The Portland Spirit

Sports and Entertainment

Marketing Operations Research
Event

Amie Beld & Skylar Derthick

Camas High School
26900 SE 15th St.
Camas, Washington 98607
January 5th, 2018
 Table of Contents

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY…………………………………………………………...1

II. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………….4

A. Description of the Business…………………………………………………………...4

B. Description of the Community………………………………………………………...6

C. Overview of the Business Current Customer Experience……..……………...………8

III. RESEARCH METHODS USED IN THE STUDY………………………...…..…...10

A. Description and Rationale of Research Methodologies Selected to Conduct the

Research Study……………………………………………........................…..………….10

B. Process Used to Conduct Selected Research Methods………………………….........11

IV. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS…………………………………………………13

A. Findings of the Research Study ……………………………………………………..13

B. Conclusions Based on the Findings………………………..…………………...........17

V. PROPOSED STRATEGIC PLAN…………………………………………………...19

A. Objectives and Rationale of the Proposed Strategic Plan …………………………...19

B. Proposed Activities and Timelines …………………………………………………..20

C. Proposed Metrics or Key Performance Indicators to Measure Plan

Effectiveness……………………………………………………………………………..24

VI. PROPOSED BUDGET………………………………………………………………24

VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………27
 I. Executive Summary

Business Overview

The Portland Spirit was founded in 1994 and incorporated as

American Waterway Inc. The service was started in Portland when
local entrepreneur and current owner, entrepreneur, Dan Yates, saw
an opportunity to make tourism and fine dining on the Willamette
River available to local businesses and individuals in the city of
Portland, Oregon; a metropolitan area which has a growing
population of over 2 million. The positioning of the brand is a
major component of the success achieved.

Identified Problem

The Portland Spirit’s customer experience is inconsistent in all respects; each component
of the business is constructed incoherently, not designed with the purpose of creating one
identity, one business, one customer experience. Because of this, risk is created, valuable
resources are expended unnecessarily, and business success is left to chance. The proposed
solutions and recommended course of action are composed with one goal in mind; to create
brand infrastructure in which a customer experience can be built upon.

Research Methodologies

We conducted four different types of research throughout this project. A focus group, an
interview with the Executive Service Manager, a survey, and secondary research. During
these different processes we focused on finding out what the customer experience was lacking.

Focus Group: Main Interview: Gave us Survey: Allows an Secondary: Showed

concern of employee access to current overview of what how customer
knowledge and customer complaints people ideally want experience technology
matching the price and strategies of in a customer is a major need in
with experience. dealing with issues. experience. areas of data.

Research Findings and Conclusions

The Portland Spirit’s customer experience strategy is not standardized, inconsistent in

execution, and is ineffectively communicated. Customer experience is represented by all the
components of the business. Promotion and website design is critical in the external
representation of The Portland Spirit, whereas employee engagement is an internal
representation.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 1

 Problem Objective

Employee Train employees to follow the SPIRIT acronym to help customers enjoy
Engagement their time on the Spirit.

Customer Update the website so that customers can find/understand information about
Knowledge the Spirit easier and more efficient.

Promotion Update Social Media weekly so that customers have an easier way of seeing
what the Spirit has to offer. Have statistical information on who has made
interaction with our posts.

Proposed Activities and Timeline

Internal and external interactions with customers need to be

improved. Internal interactions with customers are largely affected by
employees, their knowledge, ability and level of training. We need to
improve these factors with the employees to give the customers an 3 Website
Redesign
ideal in person experience. External interactions deal with The
Portland Spirit’s website and social media presence. Our 3, 2, 1
GO! plan of activities include, (3) Website Redesign, (2)
Employee Redesign, (1) SPIRIT Acronym. 2 Employee
Training
ACYRONM
WEBSITE
MAY EMPLOYEE
JUNE
Company Discuss
IT Support
JULY 1 SPIRIT

Training Acronym

Proposed Metrics

All strategies will be executed over the course of a month and afterwards will be
evaluated to measure success. The following metrics will be used to do so:

Social Media Interaction Surveys from Customers Reviews

Track the number of
interactions that are taking
place on each form of
social media that we have.
Determine what aspects our
business needs to focus on
monthly with the surveys
gathered from customers after
their onboard experience.
Look at all reviews (directly
to the company and third-
party reviews) to keep good
publicity among the
passengers.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 2

 Proposed Budget

Overall combination of expenses, that of our employee plan and social media plan, are
calculated in a total below. The total cost of this entire plan is going to be $39,473.50. Training
costs were based on the costs associated with a 3 day retraining of the upper management. The
incentives are based on a monthly program to award employees with gift cards, on a yearly cost
of $600. The website redesign is based on a quote provided by the IT Director.

