WORKSHEET: TRADITIONAL SERVICE EVALUATION

For part 1 of your portfolio assignment, use the data provided to evaluate the service delivered to
tourists at Exeter Cathedral. The word count available is 1000 words (+10% if required).

1. Customer Experience Mapping

You can access the customer experience maps here.

BASED ON THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MAPS, EVALUATE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AT

EXETER CATHEDRAL.
The customer experience maps at Exeter Cathedral show a mixed bag of positive and bad features. This is an
evaluation:
Positives:
1. The cathedral is regarded as majestic, beautiful, and awe-inspiring, with a rich history and architectural
grandeur.
2. Guided tours are renowned for their informative and entertaining content, provided by skilled guides.
3. The cathedral's tranquil and peaceful ambiance promotes introspection and spiritual experiences.
4. The surrounding environs, like the cathedral green and active surrounds, enhance the overall excellent
experience.

Negatives:
1. Visitors frequently express surprise, displeasure, or disagreement with the entrance cost for public
buildings.
2. Accessibility and navigation challenges were identified, including difficulty finding entrances, restrooms,
and getting lost during self-guided tours.
3. Families faced concerns about disrupting tranquility and meeting children's needs.
4. The café and shop received mixed reviews, including issues about their location, accessibility, and service
quality.

Although the cathedral is well-known for its beauty and historical value, there is need for improvement in
tourist experience, including cost, accessibility, navigation, and responding to varied needs. Addressing these
problems could improve the customer experience at Exeter Cathedral, making it more pleasant and accessible
to all visitors.

2. SERVQUAL
To calculate SERVQUAL use the survey data available here. SERVQUAL related data is in columns
‘S’ through to ‘BJ’; expectations for all items are displayed first, followed by perceptions. For
example, the expectation value for the tangibles dimension, item 1, is in column ‘S’, the perception
value for tangibles item 1 is in column ‘AO’.

A. CALCULATE THE MEAN AVERAGE EXPECTATION AND PERCEPTION FOR EACH

STATEMENT, THEN CALCULATE THE GAP (PERCEPTION-EXPECTATION = GAP):
Quality Item Mean Mean Gap
Dimension Expectation Perception
Tangibles 1 Up-to-date equipment 3.95 4.57 0.62
2 facilities visually appealing 4.19 5.57 1.38
3 employees well dressed and 5.03 4.84 -0.19
appear neat
4 Appearance in keeping with the 4.54 5.43 0.89
type of service provided
Reliability 1 When they promise to do 5.57 4.65 -0.92
something by a certain time,
they do so
2 When customers have 5.62 4.62 -1
problems, they are sympathetic
and reassuring
3 Dependable 4.43 5.38 0.95
4 Provide services at the time 5.49 4.43 -1.05
they promise to do so
5 Keep records accurately 4.51 4.62 -.11
Responsiveness 1 Tell customers exactly when 5.49 4.76 -0.73
services will be performed
2 It is realistic to expect prompt 5.41 5 -0.41
service from employees
3 Employees always willing to 6.24 4.35 -1.89
help customers
4 Employees should never be too 4.62 4.32 -0.30
busy to respond to customer
requests promptly
Assurance 1 Able to trust employees 5.54 4.62 -0.92
2 Customers feel safe in their 5.65 5 -0.65
transactions with employees
3 Employees are polite 6.03 5.27 -0.76
4 Employees get adequate 5.49 4.51 -0.97
support to do their jobs well
Empathy 1 Give customers individual 4.68 3.92 -0.76
attention
2 Employees give customers 4.81 4.08 -0.73
personal attention
3 Employees know what the 5.51 5.05 -0.46
needs of customers are
 4 Employees to have customer 4.76 4.19 -0.57
best interests at heart
5 Operating hours are convenient 5.51 5.11 -0.41
to all their customers

B. CALCULATE THE AVERAGE GAP SCORE FOR EACH QUALITY DIMENSION:

Quality Dimension Mean Expectation Mean Perception Gap
Tangibles 4.43 5.10 0.67
Reliability 5.12 4.74 -0.38
Responsiveness 5.44 4.61 -0.83
Assurance 5.68 4.85 -0.83
Empathy 5.05 4.47 -0.58

C. EVALUATE THE PERCEIVED SERVICE QUALITY PROVIDED BY EXETER CATHEDRAL.

Tangibles: The visitors' perceptions of the tangibles exceeded their expectations, as indicated by the positive
(0.67) average gap score. This is the strongest dimension, with modern equipment (gap of 0.62) and
aesthetically pleasing facilities (gap of 1.38) adding to the favorable impression.

