Service Operations Management for Aviation Essay

Service Operations Management for Aviation - Essay Example Virgin Atlantic services desing is based around mass customization of customer service where the needs of customer and expectation are meet. This is achieved through having different services for different customers so that the customer can choose the kind of service they intent to have. In this case, the customers can choose to fly in one of the three classes which include the business, economy and the upper class. The service design in virgin is also created around the standardisation of the service. This is achieved through the training of staff in order to have a standard of service as they face the customers. This attitude towards service design is both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is the fact that the members of staff are more likely to make any mistakes as they relate the customers (Woods, Hebron & Bradley, 2001). However, as Khosrowpour (2006) argues, when the service is standardised, the staff know exactly what to do and when to do it and this helps in ma king sure that the staff are not likely to do something that may harm the brand of the firm. At the same time, it helps the customers to know what to expect and this reduces the number of inconveniences. There are negatives however, and these include the fact that such a service may seem to be too robotic for the customers (Barlow, 2003). In fact, customers in many cases have complained due to this kind of service where the service members of staff are not able to act spontaneously when dealing with the customers but instead follow too strict procedures. This affects the quality of service especially for customers who would prefer to have a less formal and less robotized customer service. Virgin Atlantic operates in some of the markets where customers demand the best service. One of these markets is he American and European market where customer service quality is highly demanded. Apart from the fact that customers from these two markets demand he best customer service, the market i s also a high competition market, with so many airlines operating in the market (Heracleous, 2008). This competition means that the firms in the market have to be innovative in order to give the customers the best quality service while at the same time reducing costs (Truxal, 2013). This is a challenge for businesses like Virgin Atlantic because there delivering high quality leads to higher costs. Other issues of irregular demand are also important in affecting the way the firm is able to delver high quality services. Like many airlines, the firm has found a way to increase its customer base by increasing customer experience. This is done across the three flight classes. Virgin Atlantic has a department for service design that is dedicated to designing service models which will help the firm in giving the customer the best service. The department is given the mandate to design customer service experience with regard to the cabin crew and other staff who meet the customer face to fac e. It is also mandated with helping the firm to design internal systems in order to give the customer the best feel while flying. This department, in particular is mandated to achieve the following; Pre-flight customer experience design This includes the booking systems, check in systems, and customer service at the airport. Like many airlines, Virgin Atlantic has tied as much as possible to make flight booking easy and to make the check in process easy. This has also been aided by the fact that

Management & Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management & Organisation - Essay Example The desire to function is motivation. Motivation refers to psychological aspects that have the ability to arouse in an individual the literal desire to achieve set goals besides sustaining, controlling, and eliciting specific goal-oriented behaviors (Kleinbeck, et. al., 2013). According to Miner (2012), Motivation plays three significant functions; assisting employees to understand their behavior, assisting managers to build and manage an effective motivation system, and provides conceptual tools for identification and analysis of various motivation problems. The following are some of the aspects of motivation within an organization. Discussions Needs Theories Indisputably, motivation revolves around behaviors and needs. Since motivation aims at the needs of the employees, various need theories towards motivation have been proposed. Examples of such needs theories include Murray’s theory of Human Personality, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, McClelland’s Achievement Motivation theory, and Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene theories. Kleinbeck, et. al. (2013) add that within the contemporary environment there have been classifications that include cognitive and behavioral theories. Theories in these categories include expectancy, equity, goal setting, and behavior modification theories. Murray’s theory of human personality focuses on two forms of needs; physical and psychological. In this theory, both physical and psychological needs are a link connecting stimulus and employee’s reaction to the same (Kunitz, 2011). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory on the other hand focuses on five basic groups of necessities or basic needs. Maslow believes that these needs are so basic that every employee is motivated to achieve them (Kunitz, 2011). The needs include physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. E.R.G. theory focuses on three groups of needs; existence, relatedness, and growth. The need for achievement, p ower, and affiliation form the epicenter of McClelland’s achievement motivation theory (Kunitz, 2011). Lastly, Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene theory focuses on the satisfiers and dissatisfies. In this theory the motivators include achievement, recognition, and specific work (Miner, 2012). Hygiene factors play a significant role in motivating employees. Expectancy/Goals Theories Expectancy or goal theories define how to motivate the employees. However, it is important to note that expectancy/goals theories are more sophisticated (Kunitz, 2011). Evidently employees are motivated if they expect they can achieve their goals that attract both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.