SA3: Service Encounter Report

Name: Panganiban, Alliah R

Section: M3A

I. Discussion of Worst Service

Connecticut Salon & Spa is a massage parlor and hair salon. Connecticut is known for a preferred hair salon for
innovative hair styling and salon services, including hair color, extensions, Keratin treatments, and waxing. Also, they
provide care and beautification for the body from head to toe. Hair cutting and styling are common services of
Connecticut. In addition, one of their stores can be located in Santo Tomas City.

I encountered the dissatisfied experience in person. The source of my dissatisfaction is when I arrived at the store,
I asked for someone available who can cut my hair. One of the employees told me that the guy who was supposed to cut
hair went out. I told the employee that I could wait. During the time I was waiting, I was checking if there is someone else
who can cut my hair. When I was about to enter the store, the person who is going to cut my hair arrived, and afterwards
asked me to sit somewhere. The employee asked me what type of haircut I would like, and I showed him a video and
picture for reference. He told me that it was easy to do, so I just let him. During the process, I can see that it was different
from the picture and video which I showed him beforehand. I was expecting that maybe there will be another way to cut
it. However, at the end, it was way too different from the haircut I showed him. I was disappointed because I expected
that he knew what to do since he also told me he had already done it before.

Based on my experience that I encountered at Connecticut, their gap model of service quality is not addressed to
the organization. The service did not meet the expectations of the customer which caused the dissatisfaction. I have
noticed that there are some gaps which have caused the failure of the service. The customer gap is the first thing I noticed,
since as a customer, I was expecting that the organization will give me a high level of service. Connecticut was suggested
to me by my cousins since they tried their service before, that is why I also tried their service now. The second gap I noticed
is the listening or knowledge gap. This gap arises because the management of the organization doesn’t know exactly what
customers expect. They lack management and customer interaction which can cause a big problem regarding delivering
their service. The third gap I noticed is the service performance gap which is one of the most important things to be
considered by the salon industry. Connecticut was not able to deliver the service according to the customer’s expectations.
The employee’s lack of knowledge of the service caused the disappointment of the customer. Also, the employee’s way
of service was unexpected since as a customer, I was really expecting that he knows what he is doing. On the other hand,
the service design and standards gap is one of the gaps I noticed during the service. There is a possibility that Connecticut
was not able to discuss with their employees about the service policy and guidelines which has caused a poor service and
failure to maintain a good service.

In my opinion, employees should have their knowledge on each gap model of service quality which can make them
connect with their customers more. Also, to avoid dissatisfaction and disappointment of customers, the management of
Connecticut should know their rules and guidelines in order to provide a good quality service. Knowing that there are
customers who build up the organization’s reputation, they should improve and maintain the quality of service they are
offering for potential customers. Moreover, the employees should be honest and communicate well with their customers
because it will help them grow and build good relationships with each other. This also could be a lesson learned to the
management and employees despite the bad experience their customers encountered with the service they offer.

II. Discussion of Best Service

Wing Bites is a fast-food restaurant which serves original flavored chicken wings. People say that this place is known
for clean interior, worth the money, serving time, service, price, and good food. With the sudden huge demand of
unlimited chicken restaurants, Wing Bites took the opportunity in serving good food. The restaurant has its branches and
one of the best stores is located at Santo Tomas.

I had an encounter with the restaurant on March 6,2021. It was a great experience since I didn’t expect such good
service. The employees were friendly and they assisted us nicely. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were expecting
that we would have to wait a few minutes for them to assist us but they approached us right after we arrived. When we
told them about our orders, we expected that it would take a long time to cook the food, but it only took a few minutes
and they served us the food already. Also, the employees were friendly whenever we tried to talk to them. It was a great
experience since they served us good food, the serving time was also great, and all of it was worth the money, time and
experience.

With this, based on my experience at the restaurant, it was really one of the best services I have encountered. The
employees were approachable and accommodating. It can also be seen that they are guided and trained properly by the
management. Also, knowing that there is a pandemic, their protocols were followed nicely which makes the service more
special. The restaurant gives us the ambiance of a clean interior and having good food. I expected that their food would
just be like any other restaurant we used to go with, but their restaurant was different and special. The other thing I was
not expecting is that even though there were only a few employees due to the pandemic, Wing Bites’ employees are still
considerate of their customers by communicating with them nicely and properly. They were easy to communicate with
and they were friendly which is also unexpected, since we were expecting that they will be busy serving other customers.
However, they still tried to communicate with their customers as long as they could, which made our first experience
unexpectedly great.
 Wing Bites restaurant is surely one of the best restaurants I have encountered. Their management ensures that
their service quality can give the best experience and satisfaction to their customers. Their management has clear
guidelines which makes their employees have their knowledge on how to serve good quality. Also, Wing Bites can ensure
their service in a way that they continue to maintain and provide quality service by ensuring the management follows the
guidelines, protocols, and regulations. They should also ensure the way their employees serve their customers that there
will be no special treatment among them. Moreover, the management can build strong relationships with their customers
which can also increase customer loyalty. It is important that they continue to strive more to satisfy their customers by
measuring customer satisfaction regularly and meet customer’s demands.

