Customer knowledge at center Parcs: a life-long holiday

Questions

1. Consider the way Center Parcs and its consulting and research firms profile its
customers. Apply the method, described by Peter Severijns, to yourself or
someone who visited a holiday park once before. What kind of customer profile
can you construct?

 Customer relationship is a necessary step at any holiday resort; primarily

for safety i.e., to know the customer and their background. Secondly, to
increase the number of customers by serving them again and again. I have
never visited a holiday resort. The CRM strategy used by Center Parcs is
good to understand the customer interests and activities. The customer in
any Holiday resort expects different needs. The customer as a child wishes
to be in safe zone with parents, youth wish to explore all the fun and
excitements available, and a couple would require a romantic place, and
an elder person or a family man wish to spend sometime with their
children and grand children. Therefore a holiday tour should have almost
all the facilities to capture the interest of the customer. Therefore, the BPK
Acxiom consultant’s software system is the apt system for any holiday
tour.
Therefore, for such a holiday resort, the customer profile should include
the following:
Name, age, occupation, marital status, interests with options, activities
they like to do, their need from the resort etc…

2. What are the two advantages and two disadvantages of applying this customer
profiling approach?

 Advantages

o The customers need and want is automatically understood by the

management and the customer can be offered the same.
o The customer can be contacted through mail, telephone or by post to
inform them about the new changes brought which might be of his/her
interest.

 Disadvantages

o The character of a customer may not remain same. His likes and dislikes
may vary at any point of time. This information is not available to the
customer.
 o The customers accepting the holiday tour package are limited and the
customers may not return back due to unavailability of time, money etc…

3. In what ways can center Parcs differentiate its marketing for different customer
groups?

 The different ways to increase the number of customers are the following
 The customers need to be offered a complete package kit at the
beginning of the tour.
 The cost on developing huge contacts should be minimized.
 The cost can be spent to advertise the facilities, activities and
many offerings by Center Parcs
 The sales and the marketing team should be given specific roles
to increase the customers.
 On specific seasons, Center Parcs should offer discounts and
special programs.

SUBMITTED BY

P.ANAND
08PG0714