Reflective Essay - Business Operations in an Aged Care Organization - Assessment Answer

Business Operations in an Aged Care Organization

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Significance of Service Encounter and its Managerial Implications

Service encounter refers to crucial decisive moments in which consumers frequently develop permanent impressions of an organization (Singh, 2013). As a matter of fact, service encounter often is the service from the consumer’s perspective. Each service encounter offers an organization the opportunity to market itself, to satisfy its customers as well as to reinforce its offerings (Singh, 2013). On the other hand, if not properly managed, a service encounter is also an opportunity to disappoint. According to research, service encounters are very important for business success. The customers’ point of view of service offered by an organization is dependent on service encounter. Therefore, progressive service encounter is a vital element to measure success for the organization’s service. Organizations have been motivated to become more customer oriented due to high competition. Since service encounter offers a period of opportunity where a consumer directly relates and interacts with a service, it provides the foundation for service quality and customer satisfaction (Adsit, Londom, & Jones, 2014).

Service encounters are the first social interactions that spearhead consumers to judge and measure the quality of service offered based on the assessment of personal experiences during the service encounters. Therefore, it is a key determinant of the consumer’s behaviour towards the service (Webster, 2004). With respect to this aged care organization, it is my understanding that the management comprehends the importance of service encounters to the success of the business. As a result, the management has come up with a marketing strategy that they deem best to advertise the services they offer. The organization has developed its own website where it portray the variety of services offered, how they are offered, prices, location, and how they can be contacted. Anyone who visits the website can access the information. In addition, from my point of view, anyone in need of services related to aged care can be referred to check out the organizations website. The organization also uses blogs where it explains how their services work and also offers a platform to customers that have used their services in the past to share their experiences with potential customers.

The significance of service encounters is evident in strategic structures used in the management of services. The three key constituents in service organizations include customers, employees, and the management. Positive interrelationships between these three aspects are a guarantee for success of the organization. The management of this aged care organization has ensured that its employees are efficient and are experienced in the services they are expected to offer to the clients. From the employees that receive the clients at the reception for registration, to those that offer actual care to the customers, are all experienced and efficient in offering their services. Since first impressions matter a lot in service encounters, I have witnessed that the management has ensured that desks are well set up with enough number of employees to welcome the clients to the organization, register them, and direct them to the next step of the process. The way the clients are handled during their arrival at the organization may determine their decision on whether they are interested in receiving the services offered by the organization. In my experience, the clients are handled in a very professional and caring manner. Progressive service encounters may also prompt pleased clients to refer other potential clients to the organization. It is the comprehension of organizations that service encounters and consumer’s point of view on the behaviour of their employees directly determines customer satisfaction. According to me, the management of the organization have recruited employees that are highly trained in communication skills as well as providence of care to ensure that their behaviour only impacts the perspective of their customers in a positive manner.

The performance of an organization in the services they offer can be indicated by customer satisfaction. The satisfaction of a customer is a precursor to customer loyalty through delivering superior value (Winsted, 2010). Progressive service encounter in service organizations is as a result of good service quality which is strengthened with the behaviour of the employee towards the customers. It is my understanding that successful organizations get an edge over their competitors by achieving customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is achieved by efficient employee performance as well as high quality of service. From my experience, the management of this organization has focused on its measures of managerial behaviour since it is significant in establishing a competitive service oriented culture. Studies show that customer satisfaction levels would be higher if employees had training in how they deal with customers. According to me, a strong relationship exists between the attitude of employees, performance, and customer satisfaction. Positive service encounter guarantees customer satisfaction. In addition, customer satisfaction highly influences customer loyalty. The performance and profitability of an organization directly correlates with customer loyalty. With increased competition in the service industry, retaining customers is as important as attracting potential customers. Service organizations strive to achieve customer satisfaction and loyalty through the delivery of superior value. This is a critical source of competitive advantage. Competent and well trained in behaviour employees guarantee high quality service. High quality service in turn has guaranteed customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction on the other hand has ensures customer loyalty. A service organization with a significant number of loyal customers has higher chances of attracting more potential customers since a lot of people are referred to the organization by its loyal customers. In this particular aged care organization, I have experienced that every step taken by the management is aimed at providing customers with a high quality service from the beginning to ensure positive service encounter. According to me, from the moment potential customers step into the organization for registration, the services they receive are of a quality so high that they are reeled in from the beginning.