[The Impact of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) on the Quality of Service in the Hotel Industry: A case Study at Sofitels Hotels in Mauritius]

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Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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Abstract

This research expands on a case study at the Sofitel Hotels in Mauritius with regards to the impact of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) on the quality of service offered to customers. The tourism industry, which is considered among the main pillar of the Mauritian economy, has suffered with the global financial and economic crisis. Consequently the hotels in Mauritius are faced with a downfall in the demand by tourists. And in order to survive, hotels need to find strategies in order to attract and retain customers.

Customer Relationship Management: CRM is a management strategy that organizations implement, so as to have more information on the customer needs, with the aim of increasing customer satisfaction. In Mauritius, all major chains of hotels have invested or are investing in systems that store complete customer profile. Through the CRM technology, hotels are able to capture information about the customer, which will assist in increasing the quality of service and satisfy the customer better. In this report, the definitions of CRM are explored and the benefits of using the CRM technology are stated.

Quality of Service: The goal of implementing CRM is to improve the quality of service. In the report, the quality of service is defined as enabling organizations to differentiate themselves, sustain a competitive advantage and the extent to which the customer needs and expectations are met. Various benefits of service quality are noted. Moreover, the SERQUAL model, which is one among the most common method used for measuring service quality, will be used to assess the level of service quality at Sofitel hotels.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW1

Sofitel Hotels2

Sofitel Mauritius Imperial Resort and Spa Flic en Flac2

Sofitel SO Mauritius Bel Ombre2

Sofitel Hotels Worldwide3

Vision of Sofitel hotel worldwide3

Values of Sofitels4

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)5

CRM in Hotels6

Implementation of CRM7

Customer Satisfaction and Keys to attaining Customer Satisfaction7

Benefit of using CRM Technology in Hotels11

The use of CRM technology enables11

Quality of Service11

Purpose of SERVQUAL12

CRM and its impact on Quality of Service12

Reliability14

Assurance15

Tangibles Appearance15

Empathy16

Responsiveness16

The GAP model of service quality17

REFERENCES19

APPENDIX24

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

At the dawn of a new millennium, three major forces: customers, competitors and information technology, are shaping how agribusinesses operate. Traditionally, agribusinesses could classify customers into large homogenous segments, offering standard products with similar terms of service, which in turn enabled these firms to earn a healthy profit. "Today's customers are increasingly heterogeneous; they do not fit into traditional stereotyped categories, and they certainly do not respond to 'mass market' ...