Customer Service Operations and Excellence at the Edge Restaurant - Case Study Example

?Marketing Analysis of the Edge Restaurant Introduction: The Edge Restaurant The Edge is one of the most popular restaurants situated in the campus of East London University. The restaurant is popular among the youth and is located in the Dockland Campus of East London University. The target customer base is the college and university students (Disabledgo, 2013a). It is regarded as one of the main restaurants in the Dockland campus and its high food quality sets it apart from the other restaurants like Cafe on the Green and The Buzz Bar at the Duncan House Refractory. Service Packages offered by The Edge Restaurant Service Packages also known as “A bundle of goods and services with information that is provided in some environment”. Supporting facility The physical resources that must be in place before a service can be sold. The physical resources of the Edge include the location of the restaurant in the campus, interior decoration of the restaurant, the advanced point of sale systems etc. Facilitating goods The material consumed by the buyer or items provided by the consumer. The facilitating goods in the Edge would include the food items served by the restaurant like Sandwiches, Baguettes and Paninis, Chocolate bars and tablets, Chocolate crisps, Fresh Fruits, Potato Chips, Waffles, Pancakes, Pasta etc. Explicit services The essential or intrinsic features are known as explicit services. The explicit services of the Edge restaurant would include the quality of food, timing of serving the meal, courtesy and behavior of the staff of the restaurant etc. Implicit services This includes the psychological benefits or extrinsic features which the consumer may sense only vaguely. These include factors like the spacious environment, space provided for car and motorbike parking etc. The timings of the restaurant is 8:30 am to 2:00 pm which have been kept for the convenience of the students (Disabledgo, 2013b). Service Blue Print of Edge Restaurant Service Blue Printing is a service planning tool which helps in the development of innovative services and improving the existing services (Seyring, et al., 2009). The method is utilized to ensure the quality of the service process and also for training and development purposes (Service Design Network, 2013). The Service Blueprinting method consists of a graphically represented overview of the service process and activities. In each process the contact and the interaction points of the customers becomes visible. A Service Blue print would be created for The Edge restaurant to understand the interaction points between customers and identification of the failure points of the restaurant. Client Interaction: This separates the process step of the service activities that the client carries out independently (Gremler, n.d.). Visibility Line: It separates the visible service activity from the hidden service activity. Above the line the process components which can be seen, smelt or heard are ordered. Internal Interaction: This separates the activities that imply to the immediate relation to the customer’s order from the support activities. These support activities can serve as a guide for the preparation of the primary activities and do not belong to the customer’s order. Control Line: This separates the preparation activities from the management activities which are general. Line of Interaction Arriving at Canteen, Reading Menu, Selecting Menu, Ordering and Eating Line of Visibility Seating at Table, Giving the menu card, Taking order, Serving food &drinks, checking whether seats are ready or not Line of Internal Interaction Placing order, Taking drinks from counter, placing order on kitchen counter, cooking and serving meal Control Line Creation of special “order of the day” , Paying at counter etc. (Source: Gremler, n.d.) The failure points in each of the stage would be as follows: a) Line of Interaction: The seating arrangement, cutlery etc of the Edge restaurant can be termed as the failure points in the line of interaction. b) Line of Visibility: The selection of menu and non revised menu cards can be termed as the failure points in this stage. c) Line of Internal Interaction: The method of placing order manually can be termed as the failure points of line of internal interactions. d) Control Line: The “order of the day” or the payment procedure through the counter service can be identified as failure points in this stage. Walk Through Audit of Edge Restaurant A Walk through the Audit system is a procedure which helps the investigator in understanding the experience and satisfaction of the customer from the restaurant service, quality of food, ambience etc (Suttle, 2013). It is a process which helps in determining the customer experience right from the start to the end of the process (Sherman, 2013). This concept was formulated by Fitzimmons & Maurer. A Walk through Audit process will be conducted to understand the customer satisfaction and experience in The Edge (IRS, n.d.). This process will help in understanding the various elements that can increase customer satisfaction. The results of the Walk through Audit process will be evaluated through the catering survey conducted