Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
Core Text:
Hudson, S. and Hudson, L., (2012) Customer Service in Tourism and Hospitality. Oxford: Goodfellow.
Johnston, R. and Clark, G., (2008) Service Operations Management, 3rd Edition. England: Pearson Education Limited.
Nankervis, A. (2005) Managing Services. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Books and Texts:
Jones, P., (2008). Handbook of Hospitality Operations and IT. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann
Laws, E. and Scott, N. (eds.), (2006).Knowledge Sharing and Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism. Oxford: Haworth
Page, S., (2011). Tourism Management: An introduction. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Academic and Professional Articles:
Students will be strongly encouraged to use journal articles relevant to their areas of research. These may include articles extracted from the following sources, which are not exhaustive:
Tourism Management Journal
Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism
Services Industries Journal
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Useful link:
https://www.instituteofcustomerservice.com/
Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
Case Study – Butlin’s Skyline Ltd
Table of Contents
Introduction. 3
Customers Attracted by Butlin’s Holiday Village. 3
Entertainment 3
Sports and Recreation. 4
Children’s Activities. 4
What Each Customer Needs and What They Can Contribute. 5
Techniques to Analyse Effectiveness of Customer Service. 6
External Techniques. 6
Internal Techniques. 7
Use and Importance of a Quality System to Enhance Customer Service. 8
The RATER Model 8
Importance of Quality Systems. 9
Practice Customer Service Executive’s Tasks. 10
Conclusion. 11
References. 12
In any business, one of the most important part, that cannot be overlooked, is customer service. Any successful business has to recognize the importance of customer service and work towards maintaining it. Customer service has several definitions, the most renowned one being that customer service is the service that is provided to customers, before, during and after making a purchase and/or using goods and services(Laws& Scott 2006, 4). It basically is anything that a business needs to do for the customer, in order to enhance customer experience. This paper focuses on customer service, with regards to Butlin’s, a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
Customers Attracted by Butlin’s Holiday Village
Butlin’s, otherwise known as Butlins Skyline Ltd, was originally founded in 1936. Since then, the holiday camps’ chain has had its ups and downs. For instance, there were ten camps built throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and across the world(Ivanov 2018, 6). However, many of these operations were shut down after the 1980s. This is because of high operation costs, tough competition, and other external forces. However, three of the original camps still remain open and operational. The company runs a variety of ‘family fun activities’. It also hosts holiday packages. The entire packaging revolves around the word ‘entertainment’ and therefore the general customer base uses the company for entertainment purposes(Hudson, S& Hudson, L 2012, 62).
Customers who seek entertainment, make up the customer base. All entertainment is included in the packages offered. The camps offer nightclubs, pubs, bars, cafes and an all-year-round pantomime, that includes dancing, acting, singing and other big events and effects, like magic shows. Anyone interested in either of these events is a potential customer of the company. Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
Aside from the entertainment mentioned above, Butlin’s resorts offer a variety of sporting and recreational events. Anyone interested in adventure golf, water zorbing, adventure playgrounds, go-karts, high-ropes courses, funfairs and inflatable pillows or castles, is welcome there. Also, archery, tennis, table tennis, soccer, and fencing are some of the sports that were played there. Some of the resorts have spas and establishments for facials, massages, and swimming, among other treatments(Gallagher 2013, 3). Customers have a wide-range of choices once they step into one or more Butlin’s resorts.
The resorts do not admit adults only. Children are also catered for, with a number of playgrounds, supervised arts and crafts rooms, go-karts and a nursery that can keep the children entertained while the parents enjoy other activities. One of the challenging parts of going out as parents is how children will be entertained. Butlin’s have got you covered and they will take care of the children, while the adults continue with their thing. Therefore, a parent who wants to enjoy themselves, and have a child or children who can have fun while the parent is busy with their own entertainment, is very welcome(Laws& Scott 2006, 13). Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
The surviving Butlin’s resorts have been in operation for tens of years, mainly because they offer precisely what parents and children would want in a family entertainment resort. Therefore, the majority of the customers who visit Butlin’s are those seeking entertainment, have children, and those seeking sports and recreation(Ivanov 2018, 9).
