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Customer Management and New Technology: An Investigation of How 5 Star Hotel Employees Perceive New Technologies in the Facilitation of Customer Retention and Provision of Service Quality
Abstract
Five star corporate hotels in European Cities have employed information Communication Technology (ICT) and electronic Relationship Management (e-CRM) as the primary tools for a strategy that focuses on customer retention and competitive service quality. This study examines and evaluates the implemented ICT and their effect on traditional CRM practises, from an employee point of view. The research endeavours to investigate whether employees believe that e-CRM systems are in use within their organisation, whether they believe that the technology has altered the way quality service is delivered and if customer retention and loyalty has been positively affected. The research focuses on London based Five star corporate hotels, as the city’s status of “European Capital” should produce indicative results for other, developed European cities. Both qualitative (in-depth interviews with managers) and quantitative (Questionnaire survey) methods are employed as the research aims to uncover perceptions of both managers and line employees. The sample size comprised of twelve interviews with Front Office managers and sixty questionnaires completed by employees in the front office or reservations departments. The findings suggest that the delivery of personalised customer service, has been identified by all respondents as a primary goal for a hotel and although managers acknowledge the value of ICT and e-CRM in achieving such a goal, non-management staff appear to perceive such value less clearly.
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