Activities Cost

Training $5,713.75

Incentives $600.00

Website Redesign $21,000.00

TOTAL COST $27,313.75

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 3

 II. Introduction

A. Description of the Business

 Company History

The Portland Spirit was founded in 1994 under corporate operation by American

Waterway Inc. The service was started in Portland when local entrepreneur and current owner,

entrepreneur, Dan Yates, saw an opportunity to perfect tourism and fine dining on the Willamette

River.

There are three Portland based ships; The Spirit, the Crystal Dolphin, and The Star. The

second outlet is in the Columbia Gorge, called The Sternwheeler. The Spirit is the largest of all

vessels with capacity of holding approximately 300 people.

The Crystal Dolphin is a much smaller venue, with an intimate

atmosphere (can hold approximately 150), The Star is perfect

for company events with a large deck and a second floor where

there is a bar.

 Cruising Services

The Portland Spirit has three types of cruises; private, public, and specialty. Private

cruises are planned and purchased through one individual party or business wanting to use the

venue to host a wedding or business conference. The

entire experience is tailored to the needs and desires

of the client. Public cruises have a standardized pre-

boarding process, dinner service, and atmosphere.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 4

 Pre-boarding consists of mandatory security photos that are later sold to customers at a

price of 10 dollars. After this process, the customer is ushered onto the vessel where they are

greeted by the manager and then shown to their seat with the assistance of a service staff

member. Over the course of the 3-hour cruise, passengers are free to explore the vessel, order

refreshments from the bar, listen to the live musical entertainment, purchase items from the gift

shop, as well as simply look at the scenic view of Portland. Specialty cruises are rented and

tailored to the request of one client.

Most of business and customer interaction occurs on the public cruise. Public cruises

make up most cruises offered. While The Portland Spirit has traditionally targeted and marketed

towards an audience of an older demographic, with higher socioeconomic standing, any action

pursued must take into consideration the effect it may have amongst the entirety of the business’s

clientele.

 Employees

Employment varies throughout the seasons as there is more demand during the summer.

At the peak of employment, they have approximately 90 service staff, 30 culinary employees,

and 25 marketing employees. During winter seasons service staff dwindles to half its size in

results of the slower business. Cruises are prepaid on a per-person basis of approximately 80

dollars for the standard seating and experience. Customers can pre-purchase upgraded package

at an additional expense that range from 30 to 140 dollars. However, the overall expenditure

varies as the customer purchases not-included drinks, desserts, and items, while cruising.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 5

 B. Description of the Community

The Portland Spirit is located in Portland, Oregon; a

metropolitan area which has a growing population of

over 2 million. The city, in comparison to national

averages, is diverse in terms of its geography, economy,

demographics and socioeconomics.

 Geographic

The Columbia River is the Pacific Northwest’s largest river which has historically played a

great role in the economy with creation of dams, plantations and shipping ports. In addition,

highways connect the economies of surrounding cities such as

Vancouver to Portland. Many people commute to Portland to

work, since there are more opportunities for employment. The

Portland Spirit cruises on the Willamette, offering a scenic

route of bridges, ports, airports and other tourist landmarks.

Tourist attractions are concentrated relatively close.

Mount Hood, for example, is located approximately 30 miles from Portland, in addition to the

Oregon Coast located less than two hours away. The Portland Airport (PDX) is an international

airport, perpetually adding a demand for tourism and exploration of this region.

