AMN401 Customer Experience Management Plan Assignment Sample

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Preliminary Analysis of QPAC

Queensland Performing Art Centre (QPAC) is the most famous among numerous performing art and culture venues. Founded in the 1970s with a vision of providing some lifetime unforgettable live events and performances to people of Australia, especially Queenslanders. Also, the objective is to enrich lives and assist the government in creating connected communities. It was planned while considering future expansion as per the need. Initially, it was built with three theatres only, namely Cremorne Theatre, Lyric Theatre, and Concert hall. In later years, the State Cabinet constructed a new hall, 'Playhouse.' In 2018, the Cabinet approved the construction of the fifth and the last hall that would be completed by the end of 2022 as a part of extension plan. The seating capacity of each theatre is different. For instance, the Concert hall can have 1800 people at a time, the Lyric Theatre has a seating capacity of 2000 people, the Playhouse can accommodate up to 850 people at once, and the Cremorne can have only 300 people.

Talking about some achievements and highlights of 2018, the total annual visitors were 1,503,529. Out of this, 1,028 668 were ticketed attendees, and the rest came in unpaid events. The amazing fact about the QPAC is that 32% of people came from outside Brisbane out of total visitors. The total number of performances organized in QPAC was 1,215 (Annual Report, 2018).

The competition is very high among the different venues, but QPAC has gained an edge over its rivals by its advertising and marketing approach. To reach a larger segment of the target customer segment, QPAC has hired a dedicated team of marketing professionals to use signage, integrated communication strategy, publicity, social media campaign, reporting, and graphics & publications. With the help of an integrated marketing team and ticketing provider, QPAC has gained access to an active database of over 200,000targeted customers and patrons with different preferences and genres of live art performances (Annual Report, 2018). This is the major advantage QPAC has gained over its rivals.

QPAC provides an unforgettable experience of best live performances and vibes of inclusion, acceptance, and relationship, making the events successful (IBISWorld, 2017). As per Google Reviews, most guests and visitors have appreciated the environment of the place, its sound system, seating arrangement, and hospitality skills of the front desk staff. People from all age groups can visit QPAC as it organizes events for people of all segments. This makes it a multipurpose and multifaceted place. Some highly reputed corporations like Hyundai sponsor the events as part of the companies' CSR initiatives. This partnership helps encourage a connection between community and culture (IBISWorld, 2017).

For this study, the preliminary information was collected by using online sources and visiting QPAC on weekends in the evening. For this purpose, qualitative research was done in the context of the hosting venue. The information gained from this preliminary research would be useful in preparing the persona and customer journey mapping. First, Google Reviews and ratings given by the visitors and patrons were noted down. This helped in identifying the issues they faced during their visit to QPAC. The positive reviews are large in number, and customers were very happy with the venue's connectivity with major transportation routes. The other observations were recorded during the visit. It was noted that the number of adults and teenagers are higher than the old age people. They were indulged in purchasing merchandise and eating during their visits. All such information helped develop the customer journey map (Cowart& Goldsmith, 2017).

Persona

Persona Name

Job Title/Functional Role

Customer/User segment

Dr. M. Jackson

Associate Professor

Academics

Personal Attributes

Demographic Details

Reasons for me to engage with Product

Bread Winner

Career Driven

Organized

Hard worker

Family-focused

Analytical

Age: 35 years

Gender:  Male

Family:  Married

Education:  PhD

Location:  Australia

Income:  $85,000

 Employment: 3 years in current role.

Offer a wide range of services and events for people of all age groups.

Best place for recreation and stress-busting on weekends. 

Job, Skills, and Interests

Pain Points

Why would I not Engage in Product

· Good communication skills

· Good orating skills Problem-solver

· Stress management skills

· Career Guidance

The slow process of query solving

High cost of services

Issues in online bookings during rush hours

Uninformed customer care executives

The services are very costly for a common person

Customer care executives cannot provide enough information due to the high rush.

There might be some safety issues for my family.

