Managing Customer Service
BML207: Managing Customer Service VAQAS Auditing Guidelines
SEMAL Dr Andrew Clegg p. 1
Your Brief
As part of your fieldwork report you will assume the role of VAQAS assessors and provide a critical evaluation of the overall quality of the visitor experience for a specific tourist attraction of your own choosing. You will be given access to a full suite of VAQAS resources to help you conduct a suitable quality audit. Within this auditing process you will also have the opportunity to utilise additional tools and techniques covered in the module.
Auditing Guidelines
Use the VAQAS self-assessment toolkit provided to assess the different components of the visitor experience. Make sure that you have read the VAQAS assessors manual before conducting your audit, so you know how to conduct the audit accurately and thoroughly. The VAQAS audit is extremely thorough and you are asked to complete a full audit. However, for your final presentation you will be expected to calculate an average mark for each of the principal auditing areas which are:
1. Pre-arrival • Telephone enquiries • Leaflet and brochure content, accuracy and clarity • Website content, accuracy and navigation 2. Arrival • Initial signage • Appearance of initial grounds and buildings • Car park • Layout and maintenance of facilities • Welcome, efficiency and appearance of staff • Visitor information • Cleanliness 3. Attraction • Layout • Range and quality of general signage • Appearance of grounds and buildings • Range of content • Quality of presentation • Quality of interpretation • Appearance, attitude and knowledge of staff • Other areas • Cleanliness 4. Toilets • Layout and design • Fixtures and fittings • Maintenance and cleanliness 5. Catering • Layout and design • Range, presentation and quality food • Appearance, attitude and efficiency of staff • Maintenance and cleanliness 6. Retailing • Layout and design • Range and presentation of merchandise • Appearance, attitude and efficiency of staff • Maintenance and cleanliness p. 2
Here are a few notes in relation to the overall scoring process.
This bit is important!
First, to assist your overall evaluation a blank VAQAS scoring sheet has been provided for you on Moodle which clearly shows the weightings that are given to
those areas which impact most on the visitor experience. You only mark what is actually there, assessing quality in context, for example an attraction will not
be penalised if they have no catering facility. Where a score is N/A you delete the figure from the `Max’ column, or set it to Zero. Therefore, for example, quality standards at a small family-run farm attraction will obviously differ from those found at a large corporate owned theme attraction, it’s very much about assessing quality in context looking at does this meet the needs and expectations of the visitor. You should take plenty of photographs to help document aspects of the auditing process that you can then refer to in your subsequent analysis and discussion. In your supporting discussion I would expect to see these different elements discussed, and you may wish to include an additional table showing relative scores for each component, and how the overall average was calculated. Through this analysis, you should be able to compare relative best practice onsite and potential areas of improvement.
Finally, in terms of overall guidance, you should hopefully not expect any aspect of the visitor experience to score lower than a three, unless there was an acceptable explanation (these would usually be highlighted at a debrief, such as work in progress, staff training etc). The attraction will fail the assessment if any area that is assessed scores ‘0’ or if the overall percentage is less than 50% in any section. VAQAS assessors would discuss any attractions falling within the 55% – 65% band to see how they can work with the attraction to improve to an acceptable standard in order to gain accreditation. Guidelines for scoring between 1 to 5 on each element are provided in the assessor manual. Lower scores provide the basis for identifying areas of quality enhancement, whereas higher scores potentially indicate areas of best practice. Both areas of enhancement and best practice should be considered in detail in your report.
Report Structure
In terms of the overall format and layout of the report, emphasis must be placed on providing a clear and logical structure. I will expect to see the following elements provided in the report.
Introduction
Your report should start by providing a clear overview/audit of the attraction you have chosen, and the nature of the product/experience that is being provided. Give consideration to the different elements of the visitor experience, related areas such as pricing, awards, accolades, and who the main market of the attraction is. You can include any materials that may help you convey the nature of the experience on offer - this could include for example photographs and visitor information, such as site maps. You may also be able to find information on current approaches to customer service - for example do they have a current customer service strategy. This is something you might be able to enquire about after your visit. Some reference to the operational profile of the attraction (for
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example visitor numbers) could also be included, with some reference to the key pressures influencing attractions in your chosen sector.