What Each Customer Needs and What They Can Contribute
As already mentioned, the resorts attract all sorts of customers. Primarily, those seeking entertainment, a place for children to play around and sports and recreational facilities, are the primary targets for the resorts. Each year, Butlin’s Resorts have seen customers consume over 150,000 dozen eggs, over 13,000 kilos of oranges, over 6,000 kilos of bananas, over 21,000 kilos of apples and approximately 86,000 litres of orange juice(Travel Trade Gazette UK & Ireland 2016, 26). It is evident from these figures that the Resorts really host a massive number of people per year. These are families, individuals, groups, and teams. The original concept for the resorts was to create a place where families could visit and unwind, laugh and rediscover the little things that make up family, in a time when the world had just recovered from wars. Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
Today, the original objective of the company has been surpassed and they provide much more than just memories. Of the three surviving resorts, in Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness, about 1.5 million visitors and approximately 5,000 teams visit the resorts annually. They get to spend time in the approximately 19,000 beds all over(Travel Trade Gazette UK & Ireland 2016, 26). These figures are responsible for the aforementioned figures concerning eggs, oranges, orange juice, apples, and bananas. Once they leave, they contribute so much towards the progress of the company. Each customer needs something specific (Johnston& Clark 2008, 13). For example, parents need to unwind, the children need to bond, interact and socialize, while those going for the spa or massage or recreation, need to relax, keep fit or involve themselves in one sport or another.
Butlin’s success can be attributed to these customers because of several reasons. One, their trust and value in the resorts, makes for a team that is inspired to work there, proudly. They offer good customer services and this sure can make a customer go back there. It will also be easy for such a customer to recommend a friend or family to check out the place.Research has shown that inviting a new customer is harder than retaining one. Nonetheless, good customer service will make for an even better experience, the next time such customer(s) visits. The resort also earns in publicity and growth in general. For example, the resort has been nominated and, in most occasions, won several awards, including the 2010 Employer of the Year. Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
In today’s global world, it is easy for customers to leave reviews online(Page 2011, 103). If the customers were impressed by the services they received, the definitely are going to leave a positive review. This way, they can continue to contribute to the success of the company. They can also leave feedback in forms, or over a poll. Feedback is important because it can help you increase customer retention, can help you measure customer satisfaction, and can help you understand areas that need improvement.
Techniques to Analyse Effectiveness of Customer Service
There are several ways in which a company like Butlin’s can use to measure the effectiveness, or lack of, of their customer service. There are both internal and external service measurement techniques, that can help a company like Butlin’s, understand the effectiveness of its customer service.
As already mentioned, one of the facets that can help a business grow, providing praise and criticism as to the customer services offered, is feedback. This can be through polls, be on forms to be filled, or online, where reviews can be left(Laws& Scott 2006, 13). Another method is by analyzing the number of returning customers. A customer that has been impressed by the services they have received, tends to return again and again. Such returning customers have built trust with the organization and they believe such organization, is best suited to offer them the services they are looking for. Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
Another technique of analyzing if a company’s services are effective is to confirm where a new customer heard of the company. This could look like a silly move, but if such a customer was recommended by an existing customer, it means that you really impressed the initial customer, and made them trust your organization enough to tell his or her friends about your services(Page 2011, 70). If the customer heard about your organization in chat rooms, it is possible that an existing customer left a positive review, enough to make new customers look for your organization.
For internal techniques, one needs to be on the inside. Therefore, this can best be done by management teams. For starters, they can check on the number if complains the company is receiving. Too many complaints mean there is a mountain of unsatisfied customers. Unfortunately, such a mountain cannot be contained and they will end up airing their views on more platforms, especially online. It is the responsibility of the company to improve their customer services and combat the growing figure of unsatisfied customers(Page 2011, 43). Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
Another measure is using the element of mystery(Hudson, S& Hudson, L 2012, 6). In a business that offers travel and tourism services like Butlin’s, a member of the management team can ask one of their close family or friends, who are not known to the company as a relative or friend of the said management member. They can ask the friend or family member to become a mystery ‘shopper’, which in this case, means becoming a new customer of the company. They will go undercover, act like an ordinary customer, get all the services and after the operation, be completely honest to the management team member about the services he, she or they encountered(Laws& Scott 2006, 13). Although it is a risky affair, which also consumes money and time for the undercover agent, it provides an honest and detailed review of the entire organization and services offered.
Other techniques include using comments cards, for honest comments from the customers, and unsolicited comments. They will give you the satisfaction, or neither, from the perspective of the customer. Finally, there are call monitoring operations, where the organization engages customers for feedback over the phone. Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
Use and Importance of a Quality System to Enhance Customer Service
A quality system, to enhance customer service is important because it helps the business understand its position on the imaginary scale of customer service(Johnston& Clark 2008, 13). As already mentioned, customer complaints mean the customer was dissatisfied with the service they received. If you have a complaint’s channel or records, an organization, like Butlin’s, can have several methods of receiving such complaints and they can understand the true nature of the dissatisfaction. Such systems are very important to the health of a business. There are several models that can be used to enhance customer service
This is a quality management framework, developed in the mid-1980s, to measure the quality of services in an organization. The model highlights areas that require more input from the organization, in order to provide better customer services(Evenson 2011, 113). The areas make up the acronym, RATER.
Reliability: this is the ability of an organization to provide services promised in an accurate, consistent and on-time manner;
Assurance: this is the knowledge or skill in a credible staff, as well as their ability to put such knowledge and skill to work, in order to inspire confidence and trust; Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
Tangibles: this is the physical evidence of the services provided. It is represented in the employees, the equipment, the communication, offices and marketing materials used;
Empathy: this is measured in the relationship between the employees and the customers;
Responsiveness: this is the ability to provide quick and high-quality services to customers.