 Economic

Portland is known as the Silicon Valley of the Northwest Region of the United States

meaning it is an economic superpower with a high density of industries; technological, and

consumer services. Historically, Portland has fostered the birth of companies such as Nike,

Adidas, and Columbia. Portland is a business incubator with many investors willing to take risks.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 6

Large corporations and industry drive the local economy. Intel, for example, provides 15,000

jobs from individuals from Portland and those willing to commute from neighboring cities.

 Demographic

The Portland area shows much diversity in

the way the city promotes its markets. Portland is

primarily Caucasian with 76%, Hispanic at 9%,

Asian at 7%, and African American at 6%. The

city has a very large number of people in the age

range of 20-55 years old. In contrast, The Portland

Spirit focuses on the market demographic of 35-55

years old.

 Socio-Economic

Portland has higher levels of employment but lower wages on average in comparison to

national statistics. As a metropolitan area, more individuals work minimum wage jobs, more

individuals rent instead of owning property, and education is generally lower.

Portland National

Household Size 2.35 2.85

Bachelor’s Degree 39.1% 32.4 %

English Primary Language 83.0% 79%

Median Household Income $50,773 $67,565

Unemployment Rate 3.9% 4.4%

Graduation Rate 70% 83.2%

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 7

 C. Overview of the Business Current Customer Experience

 Pre-Cruise

Portland Spirit’s customers are typically older individuals and the majority of customers

booking cruises are not as concerned about having the ability to purchase tickets online. Most

tickets are purchased by calling customer service or

by purchasing tickets at the ticket booth located at

the boat locations. Customers can purchase with a

variety of payment methods including most forms

of debit and credit. Information on boarding time

and location are listed clearly on tickets and in reservation conformations.

 Boarding

Locations vary depending on cruises, and customers often fail to realize this. Often

customers will miss their cruise entirely due to the fact they had the wrong idea of the dock

location. Parking is a challenge in downtown Portland and often causes customers to miss their

cruise. People will come running to board on time. Once they have arrived at the boat, there are

mandatory boarding photos which take a few seconds for every individual party that is boarding.

After photos have been taken, customers make their way down a ramp and onto the boat itself.

Customers are greeted by the Cruise Manager who informs them of important locations

on the boat such as the bathrooms and upper deck. They are then shown to their reserved seat,

where they are greeted by their server who offers complimentary bread. A safety announcement

is given by the captain and cruise manager who address where lifejackets can be found in case of

an emergency and quickly after the service staff sings a company song “It’s a Perfect Day” to

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 8

welcome guests and establishes unity as an ensemble. Later, waiters take orders and the

customers can pass the time by listening to live music from the piano player onboard and

enjoying the scenery of the Willamette River as they wait for their food.

 Food Service

A standard three course meal; salads and appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Opinions on

food quality have been polarized throughout the course of the service’s existence. Once food

service has commenced and passengers have been fed, customers typically make their way to the

upper decks where they are able to visit the gift shop,

take in the sights, and talk to the captain and crew. The

cruise is ended with a farewell song that is sung by the

waiting staff to thank customers for cruising.

 Post-Cruise

The Portland Spirit has a commitment to following up with all customers who cruised.

Customers are asked if their time cruising with the Spirit was enjoyable, if they would come

again, and whether they would recommend the service to a friend. There is a strict refund policy

that cruises are non-refundable; however, if a customer was at all dissatisfied, customer service

will send, a gift card of fifty dollars towards their next cruise. The costs associated with

refunding with gift cards is unsustainable as a long-term business strategy meaning it is

imperative to improve customer experience and decrease current business expenditures.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 9

 III. Research Methods Used in the Study

A. Description and Rationale of Research Methodologies Selected to Conduct the Research

Study

Research Goals were the first element to be determined as they dictated both the type of

research and how research would be conducted. The following were our priorities:

 Define customer profile

 Identify problems with business’s current customer experience strategy

 Discover attitudes and expectations towards customer experience

Type of Research:

 Primary Research

o Surveys (Quantitative Data): We designed a survey containing screening questions

asking age and gender, open ended questions asking the individual to list businesses

with exceptional customer experience, and guided evaluating to what degree of

importance certain elements of customer experience were in comparison to others.

