Hospitality Operations Analysis Ch 02: The System Side of Procedural Elements

1. Hospitality Operations AnalysisCh 02: The System Side of Procedural Elements Dr. Edward A. Merritt The Collins Endowed Chair of Management California State University (Cal Poly Pomona)

2. Objective Service Elements Procedural • Personal

3. What Have You Done For Me Lately? Mable & Angus Fricket

4. Adopting a Customer Service Perspective • “The customer is king.” • “The customer is the reason we exist.” • “Our customers pay our salaries.” • “Without our customers we have nothing.” • “We are not providing quality service unless our customers believe that we are.”

5. Customers Service Providers Managers GM Effective leaders turn the traditional hierarchy upside down…

6. The System Side • 7 Procedural Elements • Objective System • Define • State a benchmark (Service Standard) • Observe the actual and summarize relative to benchmark • Two individual strengths (benchmark) • Two individual weaknesses (benchmark

7. Timeliness Incremental flow Anticipation Communication Member feedback Accommodation Supervision and organization 7 Procedural Elements The Lucky Seven

8. The System Side • Providing a procedural touch • Organized ways of doing things

9. 1. Timeliness • Definition: The time that it takes the product or service to get to each customer • Benchmark (What): Customers receive entrée within 20 minutes of ordering • Actual (How): Usually customers received entrees within 15 minutes • 2 Strengths (individual instances) • 2 Weaknesses (individual instances)

10. Timeliness is Relative • What is the service concept of the organization? • How are steps of service used? • What is the meal period?

11. Four Moments of Truth • When the guest arrives • The wait before service contact • The time of providing service • Post service time

12. 2. Incremental Flow • Definition: Requires that service will occur in regular increments to ensure a steady flow of service to the guest • Benchmark: Entrée arrives within five minutes of clearing salad plates • Actual: When servers placed salad and entrée orders at the same time, and both came out together

13. Maintaining Incremental Flow • Flow affects timeliness • Consider the flow and system interdependency • Break service into discrete increments • The service provider should control the flow based on customer wants

14. Managing Flow • Prebookings, reservations • Seating, room assignment patterns • Express check in and out ability • Adjustment for large groups • Waiting procedures and areas • Queue formations • Multiple service stations and steps • Staffing

15. 3. Anticipation • Definition: Service should always be provided before the customer has to ask for them • Benchmark: Soft drinks are refilled one time without customers having to ask • Actual: Servers disregard the one unasked refill per person rule. Instead, they anticipate the guests’ drinking needs or ask

16. Anticipation • Know what customers want • Know when customers want • Think one step ahead • Have back ups • Staffing for ebb and flow

17. 4. Communication • Definition: Messages must be exchanged accurately, thoroughly, clearly, concisely, and in a timely manner • Benchmark: Customers receive the item(s) they order • Actual: Servers did not read back orders to customers which caused do overs

18. Communicate • Miscommunication = Misunderstanding • Misunderstanding = Service failure • Miscommunication is easy • Effective communication is difficult

19. Sender Receiver Message Feedback

20. 5. Customer Feedback • Definition: The service system must continually assess whether the service and products have met the guests’ needs and expectations • Benchmark: The server makes inquiry at the table after two minutes or two bites • Actual: Servers did not check back

21. Customer Feedback Four questions • How? • Who? • Where? • When?

22. Obtaining Feedback • Two minutes/two bites • Be specific • Comment cards • Web site • Toll free numbers • Secret shoppers

23. Listening • Stop talking • Avoid distraction • Concentrate • Look beyond the words • Provide feedback to the guest

24. 6. Accommodation • Definition: Procedures should be designed around customers’ needs for efficient service rather than what’s easiest for the operation • Benchmark: Menu items can be substituted or combined upon request. Separate checks are provided to groups upon request. • Actual: Guests were told “my pleasure” when requesting modifiers or separate checks

25. Accommodation • Flexible systems which favor the customer • Grant special requests • Try to say yes

26. 7. Supervision/Organization • Definition: Smooth-running service systems must be coordinated and observed by management • Benchmark: A supervisor is visible on the dining room floor at all times • Actual: No supervisors were ever observed on the floor during service

27. Organization • Are things running smoothly? • Do service providers know what they are doing? • Does a supervisor interact with workers and customers? • Is supervisor involved in service delivery?

28. Procedural Elements • End Chapter 2