The Human Resource management strategies
Moments of truth refer to interactions between the customer and employee that can leave a lasting positive or negative impression on the consumer. An example of a moment of truth is the physical attractiveness of the service provider. When the two interact during order taking, if the attendant is neatly dressed with clean garments, the client is impressed, and the opposite holds.
1.1 Managing People
The Human Resource management strategies that have been implemented by Howard Smith Wharves are indeed productive. One of the strategies that have been integrated is hiring the right people. The organization dedicates itself in this by structuring interviews for job-seeking individuals; it conducts personality checks and disseminating a thorough description of the job at hand. Since the organization is based on people processing, personality checks will help to select individuals with warm personalities as they will comfortably interact with customers. The company posts its senior employees, such as the director of marketing- Anna Rogers, and from the description given, she is skilled and competent, a clear indication of the kind of employees tha are hired.
In addition to this, the organization enables its people by promoting teamwork, sharing of information, and involving the employees in management decisions. This works to motivate and energize the employees as they become more contented. Through the intensive training that is provided, employees will deliver quality services. From this, we can then justify that the organization is operating in a cycle of success. HSW has taken the initiative to invest in its human resource; hence long-term survival will be secured. The provision of quality services will cause regular customers to remain loyal to the organization, and new clients will be attracted to the precinct.
2.7 Servicescape and Physical Evidence
Servicescape refers to the framework that prompts client responses to the service environment. HSW has designed its servicescape based on customer needs as it has adequately accounted for ambient conditions such that the lighting, music temperature, and air quality are appealing. Signs, symbols, and artifacts have been incorporated in that directive posts have been put up to help customers find their way. Equipment, machinery, and furnishings in the organization are of good quality to account for unique layout and functionality.
The layout snd functionality, signs, symbols, and ambient conditions form part of the physical evidence which alludes to the environment in which services are delivered and enables consumers and employees to interact. Physical evidence has a significant influence on customers in that the material surrounding can evoke appropriate feelings and reactions to both customers and employees. HSW’s location at the riverfront, its heritage-listed buildings, and riverside cliffs provide a beautiful view which stimulates customer response as described in the Mehrabian-Russell Stimulus-Response Model (Hoffman & Bateson, 2017). The consumers, therefore, tend to spend more time and money on the premises. Additionally, according to The Russell Model of Affect, emotional responses to the environment are based on pleasure and arousal. This model’s effect is seen in HSW in that the organization’s environment has contributed to customer satisfaction.
- Recommendations
Based on the organizational analysis done above, there are three short-term recommendations that the organization can enact. To begin with, is the use of direct marketing. As previously stated, complaints have been received about the congestion of a particular path, particularly in the evening. Through direct marketing, the firm can send personalized messages to highly targeted microsegments to assure them that the problem will be rectified (Verma, 2012). This will further work to prevent the complainants from spreading negative word of mouth. Since the organization has a detailed database in which customer’s personal and information are safely stored, the organization can use the contacts to disseminate the messages.
Howard Smith Wharves has recently faced other complaints about the construction of unapproved buildings. The grievances stated that the development was taking place in areas set aside for drop-off and loading. Such protestation can significantly tarnish the organization’s credibility and effective measures to curb this should be initiated with immediate effect. HSW should institute a short-term committee that will be responsible for the supervision and overseeing construction activities within the organization. In so doing, the committee will ensure that any constructions have received legitimate approval from the Brisbane City council.
Lastly, the business should make use of public relations not only to market themselves but also to address consumer complaints. During the claims of the congested footpath, which was termed ‘footpath to nowhere,’ a Brisbane Times requested to interview the war councilor, but this request was rejected. Such a decline can be perceived differently as some customers may think that the organization is proving to be incompetent to handle and fix the issue at hand. Therefore, proper public relations should be fostered by writing newsworthy stories that address all issues, creating personal relationships with the media, and tailoring messages to the media on specific points.
Measures of effectiveness are designed to measure efficiency such that the objectives correspond with the result. The criteria that the organization should implement include the use of surveys and tracking engagement. In surveys, the company can tell the progress it has made while doing away with complaints. Online surveys can be established for consumers to fill, for instance, asking them to rate the improvements made in rectifying the issues on a scale of one to ten. With this, the organization will be able to rank their efforts as weak if more rates are below 5, average if more rates are on 5, good enough for a 6-7 price, and outstanding for a rate above eight. Track engagement will ensure that consumers are constantly reminded to participate in the survey.
References
Bollard, R. (2013). In the shadow of Gallipoli: the hidden history of Australia in World War I. Sydney, N.S.W: NewSouth Pub
Hoffman, K. & Bateson, J. (2017). Services marketing: concepts, strategies, & cases. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Moore, T. (2020). Howard Smith Wharves told to ‘rectify’ unapproved buildings. Retrieved 26 May 2020, from https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/howard-smith-wharves-told-to-rectify-unapproved-buildings-20191122-p53db8.html
Our Story – Howard Smith Wharves. (2020). Retrieved 26 May 2020, from https://howardsmithwharves.com/about/our-story/
Verma, H. (2012). Services marketing: text and cases. New Delhi, India: Pearson Education/Dorling Kindersley.
Zeithaml, V., Bitner, M. & Gremier, D. (2017). Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm. NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.