The survey was sent, through means of Facebook, to citizens in the communities of

Camas, Vancouver and Portland. Therefore, the sample size was of a specific

socioeconomic status and demographic standing of high disposable incomes and an

age typically of 35-55, which is The Portland Spirit’s ideal customer profile.

o Focus Group (Qualitative Data): The plan was to gather community members from

the Camas, Vancouver and Portland area and ask them to share their ideas about what

makes a great customer experience. We ideally will be able to analyze the data and

find out what main areas need the most focus on to ask the manager in our interview.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 10

 o Interview (Qualitative Data): We plan on holding an interview with the Manager of

Service Execution, Mindy Caldwell, and ask her how she deals with customer

experience. We have formed questions on the topics of, the hiring process of

employees and how customer complaints are addressed.

o Employee Interviews (Qualitative Data): Since we are able to go to the business, our

plan is to go to the work facility and observe the entire customer experience. Getting

a firsthand look will be able to help us see and understand what the consumers get to

see.

 Secondary Research

o Customer Service Articles and Studies: We plan on reading articles and studies,

from industry professionals, to be able to become more informed on the topics that

fall into making a customer experience overall more engaging for the consumer. By

gathering this information, it can help us form questions based on the data that is

found.

o Pre-Existing Research Conducted by Business: We need to find out what is already

happening within the business and use that information to our best ability to seek and

find what is best needed to be changed. By knowing the pre-conditions, we can look

and compare to what we plan on implementing.

B. Process Used to Conduct Selected Research Methods

Type of Research:

 Primary Research

o Survey (Quantitative Data): We sent out a survey and gathered results to calculate and

find out what different demographics thought about what is necessary for an ideal

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 11

 customer experience. This information helped us to gather information from many

individuals from the Camas, Vancouver and Portland area through online social media

that we sent out. We primarily used Facebook due to the most active users on that social

media platform best fit our target market, as well as sending emails to community

members.

o Focus Groups (Qualitative Data): Six members, were gathered from the community and

asked to share their ideas and answer questions specific to our business. If the individual

had little knowledge on the Portland Spirit, we described the business as a formal dining

environment. A moderator asked questions and monitored conversion while the other

listened and took notes.

o Interviews (Qualitative Data): Since we have

an employee of the Portland Spirit, it was

rather easy to obtain firsthand information.

Mindy Caldwell, service manager, was kind

enough to answer questions regarding the

Portland Spirit’s current customer experience strategy.

o Employee Interviews (Qualitative Data): Marc, an employee since this summer,

gathered first hand interaction with the Portland Spirit’s target market, their attitudes and

thoughts regarding problematic aspects of customer experience.

 Secondary Research

o Customer Service Articles and Studies: Fifteen current articles analyzed recently

conducted consumer studies and provided secondhand data and insight into the

importance of a successful customer experience; its impact on overall business success.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 12

 o Pre-Existing Business Conducted Research: The Portland Spirit Marketing was kind

enough to provide customer complaints from their last business quarter. From the

hundreds of recorded complaints, a customer profile, allowed for an analysis of these

customers and identification of potential business problems.

IV. Findings and Conclusions

A. Findings of the Research Study

Type of Research:

 Primary Research

o Surveys (Quantitative Data):

Of 272 responses, in which

we had an almost equal number of

females and males, pricing,

parking, and atmosphere were the most critical parts of a business’s customer experience.

These three elements were seen within customer complaints as an area needing much

improvement.

o Focus Groups (Qualitative Data):

Customer Findings
Experience
Aspects

Employee Employee attitude and knowledge reflects back onto the business they
Knowledge represent. A knowledgeable employee can assist a customer with any
and questions or concerns that may arise whether it be about the product or
Personality: bathroom locations.

Website/Social Website must be user-friendly and easy to access and understand. From
Media previous experience our focus group discussed how having a 24-hour phone
Presence:

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 13

 service is necessary during business hours, which the Portland Spirit does
have.

Parking: Portland, Oregon is a high-paced metropolitan area in which parking is both

expensive and difficult to find. It is not uncommon for an individual to miss
boarding due to the fact they simply could not park their car. Customers must
be informed by the business upon purchase on parking locations and costs of
parking to prevent unnecessary anxiety.