Social Environment

Needs and Goals

Questions

University

Enjoys spending time with my family on Sundays for stress management

Like outdoor activities

Seeking a place for recreation during weekends for my children and wife is safe.

The place should have proper food and sanitation facility with a credit facility.

Is there any discount for children below 3 years of age?

Is there any food available for infants?

Is there any discount on online ticketing?

Customer Journey Map QPAC

PHASES

Awareness

Research

Purchase

Product engagement

Post purchase behaviours

EMOTIONS

CUSTOMER PROFILE

Dr M. Jackson, 35 years old, married, PhD, 4 years of Experience, Native Australian, and earn $85 000 per year

POSITIVE

Celebrity Promotion

Social Media promotion

Feedback and use of technology

Online

Staff contact

WOM

NEUTRAL

Radio advertisement and newspaper ad and hoardings

Google Reviews and Tripadvisor ratings

Mobile phone text and email messages

Feedback from both online and offline methods. Google Ratings and paid websites

NEGATIVE

Paid Website

Email marketing and online promotion

Service Offering

Thoughts, Emotions,

discretions

Saw a pamphlet on university premises and also in a newspaper ad.

Radio announcement also informed me, but it did not provide much information about the services.

Negative reviews on Tripadvisor.comaffected the decision for sometime

Google Reviews and ratings are very helpful in the decision-making

Social media platforms gave neutral reviews about the place. 

Brother did not recommend the venue.

The website is user friendly, and users can even use credit cards for booking.

Text messages sent on mobile regarding booking confirmation did not contain much information.

The reception people are making their best efforts in helping us, but the rush was very high.

Due to the high rush, the family faced some troubles.

The services such as souvenirs and food are very costly for an average earning person

It is highly recommended that family persons hang out with family and relieve stress.

People's perceptions may vary with their age, lifestyle, and income.

Opportunities

Providing training to staff for handling customer queries during the rush for improving customer rating on social media.

Making efforts and using technology to reduce booking time and customer queries

Providing tickets from multiple sources for diverting the traffic during rush hours.

For better guest services, the latest technology should be brought into use. This comprises ticket vending machines, FAQs, videos and audio systems and developing an elaborated user guide.

The management should hire employees and volunteer for proper management of employees. Also, they should ask them for feedback about the services and facilities on the premises.

Final comment from Mark  " it is the best place where one can go with the family on weekends for relieving stress. One good thing about the place is that it is well connected with other parts of the city. It organizes events for people from all age groups. I recommend this place for weekend fun."

Take home notes for QPAC:

Customer journey mapping is critical and essential for organizations that deal in the hospitality sector. It is a well-known fact that customers want high-quality services available at affordable prices. QPAC aims to provide services, but customers are not very happy with the prices. Also, lack of information available with the customer care executive is another reason for poor satisfaction of the customers. These can be seen in the comments posted on the social media pages of QPAC and Google Reviews. However, the staff of QPAC is well-trained to provide top-class hospitality to them, and happy customers have shared their experiences on online platforms. Both positive and negative comments significantly impact the final decision-making of the customers looking to visit QPAC. However, the management can improve its customer rating by working on the issues highlighted by guests.

Recommendations

From the in-depth evaluation of the targeted audience segment, pain points in the persona, and customer map, a few issues have been determined in the current functioning and procedures of QPAC. The first one is poor management of guests during the last few hours of the upcoming event. In addition to this, Google reviews outlined the issue of expensive services in the QPAC premises, especially food. Many customers complain about the costly food items. Moreover, the third issue was related to the online booking and ticket cancellation issues & refund policies. Many customers complain that they haven't issued their refund even after 45 days of ticket cancellations.

