Service Technologies in TGI Fridays - Essay Example

Case Study Table of Contents Question 4 3 Introduction 3 Discussion 3 Conclusion 5 References 6 Question 4 Introduction T.G.I. Friday’s is a restaurant chain which provides American-style food with quality service to the customers. The restaurant started its service in 1965, with the credo to treat the customers in an honoured manner and make them feel gratified. The inner decor of the restaurant gives it a feel of a theatrical stage, the ambience, the service, and the product along with the package make the visit memorable for the customers.

The study deals with evaluating the service technologies used and assessing the image created by them in the minds of the people and the media. Moreover, the success attained by the T.G.I. Friday’s social media campaign will also be evaluated. Discussion The T.G.I Friday provides mass customisation service to the customers to maintain the standard and make them feel valued. The service technologies used by the restaurant include the Point of Sale (POS) to rationalise its front and back office procedures to make the guests enjoy the service and experience the quality of offerings. T.G.

I Friday’s has used customisation technology to provide a personalised menu to the customers satisfying their requests through menu permutation. The restaurant uses computer technology to monitor the timely service delivery of food by the employees with standardised behaviour. The approach of the management is to provide distinguished and standard quality by implementing hard and soft elements in the service. The hard element is the use is parking facilities which help in attracting more customers.

The number of items on the menu and cocktail is nearly 100, which is served in an ambience that creates an aura of an American bar with the decorative of American memorabilia. The service technology incorporated to serve the starters in a stipulated time of seven minutes provides the customers with a feeling of satisfaction and happiness (Wang & et. al., 2004). The target service time is one of the major service techniques used by the restaurant as a marketing strategy to attract more valuable customers.

This technique enables the reduction of the standing time of the customers and provides them with value-added service with the quality of food provided (Palmer, 2011). The strategy of rendering the service within seven minutes, the range of the menu and the standard of quality are observed through computer technology. The order-taking device and the Wi-Fi network have helped to increase the pace of service delivery (Computerworld Honours Program, 2013). The assorted service technologies assist in increasing efficiency, accuracy, accessibility, and revenue along with ascertaining the success of the restaurant.

The POS service method used is to augment the speed of delivery, improve the accuracy of the order and enhance the level of customer satisfaction along with increasing employee-customer interaction. Moreover, T.G.I Friday uses soft elements which differentiate it from others because of the empowering employee service. POS technology has enabled the improvement of the communication of the restaurant and helped in quick service delivery (Holm, 2005). The employees do not follow any stringent rules but customise themselves to the situation and the requirements of the customers.

They display emotional behaviour to match the feelings of the customers and make them feel honoured. They provide additional services to the customers such as instinctively singing tunes when serving food to the group celebrating a party. These attitudes of the employees make the customers feel valued and create a different ambience and experience in their minds. This service allows them to be loyal to the restaurant and increase their number of visits. This service is possible not by training but is reflected in the personality of the employees and hence the recruitment of the right person is an important aspect.

The other service technology used is to provide a fun environment to the customers with quality food and different memorable experiences. The satisfied customers help in the free promotion of the restaurant through word-of-mouth techniques along with increasing footfall (Hoffman & Bateson, 2010). The social media campaign proved to be successful as the Financial Times survey appreciated the work of the employees and the service provided and declared it the fifteenth-best workplace in the United Kingdom.

The workplace environment and the salary structure have made it an efficient place for employees, customers and employers in terms of revenue. The media stated T.G.I Friday’s to be an enjoyable place for work and appreciated its standard of service. Conclusion The service sector depends a lot on the quality of hospitality delivered to the customers. In T.G.I Fridays, the key strategies included providing better quality services with timely delivery of food and most significantly upholding the behaviour of the employees along with maintaining the ambience.

The soft element of providing better behaviour was the value-added service by the restaurant which was making it efficient and helped in gaining revenue. The working environment and the satisfaction of both the employees and customers have largely facilitated it earning the reputation of being one of the best places to work.