Atmosphere: Cleanliness, lighting, and ability to converse were brought up continuously as

critical variables in what determines atmosphere. Floors must be swept,
glassware spotless, and offer a visual representation of the quality of the
service. Lighting for dinner cruises must be dimmed, candlelit, and music
adjusted correctly to be heard by those who want to listen, but not too loud as
to interfere with any conversations.

Payment: One member identified online payment as “essential and an absolute

necessity for any business hoping to compete in the modern-day industry.
Options to pay through third parties such as PayPal, Apple Pay, and Samsung
Pay, reinsures feelings of trust with the business.

o Interviews (Qualitative Data):

Manager of Service Execution, Mindy Caldwell, provided the following on the Portland

Spirit’s current strategy regarding employees and customer experience:

“The hiring process is two-step. Employees must be able to sing and entertain as well as

deliver a service that is consistently exceptional. General Manager, Dennis Corwin, holds

auditions where candidates prepare songs and are evaluated on their performance,

personality, and technique. Those asked are interviewed by Dan Yates, company president, and

myself. “Employees hired are those who are personable and have apparent attributes that suit

them best for the job.” This affects the customers experience because if the employees are not up

to standards that can lead to a negative experience which is what we, as The Portland Spirit,

don’t want our customers to go through. “As a manager it is my role to make sure that our

customer service is the best that it possibly can be. We measure this by constantly checking

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 14

different reviews that are left on platforms such as Google and Yelp, we try our hardest as a team

to notice those reviews and reply back to the dissatisfied as well as, the satisfied customers to

acknowledge that we are going to work on the problems at hand.” During the interview, Mindy

was very customer service oriented which is exactly what is needed to be able to create a better

customer experience.

o Employee Interviews (Qualitative Data):

We were able to interview an employee who works in the service department, Marc

Paine, who described to us the different aspects of customer experience that he as an

employee has noticed that needs improvement.

Customer Rationale
Experience
Aspects

Employee “Many of my coworkers were not trained well. Some still have difficulty
Knowledge performing some of the basic job tasks, such as knowing how to make coffee,
and or clean the bathrooms properly.”
Personality:

Website/Social “When you look up ‘The Portland Spirit’ online, you will first find a slew of
Media negative google reviews with an average 3.5 star rating.”
Presence:

Parking: “I remember a couple rushing to the boat as the boat was leaving the dock.
The captain had to re dock the vessel and the two couples, celebrating their
anniversary, were anxious and deeply upset.”

Atmosphere: “Dining service is oftentimes messy. Some of my coworkers get their shirts
dirty and don’t make the effort to clean it off. Customers see this. They see
dirty shirts and that certainly reflects back upon the business.”

Payment: “There are always issues with payments. Often customers feel like they are
being nickeled and dimed; being asked to buy a photo or pay extra for the
desserts they were asked to buy.”

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 15

  Secondary Research

 Customer Service Articles and Studies:

of customers expect business social media presence
46% (Facebook, Instagram)
of customers will pay more for business with higher quality
83% customer experience.

86% of business interaction is online and through website

Emotionally engaged customers are 3 times more likely to recommend a business to

friends and family.

Customer retention of loyal customers is

essential for business success as it provides a large

majority of a business’s income. The Pareto

Principle states essentially 80% of business comes

from 20% of the customers. Customer experience

cater towards customers who return year after

year, those who celebrate special occasions and choose to stay with the Portland Spirit.

o Pre-Existing Research Conducted by Business:

Complaints Reason for Complaint

from
Customers

Overall Service Service overall has been noted as slow and inconsistent. Many were very
dissatisfied with the boarding and departure process.

Food Quality Food was described as cold, sloppy, and low quality in relation to the
amount customers spent.

Employees Complaints were made about employees seeming disinterested in helping

and not knowledgeable about the services. Employees were described as
acting unprofessional around customers.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 16

 Cost Price did not match customer’s perception of service value. Specifically,
upgrades; romance packages; celebration packages, were not worth the
“astronomical” additional cost.

Atmosphere Lighting a makes it very difficult for guests to view the scenery, a large part
of the entire experience as lights were not dimmed.

B. Conclusions Based on Findings

There is a discrepancy between the business’s perception of current

customer experience and the data suggesting customer experience is

flawed, and able to be improved upon.

