A competitive advantage is having an advantage over other competitors. It means
being successful and gaining a profit. It is important for organisations to have a
competitive advantage because the industry is very competitive and in order to stand
out to customers organisations need to follow a range of different methods to ensure
that they look good to customers. Customers have a lot of choice and therefore
organisations need to stand out to be chosen. In this assignment I will be explaining
all the different methods of getting a competitive advantage and comparing these
methods with two different travel agents.
Level of Service
This is a very important method of gaining a competitive advantage because it leave
customers with an impression of the company and organisation. If customers are left
with a bad experience then they will not. However, if clients receive excellent
customer service then they will come again to experience that service. This method
is really important because it allows face to face contact which can’t be done online.
Customer service is more important face to face. A shop can provide a good level of
service by building a rapport. This includes building a relationship with the customer,
it also means that you have to listen to them and understand their needs. It means
that agents need to match the holiday to the customers’ requirements exactly. This
can all result in a great level of service. A travel agent can also achieve a great level
of service by making sure that their staff are well trained. If customers receive a
great level of customer service then they will return which will give the organisation a
competitive advantage. It is important to have a great level of service because this
will impact the decision of customers. If there is a great level of service then
customers will return. However, if customers have a bad experience, this will have
an impact on whether they return or not. This gives them a competitive advantage.
In my personal experience during my mystery shop at the multiple travel agent TUI I
have rated their level of service a four out of five. They had an overall good service.
They were respectful and considerate. Similarly, the Miniple travel agent Altham’s.
Their level of service was also a four out of five. It wasn’t perfect but it was still good
they were again very respectful. This would affect their competitive advantage.
Staff Training and selling skills
Making sure that an organisation has all of its staff fully training to deal with every
situation and to have excellent customer can have a major effect on weather an
organisation has a competitive advantage. Staff need to be constantly monitored to
ensure that they are knowledgeable and keep up a high standard to represent an
organisation. It is important that an organisation has weekly team meetings led by a
manager on a regular basis to ensure that staff are well informed and they
understand their role. Another way to make sure that staff are working at their best at