COMMON

COMPETENCY :

PROVIDE EFFECTIVE
CUSTOMER SERVICE
SUMMARY OF LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Greet customer,
2. Identify customer needs
3. Deliver service customer
4. Handle queries through telephone, fax machine,
internet and E-mail
5. Handle complaints, evaluation and
recommendations.
SUMMARY OF ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
1. Guests are greeted in line with enterprise
procedure.
2. Verbal and non-verbal communications are
appropriate to the given situation.
3. Non-verbal communication of customer is observed
responding to customer.
4. Sensitivity to cultural and social differences is
demonstrated
5. Appropriate interpersonal skills are used to ensure
that customer needs are accurately identified.
6. Customer needs are assessed for urgency so that
priority for service delivery can be identified.
7. Customers are provided with information
8. Personal limitation in addressing customer needs
is identified and where appropriate assistance is
sought from supervisor.
9. Customer needs are promptly attended to inline
with enterprise procedure.
10. Appropriate rapport is maintained with
customer to enable high quality service delivery.
11. Opportunity to enhance the quality of service
and products are taken wherever possible.
12. Use telephone,
computer, fax machine
internet, email efficiently to
determine customer’s
requirements.
13. Queries/ information are
recorded in line with
enterprise procedure.
14. Queries are acted upon
promptly and correctly in
line with enterprise
procedure.
16. Responsibility for resolving the
complaint is taken within limit of
responsibility.
17. Nature and details of complaints
are established and agreed with the
customer.
18. Appropriate action is taken to
resolve the complaint to the 
Customer’s satisfaction wherever
possible
WELCOMING AND GREETING THE GUEST
Learning Objective: After reading this information
sheet, you must be able to:
1. Welcome and greet the guest as per industry
standards.
Welcome of a Client
Never neglect the first contact with the client. Welcome is
an element full of importance in the future comfortment of
the client. A person badly welcomed will be very badly
disposed toward you and thus will be of exigencies and
very difficult to serve in spite of all your efforts to satisfy
him.
• Be very polite and always smile
• Never let a client wait all alone at the
restaurant door, he might get the
impression he is not welcome.
• Whatever time he comes; do not take an
attitude which means he is bothering you.
Be warm in your welcome but natural.
He is your host but do not seat him down
at the table where the remains from the
previous client are still on.
• If you do not have any more tables do not
drop him. Try your best to make him patient,
give the delays he shall have to wait and
eventually send him to the bar but do not
forget him there. Go and see him, propose the
menu, maybe he would like to choose and
give his order.
• Make a little psychology, from this contact;
try to get what type of guest he is. The
knowledge of his character will help you to
serve him better.
• Always remember to show him the
way to his table and never forget to
pull the chair/s out and help him sit
down.
• As soon as the guest enters the
restaurant, acknowledge his presence
by greeting “ GOOD MORNING,
AFTERNOON, EVENING “
Greet your guest by their name if they are
returning guests using prefixes like MR. ,
MRS., DR. , ATTY. , if you know them.
• Never use their first name.
• If the guest is a repeat guest say, “I AM
GLAD TO SEE YOU AGAIN”. 
• Check details of reservations based on
established service standard policy.
SELF – CHECK OF 5.1-1
TRUE or FALSE: Write TRUE if the statement is correct
and FALSE if the statement is wrong.
1. Welcome customers upon arrival in accordance with
enterprise standards.
2. Always remember to show him the way to his table
and forget all about him.
3. The knowledge of his character will help you to serve
him better.
4. Be natural and always smile, have an eye contact with
the customer and always say thank you.
5. Whatever times he comes, do take an attitude which
means he is bothering you.
ANSWER KEY 5.1-1
1. TRUE
2. FALSE
3. TRUE
4. TRUE
5. FALSE
Title: WELCOMING AND GREETING
THE GUEST/S 

