Service Quality Between Internal Customers and Internal Suppliers in an International Airline - Essay Example

Introduction The company chosen for reflective essay on service encounter is British Airways. In terms of fleet size, British Airways is the largest airline in United Kingdom. The airline company caters to more than 170 destinations around the globe. The current essay will evaluate the back end and front end operations of the airline and the service encounter between customers and organization. The managerial implication will help in evaluating techniques and strategies for future improvement and growth. Flowchart A. Flowchart of front-end operations of British Airways B. Back end operations of British Airways Significance of service encounter Service encounter can also be described as the moment of truth. Service encounter happens when a customer comes in contact with the product or service of a company. It can also be defined as the consumer touch point. In an airline industry there are many service encounters. Starting from information seeking for flights to exit from the destination, a customer is exposed to numerous customer touch points. These touch points can be categorized into front end and back end. Booking and order taking The process of service encounter starts when a customer is seeking information through various sources. These sources can be telephonic assistance, online websites and customer services. In this case it is very important that the market established effective and easy means of communication so that information search will be easy and user friendly. In order to make the customer decision making process in favour of the company it is crucial to have an effective advertisement strategy. This strategy should include the product features, benefits and services provided by the brand. Searching and booking through online websites is becoming a popular trend in the recent years (Gillen and Morrison, 2005). In order to maximize this opportunity the website of the airline brand should be attractive, user friendly and easily accessible in the internet. Even though the internet provides easy and cheap access to information, many times consumers expect additional information on ticket prices, flight schedules etc, in case of any changes. In this case, the service encounter is the customer and support services provided by the company. Order taking can be online or offline. Giving orders for reservations makes the journey easy and relaxed, without any hitches. Thus, in case of any issue or problem during order taking, the customer should be provided with full support from the company employees as well as support services like call centres. Hospitality Given that airlines come in the services sector, hospitality and customer management are extremely crucial and important. In an airport there are many services encounter between customer and company employees. It starts from the entrance where security and baggage checking is done. Using airport facilities such as airport lounge, restaurants, rest rooms, shops etc also increases the services interaction. Once the overall security checking is completed the passenger is sent to the plane where he/she is greeted by airhostesses. During flight various services such as meals, snacks, drinks, movies, music, magazines are offered to the customer through various service encounters. Efficient hospitality is important in airline industry. Since the overall waiting time for customers is more, better hospitality will increase the chances of customer using the services again. Billing and payment As online purchase of airline tickets has become very common off late, it is important for the company to establish easy and clear billing procedures. However, a large number of customers still doubt the trustworthiness and credibility of online purchasing. Online frauds and loss of money due to hacking or fake accounts are major concerns of the customers. The backend operations are those which occur inside the organization and which do not have any direct encounter with the customers. However, they have a significant impact on the over services which are directly offered to the organization. The accounting department maintains all consumer records as well as financial data regarding employees, customers and organization. The infrastructure maintenance department is responsible for services like security, maintenance of equipments in the airport, maintenance of shops, restrooms and other services, overall cleanliness etc (Frost and Kumar, 2001). The administration department monitors the smooth process of the various functions in the airport. These departments do not come in direct contact with the customers but they have a significant influence on the service encounter. In a service organization the interaction between customers and front line employees or professionals is crucial. In order to achieve service encounters which are of high quality organization should give emphasis on overall quality of the staff, their appearances, managing quality and handling of crisis situations (Nickson, Warhust and Dutton, 2005). Airlines fall into a high contact service where people should be given top most priority. Analysis of managerial implications From the above discussion on services encounter and its significance many implications can be drawn. British Airways is one of the well known airline service provider. Even though the airline has latest technical advancements and high infrastructure services there are many areas where the airline can improve its services. It has been found that consumers had to perform a lot of tedious tasks even after reaching the destination airport. The problems become more acute and time consuming in case of new locations. In order to reduce these complications airline can provide extra service by collaborating with local ground transportation services (Kleymann and Seristö, 2004). The information provided by the customer will be quickly added into the organizational database and once the plane lands, the ground transport (taxi etc.) will be ready to take the customer to the final destination. This will increase the level of satisfaction and build strong brand loyalty. Another service which British Airways can provide is option for personalized movies and songs. In case of international flights people from different regions around the globe are seated. Many times they prefer their local or regional entertainment rather than standard entertainment channels provided on board. The airline can keep stocks of regional and local movies and song albums of those consumers or regional groups who are frequent flyers. Another issue which is common with customers is finding the entrance to the flight ground as well as finding the seats. In case of bigger flights consumers also face challenge finding the right cabin. In such cases enough number of flight attendants and air hostesses should be available to escort the customer to their respective places. Providing escort service to all customers in the flight might be a tedious task for the attendants. The airline can opt for an alternative option too. The company can provide seat information in form of a gallery map printed on one side of each ticket. This will help the passengers reach their seat without any hassle and without any help. The final managerial implication which can be deducted from the analysis is that though the company has a very skilled set of employees, flight attendants and other support staff, it is extremely crucial that these front line professionals are always ready to face any crisis situation (Robledo, 2001). For this the company can arrange for special training and development facilities providing essential information on handling crisis situation during flight and their best possible solutions. The training activities can also include live exercises and demonstrations. With the help of these services British airways will be able to achieve a competitive edge over its competitors and establish it as a pioneer in airline services. Reference list Frost, F.A. and Kumar, M., 2001. Service quality between internal customers and internal suppliers in an international airline. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 18(4), pp. 371-386. Gillen, D. and Morrison, W.G., 2005. Regulation, competition and network evolution in aviation. Journal of Air Transport Management, 11(3), pp. 161-174. Kleymann, B. and Seristö, H., 2004. Managing strategic alliances. UK: Ashgate publications limited. Nickson, D., Warhust, C. and Dutton, E., 2005. The importance of attitude and appearance in the service encounter in retail and hospitality. Managing Service Quality, 15(2), pp.195 – 208. Robledo, M.A., 2001. Measuring and managing service quality: Integrating customer expectations. Managing Service Quality, 11(1), pp. 22-31. Read More