Overview

To truly deliver great customer service and create memorable experiences, understanding customer needs is a vital part of the knowledge of a hospitality professional. Team members who understand customer needs and expectations stand out. Customers receiving this level of service not only return but also tell others about their great experience, boosting your business’s reputation.

This module starts by considering the general needs of all customers such as cleanliness and value for money and how, by using the principles of the Behaviour Cycle, responses can be adapted to meet the needs of different types of customers. The module goes on to explore the differing requirements of different categories of customers (though warning of not completely categorising!); the different types of leisure customers eg: families, holidays and celebrations, conference and corporate customers and lone female travellers. Learners are encouraged to go beyond the basic expectation and WOW their customer. With regard to the developments in AI, a final section considers technology v the personal touch … which is the winner?!

Key benefits of this module:

• Think WOW!
• Understand the basic general needs that all customers have
• Don’t categorise completely! - the leisure customer of today could be the next corporate customer Identify the types of leisure customer in their business and ways in their business needs and expectations can be met and exceeded
• Review the needs of meetings and event customers in their business
• Think of ways to improve communication for M.I.C.E customers
• Keep up with the changing needs of corporate customers
• Review how lone female travellers are kept secure in their business
• Consider how technology in their business could support customer expectations
• Think WOW!

Format

The course is delivered fully online and is split into six highly interactive sections. Learners will engage with lots of questions and activities that use real hospitality situations to draw out an understanding and consider case studies that reflect understanding customer needs in practice, finishing with a quiz to ensure points are remembered and understood. The module may be completed in short sections over a period of time or all at one go!  In addition, there are links to websites and documents that can be used to research further learning.

Sections include:

• General needs
• Leisure customers
• M.I.C.E.
• Corporate customers
• Lone female traveller’s
• Technology v the personal touch

Learning Objectives

• Identify the different needs of different customers
• Identify ideas to make help make memorable experiences for your customers   

Accreditation

This module is accredited by the Institute of Hospitality with CPD points

Who Should Take This Course?

The module is suitable for ‘front facing’ team members and supervisors working in different types of hospitality but mainly hotels, restaurants and bars. Team members working in Conference and Event venues would also be able to apply much of the information. Ideally the module should be part of an induction programme, but it is successfully used at any point during employment to meet a specific need to drive up standards of customer service in teams or with specific individuals.

The module will contribute to the off the job training hours for team members undertaking a Level 2 Hospitality Team member apprenticeship or a Level 2 Customer Service apprenticeship.

Test

At the end of the course, learners complete a 14-question quiz in the same style as the learning activities (drag-and-drop, single choice, multiple choice). The pass mark is 80%, with unlimited retakes available.

Post-Module Action Plan

Completing training doesn’t always mean that action and change happens! Learners can download our unique actions plans from within the module and complete a series of questions which help learners to apply the information in the module to their workplace and identify areas where they need further information or training. Managers can use the action plans to discuss with individuals or their whole team not only to organise additional information to drive customer service improvements.