III. Discussion of Lessons Learned/ Personal Insights

Based on my experiences on both good and bad services, I have learned that there are things that need to be
considered by a customer and management. When it comes to customer satisfaction, it is important that a management
should consider every customer’s feedback for them to make improvements in the future. As a customer of Connecticut,
I learned that even though there are other customers who are satisfied with the management’s service, my own
expectation is different from theirs. There would still be a possibility that they may provide bad or good service. Also, I
learned that the knowledge of the employees should be given lots of consideration by the management since their
employees are the ones who are delivering the services to the customers. It is a bad idea that the management will let
their employees just deliver a service they have no knowledge about which can cause a big problem to the organization.
A service company has to set their priorities to help their employees grow and take their job to the next level. On the
other hand, as a customer of Wing Bites, I learned that when a management gives priorities to their employees and
customers, it will give best results to both organization and customers. It is important that they communicate well with
their customers since it is one of the ways to build strong relationships with them. With this, every business has their own
way on how they handle their customers and management. It will only depend on how the service will be delivered to the
customers. It is better to have a deep understanding on how a service quality must be delivered nicely to the customer to
build long term relationship with the customers and have potential customers.

However, these experiences can help me become a better manager in the future since I know things which need
improvements. A future manager should think of a big picture to make the organization achieve the success they want to
achieve in the future. As a manager, I should have a mind-set that allows me to deal effectively with conflicts and barriers.
This also allows me to be thoughtful and to familiarize with the experiences I have encountered in the past. I should also
develop my skills and focus on growth. With the experiences I encountered, a manager’s mindset will have a concern for
the needs of other people as well as making the most of a situation and finding ways to stay positive. Serving customers
should be professional since I will deal with them on a daily basis. Their feedback is significant to the organization since it
will help the organization grow and improve the things that need to be improved. Thus, I learned that it is important to
have knowledge on service marketing, consumer behavior in service, the service environment and more. With this, it will
help me to grow and understand every customer in delivering service. Moreover, delivering service has its own steps and
in order to avoid conflicts, a manager should think of a way to solve the problem and deal with the customers regarding
the service. It is important that managers should consider both management and customers to build strong relationships
in the future.

References

https://dlsl.instructure.com/courses/18219/pages/m1-topic-1-introduction-to-services-
marketing?module_item_id=499867

https://www.facebook.com/wingbitesstotomas/

https://www.facebook.com/ConnecticutSalon/

Documentation (copy of the Service Journal for worst and best service encounter)/ Photos of the
Encounter with captions (If there is any)

Journal Entry #: 5

Your Name: Panganiban, Alliah Date of Encounter: 3/26/2021

Name of the Firm: Connecticut Time of Encounter: 3:24pm
Type of Service (industry): Hair Salon Industry
How did the encounter take place? (example: in person, by phone, via a self-service technology, etc.)
In person

What specific circumstances led to this encounter?

My hair was too long and I thought of getting a haircut. I saw a haircut online and I want to have the same haircut.
The barber arrived and I showed him a picture of the haircut I wanted and asked if he can do it. He said he can and it
was easy. As the barber was cutting my hair, I already can feel that it's not the haircut I wanted and it's different from
the picture I showed him. When the barber is done, I looked in the mirror and my hair is different from the haircut
that I wanted. At the end, I didn't complain to the barber because I thought that I would just make a scene.

Exactly what did the firm/employee say and do?

The barber said that he can do the haircut and it looks easy to do.
 How would you rate your level of satisfaction with this encounter? (Kindly tick/ click the corresponding box.)
Extremely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Extremely
Dissatisfied ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Satisfied

What exactly made you feel this way?

I was expecting that the barber really knows what haircut I really want since he said that it was easy. But I was
disappointed in the end.

What could the employee/firm have done to increase your level of satisfaction with the encounter? What
improvements need to be made to this service system?
If the barber could’ve just told me that he can’t do it, I would’ve suggest other haircut.

How likely is it that you will go back to this service firm? (Kindly tick/ click the corresponding box.)
Extremely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Extremely
Unlikely ☐ ☒ ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ Likely

Why? I am still not sure if I would go back to the place since at my first time in that salon, I was disappointed already.

Additional Comments: None.

PHOTOS/ PICTURES of the Encounter with Captions (If there’s any. This is not required)
 Journal Entry #: 2

Your Name: Panganiban, Alliah R. Date of Encounter: 3/6/2021

Name of the Firm: Wing Bites Time of Encounter: 4:30pm
Type of Service (industry): Food industry
How did the encounter take place? (example: in person, by phone, via a self-service technology, etc.)
In person at the Wing Bites restaurant.

What specific circumstances led to this encounter?

Me and my cousins went to the restaurant to eat unlimited wings. We didn’t expect such good service. They delivered
fast and good service to us that day. All the chickens were fast and served to us freshly cooked.

Exactly what did the firm/employee say and do?

They served us fast and good service.

How would you rate your level of satisfaction with this encounter? (Kindly tick/ click the corresponding box.)
Extremely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Extremely
Dissatisfied ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ Satisfied

What exactly made you feel this way?

I didn’t expect it because we thought that cooking might take a while but their service didn’t.

What could the employee/firm have done to increase your level of satisfaction with the encounter? What
improvements need to be made to this service system?
For me, their service was already great and I just hope that they will continue it.
 How likely is it that you will go back to this service firm? (Kindly tick/ click the corresponding box.)
Extremely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Extremely
Unlikely ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☒ Likely

Why? Their food was great and I want to try it again sometime.

Additional Comments: None.

PHOTOS/ PICTURES of the Encounter with Captions (If there’s any. This is not required)