Objective: Given the necessary cleaning

materials, you should be able to welcome
and greet the guest of the restaurant
based on industry standard.
Steps/Procedure: 
1. Be familiar with the set up of the dining
room. Find out what tables are designed for
2, 3, 4 people and which ones are reserved
for those with reservation.
2. Stay at the outlet entrance.
a. Approach the guest, look at each one,
greet them with a smile and mention their
name and title, if known.
b. Show the way to their table. With hands
outside outstretched, “ this way please” or “
May I suggest a table for you, Sir/Ma’m
3. If there is no available table, tactfully
inform the guest/s and advise them to wait at
the lounge. Graciously look at the host and
say” I’m sorry Sir/Ma’am, but we are fully
booked at the moment, do you mind waiting
at the lounge and I’ll call you once a table
would be available.
4. If the guest has a reservation, make sure
his table is prepared in advance. Tell the
host” We have prepared a nice table for you
or your party. This way please.
5. Lead the guest towards the table. Walk a
little ahead of them when escorting them to
their table. Endorse them to the captain or
waiter and assist them in getting seated
LEARNING OUTCOME 2 IDENTIFY
CUSTOMER NEEDS
CONTENTS:

1. Identify customer needs

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
1. Appropriate interpersonal skills are used
to ensure that customer needs are
accurately identified.
2. Customer needs are assessed for
urgency so that priority for service
delivery can be identified.
3. Customers are provided with
information
4. Personal limitation in addressing
customer needs is identified and where
appropriate assistance is sought from
supervisor.
IDENTIFY CUSTOMERS NEEDS
Learning Objective: After reading this
information sheet, you must be able to:
1. Identify customer’s needs.
Responding to Customer’s needs
Customer satisfaction depends in large
measure on the extent by which the dining
staff are able to address customer’s need
and expectation
Aside from physical needs (food, drinks and
entertainment) customers have strong ego
needs. They want immediate and consistent
attention, expect to be given importance and
recognition, to be appreciated for their
patronage or comments. They also expect to be
informed of important information in advance
so as not to be placed in an embarrassing
situation. And most of all, they want to get their
money’s worth ( need for profit)
Here are some measures whereby the dining
staff can satisfy customer needs.
A. NEED FOR ATTENTION, APPRECIATION
AND RECOGNITION
1. Greet the customer with a warm smile.
2. Give customers prompt, undivided and
consistent attention.
3. Call customers by their name or title if
known, or address them sir or Ma’am.
4. Do not discriminate, even those who
do not give tips as well as those who
appear demanding or irritating; treat all
customers equally in terms of attention
and service.
5. Show appreciation rather than
irritation when customer airs some
comments or complaints.
6. Never criticize or insult a customer as this
will hurt his ego.
7. Never attempt to argue or prove the customer
wrong.
8. Be very sensitive to the guests feelings.
Never embarrass him in front of others, or talk
to him in a loud or arrogant voice.
9. Never attempt to correct the customers for
any mistake (like mispronounced word,
improper use of appointment)
B. NEED FOR INFORMATION

1. Be familiar with company products,

facilities and services to be able to answer
guest queries correctly.
2. Inform the customer in advance of any
information that are important for him to
know.
Example: During taking order, mention
out of stock items, change of standard
accompaniment, etc.
For banquet bookings: tell about extra
charges, corkage fees, etc.
3. Never settle question with “I don’t
know” answer. Refer to the right person if
not familiar with the item asked.
C. NEED TO BELONG AND TO BE
ACCEPTED
1. Be friendly, maintain gracious expression
and smile when talking to customers.
2. Give every patron a warm greeting.
3. Welcome back a repeat customer.
4. Make each guest feel very important, give
him full attention give some extra service
beyond the call of duty
5. Get to know guest’s preferences and
favorites like his favorite table, dish,
drink, and offer it to him before he asks
for it.
6. Be generous in expressing gracious
remarks like “ Hope you enjoy your
meal”. “ Have a nice day, Sir
D. NEED FOR SAFETY OR SECURITY
1. Take note of items left by guests in the
dining room or anywhere in the hotel.
2. Help in maintaining safe environment in
the dining area.
3. Never used damaged tables, chairs and
any service equipment in the room or any
outlet so as not to cause accidents.
Guests who may pose to be source of
trouble should be calmed down tactfully. If
they attempt to make trouble, report to
security officer
It is not enough to have business goals and
strategies related to providing an excellent
customer service experience. Service is
about interaction and execution.
Every crew is responsible for how they
manage interactions with customers
(both internal and external) and this
includes identifying his needs.
Identifying customers needs occurs
through active listening and effective
communication.
ACTIVE LISTENING 
Active listening is "listening with all three ears".
To be effective, you need to hear what is being
said AND understand emotions. Emotion is
interpreted through tone, voice inflection, body
language and your own intuition (gut feeling).
Active listening contains three concepts: words,
tone of voice and body language (55% of
communication comes from our body
language).
An example of using active listening to
identify needs...
A regular customer always wants to talk. He
is always cheerful, uses open gestures,
smiles yet needs nothing specifically. He
asks you a lot of questions and is eager to
share personally relevant information about
himself (need = value as a person, identified
by the body language, tone of voice and
words)
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION 
The key to communication is simple, clear,
positive and enthusiastic. Customers
choose to use your business because they
have needs.
You find out what a customer needs by
asking and then actively listening to their
response. 
Your goal is to understand three things: 
What they want 
When they want it 
How they plan to use it

