Service quality management implementation at Libya Safari Tours

Quality Service Management

This case study emphasizes the development of SQM in a small Libyan tourism agency, Libya Safari Tours (LST). With the experience I had working for this company I was able to develop a sense of the company's SQM application, working through the various strengths and weaknesses as they existed to date allowing analysis and recommendations for the company and for service in the region generally. The work begins with a brief introduction to Libya, the emerging tourism industry, and then an analysis of LST according to the 11 points, offered by Yee Tsang & Antony (2001) and the 7 points offered by McCarville ending with the answering of a series of essential questions; What does quality mean in the organisation? What factors influence the customers' perception of quality? What procedures exist to ensure business processes are repeatable? Are these processes adequate and if not, how could they be improved? Overall, is quality satisfactory? If yes, what are the factors that lead to QM being effective? If no, how could quality be improved?

Introduction

According to Yee Tsang & Antony "Total quality management (TQM) is an integrative management philosophy aimed at continuously improving the performance of products, processes and services to achieve and surpass customer expectations." (2001, p 132) In accordance with a case study, company analysis for a service industry TQM will be known as Service Quality Management (SQM), (Jafari 2000, p 203) as the main focus of the company is service and customer service is the most essential aspect of success within a service system. (Yee Tsang & Antony 2001) Additionally, according to Yee Tsang & Antony there are 11 main aspects of SQM that are essential to its successful development in service:

customer focus, continuous improvement, teamwork and involvement, top management commitment and recognition, training and development, quality systems and policies, supervisory leadership, communication within the company, supplier partnership or supplier management, measurement and feedback and cultural change. (Yee Tsang & Antony 2001, p 132)

Of these eleven factors, all found to one degree or another in successful service industry companies, in the UK among those surveyed, the most important and consistent among them was customer focus. Though TQM is often thought of as a universal paradigm in business, Sharma & Gadenne stress that the value chain integration is most likely the aspect that will overlap among all three basis types of business, service, manufacture and construction but that all three vary significantly in application of successful TQM principles (2002) TQM of course is an evolving business paradigm that is variant across organisations and business and the literature reflects this variety. (Zain, Dale & Kehoe 2001) (Sila & Ebrahimpour 2002) The work will also briefly address the seven essential elements according to McCarville of effective leisure programming.

1. Establish programming priorities. 2. Discover clients' needs. 3. Develop product accordingly. 4. Identify key program providers. 5. Identify key encounters with clients. 6. Train for flexibility, but when in doubt set standards. 7. Ask for help. (Mccarville 1993, p. 34)

This case study will emphasize the development of SQM in a small Libyan tourism agency, Libya Safari Tours (LST). With the experience I had working for this company I was able to develop a sense of the company's SQM application, working through the various strengths and weaknesses as they existed to date allowing analysis and recommendations for the company and for service in the region generally. The work will begin with a brief introduction to Libya, the emerging tourism industry, and then analyze LST according to the above 11 points, the 7 essential elements of successful leisure programming as well as a series of essential questions; What does quality mean in the organisation? What factors influence the customers' perception of quality? What procedures exist to ensure business processes are repeatable? Are these processes adequate and if not, how could they be improved? Overall, is quality satisfactory? If yes, what are the factors that lead to QM being effective? If no, how could quality be improved?

Brief introduction to Libya Tourism

Tourism in Libya has been all but impossible in recent years, yet clearly this is changing, as the government and the communities begin to support the idea that Libya is a fundamentally valid and valuable tourist destination, especially given its close proximity to Europe. The nation boasts many miles of unspoiled coastline, untouched Roman ruins and several stirring WWII battlefields. ("Travel: Welcome to Libya;" 2006, p 26) The nation has recently been recognized as one of the best tourist destinations in the region, especially considering its relative undiscovered nature. ("Life in Libya; Perrott" 2006, p 1) ("GADDAFI'S SECRET POMPEII. Caroline" 2005, p 94) Tourism is also bolstered by the fact that Libya is a significantly rich nation for trade which makes it a great shopping destination. ("Establish Trade Links in," 2006, p. 4) (Kasper, Helsdingen & Vries 1999, p 119) The development of the tourism trade will likely continue, especially with the investment of local and regional tourism agencies such as LST. (Dabrowska 2005) (Smith 2006) (Gearon 2007) (Pidd 2003, p 15)

The tourism sector has massive potential, given the abundance of sun, sea and sand plus short flight times for European holidaymakers. The country possesses almost year round warm weather and a large number of attractive sites for cultural tourism. However, the lack of tourist infrastructure, visa difficulties and a reputation incompatible with the popular requirements of a tourist destination, have so far, restricted growth of the sector. It is probably unrealistic to expect an explosion in visitor numbers over the next few years, but a gradual increase in both tourists and investment, allied to an improving international reputation, should lay the groundwork to enable tourism to become a major sector within two decades. (Ford 2003, p 50)

Currently, the lack of tourism infrastructure limits Libyan tourism to group excursions, as support for a group is exceedingly easier than for an individual seeking tourist accommodations. The result has been a foundational increase in the number of local and regional tour group planners and companies. LST and other tourism companies on the brink of Libya's emerging tourism industry recognize that quality infrastructure and development will mark the success of the nation as a whole with regard to emerging economic success in tourism.

7 Essentials for Successful Leisure Programming

1. Establish programming priorities. LST has adequately developed a set of priorities regarding both what the consumer will see, as a cultural reflection and from an historical perspective. The company has also effectively developed a TQM approach to the development of programs that meet the consumer's expectations of a tour. Individualization and keeping the costs of such within the expectations of individuals and groups will be the key in the future.

2. Discover clients' needs. Client's needs discovery is currently produced by on demand reporting of concerns. The future involves outgoing questionnaires in addition to on demand reporting and continuity of communications within the company, which already exists to a large degree.

