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Submitted to Kirsty-Anne Nicholson December 2011 By Geoffrey Guilbert JD Tours Projects HNC Tourism Graded Unit
Submitted to Kirsty-Anne Nicholson
December 2011
By Geoffrey Guilbert
JD Tours Projects
HNC Tourism
Graded Unit
Planning Stage – JD Tours Projects
2
TA B L E O F CO N T E N T S
THE CLIENT BRIEF 3
ANALYSIS OF THE CLIENT BRIEF 4
AIMS & OBJECTIVES 5 I AIM TO KEEP A LOG BOOK UP-TO-DATE 5 OBJECTIVES 5 I AIM TO CREATE A TYPICAL CUSTOMER PROFILE SUITABLE FOR EACH MARKET 5 OBJECTIVES 5 I AIM TO CREATE A TYPICAL TOUR PROFILE FOR EACH THEME 5 OBJECTIVES 5 I AIM TO CREATE THREE THEMED TOURING ITINERARIES 6 OBJECTIVES 6 I AIM TO CREATE A BUSINESS REPORT ON CUSTOMER SERVICE AND MARKETING 6 OBJECTIVES 6 I AIM TO CREATE A RISK ASSESSMENT REPORT 7 OBJECTIVES 7 I AIM TO CREATE A PROFESSIONAL REPORT TO RESPOND TO THE CLIENT BRIEF 7 OBJECTIVES 7 I AIM TO CREATE A EVALUATING REPORT 7 OBJECTIVES 7
RESEARCH 8 ...ABOUT THE MARKETS 8 METHODS 8 SOURCES 8 ...ABOUT THE TOURS 8 METHODS 8 SOURCES 9
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 10 HARD COPY REPORTS 10 REPORTS/MEMOS VIA EMAILS 10 DAILY MEETINGS WITH THE MANAGER 10 A BLOG REGULARLY UPDATED WITH THE PROGRESS OF THE PROJECT 10 A COMBINATION OF MEANS OF COMMUNICATION 11 PRIVACY 11
TIMESCALE 12
APPENDIX 13 SCREENSHOT OF THE WEBSITE 13
Graded Unit- HNC Tourism 2012
3
TH E CL I E N T BR I E F
JD Tours is a tour operator based in Dunfermline, Fife. The company has been in business
for 10 years and has built up a successful product based on coach tours of Scotland,
England and Wales for the over 50s domestic market. A high level of repeat business has
been achieved through focusing on the provision of excellent customer service.
More recently the main brochure, which is distributed through travel agents in Scotland
and Northern England, has featured tours in Belgium and Holland. These tours have
attracted a wider market, especially people travelling on their own.
Encouraged by its success in Europe the company has decided to expand its market by
offering tours of Scotland for incoming tourists. Germany, Holland and Belgium have been
identified as potential markets as there are good transport links including direct flights to
Scottish airports.
You are an employee of JD Tours and the manager (Kirsty-Anne Nicholson) has asked you
to prepare proposals for three touring itineraries of five nights/six days duration, each
based on a different theme:
• Tour 1 will follow an itinerary based on Scottish culture
• Tour 2 will follow an itinerary based on Scottish History
• Tour 3 will enable the visitor to participate in a selection of activities for which
Scotland is particularly noted.
The manager has also asked you written briefs on:
The most appropriate methods of promoting the new tours to the incoming market
Recommendations regarding the customer care strategy for the new expanded operation.
Specific stages will have to be undertaken to provide the information that is required
(Planning – Development – Evaluation).
Here are some important deadlines to remember:
14th December 2011: Planning Stage
w/c 23rd April 2012: Developing Stage
w/c 28th May 2012: Evaluating Stage
Planning Stage – JD Tours Projects
4
AN A L Y S I S O F T H E CL I E N T BR I E F
As an employee of JD tours, I have been asked to prepare proposals for 3 touring
itineraries of 5 nights / 6 days duration, each based on a different theme:
Tour 1 will follow an itinerary based on Scottish culture (i.e. customs, food, industry,
sport, events, Nessy, etc.)
Tour 2 will follow an itinerary based on Scottish History (i.e. Kings and Queens, famous
battlefields, famous warriors, archaeological sites, etc.)
Tour 3 will enable the visitor to participate in a selection of activities for which Scotland
is particularly noted (i.e. golf, climbing, hiking, Elephant polo, etc.)
In order to provide excellent products and services, it will be necessary to undertake
deep researches about the new markets. Once those are done, we will have a better
idea of what the customers expect from our tours. So we will be able to do
more researches to create tours, which will satisfy the customers.
