Recovering poor service on the workfloor As could be read in earlier blogs, even if you are a small hostel, a familiy-run bed and breakfast, a low-budget accommodation: It is inexcusable not to think thoroughly about the services you provide. Simply NOT doing something, does not constitute a service! Nor does leaving things out, because it is your hostels policy not to provide too much guest-services for not being economical or simply too much work for the staff you have or don’t have.

1. SERVICEDESIGN AND GUEST
CITISENSHIP

2. Recovering poor service on the
workfloor

3. Recovering poor service on the workfloor
As could be read in earlier blogs, even if you are a small hostel, a familiy-run bed
and breakfast, a low-budget accommodation: It is inexcusable not to think
thoroughly about the services you provide. Simply NOT doing something, does not
constitute a service! Nor does leaving things out, because it is your hostels policy
not to provide too much guest-services for not being economical or simply too
much work for the staff you have or don’t have.

4. Loyalty
Your guest really is perceptive enough to see the contours of the `deal’ that
he is presented with. Chances are he was already familiar with it, before he
even came to the hostel. That is- however -not the same as guest loyalty. He
is simply providing behaviour that ties in with his side of the bargain! As
written in earlier blogs, low prices are not the only thing the backpacker
chooses your hostel for. The matter of ambiance is hugely improtant (see
the post on creativity). Not only does a creative ambiance give the guest a
good feeling on a personal level, it also creates a space for him, in which to
interact with others, causing him to use the interaction with fellow-guests
and space, as an interface for social interactions.

5. Service provided by guests
Many hostels employ volunteering travellers and backpackers as their staff. See also the
post on volunteering abroad. It is important to give your volunteering traveller a good deal
aswell, always making sure you remain on the giving side of the deal. It is perfectly
acceptable to ask your volunteer to maintain certain standards and behaviours in handling
guests. Instructing them, providing scripts, making sure they read a servicedesign manual
you might have created. But make sure you discuss these things before they arrive.
Furhermore, motivate them beforehand to apply if they have the personality traits ands skills
you require of them, to communicate your servicelevel with. But again, make sure you
remain on the giving side of the deal.

6. Contrary to popular belief, the loyalty of your guest can still be maintained and be put to
good use, if they are happy with yourservice recovery effort. If something goes wrong, make
sure you correct it and use the dimensions:
Competence
Excitement
Sincerity
Sophistication and
Ruggedness.
In short, make sure there is room for your guest to experience empathy for you and your

7. Loyal guests and identification
Loyal guests usually attribute errors to unstable factors, over which the supplier has little
control. In the case of volunteering staff, guests are more likely to accept service-recovery,
but it is important to understand that volunteers are often part of the group, with little to no
distance to the guests, and therefore likely to choose the side of the peer-group rather than
playing the role of experienced hostel manager. And who can blame them? Ashforth and
Mael (1989) found that social identification lead persons to perform activities that are
congruent with their identity and support institutions that embody that identity. So the
volunteer-employee might be just the person to handle these things. If handles correctly,
they will identify with the hotel organisation.

8. Service-recovery
Guest behaviour after service-recovery, is much more likely to be a guest-citisen-
also known as customer voluntary performance, varying in behaviour from using
less towels as to have less costs for the hostel, to helping out during breakfast and
giving advice to other guests.
So the production of your service is very much a joint effort with volunteers, paid
staff and ofcourse your guests, which includes a good briefing of volunteers before
they arrive.

9. Interested in hostel service-design?
Interested in putting everything into practise
and see welldevised concepts turn into proper,
unforgettable experiences? Contact me!
Renk van Oyen
acts@la-clappeye.nl
www.blog.la-clappeye.nl

10. www.la-clappeye.nl
www.blog.la-clappeye.nl