The rapid pace of globalization has caused increasing consciousness among customers. Due to growing competition and improved job opportunities, especially in the private sector, coupled with improved buying power (which is a direct impact of regular employment generation), consumers have become more demanding. Therefore, to attract and retain customers, cost and quality control continues to be the keywords as hospitality remains primarily a service catering to the business as well as leisure customers. It is, therefore, vital to focus on the planning and delivery aspects related to effective customer service in the hotel industry. Associations of hotel and restaurant owners have been established by those who create and enforce quality standards, and many of those associations are honored as corporations, that embody the philosophies of effective quality management. As per the principles of total quality management, accomplishment of service quality is a continuous process. It extends throughout every stage of the client’s lifecycle. This is applicable for all in business, and the delivery of service that meets or exceeds customers’ expectations becomes an increasingly significant differentiating factor in business development. Therefore, continuous efforts have to be made to reassess the gap between expectations and delivery of service. What constitutes service quality is a matter of concern as it is a relative concept, referring to the demand and expectation fulfilment of customers. Reduced price coupled with a tailor-made service is one strategy to attract and retain customers by service provider.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Amitabha Ghose
Amitabha Ghose holds an MBA degree with specialization in Marketing and Export Management from Indian Institute of Business Management, Patna and MDP in Marketing using IT and the Internet from IIM Calcutta. Besides these, he is also a member of the Calcutta Management Association, Kolkata. He has over 15 years of corporate experience in the area of sales, marketing and export, market research, channel development, branding and strategic management. He is currently working as Faculty Member at Icfai Business School Research Centre, Kolkata. Prior to joining Icfai, he was working with Tata Group Co in various capacities, including Sales Manager for eastern region and SAARC countries. He later joined in the marketing division of Indian Oil Petronas (PSU-Malaysian MNC JV Co.) with national responsibility. He also worked for an FMCG company and a Management Consultancy firm in the capacity of Regional Manager. His research areas of interest include - competitive intelligence in the global economy, marketing strategy, global branding, retailing, mergers and acquisitions and strategic management.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ishita Mukherjee
Ishita Mukherjee holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Calcutta University and an MBA in Marketing from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Institute of Management Science, Kolkata. She is currently working as a Senior Research Associate at Icfai Business School Research Center, Kolkata. She has over four years of industry experience in the fields of service marketing and market research. Her areas of interest are international trade, financial services marketing and human resource management.
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