 Conclusion #1 (Employees):

Business Perception: Incentives and consequences, put in place

by the business are successful; employees understand all of policies

and rules that are needed to be followed as well as disciplined in a

way that prevents recurring poor behavior.

Actual: Many employees fail to perform the most basic functions

of their jobs; bathrooms are not cleaned properly, employees

disregard basic rules without punishment or discipline. Hiring and training process, as well as

managers, have little control over human resources and in turn have little control over

consistency in the execution of the business’s customer experience.

 Conclusion #2 (Website and Social Media):

Business Perception: Website is easy for customers to navigate and find business

information regarding all aspects of the business; staff, cruise times, contact information.

Social media is updated frequently sharing what the business has to offer and what has

happened.
THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 17
Actual: Website can have technical problems, navigation is confusing, and customers frequently

have difficulties accessing certain pieces of information. Complaints left on third party websites

are sometimes not addressed by customer service. `

 Conclusion #3 (Parking):

Business Perception: Portland Spirit provides parking at the business’s office location.

Actual: Office location does not assist as it is located far away from the main

downtown Portland docking location and parking becomes anxiety ridden;

customers fearful of missing their cruise.

 Conclusion #4 (Atmosphere and Entertainment):

Business Perception: Skilled pianists and singers are hired, floors and windows are cleaned,

lighting is dimmed, and atmosphere is overall conversational,

formal, and romantic.

Actual: Employees and pianist’s ability to sing and entertain

undermines entertainment; the romantic and formal atmosphere

becomes compromised. Certain parts of the boat are sometimes

left unsanitary, and employees do not always keep their uniform clean of stains and spills.

 Conclusion #5 (Pricing):

Business Perception: The price matches the satisfaction the customers have had overall “fine

dining” experience. Customers can vary the amount based on their preference when it comes to

the meal aspect of the Portland Spirit.

Actual: Customers are dissatisfied with the amount that they are to pay for the quality served in

terms of food services.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 18

 V. Proposed Strategic Plan

A. Objectives and Rationale of the Proposed Strategic Plan

The Portland Spirit’s customer experience is inconsistent in all respects; each component

of the business is constructed incoherently, not designed with the purpose of creating one

identity, one business, one customer experience. Because of this, risk is created, valuable

resources are expended unnecessarily, and business success is left to chance. The proposed

solutions and recommended course of action are composed with one goal in mind; to create

brand infrastructure in which a customer experience can be built upon.

Objective #1: Create and Standardize Company Identity and Standards

Rationale: Business identity must be present and uniform throughout all aspects of the
business; website design for example, needs to reflect business identity because in the end that
is all that separates one business from another; who a company is and how well they execute.
With a creation of standardized company expectation and positioning the company can begin
to foster and enforce an experience for its customers positioning it from alternative services.
Customer experience benefits as representation of brand if it is consistent.

Objective #2: Redesign of Employee Strategy

Rationale: Business, admitted to no specific or set in stone employee strategy. Employees are
unable to deliver a service if the business has not developed and communicated expectations
and standards. Development, definition, of an employee strategy is the first step needed to be
taken in order to create a customer service that represents the Portland Spirit in ways which
attribute to an increase in customer retention rates, and exceed customer’s expectations.

Objective #3: Redesign of Social Media and Online Appearance

Rationale: Consistency and convenience in terms social media and website interaction is
necessary for a customer service wanting to increase customer experience. Integration of
organizational software, use of online databases, increases business efficiency, quickens
problem resolution, and prevents aids in future decisions regarding customer experience.
Website redesign will decrease the possibility of any negative interaction one may have before
cruising.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 19

 B. Proposed Activities and Timelines

Our plan is called 3, 2, 1 GO! This plan will help us go

Website
in the right direction to improve our overall customer 3 Redesign
experience. We plan on tackling two major aspects of the

customer experience cycle. These being the website as Employee

the first major touchpoint with our customers. Then, the
2 Training

employee interaction with the customers. The entire

SPIRIT
redesigning and retraining is managed by the business’s new 1 Acronym
core values we plan on implanting. This will be implemented

through the SPIRIT acronym.

