Integrated Business management erport writting from research proposal and literature review

The structure that I have written this research proposal has sections such as introduction, research questions, the research methodology, research time frame, achievement after research as well as the reference section. This research proposal structure directed me in the research so as to achieve my goal of carrying out the intended research.

Research questions

1. Does customer care service have an effect on customer satisfaction and does customer care service determine whether the needs of customers are met?

2. Does quality customer service plays a role in the retention of customers and attracting of new customers?

3. Are the customer care services offered in hotels in the current day and era satisfactory as far as customer satisfaction is concerned?

4. Does the employee training program offered enhance better delivery of services to customers?

Research methodology

Research methodology is the procedure which can be applied by a researcher to facilitate the collection of data and information required form one to carry out the research. These are the techniques applied by the researcher to underpin the methods to be used in the collection of data for purposes of generating the hypothesis of the research.

The sampling site I have selected is Quest Caroline Springs. This is the guest satisfaction hotel that I have used to enable me to conduct my research. It will therefore be my sample site (Creswell, 2003).

The research methodologies used in my research includes the following;

1) Sampling approach

Sampling method of research method where the researcher takes a sample of what he intends to research on to be the basis of his research. The researcher then carries out an investigation on this sample in a bid to establish whether the sample has the key things he wants to find out. In application of this method, a sample of one of Quest Caroline Springs was useful. Through investigation of the customer services in the sample, the quality of customer services was identified. Some of the questions that can help in carrying out this investigation included questions on whether the customer services offered to guest in Quest Caroline Springs meets customer satisfaction. The sampling method provided information concerning this question since the sample included some of the customers at Quest Caroline Springs and inquired about the quality of services they got from the customer service department of the hotel.

Sampling some of the hotel customer service employees and guests found out whether they feel that the kind of services they offered to customers are meeting customer satisfaction or whether the customers have submitted any complaints as far as the customer service of the hotel is concerned is important too.

The advantage of using the sampling method is that it provided the researcher with quality first-hand information from hotel customers as well as some of the employees in the customer service department.

2) Interviews

This is a research method where there is a face to face discussion between the researcher and respondent. It was a very effective method in acquiring information from a number of customer service employees of a selected hotel. For instance, Quest Caroline springs customer service help desk. This interview helped in the collection of data on how the hotel customer services are administered and whether the hotel customer services meets customer satisfaction through the customer services they offer (Howell, 2013).

This method was very successful as simple and short-structured questions were used. This is because structured questions require direct and straight to the point answers. A mixture of open ended questions and closed questions was very useful and beneficial in this research. The interviewees, in this case some customers of the hotel and a number of employees from the customer service department of the hotel (Creswell, 2003).

The benefit of this research methodology was that it provided me with immediate feedback and was less time consuming. The information collected using this method was reliable since the method provided an opportunity for collection of first hand data which I was able to gauge access to the credibility of the information given by the interviewees.

3) Questionnaires

The use of questionnaires was effective strategy and method of acquiring information about customer service. Through questionnaires, first-hand information on this issue was acquired. The structuring of questionnaires in order to collect as much information as possible would be of great essence. The questionnaires were used to enquire information through phone calls of employees from hotel directories helped acquiring valuable information regarding hotel service. Using phone calls, the respondent gave answers to questions that would be well structured, short and precise (Howell, 2013).

The use or application of questionnaires as a method or strategy of acquiring information about service delivery would be done through email service. Sending guest satisfaction survey to guest would help acquire reliable information on hotel services. Emails of guest’s would be acquired from various directories and records in the hotel. For the use of emails to be effective in acquiring this information, the emails should be have direct answer questionnaires and have short and precise questions that use simple and easy to understand language. Long and complicated questions are likely to be boring to the respondent and even make them avoid giving responses to the questionnaires (Howell, 2013).

In the use of questionnaires as a method of acquiring information, the adoption of the best strategies in this method should be done in order to ensure that the respondents to the questionnaires give adequate information. In using questionnaires, the respondents should be individuals whose information and feedback cannot be questioned and more importantly, the respondents must have been in the hotel industry and the questionnaires will be sent to the guest who has stayed in the hotel.

Research Time Frame

In conducting the research, each strategy will have its own time frame. The whole research should be conducted in a time period of approximately two months. If time is managed well and respondents are quick in their responses, the research will take much less time than expected (Howell, 2013).

Achievement after research

This section should be comprised of expected outcomes form conducting the research. Before any research is conducted, there are the hypotheses which are generated. This hypothesis is proved after the actual conducting of the research.

There are numerous achievements expected after this research. For example, after the research the hotel should be aware that the qualities of customer services they offer to the customers contribute to attraction of new customers as well as the retention of the existing customers. There should be a direct connection between the training programs in the hotel industry and the quality of services offered by the customer service to customers. To achieve customer satisfaction, Quest Caroline Springs ought to improve the quality of customer services offered in the hotel. The hotel should benefit from the research by being in a position to get a response concerning the quality of services it offers to its customers through the research and might also give information to improve the customer service from guest’s feedback. (Creswell, 2003).

