Development of a Knowledge-Based Design Support System for Product-Service Systems - Case Study Example

Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne Name Course Name and Code Date Introduction Competition and customer’s changing requirements and expectations require organizations to customize services and products to reflect the market dynamics. Organizations utilize different tools and mechanisms to appreciate the market dynamics and create and implement transformative strategies. An example of such an organization is the Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, which operates in the hospitality industry. Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne is located in the city center and offers the normal products and services that hotels offers. Some of the services and products include foods, beverages, and accommodation. In appreciating the customer interaction and marketing requirements, blueprinting is an important tool to gauge the service provision and associated processes. The aim of the essay is to utilize blueprinting to analyze the services and products that Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne offers. Strategic Importance of Blueprinting A blueprint assists the management to understand the service as a process and associated components that form the services provision and customer satisfaction (Chang & Chung, 2012). Service blueprint provides a graphical representation of the services through highlighting the complexities through displaying the numerous actions in the existing system (Akasaka et al. 2012). Service blueprinting has numerous benefits to any organizations especially on improving the design for an existing service. The managers are able to understand the current tasks because blueprinting is premised on task orientation and reasons why the customers are attracted towards the organization. Blueprinting also provides an avenue of implementing the service plan through coordination of the different processes and work (Kim & Perdue, 2013). It also assists in decision making strategies since it enables setting the right performance evaluation, integration of service functions, resource allocations and strategic approach (Zeglat, Ekinci & Lockwood, 2008). Blueprinting also helps in communication and marketing requirements since it is easier to identify the elements contributing to the needs of the customers translating to consumer satisfaction (Gupta, Dasgupta & Chaudhuri, 2012). Blueprinting also reinforces a customer oriented focus especially on the employees because the employs can understand the requirements of the organizations and ensure the customers are satisfied, and the outcome transposed to the success of an organization. Blueprinting strengthens the interconnections and connections that form the organizations. It assists in the identification of weak links through advancing quality improvement and also defines the line of visibility across the different sectors that form fundamental of the service (Nasution & Mavondo, 2008). It achieves the requirements through clarification of interfaces across department lines and highlights the connections and elements (Zeglat, Ekinci & Lockwood, 2008). It also provides a concrete basis assisting in identification and assessment of capital invested, revenue and cost in each of the service element (Chang & Chung, 2012). These processes support internal and external marketing requirements, and the advertising sectors can concentrate on the essential components in advancing the needs of the organization. Physical Evidence The physical evidence including building exterior, building interior and other tangibles. Building Exterior (landscape, surrounding environment, signage) Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne is located in a heritage building and positioned in the middle of Melbourne (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). It is located near Entertainment Complex ad Crown Casino and other facilities nearby include the Melbourne Zoo and the National Gallery of Victoria. These facilities are important because it attracts the customers and the customers can associate with the hotel (Bitner, Booms & Mohr, 1994). The surrounding environment including the transportation network and the signage including the reception areas improves the perception of the hotel resulting in increase in the number of guests. Building Interior (layout, furniture, aesthetics, air quality and ambiance) The rooms are the integral component for the Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne establishment. The suites and rooms are bright in color and it offers coffee making and tea facilities, minibars, iPod docks and paid Wi-Fi, flat screen TVs and desks. It also includes amenities such as a bar, a fitness room and valet parking. The layout is an important component of the overall design of the restaurant and the rooms/suites (Glushko, 2010). Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne restaurant is layout appropriately allowing different number of individuals to seat and provision of entertainment components such as the television and other audio devices (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). The furniture and tables are comfortable and have supporting amenities to ensure the customers are satisfied with the services provided. The general air quality, ambiance and aesthetics at Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne creates a lasting imagine (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). It is comfortable to sit and seek for the services because of the strategic placement of different components and the high quality cleanliness means the customers feel comfortable (Sánchez-García & Currás-Pérez, 2011). Dirt, poor ambiance and general poor quality of facilities affects the perceptions of individuals when it comes to the nature and design of the building and may directly associate with the services and products provided (Jüttner et al. 2013). If a customer enters Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, the customers perceives the quality of food and service because of the ambiance and impression of the layout and other components that forms the layout (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). Other Tangibles (business cards, employee uniform, brochures, menu design) Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne incorporates other tangibles, which influences the perception and requirements of the customers and other stakeholders (Cavagnaro & Gehrels, 2009). These intangibles includes menu design, brochures, employee dress code and business cards. The business cards are used for the communication purpose and creating the interpersonal relationship (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). The nature of the dress, the quality and cleanness of the employees’ uniform creates a lasting image because of the colors and fitting. The brochures for the marketing purpose are clearly designed and easier to follow with conclusive information regarding the establishment (Hummel & Murphy, 2011). Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne relies on food and beverages to increase sales and the menu design is elaborate and provides information regarding the different offerings. It is easier for the customer to determine the products and services easier since the prices and association taxations are clearly indicated (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). Thus, Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne utilizes different tangibles to increase customer perception, effective provision of services resulting in customer satisfaction. Support Processes Payment Systems Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne relies on the payment systems to accomplish the billing requirements. The employees use the payment system to bill the customers for the food and services provided (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). The payment system incorporates different information from the customers including the accommodation, restaurant and bar services, laundry requirements and other costs incurred (Mudie & Cottam, 2010). It is a single payment system that brings together different data from the customers and uses the information to determine the appropriate costs of the services and products offered. Supportive Databases and Software Apart from the payment system, Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne utilizes other systems that are integrated to ensure the hotel operates effectively (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). These systems include the room management systems, the employee assigned tasks systems and other systems and databases that support the operations at Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne. These software and database enable Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne to operate effectively and ensure roles and responsibilities are accomplished accordingly (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). Backstage (Invisible Contact Customer) At the backstage, numerous processes and actions take place that is invisible to the contact customer. Some of the invisible activities include food preparation, take customer’s bags to the room and take food order. Food Preparation Food preparation is an integral component of any hotel or restaurant (Shoemaker & Lewis, 1999). Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne values the importance of food and beverages and has implemented an effective strategy to ensure high quality products and services are offered. Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne has a specific area in which food is prepared and away from the views of the customers (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). The chefs and cooks are able to prepare the food based on the order of the customers. The purpose of keeping the area invisible is to prevent the customers from seeing how the food is prepared and other processes associated with the preparation and production of food. Take Customer’s Bags to the Room Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne offers different services and products depending on the specifics of the customers. Apart from the restaurant services, the customers can request for rooms and suites (Lim & Kim, 2014). Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne has an effective reception and staff that welcomes the customers, assist in registration or booking process (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). The customer is guided to the rooms/suites and the employees are tasked with delivering the luggage of the customers. The customers cannot see the delivery process but will receive their respective luggage at their rooms; hence, the taking of customer’s luggage is invisible. Take Food Order After the preparation of the food, Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne serves the food to the customers (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). It involves numerous determinations because of the utensils to be used and other arrangements associated with the preparation processes. Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne has to select the appropriate utensils, define the arrangements of the food, place the food and beverages to the trays, and the final presentation of the food to the customer (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). The visible part is the presentation of the food but the other processes are invisible. Front stage (Visible Contact Employee) Make reservation for guest Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne has an effective customer care system in which different employees are involved in the entire processes. In entering the establishment, customers engage with the employees through processes such as customer reservation. The reservation is in terms of the rooms or suites and other services, which are provided in the facility. In addition to making reservation, the time an individual is leaving the premise creates more customer interaction among numerous entities. The entities include the clearing sectors such as the room service and payment processes. Moreover, if the individual came with a personal car, the car is provided and other activities associated with leaving the establishment. The relationship and experience during the period creates a lasting impression because it is possible for the customers to complain because of the services or appreciate the services and products. The customer care/employee during this period has to be extra careful since it is the last interaction with the customer. Customer interaction Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne understand the significance of customer interaction and influence of customer interaction towards customer satisfaction (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). Customer interaction is the communication between the employees/ Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne and the customer (Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, 2016). The customer interaction starts from entering the establishment such as making reservation and ordering food. Effective communication through the process and highlighting services and products offered contributes to customer satisfactions. It includes clarification on the services such as amenities in the rooms and suites, food offerings and associated costs, and other customer needs (Bitner, Ostrom & Morgan, 2008). Customer interactions is sometimes non-verbal or an individual can view how the employees relate with other customers and among the employees. Friendly employees and employees providing assistance creates a positive image of the company and influences customer satisfaction. Conflict resolutions In any environment where there are many people from different backgrounds, conflicts and misunderstandings are unavoidable (Mok, Sparks & Kadampully, 2013). Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne understand this component and has trained the employees to acknowledge the causes of conflicts and address the conflicts before deteriorating. It means the employees are able to address the different concerns of the customers and can seek assistance from the management/supervisor (Hensley & Utley, 2011). The process addresses the concerns of the customers until that moment the customer is satisfied with the resolution. It is imperative to note effective conflict resolutions sometimes contributes to customer satisfaction resulting in creation of positive image of the establishment (Zeglat, Ekinci & Lockwood, 2008). Thus, conflict resolution are important in addressing the requirements and needs of the customers. Conclusion Service blueprinting is a technique that is used to ensure the communication and engagement processes across different operational lines are effective. Companies and organizations implement service blueprinting to determine the effectiveness of the organization and aligning activities with other sectors. Some of the benefits of service blueprinting including aligning the marketing strategies, integrating strategic requirements with aims and objectives of the organization, analyzing areas that are sensitive and creating mechanisms to address the shortcomings, and ensuring the customers are satisfied based on service provision. Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne is an example of an organization, which employs blueprinting to determine the effectiveness of the services, customer processes, and other customer engagement activities to satisfy the requirements of the customers. Some of the components evident in Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne blueprint include the physical evidence of aesthetics, ambiance, and suites/rooms provisions. The customer actions to accomplish the specifics of the blueprint includes eating, receiving food and make reservation among others. The visible stage is when the customer engages with the employees in activities such as customer interaction and making reservation. At Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne, backstage activities are also important and includes food preparation and taking food to the customers. Support processes contributing to effectiveness at Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne include the numerous software and systems in place to accomplish the customers’ needs. Thus, Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne employs service blueprinting to determine areas requiring adjustments and streamlining the services and products to reflect the needs of the customers. References Akasaka, F., Nemoto, Y., Kimita, K., & Shimomura, Y. (2012). Development of a knowledge-based design support system for Product-Service Systems. Computers in Industry, 63(4), 309-318. Bitner, M. J., Booms, B. H., & Mohr, L. A. (1994). Critical service encounters: The employee's viewpoint. The Journal of Marketing, 95-106. Bitner, M. J., Ostrom, A. L., & Morgan, F. N. (2008). Service blueprinting: a practical technique for service innovation. California Management Review, 50(3), 66-94. 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Appendix Vibe Savoy Hotel Melbourne Service Blueprint Image Physical Evidence landscape, surrounding environment, signage, layout, furniture, aesthetics, air quality and ambiance Customer Actions Arrive at hotel, eat, receive food, receive bags, go to room, make reservation, sleep/shower Front stage/Visible Contact Employee Make reservation for guest, customer interaction and conflict resolution Backstage/Invisible Actions Food preparation, take customer’s bags to the room, take food to the customer Support Processes Reservation system, preparation of food, registration system, payment systems Read More