One of the main problems with services is that they are variable. Chefs have a poor day, hairstylists make mistakes, even accountants and lawyers overlook important details. The variability of services represents an increased risk for the consumer - which is why individuals are frequently loyal towards the exact same restaurant, hairdresser or accountant for many years.
Consistency means ensuring that the natural variations between the human beings who deliver the service are smoothed out or removed altogether.
For years, ever since World War II, the fast-food industry has deskilled restaurant work and standardized as far as possible. In many cases, staff levels have been reduced and systems put in that obviate the need for skilled staff such as chefs. Transferring this thinking to other service industries has been sporadic, however it isn't impossible.
Etap Hotels, now a subsidiary of the giant French Accor hotels group, set out to deskill and standardize the hotel industry. Etap hotels are notable for their lack of a visible staff presence. Rooms are booked online or via automated call centers exactly where the consumer speaks to a machine, and late-arriving travelers may well find that there's no one around at all - a machine outside will accept a credit card either to book a room or as identification for a pre-booked room.
The machine problems a keypad code that provides access to the room, so there's no need to issue or collect keys. The rooms themselves are basic, are easy to clean, and require minimal checking: in most Etaps there are no free soaps, just a soap dispenser in the shower.
The TV remote is bolted towards the bed, and there is usually no check on how numerous individuals use the room: there's one chair, one deep shelf that doubles as a desk, one electrical socket, one fluorescent light, and fixed coathangers. In other words, there is nothing to steal and not much to break. It is perfectly possible to stay at an Etap hotel with out seeing another human being, except possibly other guests.
Customer satisfaction is very high - the convenience of being in a position to book online or just turn up more than makes up for the lack of service, and also the consistency of cleanliness, room facilities, and locations (just outside main cities) makes a sharp contrast with independent hotels that are by their nature variable.
Pass as much as possible of the booking system to the consumer using the internet or automated systems. Remove direct human get in touch with - this really is where the variability usually happens. Standardize as much as possible in terms of pricing, systems, and routines. Deskill the service so that variability because of skill levels is removed. Standardize the service offering by only having a brief "menu."
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