Literature review

Introduction

In accordance to Kandampully (1997), within the present day’s competitive environment, customer’s perceptions, as well as, expectations demand that the service leaders have to distinguish themselves from the emerging main competitors by ensuring that their customers are not only satisfied but also delighted by the quality of services which they offer. Researchers such as (Kandampully, 1997; Lee, Barker, & Kandampully, 2003) suggest that service and customer loyalty is actually a two-way relationship. This is due to the fact that as service firms make attempts to gain client’s loyalty; on the other hand, the clients seek the firm’s service loyalty. Nevertheless, recently done studies (Bowen & Chen, 2001) indicate that there exist additional reasons why service providers should satisfy customers other than service loyalty.

Service Quality

According to (Lovelock, C. & Wirtz, J., 2004), a service is the term given to an economic activity which not only creates value but also provides benefits for clients at certain times, as well as, places by ensuring that it brings about the desired change in the service recipient. Even though the process is sometimes tied to certain physical products, the performance is considered to be transitory, naturally intangible and does not usually result in the possession of any of the production factors. Nonetheless, being in the position of satisfying specific needs tends to reflect the quality or value of the service to the clients, inclusive of the economic value, reliability, safety, in addition to maintainability.

In that regard, the customer’s service quality evaluations along with the resultant satisfaction levels are considered to have impact on the fundamental business success measures. To others, service quality can be described as the variance between the clients’ service encounter expectations and the actual views about the services received. In respect to Suman M. along with Garg, R. (2012), it is thereby forecasted that clients will most likely consider quality as ‘low’ or ‘poorest’ in the event that performance fails to meet their anticipations, whereas quality will be considered as ‘high’ or ‘best’ once performance is way above the expectations.

Customer Loyalty

In respect to the views of Kumar, R.S., & Advani, J.Y. (2009); customer loyalty is the term used in describing the repeat customers’ behavior together with those of the customers who give good testimonials, ratings or reviews. It does not simply involve the issue of customers doing a certain company favor by talking good about it publicly concerning it services or products or telling family members or friends about the company’s excellent services but also, it is the program or process which is aimed at keeping clients happy so that they can provide more business. Iddrisu, A.M (2011) specified that loyalty is basically developed over a certain time period from constituent meeting records, and in some situations even surpassing the customer expectations.

Therefore, it is outright that customer loyalty can successfully be realized in certain cases by offering quality products/services with an affirmed guarantee or via free offers, discounted prices, coupons, rebates along with other rewards or incentive programs. The ultimate objective of the aforementioned strategies is to manage to develop satisfied and happy clients who will not only become repeat customers but also lure others to utilize that firm’s services/products. In respect to Kotler, P. & Gartner, D. (1996), such measures enable a firm to cut costs greatly thus increasing its profitability by maintaining its customers other than attempting to attract new ones. In addition, it makes the firm stakeholders happy (Mukherjee, 2009).

The customers who are considered as loyal are those who do not get swayed easily by the competitors’ price inducements and in most cases they make mote purchase when compared to the less loyal ones. Nevertheless, it is of great essence to note that there are numerous factors which contribute towards making such customers loyal.

Geronikolas (2012) outlined five factors which have the potential of driving customers away within the hotel industry. Some of the said factors include lack of observing cleanliness within the hotel surroundings (particularly within the hotel restaurants or rooms); poorly trained or perceived rude employees; the customers’ “need for change” probably in pricing, affordability, as well as, value for money. Basically, hotel foods together with beverage standards turn out to be the most vital in hotel tangibles. Besides, they tend to be increasingly becoming momentous not only in the creation of satisfied customers but also in the driving away of the dissatisfied customers.

Other factors which appear recurrently as elements which drive business away include the state of the hotel facilities such as availability of heating facilities or air conditioners; issues regarding the hotel’s reliability (in delivery of promised services in an accurate and consistent manner), bad service, managerial behavior towards unique needs, as well as, situations which may arise, the nature of the other guests (the ambience within the hotel created by other customers) in addition to the noise within not only the hotel but also its surroundings.

Attracting the right customers and keeping them in touch through various means is simply customer loyalty. Customer who is loyal to a particular brand/product or buy it repeatedly without a second thought determines the customer loyalty. However, Quest Caroline springs has been able to maintain its customer loyalty because it has been providing customers with lots of benefits. Because mostly businesspeople seek services from Quest Caroline Springs, it is quite obvious that the customer is loyal to its services provided. Quest Caroline Springs also rewards the customers with various benefits for choosing them over their competitors.