Customers are not always able to articulate

what they need. By asking key questions
and probing for more information you can
define their need.
Remember, ALL customers need to feel
valued. 
CHALLENGES
What gets in the way of your ability to
actively listen? Identify one common
barrier. Once you have accurately assessed
a customer's needs, your next step in the
process of engagement is to efficiently and
effectively MEET their needs. This means
doing it right AND doing the right thing.
This includes:
Knowledge of your products and service. This
requires knowledge beyond your department to
focus on identifying what your business products
or services are (features) and how the product or
service will assist the customer in enjoying value
(benefits). Knowledge is the key to recognizing
and seizing opportunities to cross sell additional
programs/services or value-sell related
programs/services, both techniques to add
increased value to your customer.
Remember, the goal is to meet the
customer's need. When we engage in cross
selling and value selling techniques we are
trying to suggest additional or
complementary products/services that the
customer will want or need. We are not
pushing products. When done effectively,
both the customer and the business win.
Problem solving and decision-making.
Customers desire their need to be addressed
as quickly as possible. The more people or
time it takes, the greater chance of
dissatisfaction. Do you have the skills, desire,
knowledge and opportunity to solve problems
and make decisions at the first point of
contact with the customer? If the answer is
"no", consider the following questions and
strategies within your department:
• Do you require additional training and
understanding of the products and services
your business offers? 
• What can you do to make this happen? 
• Do you want to solve problems and make
decisions on the spot?
• Do you require support in understanding
policies and guidelines and the kinds of
creative alternatives you have to choose
from?
AT ALL POINTS OF CONTACT
WITH CUSTOMERS WE NEED
A

“WHAT CAN I DO ATTITUDE”

TRUE OR FALSE. Write TRUE if the statement
is correct and FALSE if the statement is wrong.
1. It is necessary to know your products and
services when identifying customer’s needs.
2. Active listening means not understanding
what the customer’s wants and emotions.
3. Customer’s desire their needs to be addressed
as quickly as possible.
4. Attendant should be alert in
responding to customer’s needs and
requests.
5. Meeting customer’s needs is doing
the right thing and doing it right.
ANSWER KEY 5.1-2
1.TRUE
2.
3.TRUE
4.TRUE
5.TRUE
DELIVER SERVICE TO CUSTOMER
Learning Objective: After reading this
information sheet, you should be able to:
1. Deliver service to customer/s
CUSTOMERS JUDGE A RESTAURANT,
BAR OR HOTEL NOT ONLY BY THE
QUALITY OF FOOD AND FACILITIES,
BUT ALSO BY THE KIND OF PEOPLE
WHO SERVE THEM
CUSTOMER
“Customers are the most important person
in the organization. They are not dependent
on us --- we are dependent on them.
They are not an interruption of work… they
are the purpose of it. We are not doing them
a favor by serving them… he is doing us a
favor by giving us the opportunity to do so. 
Customers are not a cold static… they
are flesh and blood; a human being
with feelings and emotions like our
own, and with biases and prejudices.
They are not someone to argue or
match wits with. Nobody ever won an
argument with a customer. 
A customer is a person who brings us
his wants and needs. It is our duty and
job to handle them in a way that profits
both him and us.”
ACTIVITY:

With the message above, make a group

(three members) and make at least 3-5
QUOTE or SAYINGS about customers.
Two Kinds of Customer

Satisfied Customer
Whose needs and expectations were met
May or may not return to do business with
the company again
Feelings may be between neutral and good
Loyal Customer
Whose expectations were exceeded
Felt delighted with the product and
service
Will usually help with the business
through word-of-mouth advertising
Will stay with the company even when
there is new competition
Defining Quality Customer Service
The quality of service given to customers.
The ability to constantly satisfy the needs of
a company’s internal (ex. Co-workers) and
external customers (ex. Clients)
Not just about satisfying customer alone, it is
about delighting customers so that they will
continue to do business with the company.
TOURISM CUSTOMER SERVICES
Reasons Why Customers Leave
1% Die
3% Move
5% Seek alternatives or develop other
relations
9% Begin doing business with the
competition
14% are dissatisfied with the product
68% are upset with the treatment they
received
Reasons behind Quality Customer Service
Growth in service providers in today’s
business
Customer’s expect it
It makes economic sense 
To the customer, you are the Company
BENEFITS OF Quality Customer
Service
Increased Sales
Delighted Loyal Customers
More Customers Through Repeat
Business & Recommendations
Great (Public) Image
An Edge Over Competition
Zones of Customer’s Expectations
1: Zone of Indifference
(Unstated/Expected)
Customer expects his basic needs and wants
to be fulfilled.
Respect and courtesy are good examples of
these expectations.
Zone 2: Zone of Satisfaction
(Stated/Expected)
Customer tells the company what he wants
and what he expects to happen.
Six Elements in Quality Customer Service
1. Make a good (and lasting) impression
2. Show competence by listening to customers
3. Create personal relationships with your
customers
4. Give customers more than what they expect
5. Resolve conflicts quickly
6. Thank people for their business and value
their feedback
Communicate in the Workplace
Learning Objective: After reading this
information sheet, you should be able to:
1. Determine the proper way of
communicating to people in the workplace;
and
2. Follow telephone etiquette.
Introduction:
Communication is of vital importance to
efficient and happy workplaces in the
tourism industry. Without good
communication skills, customers could be
left unsatisfied and work colleagues would
frequently be at war with each other.
The tourism industry is so competitive
that customers would go elsewhere to
make their travel arrangements next
time, and staff turnover would be
extremely high. In short, poor
communication skills costs tourism
companies money that they cannot
afford to lose, and will therefore not
allow.
Therefore, one of the very first things
students wanting a career in this industry
should do is to ensure that they have good
communication skills, hence the inclusion of
this module in this course.
Communication in the workplace can be
formal or informal. Formal communication
tends to be structured and delivered through
channels like letters, memos, meetings and
company policies or procedures.
Informal communication does not need to
be so structured. Today, email is a good
example of informal communication;
however, verbal conversations are also a
common form. Verbal, also referred to as
oral communication, relies heavily on
non-verbal communication to support the
spoken word.
HANDLING RESERVATIONS CALL
STEPS AND PROCEDURES
1. Greet the caller and offer assistance. (Note:
Smile, as if you are talking to your customer
face to face. Remember, a smiling face brings
out a smiling voice.)
2. Get necessary information and note down
the necessary request in your notepad. (Be
very cordial and friendly but do not overdo.)
Jot down the following information:
• Name of guest
• Address and contact number
• The kind of business he/she wish to have with the
hotel.
• Other important information.
3. If the request is not available on the date
mentioned, inform the guest but suggest other
options.
4. If you are not aware of the query or you lack
knowledge, refer the guest to the proper authorities.
5. Confirm all the details of information received
from the caller. 
6. Thank the caller.
Note: Do not stay too long conversing with
