University of Lincoln Assessment Framework

Assessment Briefing Template 2022-2023

Module Code & Title:  TOU9162M Customer Service Management

Contribution to Final Module Mark: 100%

Description of Assessment Task and Purpose:

You are acting as a consultant to a tourism organisation of your choice.  Identify a customer service managerial problem and write a business report that addresses the following tasks;

Task 1: Critically discuss the impact the problem might have on other areas of the organisation

Task 2:  Critically analyse the impact the problem is having on key stakeholders

Task 3:  Provide recommendations on how to solve the customer service managerial problem 

The purpose of this assignment is to explore solutions to customer service management problems from a range of perspectives so you build an appreciation of how it can impact other departments in the organisation and external stakeholders.  The assignment will also introduce you to a range of solutions that have been found in existing research with suggests they will have a greater chance of success. Armed with this knowledge, you will be better prepared to enter the tourism industry that relies so heavily on robust customer service strategies.

Learning Outcomes Assessed:

LO1     Demonstrate a critical awareness of a customer service managerial problem, taking into account its relationship and interaction with other areas of the organisation

LO2     Investigate and critically analyse a customer services managerial problem from a range of stakeholder perspectives

LO3     Identify and evaluate suitable solutions to a customer service managerial problem providing recommendation to improve practice

LO4     Organise complex ideas and arguments in a business report

Knowledge & Skills Assessed:

Subject Specific Knowledge, Skills and Understanding: Literature searching, Referencing, Techniques and Skills, Subject-specific knowledge.

Professional Graduate Skills: independence and personal responsibility, written communication, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, effective time management, working under pressure to meet deadlines.

Emotional Intelligence: self-awareness, self-management, awareness of others, motivation, self-confidence.

     Career-focused Skills:  A range of strategies to present skills and attributes to   

    employers.

Assessment Submission Instructions:

Assessment type:  Report

Assessment length: 3000 words +/- 10%

Hand in Date: Monday 15^th May by 1200 Noon

Submission:  Go to the blackboard site, click ‘Assessment Submission’ and submit a word document to ‘Assessment – Report’

Date for Return of Feedback:

Format for Assessment:

Please follow to the formatting guidelines:

• Font / Size:                              Arial or Times New Roman / 12
• Spacing / Sides:                      1.5 / Single Sided
• Pagination required?              Yes
• Margins:                                  At least 2.54 to left and right and text ‘justified’
• Referencing:                            Full compliance with Harvard protocols

Note usual practice is to allow +/-10%.If you submit an assignment which exceeds the prescribed word limit, marking will cease at the point at which the limit has been exceeded and the mark will be awarded on the basis of the extent to which the criteria for assessment have been met up to that point.

Marking Criteria for Assessment:

Please see appendix 3 of the module handbook

Please note that all work is assessed according to the University of Lincoln Management of Assessment Policy and that marks awarded are provisional on Examination Board decisions (which take place at the end of the Academic Year.

Feedback Format:

• Verbal formative is available in every workshop.
• Verbal formative feedback on sample of draft work of the assessment in the one-to-one meetings in Week 31 and 32
• Summative feedback will be written and made available on blackboard.

Additional Information for Completion of Assessment:

Selecting your Business Problem:

Please use a customer review that identifies a customer service problem.  You may also refer to several customer reviews that addresses the same problem to provide further detail.

Business Report Guidance:

You will need to write a business report using the following structure (please note work count is approximate and for guidance only);

Executive Summary (about 150 words)

This summarises the key areas of discussion in the report so the readercan rapidly become acquainted with a large body of material without having to read it all.

Introduction (about 300 words)

The introduction should include

• A brief overview of your chosen organisation (e.g. Their service offering, the size of the business, how they create value using customer service)
• A brief overview of who their customers are and what motivates them to use the service
• A brief history of their customer satisfaction (e.g. discuss the general feelings customers have towards the organisation)
• A few sentences detailing how the report will be structured so the reader knows what to expect.

Main Body (about 1500 words)

• The Problem:  This should go into detail about the customer services problem you have identified.  Use customer reviews to unpack the full scale of the problem where each review highlights a different element of the problem.
• Analyse the cause of the problem:  This should analyse the cause of each element of the problem.  Each week the lectures have focused on a different element of customer service management which you can use as a ‘lens’ to review your problem.  Only use the most appropriate ‘lens’ to review your problem.  For example, you may use the ‘lens’ of the physical environment when reviewing your problem – you may consider if and how the physical environment contributed to the problem.  You may do the same for technology – if and how technology contributed to the problem. 
• Its impact on other areas of the organisation:  Identify which departments may have been impacted by the problem and explain how they may have been affected.
• Its impact on key stakeholders:  Identify the key stakeholders (this should not just include customers) who have been impacted by the problem and explain how each may have been affected.
• A note on using the literature:  You will need to refer to the literature in this report.  For each part of the problem you have identified you should review the literature first and then discuss the element of the problem.  For example, if you have a problem related to customer-to-customer interactions, you may first discuss how other customers impact the experience of other customers by referring to the literature before you go on to discuss the specifics of your problem. 

Conclusion (about 250 words)

The conclusion needs to draw together the key points made in each argument.  You need to discuss these key points in relation to each other.  As each argument you have written does not operate in isolation from each other, it is important that you explore the implications of the relationships between all points. Please ensure you reference where appropriate.

Note:  The conclusion is not a summary of what you have written in the main body and should not introduce any new information.  You should only be referring to the information that has been presented in the main body.

Recommendations (about 800 words)

• Provide a series of recommendations to overcome the problem. 
• Indicate how your recommendation may directly impact other departments and/or stakeholders.
• Each recommendation should first discuss the literature related to the recommendation.  For example, if you are providing a recommendation to improve waiting times, you would first discuss the literature related to how waiting times can be made more tolerable and then provide your recommendation.

References (not included in the word count)

Use the Harvard referencing style and ensure they are listed alphabetically according to the first authors surname.

Appendices (not included in the word count)

You may want to use

• some of the documents you have generated in the workshops to illustrate your points. 
• Screen shots of the reviews you have found relating to your problem.
• Any research you have undertaken on the organisation that will help illustrate your points

Assessment Support Information:

• Each workshop provides the opportunity to discuss the lecture subject in relation to your assessment.
• Week 31 – Assessment Overview
• Week 31 and 32 – Assignment one-to-one tutorials

Important Information on Dishonesty & Plagiarism:

University of Lincoln Regulations define plagiarism as ‘the passing off of another person’s thoughts, ideas, writings or images as one’s own…Examples of plagiarism include the unacknowledged use of another person’s material whether in original or summary form. Plagiarism also includes the copying of another student’s work’.

Plagiarism is a serious offence and is treated by the University as a form of academic dishonesty. Students are directed to the University Regulations for details of the procedures and penalties involved.

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