in the University of East London (University of East London, 2013).The total number of respondents was 761 out of which 585 were students and 167 were the faculty staff (University of East London, 2013). As per the results of student’s opinion it was observed that 56 percent of the students preferred the food of the restaurant because of the minimalistic price range, 55 percent of the students preferred the food because of the taste, 48 percent for the students preferred the food because of the high quality and 30 percent of the students preferred the food of the restaurant because of the nutritional content. As per the survey results of the staff respondents it was observed that the 63 percent of the staff preferred food of the restaurant because of the reasonable salary package, 49 percent preferred affordable price range and taste of the food, 47 percent preferred the quality of the food and 36 percent preferred the speed of the service delivery (University of East London, 2013). GAP Analysis of the Edge Restaurant Gap analysis helps in the identification of the gaps between the actual and potential performance. It helps in analyzing the existing performance of the business unit in terms of human resources, business direction, and process and information technology (Franklin, 2006). It also helps in identification of existing gaps and potentiality of the company. In the Edge restaurant the service quality is a crucial factor in determining the customer satisfaction and the present business performance. Product & Market Strategy The staff of Edge restaurant has high quick serving ability, high quality and nutritious food range at minimalistic price. Since, the restaurant is situated in the university campus it does not have the means or intention of promoting its services aggressively. The targeted customer base is the college, university going students and the faculty of the university. As per the catering survey conducted in East London University it was observed that 69 percent of the students found the catering facilities to be excellent, very good or good and 41 percent of the teaching staff found the catering services to be excellent, very good or good (University of East London, 2013). (University of East London, 2013) It can be observed from the above chart that factors like service quality, quick serving ability, food quality, seating arrangement and spacious environment form an integral part of customer satisfaction. The staffs of the restaurant serve food which is healthy and suits the taste buds of the youth population. It is also observed that cleanliness, hygiene standards and nutritional content of the food is of utmost importance to the management staff. The restaurant staff has been able to maintain hygiene standards as well the taste and quality of the food. The restaurant staff has been able to retain its existing customers and attracts potential customers. The seating arrangement has been done as per the convenience of the customers and the food choice has been prepared as per the preference of the university students. Thus, it can be observed that there exists a minimal gap between the actual and standardized performance of the restaurant as per the service quality analysis Five Dimensions of Service Quality of the Edge Restaurant High service quality offered by a company can meet customer needs, expectations and can offer customer satisfaction (Tsai and Lin Lin, n.d.). Premium service quality can be offered by the company only if the customer needs, wants and expectations are evaluated. Customer expectations are determined by factors like needs, wants, past experiences and recommendations. The five dimensions of the service quality of the Edge restaurant are as follows: 1) Tangibles: The tangible aspect would include the physical facilities available to the customers like the seating arrangement, cutlery, menu cards etc (Martin, 2010). It is observed that the tangible aspect of the service offered by the Edge restaurant is appealing to the customers and is one of the main attractions of the university campus. As per the results of the catering survey conducted by the management of East London university, it was found that 69 percent of the students considered the catering services of the restaurant to be excellent, very good and good. 41 percent of the staff considered the catering services to be excellent, very good and good (University of East London, 2013). 2) Responsiveness: Quick serving ability, prompt responsiveness to customer needs and willingness to assist the customers are all important aspects of the responsiveness element (Customer Service Quality, 2013). The staff of the restaurant is identified and responds to the needs, preferences of the college students by offering them exclusive catering services. 3) Reliability: The ability of the staff to fulfill the customer expectations and promises accurately and promptly is covered under the reliability aspect (Customer Service Quality, 2013).The students of the Dockland campus have opinioned about their preferences to the staff of the restaurant and the suggestions were accepted readily. The menu card was revised and the suggestions were translated into actions. Food items like pizza slices, desserts, pasties and cereal were not given high priority as compared to the other food items (University of East London, 2013). 