your guest in the telephone, 3 minutes is
the most.
Pointers in learning names of guests
quickly:
Listen carefully to the person’s name when
it is pronounced.
If you do not understand a name, ask the
person to repeat it.
Write the name as it sounds if the
pronunciation is difficult.
Use the person’s name.
Link the name to something so that
you can remember it.
Self Check 5.4-1
Write TRUE statement is correct and FALSE if statement is incorrect
and write your answer in the space provided for.
_________1. Without good communication skills, 
customers could be left satisfied and work colleagues would frequently
be at peace with each other. 
_________2. Formal communication tends to be structured and
delivered through channels like letters, memos, meetings and company
policies or procedures.
_________3. In answering telephone calls, always greet the guest by
saying “hello”.
_________4. If you are not quite sure of the answer to information to
the query, refer the caller to the proper authorities. 
_________5. Always thank the guest when terminating a call.
ANSWER KEY 5.4-
1
1. FALSE
2.TRUE
3.FALSE
4.TRUE
5.TRUE
Title: HANDLING TELEPHONE CALLS 
Objective: Given the necessary cleaning
materials, you should be able to handle
telephone calls.
Equipment: Simulation room, telephone,
fax machine
Supplies/Materials: pen, paper, forms
Steps/Procedure: 
1. Greet the caller and offer assistance. (Note: Smile,
as if you are talking to your customer face to face.
Remember, a smiling face brings out a smiling
voice.)
2. Get necessary information and note down the
necessary request in your notepad. (Be very cordial
and friendly but do not overdo.) Jot down the
following information:
• Name of guest
• Address and contact number
• The kind of business he/she wish to have with the
hotel.
3. If the request is not available on the date
mentioned, inform the guest but suggest
other options.
4. If you are not aware of the query or you
lack knowledge, refer the guest to the
proper authorities.
5. Confirm all the details of information
received from the caller.
6. Thank the caller.
UNDERSTANDING GUEST SERVICE
Learning Objective: after reading this
information sheet, you must be able to:
• Understand guest service.
The reader must understand that the front
office in a hotel is the first point of contact.
The Front Desk Staff is in direct contact with
the guest and can enhance or mar the first
impressions on a guest of the property.
They must, therefore, have excellent customer
skills. This means that people working in a
hotel bring the difference in creating a
positive guest experience. Most hotels of the
same category are physically comparable to
their competitors. Rooms, lobbies, coffee
shops etc., look almost alike. But the people
who work in them make guest experiences
different.
It is better understood when one looks at the
front office agent as the host and the
customer as the guest. This throws the
perspectives and attitudes at totally different
level. At home we go that extra distance to
welcome guests, give them unrivalled
hospitality with food and drink, keep them
safe and anticipate and attend to their every
need.
Providing a guest experience is a cycle
of events that starts with the front
office agent acting as the host with her
attitudes making sure that mindset and
whether they meet the guest’s
expectations, needs and perceptions
resulting in a response.
COMPONENTS OF A GOOD SERVICE
Attitude
What is an attitude? An attitude is the way
one communicates mood to others, who
respond accordingly. A happy host will get
a happy response just as a sour person gets
a negative response. 
Positive Attitudes
• Being optimistic
• Feeling good about oneself
• Feeling good about others
• Feeling good about life
• Seeing the best in others
• Expecting good things to happen
• Seeing the bright side of all situations
• Being enthusiastic
• Being creative and open
• Anticipating successful encounters
• Each customer is an exciting challenge
Negative Attitudes
• I am bored
• I do not have time
• It won’t work
• I cannot get organized
• I’m too busy
• I don’t know what to say
• I am nervous
• I cannot do it
• I don’t stand a chance
• I don’t have energy
• I am not good enough
• Others are better than me
• I cannot win
• It’s not my day
• I’m scared of customers
Obviously, positive attitudes have a greater
range of benefits.