Service Quality/Customer Loyalty Relationship

Diverse studies have reviewed the relation between service qualities along with customer preference loyalty. For instance, by making the repurchase intentions the measure of loyalty, researchers such as Cronin, J. Jr together with Taylor, S.A in their 1994 study made the observation that service quality has no significant (positive) impact on repurchase intentions (which contrasts the significant positive effect of satisfaction on the repurchase intention).

Nonetheless other researchers such as Boulding et.al (1993) by making the repurchasing elements together with the readiness to make a recommendation the customer loyalty measures, established relations between service qualities along with repurchase intentions together with wiliness to recommend. However, it should be noted that certain customers may maintain loyalty as a result of high switching barriers or even the absence of real substitutes, whereas others will continue being loyal as a result of finding satisfaction in the provided services.

In that regard, it is necessary for the service providers to have being complacent given that customers repeat customers are not always the satisfied ones and still not all the satisfied customers can always be successfully retained. Research has revealed that perceived service quality in most cases affects the customer loyalty positively. This is basically due to the fact that it has been found that service quality relates to behavioral outcomes, mostly within the form of complaint, word-of-mouth, as well as, recommendation together with switching.

Customer Loyalty and Satisfaction

Customers are considered as satisfied due to the positive feelings which they have that result from the process of examining what in reality has been received against the expected, inclusive of the purchase decision themselves and the needs along with wants related to the purchase. Other researchers state that there exists a momentous positive relation between customer loyalty and customer satisfaction. The aforementioned relation is strengthened further as the customers become “delighted” or even “tremendously satisfied”. Wong, C.B (2005) mentioned that Clarke (2001) stated that customer satisfaction, that has turned to be nothing special but the entry price to a certain category is this the beginning point of establishing customer loyalty.

Nonetheless, customer satisfaction by itself fails to guarantee loyalty as in certain cases a certain percentage of customers defect to seek the services of the competitors whereas they still confess that they still found satisfaction in the deserted service or product. In that regard, so as to make certain that customers are not defecting to the competitors, it was correct for Bowen, T.A along with Brown, S.W (2001) to point out that customers should be extremely satisfied. However, sometimes customers change providers due to issues related to pricing or because new opportunities have been offered by the competitors, or just because the customers need some variation.

That notwithstanding, so as to make satisfaction turn out as effective, it should be in the position of creating loyalty amongst clients because establishing customer loyalty within businesses can no longer be considered as a choice. In the actual sense, it is simply the only strategy which greatly assists in establishing sustainable competitive advantage. Nevertheless, not every loyal customer is necessarily satisfied as it has been found that the service quality level plays a certain significant role.

Customer Relationship Management

The concept of putting in place measures of ensuring customer loyalty, as well as, satisfaction is termed as customer relationship management. However, it should be noted that within the hotel industry, CRM (Customer relationship management) does not simply involve the practice of obtaining guest-centric data. It is actually the art of utilizing historical, private, as well as, experiential information in personalizing a client’s stay while establishing incremental revenue opportunities.

For example, making the observation that a certain guest had a memorable experience with your hotel offers one the chance of winning them back for another visit. On the basis of the latest CRM offerings, hoteliers are in the position of developing comprehensive customer profiles from the reservation information. The obtained information can be utilized in restructuring service delivery such that the guests’ needs can be satisfactorily met.

In spite of the verity that CRM brings about lasting benefits to business entities in general, some of them manage to profit more than others because of putting in place the appropriate correct measures. It has been established that CRM may brings benefits to the business entities which obtain detailed information about their customers.

Besides, in accordance to Gronroos (2004), within the service business entities such as hotels, their intrinsic productions, as well as, consumption characteristics are inseparable elements vital in building relations with customers. Moreover, CRM is considered as suited ideally to the hotel sector, specifically once it is implemented not only successfully but also effectively putting into consideration that hotels are better placed in obtaining comprehensive data concerning their customers.

The hoteliers are therefore expected to transform the acquired data into valuable knowledge about them. It is also vital to realize that CRM is made up of diverse dimensions. The dimensions are such as key customer focus, knowledge management, CRM organizations in addition to technology-based CRM. Basically, it is of great essence that each of the aforementioned dimensions works systematically within the business entity so as to be in the position of realizing improved performance.

Conclusion

On the basis of the reviewed works concerning the impact of customer service on the hotel industry, it is outright that service providers have to be complacent putting into consideration that customers repeat customers are not always the satisfied ones and still not all the satisfied customers can always be successfully retained. In addition, research has revealed that perceived service quality in most cases affects the customer loyalty positively. This is basically due to the fact that it has been found that service quality relates to behavioral outcomes, mostly within the form of complaint, word-of-mouth, as well as, recommendation together with switching. All in all, for one to succeed within the hotel industry, he or she should focus much on customer relationship management which will assist in winning the loyalty of customers as they will always be contented with the services offered which in turn impacts positively on the accrued revenue. After all, the objective of every business entity is to accrue the maximum revenue possible.

Data Collection