3. WEBSITE and SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN:

o Redesign of Website: Make website simpler, more navigable, more efficient at

communicating information to customer, and a reinforcement of business identity.

Aspect Purpose

About Us Build familiarity with business

Reviews and To establish credibility and eliminate purchase anxiety

Testimonies

Site Map To allow easy and free navigation of the website.

Survey Responses To allow customers to provide business with constructive feedback

Interactive FAQ Addresses any questions or concerns and create convenience.

PayPal/ Secure Payment Establishment and appeal to business credibility.

Connecting Platforms Allowing different ways of business interactions.

Information Request Provide addition information about price, product, offerings.

Online Shopping Buy Portland Spirit Gifts and shop even when not cruising.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 20

 o Website Redesign Goals
Responsive
 These are specifically Design

what we want to be able to

achieve with our website.

oImplement E-Commerce
Database Website Functionality
Since the website is a Goals
major touchpoint for the

business’s interaction with Web Content

Management
System
customers.

Business has agreed to perform a trial run of strategies as well as to invest in the redesign

of the website and purchase of an online system to organize, store, and analyze business data.

Business will evaluate success over the course of the next month. Promotion of changes,

website redesign, encourage visitation of social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram), will

be communicated to customers through email sent to current customer email list. The

timeline we have created helps show the order in which we need to initiate the activities to

improve our customer experience.

2. EMPLOYEE PLAN:

Bimonthly Communicates to all Portland Spirit staff the changes to be made, the steps to
Newsletter be taken, as well as will recognize employees who have been nominated and
awarded as employee of the month.

Redesigning Employee Manual will identify the best possible ways to perform job tasks as
of Employee well as detail and identify ways to use the SPIRIT acronym. This provides
Manual employees with structure in which they are able to most efficiently deliver the
service.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 21

 3 Day Managers are taught how to use evaluations forms; how to grade, what
Retraining of criteria to grade employees on, and at what time during shifts it is appropriate
all to grade. In addition, they will be made knowledgeable of all disciplinary
Management: rules and the role, employee point system, and are made aware of company
incentives so they are able to communicate that to employees. Managers need
to be trained on all rules they need to enforce and the incentives they need to
promote in order to motivate employees.

o Established Incentive Program

Our main goal of adding an incentive program is to encourage employees even more to do a

better job. This will help keep employees more on task. Managers will then reward employees

and choose employees based on different criteria’s.

 Business creates an employee point system to reward employees who go above and

beyond at consistently performing their role. Certain behaviors and accomplishment are

assigned values. Managers, at the end of their shifts, fill out forms if they feel any

employee performed exceptionally well.

 A record of employee points will be used in determining employee of the month. After a

certain number of points, employees become eligible for nomination. Those nominated

will receive a 5-dollar gift card and the employee of the month will receive a 25 dollar

gift card.

1. SPIRIT ACROYNM:

Acronym will make a complex message both easy to communicate and to remember.

Business is able to run more quickly and efficiently, enforce company expectations, create

company unity, as well as develop company identity. SPIRIT will be used in newsletters and

promoted on all social media platforms as a way of communicating change.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 22

  Smile- leave an impact on customers with every interaction, with every smile.

 Positive- stay positive in every situation.

 Independent- know your job and the job of others.

 Respect- keep an open mind and remain respectful when faced with the views and
opinions of others.

 Initiative- take initiative without being asked, find out what you can do to be better, to be
helpful.

 Think- work smarter and make smart choices.

More specifically this acronym should be implemented into key components of the

business; employee training processes, hiring criteria, social media image.

 Timeline

With our 3, 2, 1, GO! Plan we developed a timeline with the procedures in a

chronological order to help improve our company. This timeline shows a focus on a month to

month bases. We want to be able to implement this plan as soon as possible to improve our

customer experience.

ACYRONM
WEBSITE
MAY
JUNE EMPLOYEE
Company Newsletters
Business provides JULY
Customer Service goals and budget Rewriting Employee
to IT Director Handbook
Introduce SPIRIT
Weekly Check ins Retraining Management
with IT Director
Management Communicates
to Service Staff

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 23

 C. Proposed Metrics or Key Performance Indicators to Measure the Plan Effectiveness

Success is monitored through analyzing customer reaction.

