Paper Example on Introduction to Marketing Tasks & Quality of Service

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

The speed of transformations, the telecommunications revolution, and the growing competition have stimulated organisations to join internal and external forces, and turn these challenges into sources of business opportunities (Striy et al. 2018). These advances have allowed companies to substantially expand their markets economically. However, to solve the existing problems in a company, it is necessary to define the objectives to be achieved, through decisions involving the processes of relationships (internal and external) and vertical integration, adopting a flexible policy in the use of resources, discussing and analysing the strategies adopted in the delivery of services. In the decisions to be taken, it is of fundamental importance to focus operations with a systemic approach, analysing and, if necessary, adapting the processes, using tools and instruments of marketing and communication systems (Dvorakova and Faltejskova 2016).

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Customers are the raison d'etre of companies, they are the ones that allow them to be in constant activity and they are the ones that generate income for them (Phadermrod, Crowder, and Wills, 2019). In general, both for companies producing tangible goods and for service companies, it is the clients who allow various economic activities to be carried out since they generate constant commercial exchanges. Due to this situation, companies today are much more concerned with the due attention to the needs of customers, as well as the correct channelling of complaints and suggestions regarding the services received. The focus on customer needs has, in turn, generated an explosion of satisfaction factors in each company or even in each process or activity carried out such as customer service, resolution of complaints, suggestions, among others (Umashankar, Bhagwat, and Kumar, 2017).

1.2 Problem Statement

Staybridge Suites Birmingham is dedicated to providing its clients with satisfactory hotel services which include, apart from lodging (fully-equipped guest rooms with Wi-Fi), fitness centre, and laundry services among others. The hotel is owned by the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and has been operational in the United Kingdom since 1997. IHG has over five thousand hotels with a global presence in 100 countries focused on hospitality and leisure tourism. Under the perspective of being such a large Corporation, with clients from many different countries and with the great commitment to meet world-class standards; it is of utmost importance to adequately meet the needs of its customers, as well as to follow up and resolve any possible complaints or suggestions from them with the quality of services received.

Many organisations have seen the need to improve their policies regarding the quality of services and analyse what factors indicate customer satisfaction, such as is the case of the company in the current case study (Striy et al. 2018). Currently, customer reviews have not enabled the company to achieve the standard quality of service scores. Also, there are limited studies regarding the quality of the services offered, generating poor planning and causing the loss of potential clients. Based on the fact that the general problem lies in the deficiency of the service quality measurement system which hinders its control and improvement, it's planning, and the loss of clients, which in the long run will directly impact future revenues, the research had as the main objective the analysis of the service and the degree of satisfaction of external customers, investigating flaws in the service and proposing suggestions for improvements.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The purpose of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of customer services on an organisation, providing an overview for the company about the importance of maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction, and proposing suggestions to improve the level of satisfaction by applying effective methodologies that resolve complaints and other issues adequately as a requisite for sustainable business performance. As project goals, it is intended that within the hotel there be an adequate system for receiving customer complaints, establishing a method for measuring satisfaction, all with the aim of positively influencing their loyalty and therefore increasing sales in all the different areas of the hotel.

Precisely, the importance of analysing the effectiveness of customer services lies in that the more satisfied customers are with the service received, the more likely it is to ensure their loyalty to the company and even generate long-term profits. So, companies that want to have loyal customers must be determined to provide exceptional services and this can only be achieved by really knowing the customers and the factors that determine their satisfaction.

Research is carried out in the Staybridge Suites Hotel in Birmingham, the analyses focusing on how effective customer services impact on the external quality or performance of the company in its business, proposing ways for future commercialisation and marketing decisions. Through the application of the data collection instrument, which was the interview with the hotel stakeholders, it was found that in relation to the analysis of service, the company seeks to serve its customers well, detecting their needs, desires, and habits. As a result of gathering information, the challenge was to win back customers with a lower degree of satisfaction and achieve favourable Net Promoter Scores through recovery strategies.

1.4 Organisation of the Study

The paper presents, in addition to the introduction, five more chapters. The second chapter presents a brief review of the literature, which seeks to highlight the main theoretical references related to the research. The methodological procedures are presented in the third chapter, chapter the analysis of the data and results is presented in the fourth, a discussion of the results in chapter five and in the last chapter the conclusions consisting the final considerations, recommendations, the contribution of the study to management, limitations, and suggestions for future studies.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

According to Kotler (2000), companies are doing a lot of self-analysis and are changing in several aspects, adjusting to new marketing themes. The analysis aims at full satisfaction because merely satisfied customers easily change suppliers when a better offer appears, and those who are fully satisfied are less likely to change. The result is a high degree of customer loyalty. Companies need to take into account that sales professionals can manipulate customer satisfaction rates.

Today, marketing considers that the key for companies to achieve their goals is by determining the needs and desires of customers since the concept requires professionals in the area to balance three considerations: company profits; satisfying customer desires, and public interest (Jahan, 2017). Changes generated with a standardised measurement process are expected to lead to increased consumer satisfaction. On the contrary, if the companies do not have a standardised system, their image may be affected, as well as a decrease in customer satisfaction making it difficult to achieve positive Net Promoter Scores (Agusaj, Bazdan, and Lujak, 2017; Barashok, Rudenko, and Topchiy, 2020).

Cncerning the issue of satisfaction, the importance of the company having a system for its measurement must be analysed, since it will only be possible to know if it affects the activities of the clients, applying some type of instrument at the time of the initial situation, whether in the presence of negative situations or not and then, when the improvement is carried out, to determine the difference (what is expected) in the increase in user satisfaction.

According to Jahan (2017), marketing is entering the era of mass customisation that seeks customer loyalty (an attractive site that includes online sales, many sites allow visitors to customise their experience by choosing the types of information they want to view), because marketers must be able to develop a database of customers, use it to learn what they are buying and then develop the value packages that will retain these customers over time, as well as establish links in the value chain through electronic data exchange. Success will depend in part on the commitment to customer satisfaction, because, working collaboratively, the company can move beyond satisfaction, enabling a long-lasting relationship, which is unlikely to be interrupted by competition (Arora, 2017).

2.1 Marketing Tasks and Demands

According to Kotler (2000), marketing is normally perceived as the activity of creating, promoting and providing goods and services to individual and business customers. Marketers may be involved in the sale of goods, services, experiences, events, images of people, places, organisations, information, and ideas. Depending on the services provided...