Event Management
Alexis Hallum
School of Education, Liberty University
SMGT 302: Sport Facilities and Events (D01)
Professor Montoro
December 11, 2023
Facility and Events Paper 2
Abstract
Fostering customer satisfaction and loyalty requires comprehending and compiling their unique
needs and preferences. Customer service plays a vital role in many businesses, including facility
and event management. With customer service, a primary role is to improve the relationship with
the customers, which in turn improves the business. Customer retention enhances earnings and is
less expensive than trying to acquire new event attendees. “The Sports Facilities Companies”
states, “if you treat your customers poorly, you can be certain you will run into problems at every
point of your facility” (Jumpsix2,2022). Customer service is the solution to all customers'
concerns, questions, and complaints. Without customer service, it will be hard for facilities and
events management to find success and happiness with their customer relations.
Keywords: Customer service, facilities, events, management, customers
Facility and Events Paper 3
The Role of Customer Service in Facility and Event Management
When it comes to the facility and/or event management, there are many important aspects
that come into play, such as event planning, marketing, bidding, customer service, etc. One
aspect that helps build and maintain production of facility and event management is customer
service. The textbook defines this concept as “attending to the needs and wants of your
customers in a manner that works to solve each issue effectively while preserving the
relationship created between the service provider and the individual” (Aicher, Paule-Koba, &
Newland, 2019). This department assists customer needs. With the customers and vendors
creating revenue, it is the responsibility of the facility and event managers to make them happy
before, during, and after the events.
One of the numerous duties of an event management firm is providing customer service,
with a focus on arranging, planning, and carrying out different types of events for their clients,
dealing with both positive and negative feedback, questions, and/or concerns for guidance in the
process. Those working within the customer service department hold themselves to high
standards, possessing quality skills, a few being attentiveness, effective communication, time
management, and ability to read customers. The textbook, “Sport Facility and Event
Management” states “these organizational activities are designed to create and maintain
relationships with your customers—relationships that should lead to many of the desired
outcomes inherent to the organization—customer interaction: Satisfaction, loyalty, positive word
of mouth, and repatronage” (Aicher, Paule-Koba, & Newland, 2019). Sport managers withhold
those skills for themselves and their team to better grow and support their customer relationships
in all their events. The benefit of such, increases revenue, and income for the facilities and
events, which helps the management provide more to fulfill the customers and vendors desires.
Facility and Events Paper 4
Furthermore, being crucial for creating and preserving a devoted fan base, offering
top-notch customer service boost sales and offer brand loyalty. Customer service is a trending
topic for news outlets, and in this discussion, specifically those sources reflecting sporting
events, with the fans experience leading engagement of these topics. Without customers, events
can not go on, which is why customer service holds incredible weight towards the every day
decisions of facility and event managers. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have achieved the highest
ranking in the field of customer experience. There are multiple sources supporting how the
Buccaneers as a team and facility have risen to the challenge to provide high quality customer
service for their fans and attendees. “For the fourth consecutive year, and the eighth time in the
past 10 seasons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have earned the top ranking in customer service
experience satisfaction among season pass members, as detailed in the National Football
League's annual Voice of the Fan report for the 2021 season” (Jumpsix2,2022). This team has
won the highest ranking for customer service multiple times, providing excellent customer
satisfaction at their sporting events. When customers are pleased, they return for more, and the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been working to continue increasing that outcome.
Competition is a big factor in facility and event management purchases and decisions, but
regardless of which team performs the highest in the customer service category, all facility and
event managers are constantly working to better the performance and experience delivered to the
attendees, fans, and vendors, who are all customers of their business. In an interview between
Michael Krigsman and Jonathan Becher, Becher responded to Krigsman’s question regarding the
holistic approach to building customer relationships and experience saying, “Too often, we all sit
in our offices, our cubes on our Zoom meetings discussing what we think we need. Let the
customers (and your non-customers, more importantly) tell you” (Michael Krigsman, n.d.).
Facility and Events Paper 5
There is a lot of hard work and planning that goes into setting up these events, and the input and
experience of those involved have to be highly considered to have a successful outcome. The
consumers are the ones who uphold the facilities and events with their purchases, as discussed in
the chapter readings throughout the course. The management of facilities and events use many
tactics which help review the overall statistics with their customer service to better improve.
Behind every product and service, there has to be a strong team and plan behind it.
“Organizations have learned that services contribute largely to the success of product selling.
The arrival of the Internet has transferred power from the suppliers to the customers” (Academy,
n.d.). Good service leads to a variety of positive benefits for facilities and events by the retention
of customers, improved retention rates, enforced values of the company, increased lifetime
clientele, good word of mouth, and more.
There is numerous research done on customer complaints in businesses. Customer service
can play a positive and/or negative role in facility and event management. That is why it is so
important to have a strong department within this field to better assist in both good and bad
situations. There are seven important steps listed in the textbook, which are to create a vision,
attend to the needs of the customers, hire the best personnel, create specific, measurable,
attainable, relevant, and time based goals, train, hold staff to standards, and acknowledge and
reward outstanding performance (Aicher, Paule-Koba, & Newland, 2019). According to
“Customer Complaints and Recovery Effectiveness: A Customer Base Approach”, “Complaints
are associated with a substantial increase in the probability that the customer stops buying, but
the size of the increase depends on prior customer experiences: prior purchases mitigate the
effect, and their impact is long-lasting, whereas prior complaints exacerbate the effect, but their
impact is short-lived” (Knox & Van Oest, 2014). Facility and event managers use a process to
Facility and Events Paper 6
better accommodate the desires of the fans. Sport facility and event managers depend on those
paying for the events to keep their businesses active and progressing using a customer service
plan. Without customer service in place, the customers may not feel heard, treated correctly, and
much more.