Benefits of Positive Attitudes

• Creates enthusiasm
• Enhances creativity
• Magnifies positivity
• People like you
• Boss likes to work with you
• You become helpful
• Makes others positive
• Wins cooperation
• You become popular
MY SERVICE
A service is the total experience that a customer
gets through people, when satisfying a need.
Service touches all the senses of a discerning
customer. Here are the different components of
service:
Sense of sight. Customers like to see a well-
groomed person. The way the front desk is kept
neat and orderly creates the service experience
just as the decor of the lobby and the artifacts that
adorn it.
Sense of smell.
A guest is influenced by how fresh a lobby
smells. It gives him or her confidence of
the hygiene standards of the establishment.
The aroma of food in the dining industry is
well known. Appetizing smells trigger
hunger and want. The chef builds this into
the total food preparation and presentation.
We have known coffee shops to crush
coffee beans to give that fresh coffee
aroma to the passers-by to attract them
to the restaurant. Similarly, a guest
evaluates you on how you smell. A light
perfume or cologne conjures up images
of hygiene and freshness.
Sense of hearing. There are things that should
not be heard by the customer and things that
should. A customer does not want to hear front
desk staff fighting among themselves, back
office discussion, rude language, slang,
technical jargon, etc. What they like to hear is
the courtesy shown by the front office agents,
the use of their name, suggestions in case of
doubt, low tone and words of etiquette like
“Thank you”, “Please”, “May I help you”,
Sense of taste. Taste defines the customer’s
ultimate experience. Chefs have gone to
extents to provide the experience with
innovative use of spices, cooking method and
beverages. It is common to find wine
enhancing the flavours of sauces and extracts
of herbs to marinate meats. The taste of meat
cooked in earthen ovens is different from
those cooked on charcoal spits.
Tastes are the distinctive signature to a cuisine
offered by an establishment. The chef’s skill
provides the experience. Taste can be interpreted in
another way as far as front desk staff is concerned-
the taste of quality service! The investor has
already built in taste in the aesthetics shown in the
interior design and decor. Guest immediately
recognizes the quality of the property by the
appointments, furnishings, carpeting, etc., used in
the physical product.
Sense of touch. The temperature levels in
the lobby and in the guest room, the
softness of the bed and bathroom linen, the
fluffiness of the pillow are some examples
that create the touch experience. Front
Office staff can enhance the sense of touch
by providing clean registration cards, clean
room keys, baggage tags etc.
UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER NEEDS
AND WANTS
We must first understand the difference
between needs and wants. Needs are
essential to human well-being. These could
include those that are essential to human
survival such as food, water, clothing and
shelter at the basic level, to those that are
essential for social survival.
Wants are the cultural manifestation of
those needs. An American needs food just
as an Indian. While an American may
interpret this need by wanting hamburgers
and fries, an Indian will demand rice and
curry. An American interprets clothing in
terms of a demand for jeans while the
Indian the sari.
Abraham Maslow, a social scientist,
brought the concept of needs most
dramatically by proclaiming that:
1. All humans have needs.
2. These needs can be collated into five
broad categories.
3. The categories have an ascending
hierarchical order.
4. That one must be satisfied to move to the
other. (Later scientists proved that all needs
can co-exist together in varying levels of
importance to every individual).
This has been very clearly illustrated through
the famous Maslow’s Need Hierarchy as
shown below:
The needs start from the bottom and we shall
examine how they reflect in providing the
perfect guest experience.
Physiological Needs. These are the basic
needs for survival such as food, shelter,
water, clothing, air and sex (for procreation
of human species). The hotel and restaurant
industry recognises basic needs and meets
the need for food through by offering a
spread of cuisines and shelter by providing
a “home away from home” through its
choice of rooms.
Restaurants provide guests with food,
potable water and proper air circulation. To
the employees the industry provides, free
duty meals, uniforms, house rent
allowance or staff accommodation and
proper working conditions. The kitchens
and laundry which are very humid and hot
especially in hot climates are provided
with proper exhausts and fresh air supply.
Security Need. the security need is both
physical and emotional. The guests want to
be sure that the property they are visiting is
physically safe from anything that may
endanger the body. They want to make sure
that their rooms are safe to sleep in.
Hotels provide locks, fire warning