Dependability: The average gap score for dependability is -0.38, which is slightly negative. Although
customers felt that the service was dependable (gap of 0.95), there were issues with honoring commitments
(gaps of -0.92 and -1.05) and demonstrating empathy when clients had difficulties (gap of -1.00).

Responsiveness: The responsiveness factor has the biggest average negative gap score (-0.83), indicating a
substantial discrepancy between perceptions and expectations. Notable areas of concern included staff desire
to assist customers (gap of -1.89) and promptness in service delivery (gaps of -0.73 and -0.41).

Assurance: There is also dissatisfaction indicated by the average gap score for assurance, which is negative (-
0.83). Employees may not be getting enough help to perform their duties successfully, and visitors did not feel
entirely able to trust staff (gap of -0.92).

Empathy: With an average gap score of -0.58, empathy still has opportunity to grow. Employees appeared to
understand customers' demands (gap of -0.46), but they fell short of expectations when it came to providing
personalized attention (gaps of -0.76 and -0.73) and putting customers' needs first (gap of -0.57).

Overall, the negative gaps in certainty, empathy, responsiveness, and reliability indicate that Exeter Cathedral
needs to concentrate on raising the caliber of its services in these areas, especially with regard to staff
development, promptness, and personalized care. Although the favorable view of tangibles can be used to
one's advantage, improving overall customer happiness requires addressing the other elements.
3. Customer Satisfaction
To calculate overall customer satisfaction use the survey data available here, the data is in column
‘R’.

A. CALCULATE THE MEAN AVERAGE CUSTOMER 4.32

SATISFACTION SCORE:

B. EVALUATE THE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF VISITORS TO EXETER CATHEDRAL

1. Tangibles: There is a positive gap of 0.67 since the perception (5.10) is higher than the expectation (4.43).
This implies that guests are content with the observable features, like the actual buildings, furnishings, and
staff appearance.
2. Reliability: There is a negative gap of -0.38 since the perception (4.74) is less than the anticipation (5.12).
This suggests that customers are not entirely satisfied with the services' dependability, including their capacity
to deliver on their promises of accuracy and dependability.
3. Responsiveness: A negative gap of -0.83 results from the perception (4.61) being lower than the expectation
(5.44). This could mean that guests are not happy with how accommodating the staff is, or how quickly they
offer assistance.
4. Assurance: There is a negative gap of -0.83 since the perception (4.85) is less than the expectation (5.68).
This suggests that guests are not happy with the assurance given by the employees, including their expertise,
politeness, and capacity to engender confidence.
5. Empathy: A negative gap of -0.58 results from the perception (4.47) being less than the expectation (5.05).
This may indicate that guests are not entirely content with the staff's empathy, which includes their ability to
provide thoughtful and personalized care.

While visitors are generally happy with the observable elements, the negative gaps in these dimensions
suggest that there is still room for development in terms of certainty, responsiveness, reliability, and empathy.
By filling in these gaps, Exeter Cathedral visitors may experience higher levels of overall customer
satisfaction.

4. Recommendations
BASED ON YOUR ANALYSIS IN QUESTIONS 1-3, WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD YOU
MAKE TO IMPROVE THE SERVICE DESIGN AT EXETER CATHEDRAL?
Improving Exeter Cathedral's service design necessitates a thorough strategy that builds on its advantages and
tackles the areas of concern found. The following are the main suggestions:

1. Use inclusive and transparent pricing techniques, such as discounted rates or alternative revenue streams, to
allay visitors' anxieties around admission fees.
2. Give accessibility and navigation a priority by making investments in directional aids, maps, and
conspicuous signage to guarantee that accessibility guidelines are followed by guests with disabilities.
3. Improve customer service and responsiveness by implementing thorough training programs, having a
sufficient workforce, and establishing clear service standards that guarantee staff members are always ready to
help and respond quickly.
4. Increase certainty and empathy by giving staff members particular attention, fostering trust, and teaching
them interpersonal skills and active listening techniques.
5. Adapt programs and activities for families and kids or designate family-friendly spaces to meet the needs of
a wide range of visitors, making sure that everyone has an inclusive experience.
6. Upgrade facilities and auxiliary services by assessing and improving the location, quality, and accessibility
of establishments such as stores and cafés, thereby promoting a comprehensive and satisfying tourist
experience.
7. Make the most of the tangible elements by adding to the visual attractiveness of the physical setting and
using technology to improve the visitor experience with audio tours and interactive exhibitions.