Factors Success Measured

Monitored

Social Media Follower growth, follower reaction and engagement, click Rates and
Interaction- overall traffic flow on The Portland Spirit social media websites;
Instagram and Facebook will determine the degree to which customers
recognize change.

Follow Up Calls A decrease in negative reviews in comparison to that recorded in the

and Surveys- previous fiscal year indicates experience will illustrate whether or not
customer experience has improved.

Reviews from An increased ratio of positive to negative feedback will show if recurring
third party issues with current customer experience have been resolved and if further
websites action needs to ensue.

Customer An in increase in the percent of customer who choose to return indicates

Retention Rate business growth and that customer experience has been noticeably more
effective.

VI. Proposed Budget

ROI (Return on Investment) is a

formula used to measure success of an

investment made by a business. A

successful campaign will be one in

which the percent return yield is greater than 25 percent in profits of investment will be a

measurement of total business revenue compared to that of revenue from the previous fiscal year.

Investment cost is summarized of expense associate with every component of every proposed

plan.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 24

  Employee Training

This is the proposed cost for the completed changes on the employee side of the customer

experience. Here we took the activities and jobs that are needed to do so and calculated the cost

per each event.

Solutions Number of Hourly Number of Total Cost

Employees Rate Hours

Creation of Posters in Bimonthly 1 Salary None No

Newsletter Additional

Redesigning of Employee Manual 5 $13.25 40 $2,650

3 Day Retraining of all 15 $18.25 15 $2,463.75

Management:
Total Cost: $5,713.75

 Monthly Incentives to be Employee of the Month

This is the proposed cost for what it is going to cost for the employee incentives. We have it

laid out to show each step.

Items CPU (Cost Number of Yearly Total

per Unit) Units

Gift Card for Earning Employee $25 (1) $25+ $5(5) = $50 a
of the Month month for items
$50*12 months = $600

Gift Card for Being Nominated $5 (5) $600 yearly on incentives

Newsletter Recognition 0.00 (1)

 Website Redesign:

Michael Chan, the individual contracted by the Portland Spirit will take on website redesign.

A quote was provided by the Portland Spirit estimating the cost of redesigning website.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 25

 Number of pages 10 - 50 $ 2,000

Style of design High end $ 5,000

Copywriting # of pages 5-10 $ 1,000

SEO w/ Placement Guarantee 30 keywords $ 2,000

Responsive Design Yes $ 3,000

Database Integration Advanced $ 4,000

E-Commerce Functionality (Online Shopping) Advanced $ 4,000

Web Content Management System None $0

Total Estimated Quote $ 21,000

 Total Expenses:

The overall combination of expenses of our employee and social media plans are shown

in a total below.

Activities Cost

Training $5,713.75

Incentives $600.00

Website Redesign $21,000.00

TOTAL COST $27,313.75

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 26

 VII. Bibliography

Boyarsky, Brooke. “Developing a customer-experience vision.” Edited by Will Enger. McKinsey and

Company, 10 Mar. 2016, www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-

insights/developing-a-customer-experience-vision. Accessed 29 Dec. 2017.

Caldwell, Mindy. Interview. 2 Nov. 2017.

Dias, Joao. “The four pillars of distinctive customer journeys.” Edited by Oana Ionutiu. McKinsey and

Company, 14 Sept. 2016, www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-

insights/the-four-pillars-of-distinctive-customer-journeys. Accessed 28 Dec. 2017.

The Macro Connections group. “Portland, OR.” Data USA, Datawheel, 10 Aug. 2015,

datausa.io/profile/geo/portland-or/#intro.

Paine, Marc. Interview. 2 Nov. 2017.

Rawson, Alex. “The Truth About Customer Experience.” Harvard Business Review, 7 Sept. 2013,

hbr.org/2013/09/the-truth-about-customer-experience. Accessed 29 Dec. 2017.

U.S. Census Bureau. 30 Apr. 2017,

www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/portlandcityoregon/PST045217#viewtop. Accessed 2 Jan.

2018.

THE PORTLAND SPIRIT 27