3. Develop product accordingly. Tailored tours are the wave of the future but existing tours need to be addressed fundamentally as well to make sure that they adequately meet the quality expectations of the consumer.

4. Identify key program providers. Key program providers are already identified though this list will grow as the company builds on its repituar of tour services.

5. Identify key encounters with clients. Key encounters are identified and developed through open door policy with CEO but are most fundamentally associated with direct guide access and communications.

6. Train for flexibility, but when in doubt set standards. The flexibility of current tours are lacking but when allowed such flexibility is essential to the consumer needs, flexibility in current offerings is reflective of limited choices that the group has for historical sight seeing or market opportunities. Flexibility will be the key in tailored programs and standards are effectively set in existing tours and procedures.

7. Ask for help. Other tourism agencies exist in the region, though they are few, and cooperation is essential for the development of greater services and a more marketable tourist industry in the whole of the nation. (Mccarville 1993, p. 34)

Essential Questions

What does quality mean in the organisation?

Quality according to the mission and goals of the company and its employees and founder is clearly the development of tours and programs as well as personal interactions that reflect the warmth and hospitality of the nation, within the confines of a tourist safari tour. Quality essentially means the development and delivery of a product that is both expected by the consumer and equal to or better than other tours that the consumer might have taken or be thinking of taking. As the company grows tailored tours and expeditions will require consummate organization and research to provide first time access to new resources and to maintain quality.

What factors influence the customers' perception of quality?

Many factors influence the customer perception of quality, professionalism, warmth ease of access for concerns, cleanliness and ease of access to services and most are responded to my LST adequately if not superiorly. Consumers see partnerships in an entirely different manner than the base of a company who may have adequately developed the partnership-based mostly on price per access and availability of services desired. Consumers assume partnerships are either stronger or weaker than they actually are based on a lack of this foreknowledge and the quality of service provided. If the quality is good overall based on the consumer expectations of service provision the partnership is considered strong, while if the opposite is true the partnership may be viewed as weak, no matter the amount of detail associated with the building of that partnership. It is therefore not uncommon for a consumer/tourist to refrain from commenting on poor service from a partnership, but this must be resolved through continual contact with consumers so partnership obligations are met and issues resolved.

What procedures exist to ensure business processes are repeatable?

LST has an intricate partnership network, most organized and developed by LST as a result of the limited tourism infrastructure in the nation of Libya. When the company expands to include tailored tours it must develop a system to ensure that such services as tour accommodations and refreshments are all consistently of high quality. This may require lead investigations, as photographs and assurances are rarely as communicative as actual trials of services.

Are these processes adequate and if not, how could they be improved?

As the nation's tourism infrastructure improves, LST will likely benefit from these improvements and be able to offer even more services and tours, possibly in areas where infrastructure is not currently present. The company will likely be able to increase the number of hospitality locations and provide longer tours.

Overall, is quality satisfactory?

Quality is satisfactory over all but has some various needs mostly to do with additional expectation development, regarding services and expectations of the European consumer, who often expect private rooms as well as limited independent excursion opportunities which are very limited at this time in Libya.

If yes, what are the factors that lead to QM being effective?

Partnership networks greatly improve quality, as the goal of each aspect of the tours is to provide quality, which is well defined. Quality management is determined by the ability of the organization to first do as much as possible to ensure quality expectations are met for every customer and to rapidly and effectively respond when quality issues arise, as they will in the system.

If no, how could quality be improved?

Again infrastructural changes will improve quality and opportunity as the nation undergoes more and more development for the purpose of meeting the needs of tourists from all over the world. Quality surveys of individual tour members would also likely improve the situation greatly as quality can be better served when individual concerns are seen and addressed, from the perspective of the tourist him or herself. Communication within the company is strong but must be ensured, and therefore as it grows there will be a need for the development of a delegation system where several individuals in the upper management will "take call" to respond immediately to customer service issues both on tours and regarding impending or completed tours.

Recommendations/Conclusion

The development of customer service-based systems at LST will improve as more and more individuals and groups are brought through the existing tours and new ones are developed. As has been stated earlier in the work it is clear that LST is in the midst of diversification and expansion that are essential to the development of the industry in Libya as well as the company. The diversification will require the management to develop new leadership skills and create additional partnership situations for a greater number of hospitality services across the board. (Mccarville 1993)

The nation of Libya has only recently been reopened to tourism, as the individuals within it begin to recognize the need for diversification of the economy. It is also clear that expansion of the infrastructure of the industry will be tailored to the specific cites and centers that individuals wish to see. As more and more becomes known about the nation it is likely that the site list will increase and that LST must be poised to respond with diversified offerings and tailored tour plans. Individual excursions are less possible today than they might be in the near future, which is why it is essential that the group tour structure of the company remain intact and grow until such time as guided tours for individuals and much smaller groups are possible. LST needs to continue to resolve the concerns and complaints, of current guests through exit quality questionnaires and other modes of development to ensure that a consumer level view is constructed and consumer level problems and concerns are addressed.

Libya is one of the brightest spots in the future of tourism development in the Middle East, despite of an in fact possibly because of its historical isolation in addition to its rich offerings, many which have not been seen by tourists of any number for more than fifty years and have not been thus far spoiled by overuse. The nation in general is recognizing the strength of an economic emphasis on tourism as a positive development and those companies, including LST who share the multifaceted goal of sharing the riches of the nation with outsiders in a Service Quality Management venue will likely be some of the most successful and well developed in the next few years at reaching these goals on any scale. LST recognizes that the development of this industry, in its infancy is essential to the growth of the nation as a whole and will do everything in its power to ensure that the quality of its services meet the consumer expectations and therefore result in return engagement and greater future partnerships both nationally and internationally.