By putting these tactical suggestions into practice, Exeter Cathedral will be able to establish itself as a model
for outstanding service design and provide memorable experiences that appeal to guests from all backgrounds.

WORDCOUNT (EXCLUDING QUESTION TEXT AND 975

TABLES):
 REPORT

Better Customer Experience - Exeter Cathedral

Introduction:

In order to develop their products, organizations must comprehend the opinions and attitudes of their
customers, as this is a crucial aspect of service design. In this study, we use text analysis—a digital method
that entails analyzing textual data to uncover insights—to evaluate the patron experience at Exeter Cathedral.
Text analysis looks for patterns, sentiments, and subjects in textual data, such as customer reviews, social
media posts, and open-ended survey responses. We want to gain better understanding of visitors' experiences,
particularly with regard to staff interactions and architectural elements, by examining 157 TripAdvisor
reviews of Exeter Cathedral. We explored the benefits and drawbacks of text analysis, including scalability,
objectivity, and sentiment analysis capabilities. Our findings suggest ways to improve service design, such as
staff training, enhanced visitor experience, and pricing methods.

Methodology:

Text analysis is a data-driven approach that uses NLP and machine learning to extract insights from
unstructured textual data, including customer reviews, social media posts, and open-ended survey replies
(Gandomi & Haider, 2015). This study examined 157 TripAdvisor reviews of Exeter Cathedral, focusing on
the categories of "Staff" and "Architecture."

Steps in Text analysis:

1. Data Pre-processing: We cleaned and prepared the textual data for analysis by removing extraneous
information such HTML tags and special characters. To break down the text into understandable units for
processing, we used tokenization, stop word removal, and stemming.
2. Concept Extraction: IBM SPSS Modeler was used to extract key concepts and feelings from pre-processed
material. This involves categorizing words, phrases, and idioms linked to personnel and architecture,
including their positive or negative meanings.
3. Sentiment Analysis: Reviews were analyzed to identify favorable, negative, or neutral emotions towards
Exeter Cathedral's staff and architecture.

4. Topic Modeling: Using methods like Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), reoccurring themes and patterns in
reviews were found, providing insights into the most popular topics discussed by visitors.

Critical review:

Text analysis, also known as text mining or text analytics, is a powerful methodology for extracting
meaningful information from unstructured textual data. One of its primary strengths lies in its ability to
process vast amounts of text efficiently, uncovering patterns and insights that would be impractical for human
analysts to discern manually (Kobayashi et al., 2018). This capability is particularly valuable in the era of big
data, where organizations are inundated with textual information from various sources.

Advantages:

Another significant advantage of text analysis is its versatility across multiple disciplines. From sentiment
analysis in marketing to literature review in academia, text analysis techniques have found applications in
diverse fields (Ignatow & Mihalcea, 2018). This adaptability has led to innovations in areas such as healthcare,
where text mining of electronic health records has improved patient care and research outcomes (Demner-
Fushman et al., 2022). Text analysis also excels in its ability to provide objective, data-driven insights. By
using computational methods, it can reduce human bias and subjectivity in interpreting textual data, leading to
more reliable and reproducible results (Grimmer & Stewart, 2013).

Disadvantages:

Natural language is complex, with meaning often dependent on subtle cues, sarcasm, or cultural references
that can be difficult for algorithms to interpret correctly (Cambria & White, 2014). This limitation can lead to
misinterpretations, particularly in sentiment analysis or when dealing with figurative language. Another
weakness is the potential for bias in the algorithms themselves. Text analysis models are trained on datasets
that may contain inherent biases, which can be perpetuated or even amplified in the analysis results (Caliskan
et al., 2017). This issue raises ethical concerns and necessitates careful consideration of the training data and
model design.

Finally, the reliance on high-quality, relevant data can be a limitation. Text analysis is only as good as the data
it processes, and obtaining clean, representative datasets can be challenging, especially for specialized or
niche topics (Allahyari et al., 2017).