The RATER model seeks to measure and manage service quality in an organization or business. It takes on the five dimensions, measures the customer expectations and the quality of service(Evenson 2011, 114). The model is expected to balance customer expectations and the services they receive, or even make the services received greater than their expectations. If the converse is the outcome, service quality is deemed low.
These models, like the RATER model, are important because they allow companies to introduce critical elements of service delivery in the measured process. They also allow companies to identify and possibly fix, areas that are failing to provide effective quality services. Such a model measures both the customer expectations of the quality of service and the perceptions of customers once they receive the services(Gallagher 2013, 19).
If the customer service received is below par, companies, like Butlin’s can use analytical tools to identify the problem that is causing the service quality to go down. One such analytical too is the Root Cause Analysis, which uses five steps to arrive at a solution. In a sequential order, the tool defines the problem, collects data on the problem, identifies possible factors that cause such issues, identifies the root cause(s) and finally recommends and implements solutions(Laws& Scott 2006, 88). An effective quality system can take an organization like Butlin’s to greater heights. Customers are everything to the life of a business and they deserve the best customer service. Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
Practice Customer Service Executive’s Tasks
As the future Customer Service Executive at Butlin’s, I can approach several issues relating to customer service in a specific manner. A customer needs service, quality, sensible prices, quick action and appreciation from the part of the business(Johnston& Clark 2008, 123). I would aim at excellent customer service that not only fulfillsthese five core needs of the customer but exceeds them. Here are some of the ‘do’s’ and the ‘don’ts’ I would have in my checklist:
| Task | Do’s | Don’ts |
| Handling customer complaints | · Acknowledge the customer’s feelings
· Take responsibility for the problem · Be sincere when handling the matter · Ask for a chance to correct the problem · Request the customer to continue doing business with Butlin’s |
· Blame it on the customer
· Not being sincere · Not asking to help solve the problem · Jump to conclusions |
| Dealing with a difficult customer | · Be professional despite whatever happens
· Address the customer in a polite tone · Offer to address the customer’s issues personally · Offer to address the customer’s concerns privately, in order to avoid drama in front of so many people |
· Dismiss the customer
· Fight back with the customer · Throw the customer out, unless it is the last option, in which case, you should do it professionally |
| Effective communication over the telephone | · Always be available
· Offer to call the customer and actually do it · Be courteous · Keep the communication professional · Own up to any problem the customer is or has experienced · Perform a post-call survey, where possible, to determine how the customer rated the call and the services |
· Get angry over the phone
· Start a fight for who is right over the phone · Hang up on the caller · Waste the caller’s time and money without offering assistance |
| Principles of letter-writing when corresponding with customers queries | · Be professional
· Write in a courteous tone · Be apologetic if the customer feels aggrieved. Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper · Be prompt |
· Blame anything wrong on the part of the customer
· Refuse to correspond |
| Listening skills | · Be attentive
· Take notes based on what the customer is saying · Offer counterpoints in a courteous and professional manner |
· No chewing
· Not being attentive to the customer · Start a verbal fight, even if the customer presents a contrary position · Be dismissive |
The customer is the life of any business. They should be treated carefully and with a lot of professionalism. This is because good customer service will make the customer return, spend some more on your business and spread the word about it to others. Good customer service takes a lot of professionalism and such professionalism should be instilled in any employee of the business, so as to make any customer comfortable with the business or organization. Customer service does not end when the customer walks out of the premises but extends to the outside world. A professional business should feel obliged to make the customers their top priority. Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper
Evenson, R 2011, Customer Service Training 101 : Quick And Easy Techniques That Get Great Results, New York: AMACOM, eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost, viewed 14 July 2018.
Gallagher, RS 2013, The Customer Service Survival Kit : What To Say To Defuse Even The Worst Customer Situations, New York: AMACOM, eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost, viewed 14 July 2018.
‘How Butlin’s targets tots’ 2016, Travel Trade Gazette UK & Ireland, p. 26, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 July 2018.
Hudson, S. and Hudson, L., (2012) Customer Service in Tourism and Hospitality. Oxford: Goodfellow.
Ivanov, S 2018, ‘The European Journal of Tourism Research: A Personal Journey’, European Journal Of Tourism Research, 18, pp. 5-12, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 July 2018.
Johnston, R. and Clark, G., (2008)Service Operations Management, 3rd Edition. England: Pearson Education Limited
Laws, E. and Scott, N. (eds.), (2006). Knowledge Sharing and Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism. Oxford: Haworth
Page, S., (2011). Tourism Management: An introduction. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Case Study- BUTLIN’S Skyline Ltd Sample Paper