Customer service cycle: in company, hotel, health (with examples)

He customer service cycle it is the complete sequence of experiences that a client or user has with an organization, during the acquisition of a service to satisfy a need.

It starts from the moment in which the user makes the request for a service and continues through a series of contacts between this and the provider. The cycle closes when the user is satisfied and willing to return.

These contacts between the user and the service provider are called"moments of truth". It means that during the same day there can be many moments of truth such as cycles of service.

These moments of truth can be positive or negative. In the same way that the user can experience many moments of positive and negative truth during the provision of the requested service.

But sometimes, it is enough that a moment of negative truth occurs to collapse all the effort of the organization. Therefore, it should be seen as an effort of quality of service with criteria of totality.

Service cycle in a company

The service cycle in a company can not be seen as a set of tasks and responsibilities simply by the organization. Its true essence lies in what the user or client sees or experiences during the process, since it is he who values ​​it in its entirety.

The customer service cycle helps companies to self-assess and interact with users. This is achieved by improving their opinion on the organization during the provision of a service.

To determine the service cycle, companies or organizations draw up a map with the sequence of stages and moments of truth that occur during the provision of a service.

The real value of this map is that it allows you to look at the process from the client's perspective. But at the same time, it helps to sensitize workers about the improvement of the service they provide and to clearly identify critical moments.

Steps to draw up a map of the service

The steps that every company must follow to develop an optimal map of the customer service cycle are:

• Identify moments of truth, which can be classified as critical and non-critical.
• Establish the necessary requirements to improve the quality of customer service.
• Define a strategy and action plans (the way to respond) to correct errors and add value to the service.
• Prioritize service areas (priority areas). The critical areas that require more attention must be identified to achieve the established goal.
• Prepare a customer satisfaction survey to evaluate the service. This allows the company to provide feedback on its strategies and action plans.

Cycle of service in a hotel

The cycle of service to a guest in a hotel is a process that begins at the moment he decides to stay and calls the hotel to make the reservation. This cycle ends when the guest leaves the hotel establishment.

The stages of the hosting service cycle are the following:

Reservation

The sale may or may not be made. This will depend on the availability of rooms, the type of rooms, the services offered, the rates and of course the customer service at the time of booking.

Transport

Then comes the service of transfer if the hotel offers it. This is a moment of critical truth because it is the first direct contact between the client and the hotel staff.

This consists of the search in the airport or terrestrial terminal to the guest for his greater comfort. The information of the arrival time, transport company and other information are offered by the client to the hotel.

Registration and accommodation

Upon arrival at the hotel, the client enters a new phase (another moment of truth) for registration and accommodation. During the moment of the welcome the client will have the first direct impression of the hotel service.

The way it is received, the treatment, the attention paid, the waiting time, etc., also count.

This stage begins with the check-in that verifies and determines the conditions of the reservation. It also includes the purchase specifically, in case the client does not have a reservation. It's the call front desk , where he also sells the hotel.

Once the client fills in the registration card, the room requested by the guest is assigned. The form of payment is established, if the previous payment has not been made, and other guarantees.

Here come into play aspects such as the quality of the room, for the client to determine the cost - benefit ratio.

Stay

Then comes the stage of the stay itself, where the guest will experience many moments of truth with the employees of the hotel: waitresses, waiters, bellmen, administrative employees, among others.

The client makes use of the hotel facilities and checks the quality of the service he purchased. This phase includes everything the guest does inside the hotel: sleep, eat, recreate, request information and satisfy or not their purchase expectations.

Departure

He Check out It is the last stage of the client's cycle at the hotel. It is when the guest is presented with his statement of account for his final payment. This stage represents another critical moment, since the client will verify that they have loaded and correctly charged their consumption, according to what is offered by the establishment.

Here plays a very important role not only the correct payment but also the waiting time of the client. And finally his transfer back to the airport or land terminal.

Health service cycle

As in other types of institutions or companies, this technique helps identify and graph the moments of truth that the health organization has with the user of the service. Through it, the procedures followed for patient care are analyzed.

The aspects most valued by a client / user in the emergency services, for example, are related to the waiting time to receive the requested medical attention.

These waiting times range from telephone service to request the ambulance service or transfer, until the correct diagnosis and cure of the patient.

The health service cycle that is followed for the attention of the users is the following:

• Ambulance service request (promptness in taking the call, agility in the process of data collection of the applicant / patient). This is a crucial moment.
• Transfer to the hospital center / clinic and first aid application (waiting time between telephone contact and transfer). Moment of critical truth.
• Reception in emergencies (rapid mobilization to the emergency care unit, available personnel, treatment of the patient).
• Administrative procedures (Patient registration, verification of medical insurance, advance payment, treatment of the applicant, etc.).
• Hospitalization - stabilization (quality of medical care, diagnosis, treatment) Moment of critical truth.
• Patient's discharge - recovery.
• Result - cure (comprehensive evaluation of the service by the patient).

Example of customer service cycle in a real company

There are several examples of the cycle of customer service in everyday life when visiting a bank, going to a restaurant for lunch or buying a tour package.

A bank will be used as an example to determine all the steps that must be taken to collect a check:

1- The client decides to go to the bank to change a check.

2- Take your means of transport and find where to park it to enter the bank.

3- Once inside the bank observe the internal process for the collection of the check.

4- Ask the employee what he should do. The employee indicates that he must request a number in a computer to be attended in order of arrival.

5- The client waits for his turn to cash the check. This step can be very long or fast according to the number of clients.

6- The client is called by the system through a loudspeaker or screen.

7- The customer greets or not and presents the check to the cashier. This responds

8- The cashier verifies the issuance, checks the information on the check and the funds available from the drawer.

9- The cashier asks the customer the denomination of the banknotes he prefers.

10- The customer answers and the cashier hands him the tickets and says goodbye.

11- The customer counts the tickets and withdraws from the bank.

12- The client looks for his means of transport in the parking lot.

13- Enter the car and leave the bank.

There are critical moments of truth throughout this process or cycle of service. They are: the waiting time of the client within the bank, the correct payment of the check according to the amount by the cashier and the surveillance to avoid an assault to the client.

References

1. Service cycle. Copeme, 2009 (PDF). Retrieved on February 14, 2018 from sptf.info
2. The service cycle and the moments of truth. Consulted of semanario.info
3. The service triangle. escolme.edu.co
4. Protocol manual for hotel companies. Catarina.udlap.mx
5. Service cycle and moments of truth. Consulted by imarkudeablog.wordpress.com
6. Quality of care in the emergency department of the health area. Consulted from biblioteca.icap.ac.cr
7. Service cycles. Feelings vs. Satisfaction. Consulted by gestiopolis.com