If we want to exceed customers' expectations, we need to think of a marketing
approach.
For each tour, the client brief asks to identify the most appropriate and
effective methods of promoting the new tours to the incoming market.
Since JD tours is a company which cares a lot about customer experience, it will be
necessary to provide a customer care strategy for the new expanded operation. This one
should be slightly different from the usual strategy because we now are dealing with a
new range of customers. Those customers are from outside the United Kingdom.
Demography, trends and culture generally have a major impact on people behaviour.
Three main reports will have to be done: customer care and marketing reports with
the main report which is basically the answer to the brief: 3 touring itineraries. A logbook
will also be created to help the manager see the progress of the project.
The results will have to be presented in a professional way. I will also have to decide how I
will communicate with the manager until the deadline.
Graded Unit- HNC Tourism 2012
5
A I M S & OB J E C T I V E S
I AIM TO KEEP A LOG BOOK UP-TO-DATE
Objectives
• Add a page called "log book" on the website
• Leave the progress of the project at the client's disposal
I AIM TO CREATE A TYPICAL CUSTOMER PROFILE SUITABLE FOR EACH MARKET
Objectives
• Gather information about customers for each market
i.e. demographic data, habits, trends, interests…
• Analyse and sorting out data
• Create a typical customer profile for each market
i.e. average age, special needs and disabilities, preferences, etc.
• List the characteristics of customer profiles that are common to each market
This list will be used to create a common profile to each market. I will call this
list the typical customer profile.
• List the characteristics of customer profiles that are unique to each market
This is a list that I will have to keep close when I will create the touring itineraries
and the customer care recommendations. This will be called the list of particular
needs.
I AIM TO CREATE A TYPICAL TOUR PROFILE FOR EACH THEME
Objectives
For each theme, I will create a typical tour with the main features based on data
previously gathered.
I will have to identify the customer's tastes and needs from the typical customer
profile and the list of particular needs previously created.
Planning Stage – JD Tours Projects
6
i.e. type of accommodation, type of catering (restaurants/self-service catering/...), type
of transport (access for disabled people, etc.), type of attractions, extra services (see
the list of particular needs).
For instance, as regards the itinerary about Scottish History, our customers might not be
interested in visiting castles. It might be more interesting for them to visit archaeological
sites or battlefields, which also are part of Scottish History.
I AIM TO CREATE THREE THEMED TOURING ITINERARIES
Objectives
• Gather information and sort them out by using the typical customer profile
i.e. accommodation, transport, attractions, catering
The attractions/accommodation/transport/catering/etc. must match the typical
customer profile.
• Gather information and sort them out by using the list of particular needs
• This will allow providing a better service. If customers have special needs (e.g.
Disability, require a translator, etc.), we will have to make sure the tour bring
them to spaces where they will feel comfortable).
• Define and describe the different features of each theme
I will justify my choices. Why do those attractions/accommodation/
transport/catering/etc. suit to our new customers?
• Create an itinerary for each theme to link each attraction/hotel/etc.
• Simulate each tour to know if they are realistic as regards time management. If we
want to provide good customer services, it is important that customers don't feel
pushed to an attraction without time to fully enjoy it.
I AIM TO CREATE A BUSINESS REPORT ON CUSTOMER SERVICE AND MARKETING
Objectives
• Give as many recommendations as possible to provide an excellent customer
service
i.e. extra services such as emailing the customers about the weather forecast a
few days before the tour, regularly check on road conditions and traffic, etc.
• Identify what knowledge/skills the staff must have to manage that kind of tours
• Identify if a staff training is required
Graded Unit- HNC Tourism 2012
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i.e. First aid, knowledge in product and customer services, languages, etc.
• Identify what quality assurance schemes the company should follow
• Identify methods to get a feedback from customers
• Identify how to improve the products/services in the future
I AIM TO CREATE A RISK ASSESSMENT REPORT
Objectives
• Provide recommendations to minimise hazards/accidents during the tours
• Identify if a special staff training is necessary
i.e. First aid, security warning training
I AIM TO CREATE A PROFESSIONAL REPORT TO RESPOND TO THE CLIENT BRIEF
Objectives
• Provide a response to each main points which is appropriate, accurate and in
sufficient detail to meet the client's needs
• Present appropriate recommendations to the client
i.e. itineraries and programmes, business report on customer service and marketing
I AIM TO CREATE A EVALUATING REPORT
Objectives
• Review and update the action plan in light of experience
• Document any difficulties encountered or modification to the chosen approach
during the course of the exercise
• Identify any knowledge/skills which have been gained and/or developed
• Assess the effectiveness of the research methods used
• Indicate any ways in which the candidate might approach a similar task in the
future
Planning Stage – JD Tours Projects
8
RE S E A R C H
...ABOUT THE MARKETS
Methods
I will gather information from different sources. It will be necessary to undertake
researches for both quantitative and qualitative information. Quantitative information will
help us know who our customers are (age, sex, etc.) and what they might require (e.g.
access for disabled people). Qualitative information will help know what our customers
like or might like. That kind of information will be very important when I will have to
choose attractions/hotels/etc. I cannot take customers to a distillery if the majority of
them doesn’t drink alcohol.