Findings- Staff:

The text analysis found both favorable and negative feelings towards Exeter Cathedral's staff. Many
evaluations appreciated the staff's good attitude, competency, and helpfulness, with phrases like "friendly and
helpful," "knowledgeable and informative," and "welcoming and cordial" being frequently used. Some
reviews criticized unfriendly or unwelcoming staff members, using terms such as "sour and officious
attitude," "miserable," and "rude receptionist."
 Figure 1: Staff -Text analysis

Recommendations for staff:

 Provide extensive customer service training to all staff members, stressing good attitudes,
professionalism, and establishing a welcome atmosphere for guests.
Training sessions should cover effective communication, conflict resolution, and empathy to equip
workers with the skills needed for different client encounters.

 Implement regular feedback systems, such as questionnaires, comment cards, or specialized channels, to
monitor and handle staff issues swiftly. Encouraging consumer feedback not only identifies areas for
development, but also promotes a customer-centric culture.

 Create a recognition and reward system for staff who consistently give great customer service.
Recognizing employees through awards, bonuses, and other means fosters a culture of excellence and
motivates them to prioritize customer happiness.

Findings- Architecture:

Exeter Cathedral's architecture has received largely good evaluations, including "beautiful," "stunning," "awe-
inspiring," and "magnificent." The architectural components' grandeur, complex craftsmanship, and historical
significance left visitors amazed. However, some reviewers criticized the exorbitant entrance cost and lack of
thorough information for guests. Dissatisfaction with certain features of the attraction was expressed using
phrases such as "exorbitant entrance fee," "tiny, extremely limited, and dull leaflet," and "insufficient given
the size and historical significance."

Figure 2: Architecture -Text analysis

Recommendations for Architecture:

 Improve visitor experience by providing extensive information and educational materials, such as audio
guides, interactive displays, or augmented reality experiences. These tools highlight the cathedral's
architectural and historical significance, allowing visitors to appreciate subtle features and learn about its
rich legacy.

 Invest in maintaining and preserving the cathedral's architectural aspects for future generations. Regular
conservation measures, including restoration and preventive maintenance, protect architectural integrity
 and indicate a dedication to cultural heritage preservation.

 Use digital technology like virtual tours or 3D models to offer tourists a thorough and immersive
experience before their physical visit. Digital materials can increase visitors' curiosity, education, and
admiration for the cathedral's architectural marvels.

Conclusion:

Text analysis helps evaluate client experiences and find opportunities for improvement in service design.
Analyzing customer evaluations provides firms with insights into customer sentiment, opinions, and
preferences, allowing for data-driven decision-making. Exeter Cathedral may improve its customer experience
by implementing recommended tactics such as customer service training, feedback tools, and increased tourist
experiences.Text analysis is effective, but it should be combined with other methodologies like focus groups,
surveys, and observational studies to acquire a comprehensive picture of client needs and preferences.
Organizations should regularly adjust their plans based on customer input and market trends.
Using text analysis and a customer-centric approach can help firms remain ahead of the curve, build loyalty,
and maintain a competitive edge in a changing business market.
References:

 Allahyari, M., Pouriyeh, S., Assefi, M., Safaei, S., Trippe, E. D., Gutierrez, J. B., & Kochut, K. (2017). A
brief survey of text mining: Classification, clustering and extraction techniques. arXiv preprint
arXiv:1707.02919.

 Caliskan, A., Bryson, J. J., & Narayanan, A. (2017). Semantics derived automatically from language
corpora contain human-like biases. Science, 356(6334), 183-186.

 Cambria, E., & White, B. (2014). Jumping NLP curves: A review of natural language processing research.
IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine, 9(2), 48-57.

 Demner-Fushman, D., Elhadad, N., & Friedman, C. (2022). Natural language processing in health care
and biomedicine. Springer Nature.

 Grimmer, J., & Stewart, B. M. (2013). Text as data: The promise and pitfalls of automatic content
analysis methods for political texts. Political Analysis, 21(3), 267-297.

 Ignatow, G., & Mihalcea, R. (2018). An introduction to text mining: Research design, data collection,
and analysis. SAGE Publications.

 Kobayashi, V. B., Mol, S. T., Berkers, H. A., Kismihók, G., & Den Hartog, D. N. (2018). Text mining in
organizational research. Organizational Research Methods, 21(3), 733-765.
 POSTER

‘What do AI and digital technologies, like text analysis and eye tracking, promise for the future
of understanding the customer experience?’