Employee Satisfaction reflect on Service Quality and Business Profitability

Who like to be served by frustrated, unhappy waiter or to have made room by nasty unpleasant chambermaid, while staying at hotel? Probably no one. I think the same. Satisfied employee makes satisfied customers and it help makes profits for a business. Content guest are more likely coming back to the same place. They are recommending it positively.

It is not news; it’s just daily knowledge that satisfied employees (happy people) are performing their work better. It means they provide better product (i.e. tasty food, tidy rooms) and especially higher quality services (e.g. friendly staff, great massage).

It is like closed circle. Profitability of business is powered by customers. And as we know satisfied employees provide good quality, friendly services which make satisfied guests and at the same point of time is cause of the increasing profit.  The interaction is occurring between all of them.

The hospitality industry is unique in that the people are served by people, so constantly occurring interaction must have a significant impact on customers.

It is a shame that there is a lot of research made about influence of customer service or its quality on customer satisfaction and customer satisfaction on company’s success, but there aren’t many materials about employee satisfaction.

Also in places where I worked I familiarize myself with customer satisfaction surveys or with market research connected with them, however I did not meet with anything similar related to employee satisfaction.

There is one thing, which I like in my current work. My manager says that she want to make us higher, up. She really do want us to develop, but on the other side I am not happy about salary, because I it my third month while I am working there and my fist and second salary were cut off. And I am not performing my work as perfectly and professionally as I was on the beginning. I feel that they did not appreciate my efforts. Moreover I am aware that my service quality is lower than it used to be and it can cause customers’ complaints and their dissatisfaction, which may be a reason of profits decrease.

On the end I can say that if they would pay me the right money I would be working more effectively, deliver higher quality service which might result in much higher turnover.
 

Emloyee Satisfaction

Last time I received very constructive feedback on my blog and I hope I learnt something thereby. Possibly I will add some note about customer service next week to fill it and fully answer on asked questions.

What I  am going to do now is to write blog about employee satisfaction. So we are still in similar topic as I started with.

Firstly, let’s start with some definition. As many other it might mean different things for different people. Employee satisfaction is telling as whether employees are happy about their work, if it content and fullfill their desires and needs.

Satisfied employees are more motivated, they are able to achieve much more and provide positive morale in work place. Satisfied employees make satisfied customers.

What makes employees happy and satisfied is that their are treating with respect and as well they are appreciated for example they are promoted, they have opportunity to make career, to develop.

Another factor which are contributing on employee satisfaction are benefits and compensation, positive management, good atmosphere and cooperation between employees and also between employees and employers.

There are similar methods on measuring employee satisfaction as in customer satisfaction, for example – surveys, which are very popular.

As far as I concern I believe that employee satisfaction has huge impact on customer satisfaction and quality of customer service.

In last feedback I received, you told me to write something more about my personal experiences.

I know I am young and I haven’t many oportunities in workplaces but I have some.

In first work I had I were very unsatisfied employee, especially becouse our boss was overbearing, he did not give us clear instructions, he was choleric, still upset and angry about something and do not appreciate our efforts. I can say I was unsatisfied employee then. My and other employees – we’ve been doing our best on the begining but later, after some time, we started getting worst, service wasn't so good any more, which weren’t good at all, so I  am happy I resigned. This show how it works together, after few months of work under pressure customer service got worst becouse we haven’t been motivated, we’ve been unhappy about our work).

But also I still remember my second job, in which I was quite satisfied, maybe I haven’t many perspectives and possibilities of development in this job, but we had a great team, good atmosphere and comunication was great. We cooperated on all levels.

And I will see what current work will gave me, as for now I can say, I am satisfied. I am getting experience in hospitality industry and I think it might have great impact on me, my future job and career.

Customer service in relation to customer satisfaction

In the last blog I wrote about customer satisfaction. This entry will be about customer service and it’s relation to customer satisfaction.
Firstly, we have to define what customer service is. It is a very wide concept and also it look diffrent from customer and product provider point.
Customer service is not only function of company, it’s also process, an activity. It’s ability to exceed needs of customer(s). The most important is an interaction between customer and company during service (sale) and after. It means providing good quality service, building enduring relationship, which result in customer loyality and satisfaction.
Secondly, If you really want to have loyal customers and attract new ones you have to still improve service, you provide. There are several things you have to think about:
-    developing skills, abilities to give your customers good service
-    enveloping your business constantly
-    exceeding the needs of customers
And remember – customer is the king – always, no matter what happens his/her is on the first place. You have to treat him/her individually, take care of his/her needs and learn how to deal with their complaints. Satisfied customers are the best advertise, they will come back and bring their friends or destroy you.
If you really want to provide excellent service you shoul think about surveys, customers can give you some suggestions about which you might even don’t think about, give you new ideas what they need and what you can do to give it to them.
Satisfied customers are well-served customers, how to achieve it? Remeber that customers:
-    want to be understood, listened
-    need to feel important
-    meet friendly staff
-    feel the good atmosfere
While providing service the managers are making diffrent mistakes like:
-    ignoring customers and their needs
-    not dealing with rudeness of staff
-    bad comunication
-    not taking responsibility, making excuses
-    blaming customers, not taking complaints
If you will not take care about your customers, it means you will not provide excellent customer service then customers have nothing to return. They should be the most important to you, as they are your and your business future.
To summarize customer service is the key to customer satisfaction and loyality. It depend on you, on your service how happy customers will be and if they will be back.

Customer satisfaction

What is customer satisfaction?

Customer satisfaction says what number of customers enjoyed some place, product or service. It is very important to satisfied clients, because loyal customers are great thing for business for hotels, restaurants and others. Happy customers will come back, probably with their friends and also they will be extending a good opinion – recommendation ‘word of mouth’ which is very effective. The unsatisfied customers won’t come back and they will definitely not recommend such place or services.

Very often the satisfaction of customers depend on their expectations, what are their imagine about some place, people, services.

The level of a customer satisfaction can be measured by different kinds of questionnaires or surveys.

How to measure customer satisfaction?

There are different kind of questionnaires and surveys which helps to measure the level of customer satisfaction. There are also market research companies which make such research for huge variety of businesses like hotels, banks, restaurants, markets.

To measure the customer satisfaction we can us some methods, scales. I will give you an example:

• scale of Likert – strongly agree, agree, neither agree or disagree, disagree, strongly disagree
• items you measure – cleanness and comfortableness of rooms (accommodation), efficient reception (check in/out), reliable reservation system also prices, accuracy of services and helpful (friendly, qualified) staff, high quality of facilities (decorations/atmosphere/…)

How to use customer satisfaction studies to improve?

I am interested in hospitality industry, so we will take a look on it.

When you know what is wrong, you know what you have to do to improve to make your hotel, restaurant or anything else better. What they need to change to attract people.

Firstly hotel’s managers has to know it’s straightness and weakness. Then they need to make a plan of things which have to be changed, improved. After that – main point – they have to take an actions to make it working better. And finally, they will also have to remember to still do the measures and to review them.

Example of questions in questionnaire

• What do you thing about the reception (check in/out), was it kind, helpful, professional?
• Was your room clean and comfortable?
• Whether bar and waiting on staff was professional and kind?
•  If price of room was appropriate?
• If the meals served in hotel restaurant were good?
• Would you like to come back?