Sources
I could use both primary and secondary data but since I'm just a student, it is difficult to
get good quality primary data. If I do a survey, this would have to be based on
thousands/millions of people, not on some tourists I would have found on the Royal Mile.
So I decided I will only use secondary data. These sources will mainly come from the
Internet such as: visitscotland.org. But they can also be books, magazines or interviews.
...ABOUT THE TOURS
Methods
My research will be based on the customer profile I will have created. This will guide me
to attractions/hotel/catering where customers would like to go. For instance, if the
customers don't like nature, there is no point to waste time looking for information about
national parks. A comparison between different places will have to be done. I will have to
refer to some quality assurance schemes to make sure I choose the best places. Social
websites such as www.tripadvisor.com will be very useful to get feedback about
hotels/attractions/restaurants.
Graded Unit- HNC Tourism 2012
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Sources
A lot of information can be gathered for this part. The most important sources are
Internet and the tourist information centre. If I need more information about an
attraction/hotel/restaurant/etc., the staff of the tourist information centre will probably
be the most qualified people to help me. BBC Scotland also provides good documentaries
about nice places around Scotland. This can be a good place to look for information about
tours.
Planning Stage – JD Tours Projects
10
ME A N S O F C O M M U N I C A T I O N
Different means of communication came to my mind to communicate with the manager
during the progress of the project:
• reports/memos on hard copy
• reports/memos via emails
• daily meetings with the manager
• a blog regularly updated with information found and results
Hard copy reports
This first option has quickly been abandoned because of its cost. Hard copy reports are a
waste of money for the company and are surely not good for the company to achieve its
objectives of green business.
Reports/memos via emails
Then there was the method of emailing the manager. At first, it was a good idea. No
waste of paper, easily and quickly accessible. Only one thing made me reluctant to choose
this option. Imagine yourself as a manager; you receive emails everyday from suppliers,
customers, partners, sponsors, etc. You must nearly spend an hour to read and answer to
all those emails. If all your staff start emailing you every week about what they have done
for the last few days, you would spend hours reading emails which might be without
interest.
Daily meetings with the manager
This could have been a great idea if managers had nothing to do. Unfortunately a manager
is always busy. This would be madness to have a meeting everyday. The project is
supposed to last several months. The manager might get ill or go on holiday. At these
times, it won't be possible to reach her to talk about the project.
A blog regularly updated with the progress of the project
Here is a perfect mean of communication: free, ecological, tidy, easily and quickly
accessible. A blog will make the task much clearer. Moreover it will gather the whole
progress of the project in one place. The manager will also be able to comment on each
Graded Unit- HNC Tourism 2012
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new post if there is something that needs to be changed/improved. However there is still
a last thing that is not included with a blog. There is no way to notify the manager of
important problems you need to talk about. The manager might forget to have a regular
look at your progress.
A combination of means of communication
As we have seen above, only one way of communication wasn't enough. There was always
a problem somehow. So I decided to use every asset of each of these means of
communication. I will mainly use a blog on which I will update the progress of the project.
So it will also serve the purpose of logbook. The manager will be able to comment on it
about any change or improvement that need to be done.
If there is any important issue I need to discuss about with the manager during the process
of the project, I will email the manager about it. According to the complexity of the
problem, we will have a proper meeting or she will simply email me back.
At the end of each stage of the project, a new page will be added on the website (i.e.
results of research about customer profile...).
At the very end of the project, a report will be done.
Here is the address of the website that will be used during the project:
www.g-site.e-monsite.com
PRIVACY
Obviously the blog must be protected by a username and a password. Since this case study
is only an exercise and the professional version of this website is not free, we will consider
this website as well secured. In a real company, the IT staff would easily find a way to
protect the website.
Planning Stage – JD Tours Projects
12
T I M E S C A L E
Graded Unit- HNC Tourism 2012
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AP P E N D I X
SCREENSHOT OF THE WEBSITE
