Symptoms
The confrontation between the customer and the hotel management, in the case of the Mount Rundle Hotel Banff, is a sign of service failure. Several symptoms show the existence of a customer service failure. The symptoms can broadly be classified into three. The first category is the lack of staff training. In the case, it can be noted that the housekeeping staff members were playing catch football in the hallways. Further, the rooms were not cleaned at all times and they were not properly stocked. Therefore, the customer had to get supplies from the customer service desk. Also, the elevators were not working and the customer was not helped to carry luggage through a steep two flights of stairs. Besides, it can be observed that the hotel employed unqualified personnel. This resulted in an overall poor quality of service rendered.
The second category is that the hotel lacked a customer-oriented attitude. This can be observed in the manner in which the company charged the customer unpaid expenses without seeking his approval. Further, it can be noted that the hotel lacks a proper layout. The kitchen is located under the room. This makes the room not conducive. Also, the hotel lacks a quality control system. There is no supervision of the housekeeping work. Supervision is an important way of enforcing quality in service delivery. Also, it can be noted that the hotel lacks proper communication with Expedia. The lack of communication creates confusion and in turn compromises the quality of services offered. Finally, it can be noted that the hotel management took a long time to resolve the issue with the customer. The hotel management got into a lengthy correspondence with the management without providing a solution to the problem.
The third category is that the hotel lacks a clear procedure in its operation. For instance, the hotel quoted higher prices on its website than on Expedia.com. This creates confusion in service delivery. Also, it can be noted that mistakes in accounting took a long period to correct and report. The accountant realized the customer had not been charged after seven months. Finally, it can be observed that the management does not participate in overseeing the operations of the hotel. This weakens internal control.
Causes of this problem
The first cause of the problem is inadequate management. There is no evidence of the daily supervision of operations by a manager. Secondly, the hotel faces a problem with the qualification and experience of employees. The hotel engages temporary and untrained staff this compromises the quality of service delivery. Further, the hotel operator lacks a mechanism for quality control, inspection or audit. Therefore, there are no adequate checks and balances to ensure that quality standards are attained. Therefore, it can be pointed out that the problems arise from failure to align operations of the hotel to customer satisfaction.
The problem is not unique to the Mount Rundle Hotel. It is a common problem in the hotel industry. It occurs especially during peak season. Several hotels are set up and expanded at a high rate. Thus, the operation of the hotel cannot match the speed of expansion and it fails in some key functions such as service delivery.
The behavior of the customer
The behavior of Steve McKenzie is typical of a discontented customer. In the hotel industry, customers measure satisfaction through cleanliness, quick service, quality food, prices, and convenient payment methods. Failure to receive any of these can make a customer to be dissatisfied. Further, surveys conducted show that customers are more concerned about the manner the hotel management treat them and handle their complaints. Therefore, the reaction McKenzie is typical and appropriate. Further, in the business environment, customers are concerned about protecting their rights. Therefore, they often use the internet to rally support from other customers when they face such problems. It can be observed that McKenzie was procedural and maintained frequent communication with the company. However, the customer used other methods when the management did not provide a solution. Given the circumstances, I would support the reaction of McKenzie.
Corrective actions
The management should implement short-term and long-term measures. First, the management needs to publicly apologize to the customer and pledge to improve the quality of customer service. Secondly, the management needs to come up with a feedback mechanism. This will enable the management to obtain advice from customers. Thirdly, the management needs to carry out frequent surveys to enable them to identify customer’s needs. Also, the management needs to offer products based on the result of a customer survey. This will improve customer service. The first long-term measure is that the management needs to come up with clearly outlined procedures for room keeping and service delivery. Secondly, the management needs to come up with a convenient procedure for making payments. This should be guided by the results of a survey. Thirdly, there is a need to change the corporate culture of the hotel. The company needs to be customer-centric. Daily operations should focus on improving customer service. Further, there is a need to improve the staffing of the organization. The hotel needs to come up with basic standards for recruitment. Besides, there should be frequent training and rotation of employees. Finally, the management needs to set up a quality control mechanism and periodical inspection.