Customer service in tourism

Customer service involves everyone in the organisation. It is to be seen as an integral part of the organisation to deliver an excellent service to the customer. Managing service delivery should focus on performance results which in turn are dependent on employee behaviour, that is, actions and decisions taken by an employee.

Anticipating customer needs, making a guest feel welcome and eye contact with a customer are all examples of desirable employee behaviour. For instance, a waiter who is unable to serve a guest because s/he does not have adequate product knowledge of the menu items the restaurant features, will inevitably fail at his/her task regardless of the effort put into the job. At the same time, a reservations clerk may have all the information needed to solve a customer's problem but if s/he does not make the effort, the guest will not be satisfied.

Training is a critical factor in the long-term success of an organisation, since well-trained employees enhance the customer experience, add value to Malta's hospitality and tourism product, improve the image of the organisation and advance their own career development.

Employees should be made aware that the customers are the most important people in the business, and it is not the customers that are dependent on the organisation but the other way round. Customers are not cold statistics but human beings with feelings and emotions, so they like to be welcomed and recognised, listened to, smiled at, cared for, thanked and invited back.

Yes, delivering excellent service to the customer can lead to repeat business and it is in every employee's interest to ensure that customers are treated well, but I cannot conclude this piece of writing without mentioning the importance of the internal customers in an organisation.

It is the management's role to value the internal customers and provide a healthy and professional working environment, which in turn reflects the external customer service.

Customer service is paramount to the success of the nation's tourism industry and now that tourism, finally, is flourishing again we need to persist in offering the best service possible to our tourists.