customer service and retention from a structured TQM perspective and highlights the need for hotels to emphasise the development of a process of continuous improvement. Results show that not all hotels gave staff autonomy to make customer service decisions without managerial approval.
Based on the strong positive
relationship shown between the TQM critical success factors and customer retention, implementing TQM in hotels situated in the Garden Route will not only enhance their quality management, but will make a significant contribution to managing customer defections and service recovery, thereby contributing to customer retention.
Conclusion
The study is an exploratory investigation of a small sample of hotel managers’ perceptions about the application of TQM practices at four and five star hotels on the Garden Route and could be extended to lower star grading establishments. The study could also be expanded to include international hotels and compare the findings with hotels that are MBNQA or EQA certified. This study was small as it focused on the relationship of TQM critical success factors and customer retention in hotels in the Garden Route. In order to better understand the factors affecting customer retention and guests’ perceptions, future research showing both the hotels’ and guests’ perspectives on customer retention would give a more accurate picture. Empirical results show that customer retention activities to retain guests are not performed by hotels on the
Garden Route to the extent of success. Hotel managers are fully aware of the required strategies to be implemented in order to retain guests, but do not always implement these strategies. A well-designed and accomplished study of customers who defected can provide valuable information that will identify the underlying dynamics and core reasons for customers’ defection. A study on customer defection allows for investigating employee attitudes toward service quality and developing a better understanding of the customers’ process for ending the business relationship.
This type of study also discovers whether or not there is an identifiable profile for customers who defected which may be used for the early discovery of customers at risk. A strong positive relationship was shown to exist between the TQM critical success factors and customer retention. The introduction of TQM at Garden Route Hotels will offer a self sustaining quality management process that contributes to customer retention.
About the author: Prof Paul Poisat is head of department, Human Resources Management, at NMMU in Port Elizabeth and has been involved in employee relations and HR management for 29 years.
Poisat also consults in the field of human resources and has co- authored a number of books in the field.
January 2012 | Management Today 41
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114