Recommendation#1: Use Artificial Intelligence for Real-time Support and Data Processing

QPAC should use AI-based systems that would act as a helping hand during peak hours in handling customers' queries. With the help of AI-powered chatbots, QPAC can revolutionize its customer service procedure and online ticketing process (Yumatov et al., 2017). This would help understand what the customer prefers and customize the services as per their preferences. AI can help store customers' data related to payment and improvise the refund process by automatizing it. QPAC would provide real-time support to its customers and guests during the peak hour rush without compromising on the workforce and time (Delic& Riley, 2013). In addition to this, QPAC would provide its customer support round the clock. Also, to avoid system overloading during online ticketing, QPAC is advised to offer tickets from multi-channel (Ahn& Back, 2018). Providing customers with an option to switch the platform for better services can improve customer service. This would be beneficial in enhancing the customer rating and QPAC's reputation in the market. Booking should be allowed from social media platforms, mobile, and window ticketing (Ashman et al., 2015).

Recommendation#2: Use self-service programs and Offer Real-time Customer Service

For reducing the service charges from food and other products, it is advised to QPAC that it should initiate a self-service program on the premises. Such programs are characterized as guidance systems designed fully to assist customers in getting their issues resolved. Many software applications developed can be brought into use (Yu et al., 2015). These would guide the customers automatically without any need for human interference. These are easy to handle and can reduce the cost of customer service, thereby providing budget-friendly services to the guests. This won't hamper the quality of service. In addition to this, QPAC can also prepare some FAQs for providing certain help to new guests who do not know how to use that self-service application. The bottom line is that self-service options are fast, effective, budget-friendly, and improve customer satisfaction. These would be beneficial in both the long and short-run (Delic&iley, 2013).

Recommendation#3: Invest in Agent Training and Customer Service Specialist

To improve customer service during peak hours, QPAC is advised to hire customer service specialists who are experienced in customer servicing. In addition to this, they must be trained regularly for changing customer preferences and market trends. This way, QPAC can improve customer service quality and ultimately, customer satisfaction would get improved (Rogers& Davidson, 2015). It is required from the management to pay attention to Google Reviews and customer ratings and consider guest's suggestions, invest in team building through regular training and seminars. Also, the customer care executive should be provided with the best systems and software capable of handling load and peak time pressure. This would ultimately payback in the long run.

References

Ahn, J., & Back, K. J. (2018). Antecedents and consequences of customer brand engagement in integrated resorts.  International Journal of Hospitality Management ,  75 , 144-152.

Annual Report. (2018). Retrieved 20 October 2019, from https://qpac-umbraco-cdn.azureedge.net/media/17871/2018-2019-annual-report-amended.pdf

Ashman, R., Solomon, M. R., & Wolny, J. (2015). An old model for a new age: Consumer decision making in participatory digital culture.  Journal of Customer Behaviour ,  14 (2), 127-146.

Cowart, K. O., & Goldsmith, R. E. (2017). The influence of consumer decision‐making styles on online apparel consumption by college students.  International Journal of Consumer Studies ,  31 (6), 639-647.

Delic, K., & Riley, J. (2013, October). Current and future trends in AI. In  2013 XXIV International Conference on Information, Communication and Automation Technologies (ICAT) (pp. 1-4). IEEE.

IBISWorld. (2017).  Event Parks and Centres Operation in Australia.  Retrieved http://clients1.ibisworld.com.au.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/reports/au/industry/defau lt.aspx?entid=665

Makrinova, E. I., & Grigorieva, V. V. (2015). Motivation Mechanism Of Work Behaviour Enhancement Of Hospitality Industry Employees.  Journal of Environmental Management & Tourism ,  6 (2 (12)), 320.

Rogers, T., & Davidson, R. (2015).  Marketing destinations and venues for conferences, conventions and business events . Routledge.

Yu, Z., Zhang, D., Yu, Z., & Yang, D. (2015). Participant selection for offline event marketing leveraging location-based social networks.  IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems ,  45 (6), 853-864.

Yumatov, K. V., Kiriyanova, L. G., Yakimova, N. S., Zaitseva, N. A., Larionova, A. A., & Korsunova, N. M. (2017). Problem-based learning methods for training staff for tourism and hospitality clusters.  Eurasian Journal of Analytical Chemistry ,  12 (5b), 803-812.