4) Assurance: The product knowledge and the courtesy behavior of the staff of the restaurant. The restaurant offers warm and congenial environment for university students. 5) Empathy: The conduct of the staff of the restaurant coupled with the individualized attention provided to the each of the customers has made it one of the most coveted restaurants in the Dockland campus. Technological Requirement for the Edge Restaurant Technological advancement is prerequisite for the improvement in service quality of the restaurant. It is required for food innovation and processing purposes and is also required for enhancement of the food quality. Advanced technology like Facebook, internet and mobile ordering improves the sales and also helps in gaining popularity ( Durocher and Baraban, 2010).Since, The Edge restaurant is targeted for college students techniques like the availability of the menu through Smartphone and digitalized menu board helps in attracting more customers and makes it easier for customers to access the menu. Introduction of video games while waiting in the queue and free WiFi will enable customer retention and create a positive environment. Introduction of advanced point of sale systems will help the staff to track the sales, employee actions, improve the existing management control, reduction in error and keep a tighter control in management system (Noplis, 2005). Proposed Service Blue Print for Restaurants Client Interaction The students can place their order through mobile and internet from their classrooms and the cutlery of the edge restaurant should be as per the preferences of the college students. Visibility Line The menu cards should be updated and the revised menu card should be sent to the college students through SMS facility and email address. Internal Interaction The staff should ensure that then interaction between the staff and the customers should be high. The placing of order through electronic mode may facilitate communication between them and strengthen the relationship. Control Line The food items should be prepared as per the preferences of the college students and the “order of the day” should be served only on special occasions or on bulk request of the college students. Conclusion The Edge is one of the most coveted and preferable restaurants of the Dockland campus where the top most priority is given to the taste and preferences of the university students. The revised and updated service blueprint would enable the staff of the restaurant to enhance their services further and lay emphasis on the food quality and the price range for the betterment of the college students. The Edge restaurant can further expand their services to other campuses of the East London University. Reference List Disabledgo, 2013. Disabled Access Guide for the Edge Restaurant. [online] Available at: [Accessed 08 July 2013]. Disabledgo, 2013b. The Edge and the Green Closed for Maintenance. [online] Available at: < http://www.uel.ac.uk/infocus/essentialupdates/list/archive/the-edge-and-the-green-closed-for-maintenance.htm > [Accessed 08 July 2013]. Durocher, J.F. and Baraban, R., 2010. Successful Restaurant Design. New Jersey: John Wiley & Son. Franklin, M., 2006. Performance gap analysis: Tips, tools, and intelligence for trainers. Virginia: American Society for Training and Development. Gremler, n.d. Student Service Blueprint Examples. [pdf] Available at: < http://www.gremler.net/MKT405_F04/405_materials/Assignment_Examples/BluePrint_Examples_F04.pdf > [Accessed 08 July 2013]. IRS, n.d. Bars and Restaurants. [pdf] Available at: < http://www.unclefed.com/SurviveIRS/MSSP/mssp_restaurant_and_bar_atg_final.pdf > [Accessed 08 July 2013]. Martin, W.B., 2010. Managing quality customer service. Philadelphia: Kogan Page. Noplis, J., 2005. Managerial Effectiveness: A Guide to understanding management and consulting studies. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. Service Design Network, 2013. Service Blueprint. [online] Available at: < http://www.service-design-network.org/tools-and-methods/service-blueprint/ > [Accessed 08 July 2013]. Seyring, M., Dornberger, U. Suvelza, A. and Byrnes, T., 2009. Service Blueprinting. [pdf] Available at: < http://www.vgu.edu.vn/fileadmin/pictures/studies/MBA/Handbook_Service_Blueprinting.pdf > [Accessed 08 July 2013]. Sherman, F., 2013. What is an Audit Walk-Through? [online] Available at: < http://budgeting.thenest.com/audit-walkthrough-23959.html > [Accessed 08 July 2013]. Suttle, R., 2013. How to Write a Walk-Through Audit for a Retail Store? [online] Available at: < http://smallbusiness.chron.com/write-walkthrough-audit-retail-store-33443.html > [Accessed 08 July 2013]. Tsai, M.C. and Lin Lin, C.C., n.d. Expectations and Perceptions in Restaurant Services: Three Dimension Gap Analysis. [pdf] Available at: < http://www.staff.chu.edu.tw/rdoff/document/99%E5%B9%B4%E5%BA%A6%E8%AB%96%E6%96%87%E7%99%BC%E8%A1%A8(%E6%9E%97%E5%8D%83%E9%88%B4).pdf > [Accessed 08 July 2013]. University of East London, 2013. UEL Catering Survey. [pdf] Available at: < http://www.uel.ac.uk/catering/documents/catering-survey.pdf > [Accessed 08 July 2013]. Read More