-
Customer service 11
-
Lecture1.1
-
Lecture1.2
-
Lecture1.3
-
Lecture1.4
-
Lecture1.5
-
Lecture1.6
-
Lecture1.7
-
Lecture1.8
-
Lecture1.9
-
Lecture1.10
-
Quiz1.1
-
Introduction
The material presented in the first modules introduced you to a wide range of visitors with specific access requirements, which must be taken into account by service providers willing to provide Accessible Tourism services.
You already get acquainted with the different customer groups with specific access requirements. It is clear now that we all have such requirements, and we all want them to be properly taken into account while receiving a service. We need to assess the appropriateness of a service for a particular customer not only according to their possible disability but also their individual condition, the constraints they have, and our ability to respond to them.
You also were introduced to the principles of Universal Design and to some examples of how they apply to accessible routes, accessible facilities or means that makes service suitable for persons with sensory impairments. Properly designed from the outset these may not require additional investments but in the case of necessary adaptations to existing environments or services there would inevitably be extra costs.
However, a wide range of tourism services can be improved without additional cost: the proper customer service that eliminates many invisible but critical attitudinal barriers.
Imagine you are at a luxurious party where you do not know most of the guests. Suddenly, you accidentally “decorate” your white suit with a red wine stain. You feel very embarrassed, it seems to you that from now on everyone sees only your stain instead of you. How can the host of the party act in this situation?
A. Show active and demonstrative attention to you, apologize, try to clean the stain and lament that, unfortunately, he/she cannot offer you a suit to change into, and then calls you a taxi home.
B. Pretend that he/she hasn’t noticed the accident.
C. Smile and encourage you saying, “it is just a stain”.
Of course, yours and the host`s attitudes in this situation may be different, but in many cases, the demonstrative attention would make any of us feel uncomfortable, and the case when the situation is ignored, makes us feel like an unwanted guest. You will certainly agree that the positive approach is often a starting point for finding the right solution.
This example can be used to imagine how a person with disabilities/specific access requirements could feel in the unfamiliar environment of a tourist service provider, for example, in a hotel. Try to remember how you have behaved yourself when dealing with person with any disability or specific access requirements. Or maybe you have witnessed an example of inappropriate behaviour? By reading the information and examples in this module, you will be introduced to the practical tasks of accessible customer service.
How do we behave when catering for persons disabilities? What do people with specific access requirements expect from us? What impact can appropriate staff training have on the tourism business? All this will be assessed after having a look at the material in Module 3.