According to “Understanding Customer Experience Throughout the Customer Journey”,
“creating a strong customer experience is now a leading management objective”(Lemon &
Verhoef, 2016). The experience of the customer has been deemed to be an important research
topic over the years, reviewing the increases in performance due to customer satisfaction. The
event and facility management carries a lot of responsibilities and duties to provide an
outstanding outcome for everyone involved. “According to a recent study by Accenture (2015; in
cooperation with Forrester), improving the customer experience received the most number one
ranking when executives were asked about their top priorities for the next 12 months” (Lemon &
Verhoef, 2016). It only makes sense to provide for customers in the best manner, as they are
keeping the business and events running. The Sport Journal did a study to examine how customer
satisfaction is affected by both internal and external service aspects in a sports setting. “The
findings revealed that satisfaction with employee services had the highest impact on the overall
customer satisfaction. As a result, the sport managers must create an attractive organizational
climate to recruit and retain highly-motivated employees who are positive and courteous every
time they speak to a customer. Service managers must understand that employees have a major
impact on overall customer satisfaction” (Sauer et al., n.d.).
These studies have evidently shown without customers, events and businesses would not
run or hold any success. It is highly important for facility and event managers to pay attention to
their audience and make decisions based on their needs and wants, not just the desires of the
Facility and Events Paper 7
management. Managers have to be open minded in ways to receive feedback from customers in a
way that benefits both parties. Nowadays, there are options of reviews, questionnaires, polls,
comment cards, etc. where the attendee can provide information regarding their overall
experience - before, during, and after the event.
There are many biblical principles and verses that support the act of customer service
whether it is done inside the event and facility management field or outside of that field. Putting
the concerns of the customers first and acting upon them is a similar way God wants us to act
toward each other. Just as working in customer service possesses certain skills, there are many
biblical principles that relate similar skills, which Christ possessed that we are called to follow.
Bible principles such as having patience, a people-first attitude, generosity, are all traits
possessed when someone partakes in customer service. In Ephesians 6:7-8, Paul says “With good
will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man
doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free” (King James Version,
2007). Sincere love for the Savior and care for people He directs and provides chances for us to
assist develops into Christlike service. Luke 22:27 states “For whether is greater, he that sitteth at
meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth”
(King James Version, 2007), which is confirmation from Jesus himself how great the act of
serving is. Another verse within the New Testament supporting the action of serving is, Galatians
5:13 which says “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an
occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another” (King James Version, 2007). It is one of our
biblical responsibilities to serve others as seen on multiple occasions within the Word.
In the Book of John, Jesus shows an act of service towards his disciples. Jesus says in
John 13:14, “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one
Facility and Events Paper 8
another's feet (King James Version, 2007). Customer service is about doing for others, which
Jesus has shown throughout the Word on multiple occasions. Despite this field not being within a
field others would assume to be acts of doing for God (pastoring or ministry), this department
relates incredibility to the biblical principles shown in the Bible that we are taught to encounter.
Facility and Events Paper 9
Facility and event managers oversee the development of long-lasting, value-based connections
with customers to help the event team meet its objectives for sales. Providing excellent customer
service always aids in customer retention. This is what encourages repeat business from
customers, which is a goal for facility and event management. Within customer service,
possesses a variety of skills and plans to better serve others, as God has taught us to do.
Facility and Events Paper 10
References
Academy, U. S. Sports. “Influence of Service in a Sports Environment: Case Study on Borussia
Bortmund.” The Sport Journal, 21 Mar. 2017,
thesportjournal.org/article/influence-of-service-in-a-sports-environment-case-study-on-bo
russia-bortmund/.
Aicher, T. J., Paule-Koba, A. L., & Newland, B. L. (2019). Sport Facility & Event Management
(2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9781284194418
Jumpsix2, P. by. (2022, January 26). Facility Management Services Customer Service: SFM.
Sports Facilities Companies.
https://sportsfacilities.com/facility-management-services-importance-of-customer-service
/#:~:text=Treating%20your%20customers%20well%20reduces,the%20demise%20of%20
your%20facility.
Knox, G., & Van Oest, R. (2014). Customer Complaints and Recovery Effectiveness: A
Customer Base Approach. Journal of Marketing,78(5), 42–57.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/43785836
Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding Customer Experience Throughout the
Customer Journey. Journal of Marketing,80(6), 69–96.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/44134974
Facility and Events Paper 11
Michael Krigsman. “Customer Experience in Professional Sports and Entertainment.” CXOTalk,
1 Sept. 2021,
www.cxotalk.com/episode/customer-experience-professional-sports-entertainment.
“OFFICIAL KING JAMES BIBLE ONLINE: AUTHORIZED KING JAMES VERSION
(KJV).” Kingjamesbibleonline.org, Nov. 2007, www.kingjamesbibleonline.org.
Sauer, Philipp, et al. “Customer Satisfaction.” The Sport Journal,
thesportjournal.org/article/tag/customer_satisfaction/.