This initial discussion could also make reference to existing customer feedback that you could access via looking at visitor comments on TripAdvisor. The understanding of the attraction demonstrated in the introduction, and the key factors influencing the quality of the visitor experience provide the basis on which to discuss areas of enhancement or best practice in your later discussion. Some reference to the rationale for the choice of attraction should also be included.
Clear Presentation of Auditing Results and Discussion
I expect to see the results of the auditing process clearly displayed and analysed in your discussion, which should initially be structured around each component part of the VAQAS self-assessment toolkit and the principal auditing areas (see page 2).
You should complete the audit template thoroughly, and use these results to provide the basis of your discussion. In addition to the inclusion of auditing results, I also want to see a graph showing the service gap for each individual element you have assessed (you will have covered gap analysis in the session on measuring and monitoring customer service).
You must then also provide a commentary for each section highlighting what the results are showing. While this is an applied piece of work, I will expect to see some reference back to the academic literature in order to place your observations in context. Also at this point make sure you include any photos that support any aspect of your discussion. Also include make use of any additional tools and techniques covered on the module. For example when looking at the attraction website you could also score against the webqual template discussed during the module.
Conclusions - Best Practice and Recommendations for Enhancement
Your report should finish by including the completed scoring template with an overall quality score for your attraction. In addition to this you should also identify what you consider to be areas of best practice for each section, and also identify areas of enhancement and make recommendations for improvement. At this point I would expect to see wider recognition of best practice across the attractions sector, and you making reference to best practice from other attractions. You must ultimately provide a critical commentary on the overall quality of the visitor experience and highlight areas of best practice (if applicable). The final part of your report must outline a series of recommendations for service improvement as the basis of a new customer service strategy for the attraction that you have chosen. Failure to include the final recommendations section will result in a penalty mark of 20% being applied to your report.
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Some general notes: •
Rememeber not to write in the first person. The report should be objective and written in the third person.
•
While annotation will be allowed in the VAQAS templates, avoid using long lists in your discussion and structure your analysis accordingly using paragraphs. Commentary in any tables included will not count to your word limit.
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Subheadings are allowed and are recommended to help structure your report accordingly. Ensure that the subheadings are numbered accordingly and consistently throughout. A contents page should be included at the start.
•
I do expect to see quite a visual report - this is necessary to help articulate the nature of the visitor experience the attraction offers. Look at each section and consider carefully what information can be included. For example when looking at the attraction’s website I would expect to see a screenshot included in your discussion.
•
All photos and any illustrations should be clearly labelled and referenced in the text. If you use an image make reference to it do not put it in as simple window-dressing. Photos should be not text-wrapped.
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I do expect to see a level of referencing to the academic text, particulary when discussing your observations and making reference to best practice and areas for enhancement from across the attractions sector. Some evidence of benchmarking of good practice from comparable attractions should be included.
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Please ensure that your student numbers are clearly included on the front page of your report.
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In terms of the overall style of presentation I will leave that to you. However there is an opportunity here to present the information in a slightly different manner. You can look beyond a standard black and white document, and even think about changing the page orientation.
Be creative but make sure you present the information in a structured and accessible way. Quite simply make sure the information is self-
explanatory and suitably informed by your own investigation background reading, and best practice.
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•
Remember to make reference to the assessment criteria. These are: • Clear rationale for the adopted tool/technique and choice of study
area
[I will expect you to apply the VAQAS audit tool accurately and thoroughly on a given visitor attraction, including a justification for your choice of selection]
• Appropriate use and application of tools and techniques used to
improve service quality
[I expect to see the auditing templates used appropriately and then analysed accordingly, making reference and use of the key tools and techniques used during the module]
• Clear and logical structure, including introduction, main body and
conclusion
[I expect to see a clear structure, reflecting the guidelines presented in this brief]
• Ability to convey results of fieldwork accurately and succinctly using
appropriate formats
[I expect to see the auditing templates completed, with clear evidence and calculation of scoring for the individual components and a completed score sheet for the whole attraction. Evidence of gap analysis should also be included]
• Reference to the academic literature and accurate referencing [While an applied exercise a level of academic referencing is required, particularly to support your analysis].
Please note that the guidance provided in this document and should be treated as a starting point for this assessment. The final presentation and how you present your information is up to you and you are free to develop your own style. Be creative whilst at the same time ensuring your discussion is based on a thorough and accurate audit, with evident reference to the background literature. If you have additional questions then please contact me directly.
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