systems, sprinkles, fire fighting
equipment, latch chains, peep-holes etc. to
satisfy this need o1f physical safety.
Guests want to be warned of the wet floors
and the name of callers before responding
to telephone. The same true of staff to
announce themselves when they knock on
a door or ring the door bell.
Guests need for emotional security comes
in many ways. First is the need to be
welcomed and recognized in an
establishment. Guests want to make sure
that there are people who will serve them
and welcome them with warmth and
sincerity. Staff must be hygienically clean
and free from diseases. This they notice by
the way staff groom themselves.
Guests want to make sure that the raw
materials used in food preparation are fresh
and that the cooking utensils are clean and
sanitized. They also value their privacy as also
being treated with courtesy and respect. The
hospitality industry is concerned about this
aspect for its employees too. They provide safe
working conditions and give safety training,
especially in the use of equipment and
carrying heavy loads.
Emotional security is provided to the employees
through orientation programs so that they feel
secure quickly in the organization. Providing
job descriptions and training helps the employee
realize what is expected of them and hope that
they can perform to the best of standards.
Grievance procedures, suggestion systems,
performance evaluation are all organizational
processes meant to give employees emotional
security.
Belonging. Human beings are social animals.
They prosper and grow when interacting
with others. Hotels and restaurants are great
social spots to meet this need. The popularity
of pubs and taverns called ‘locals’ since the
early days in Europe till today was to serve
this precise purpose. Local people met at
these pubs to learn about new developments
in their community and the world.
This has continued to date where people can meet
for business or pleasure. Business entertainment
has become part of the relationship building
between business stakeholders. The hotels and
restaurants have responded well. Employees are
empowered with this need for belonging by giving
them identity cards to identify them with the
organization. Establishments provide social clubs
where employees can meet for sport or social
meetings.
Status and Self Esteem. While status is the
way others perceive us, self-esteem is the
way we perceive ourselves. Hotels and
restaurants provide the perfect platform to
satisfy varying status needs. This shows
from the rating system from one to five-
star. Each is distinguished by the pricing,
level of service and food offer based on the
customers need and want
Self Actualization. This is a state when
human beings reach their potential and are
able to control and contribute to the
environment. The hotel industry has
recognized this and has come with
innovative methods to meet this need.
Some restaurants permit guests to choose
their raw materials and method of
cooking.
In this case, the customer is in total control
of the selection and preparation process.
Hotels and restaurants also involve guests
to help the establishments to respond to
their needs. They invite guests to give their
impressions of the total experience by
filling guest comment forms. Guests now
feel that they can contribute to the
establishment’s prosperity.
SELF CHECK 5.5-1
Multiple Choices: Choose the best answer from among the four
choices and write your answer in the space provided for.
______1. It is a cycle of events that starts with the front office
agent acting as the host with her attitudes making sure that mindset
and whether they meet the guest’s expectations, needs and
perceptions resulting in a response.
a. guest experience
b. guest arrival
c. guest departure
d. guest stay
_____2. It is the way we perceive ourselves. a. status
b. self-esteem
c. self actualization
d. belonging
_____3. The hotel and restaurant industry recognizes basic needs and
meets the need for food through by offering a spread of cuisines and
shelter by providing a ______________ through its choice of rooms. a.
good service
b. needed training
c. home away from home
d. food service
_____4. The temperature levels in the lobby and in the guest room, the
softness of the bed and bathroom linen, the fluffiness of the pillow are
some examples that create the a. unforgettable experience
b. warm experience
c. cold experience
d. touch experience
_____5. IT is the total experience that a customer gets through people,
when satisfying a need. a. service
b. customer service
c. public service
d. escort service
ANSWER KEY 5.5-1
1. A
2. B
3. C
4. D
5. A
Title: Handling Customer Complaint

Objective: Given the necessary cleaning

materials, you should be able to handle
telephone calls.

Steps/Procedure: 
1. Let the customer air his/her complaint.
2. Don’t let negative feelings cloud your
judgment towards the customer.
3. Empathize with the customer. 
4. Work actively to come up with a
solution.
5. Agree in the solution.
6. Make sure that what you promised to
do gets done.
ANSWER KEY: