Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse Communication Plan 

Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse Communication Plan 

Introduction 

Companies must develop their communication plans for them to be successful in the market. Companies should ensure that their communication plan is frequently updated to ensure that they meet the changing needs of the company and the market. A communication plan is vital in guaranteeing that the company has its goals clarified.  The communication is the routs that are followed by companies in achieving the set goals and objectives.   A communication plan is also vital in guaranteeing that the relationship that exists between the audiences, the messages and the channels are clear for all (Cook, Bell, and Ridge, 2013).  A communication plan helps the organization to understand the people that need to be reached, decide on the message that should be communicated to them by adhering to their unique characteristics, their needs and motivation.  Thus, a communication plan is vital in allowing the company to decide on the best way of passing information to them. Additionally, a communication plan for a company is also crucial in guaranteeing that the company is aware of the needs of the activities that it will engage in in the communication process such to eliminate the chances of being swayed in any direction (Network for Good, 2018).  Since there are many ways of communicating with the target audience, a communication plan will help to point out the effective methods. A communication plan is also vital for a company since it helps a company to identify the areas that need to improve in the communication process, and this ensures that the communication process is useful in all aspects. Therefore, this report will focus on the communication plan for Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse.

Background

A communication plan refers to the idea of passing information from a person to another.  an organization deserves to have a communication plan that will enable it to communicate effectively with the various stakeholders. In most cases, the communication plan in business is aimed at creating awareness about the issues that affect the company or the stakeholders aimed at generating future benefits to the company. A company should begin to develop a communication plan as soon as it starts to sets its objectives. This will help the company to communicate its goals to the stakeholders, and this should not be a one-time activity, but it should be an ongoing process (Linton, 2016). Communication plans have been vital in informing the world about the organization, renew the interest of stakeholders on the organization and is essential for dealing with a crisis that may face a company. Therefore, a company such as Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse should be proactive in developing communication strategies that will help them achieve their goals.

Company Background 

Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse is a restaurant that is focused on providing traditional foods such as smoked beef. The food at the restaurant is prepared carefully for the customers to enjoy every bit of it. There are different available options that a customer may choose, and the customer appreciates the uniqueness of their dish since they prepared once an individual has made an order. The customers are also able to get accommodation in the facility in the Dunsley halls that are unique and designed to give the customers a unique experience. The customers may also enjoy delivery of food or dine in the facility. Therefore, the facility can offer customers convenience and which is crucial for the success of the business.

Key issues

There are several issues that Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse should address for the company to be successful. One of the issues is how to deal with the customers. Some of the customers who have visited the facility were not pleased by the way the customers treated them. In some cases, the staff of the restaurant started to close the restaurant even before the resident visitor finished their business. There were also issues with the poor communicator between the employees and the customers. They do not take the time to let the customers understand why they close early, even though they had booked the venue for a night (Tripadviser, 2019). This impacts negatively on the experience of the customers, which may limit the inflow of customers. The restaurant has been changing its menu without communicating with the customers, and some of the traditional customers are finding it hard to adopt the new menu. Some of the food that has been prepared is inedible, the smell is not pleasant, and the taste does allure the customers. Furthermore, the customer services have been found to be deteriorating especially after the changes of porcelain bowls with appear cups. Most of the customers feel that this was not the right move by the company. Furthermore, the manager does not give the customers an explanation or any future changes in the way the customers were served and said that the changes were motivated by the need to keep the environment clean (Tripadviser,2019).  Furthermore, customer’s complaints are treated with the gravity they deserve and in most cases, the management may disregard the issues raised by the customers.

PESTEL analysis

Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse face significant competition from many other companies that sell their food in the UK.  There are over 28,000 restaurants in the UK which means that there is immense competition for Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse (De Silva, Elliott and Simmons, 2013). Furthermore, it has been observed that even as the number of restaurants increases, there is also a change in the needs of the customers which are becoming sophisticated and dynamic. Therefore a successful restaurant should be able to address the concerns of the customers. Additionally, there has been a growing trend where customers are using the information on the review of the restaurants to determine whether they visit the restaurant or not. A restaurant with negative reviews is likely to see a decline in the number of customers. The customers are looking for a great experience in the restaurants in the way customers serve them, and in the way, the foods are prepared (De Silva, Elliott and Simmons, 2013). Therefore, the very many restaurants in the UK means that Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse faces formidable competition from other restaurants.  The company, therefore, needs to develop a communication plan to promote its products and services to the customers.

The market for restaurants is on the growing trend in the UK with almost half of the budget for food being spend on restaurants. Additionally, the customers in the market decide on whether to revisits a restaurant after the initial visit, depending on the experience they get from the first travel. This means that Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse should give priority to customer satisfaction needs.

Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse can benefit from the stable political environment in the UK, which allow the company to operate all year round (De Silva, Elliott and Simmons, 2013).  This is an essential advantage for the restaurant to utilize in positioning itself as the brand of choice.

The economy of the United Kingdom is also strong, which means that people have disposable incomes which they spend on buying food form restaurants. The stability of the economy means that the restaurant will be able to operate smoothly without any hindrances in the supply chain (De Silva, Elliott and Simmons, 2013).  This will be vital for the company in guaranteeing that customers get quality services every time they get in.

The company also need to continue to be sensitive to the environment but at the same time, be careful not to lose the customers. Most of the customers claim that the services are not of the quality they are looking for, and therefore the restaurant needs to address the environmental concerns in a manner that does not hurt the customers.

Issues arising from the research

From the research, it has become evident that there are some challenges in the communication process of Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse that needs to be addressed for the restaurant to be successful and continue to perform better. Some of the main issues that have identified failure barriers to the communication process.

Barriers to Communication

One of the significant communication barriers that have been identified in the research is the lack of enthusiasm in the communication process. The employees and the manager at Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse seem not willing to communicate with the customers effectively. This has made some of the customers to leave the restaurants dissatisfied with the quality of services (Sharma, 2015). In other cases, instead of the managers addressing the issues that are raised by the customers, they justify their actions or blame the customer.   This impacts negatively on the corporate image of the company.

There is also a problem with the communication channels of the company. There should be a more straightforward way through which the customers can raise their issues concerning the restaurant. This would be pivotal in guaranteeing that customer satisfaction is given priority (Sharma, 2015).  Therefore, even loyal customers to the restaurant are not aware when there rea changes to the menu in the restaurant. Therefore, there is a need to have effective communication channels with customers.

There is a lack of communication plan that should guide the way the information is passed between the various stakeholders in the restaurants. A communication plan would be instrumental in guaranteeing that the restaurants respond to issue the customers raise that in the right way without jeopardizing the operations of the company. This is instrumental in ensuring that deliberate actions are taken to enhance communication in the business.

Key Priorities

The priority cause of action for Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse is to develop a communication plan that will help the company to deal with the stakeholders. Without communication, the restaurant is likely to go wrong in several ways, such as not having a standard way in which to respond to the issues that are raised by the customers. The communication plan will help to solve most of the challenges currently being experienced as it will help to outline the role of each employee in the communication process. This will guarantee that there is a seamless flow of information between the employees of the customers. The customers are susceptible to the reaction of the managers to the concerns they raise, and this obligates the need to determine the cause of action that will be taken in response to issues that are raised by the customers.

There is a need to train the managers and the employees on effective communication methods and channels. This will be instrumental in addressing the concerns of customers in a manner that does not make them feel belittled by the managers. The managers should be trained on patience as they communicate with the customers and be able to explain the stand that has been taken by the restaurant and the justification behind it (Beqiri, 2017). The employees should also be trained on how to communicate with employees to explain why they should close at 11:30 pm and not midnight. They need to listen to the customers to understand that so that they are not inconvenienced. By giving the employees adequate training on how to communicate with others, the restaurant will be able to get the most from the customers since non will feel offended. This training will help to boost the level of relationship between the customers and the restaurants, which is vital for better performance of the restaurant (Beqiri, 2017).

Summary SWOT 

One of the strengths that Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse can capitalize is the ability to have some dishes that the customers like.   The servings are also bountiful for the customers, and this is something that the smokehouse can continue to do to ensure there is streamflow of customers.

Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse face weakness in the communication with the clients, which makes some of frustrated about the services that are offered by the company. The company also fails to understand the dishes that the customers want.   There seems to be a deteriorating relationship between the customers and the management.

Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse have an opportunity of developing a communication plan to address the communication challenges that it currently faces.  Additionally, the restaurant can also take advantage of the two facilities of dining and accommodation of the customers to attract more customers (Welcome to Dunsley Hall, n.d).

Without making the necessary changes in the communication process, Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse face a challenge where competitors will overtake it is concerned about the quality of services they offer to the customers.  This predisposes Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse to the possibility of foreclosure due to intense competition.

Creative Concept 

The big idea that has motivated the Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse and needs a communication plan is to improve the experience of the customers. Enhanced customer relationships are critical for the success of the restaurant, and enhanced service deliver that target the specific needs of the customers. This will guarantee that no customer will walk out of gate feeling he was attended to in the right way.

Creative Proposition and Concept Development

The customers who will come to the Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse will experience a unique, especially where traditional is blended with modernity in the way we prepare our dishes.  If you are feeling peckish, you can get relive by getting an alight bite from our tapas bar. Furthermore, a customer will experience home smokes taste that dates to yesteryears.  The customer will have experienced an enhanced customer experience that is unmatched in the industry.

Objective

Through this communication plan, Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse will aim to increase the number of customers who visit the restaurant by 10% in the next quarter.

Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse will also aim to improve the reputation of the restaurant by increase the number of positive reviews the restaurants will get from the customers by 20% in the first quarter.

Target Audience

The target audience for communication will be the customers who will be reached by the communication through the media (Carmicheal, 2020).  the message that will be sent will aim to implore customers to visits the restaurant for enhanced customer service and quality dishes.

Strategy 

For the communication to get the target audience, the message will have passed via the internet. Most of the customers in the United Kingdom rely on travel companies to get their advice.  This will be an essential avenue to pass the communication. The message will also be communicated via social media since most of the customers use social media. The message will also be conveyed to the target audience via the audiovisual, which is more appealing to customers, and it has a substantial level of credibility.

Proposed Communication Mix

One of the most effective methods of communication will be advertising.  Through advertising, the message will reach both to the current customers as well as other people. Furthermore, advertising, primarily through the audiovisual, can reach a wider audience; enhanced credibility is likely to evoke responses from the customers.   The message will also be communicated via the internet where the customers can access the information from social media sites.

Another critical step in passing the communication is through public relations. Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse can have handled the complaints that are raised the services and the dishes the company offered through the public relations department. This will guarantee that the message that is passed to the customers does not damage the reputation of the firm.

Promotional Recommendations

There rea a few things that will make the communication mix useful in passing information to the customers. For the audiovisual mode, there is a need to consider the timing so that the information gets to as many people as possible. For example, during dinner time is likely to get many people since people are resting from work.

For the online content, there is a need to ensure there is search engine optimization such that a large number of people will view the message. The optimization will make the company higher in the search results when customers search for restaurants (Lake, 2018).

For public relations, there is a need to guarantee that the information that is communicated to the public is credible and not manipulated to suit the situation.  If the customers know that the information was custom designed to meet their needs, they are likely to deist from the company.

Schedule of Activities

Budget

Conclusion

Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse need to come up with a communication plan that will enable the company to communicate with its customers. There have been numerous complaints regarding the services that the company offers and poor communication to the customers.  This has affected the image of the company to the customers, and this results in a decreased number of customers who visit the restaurant.  Additionally, there is also stiff competition in the market, where there are other restaurants that offer quality services to the customers. Therefore they make the Dunsley Hall, and Harleys Smokehouse loses its customers. By developing an effective plan, Dunsley Hall and Harleys Smokehouse will be an appeal to its customers as well as improve its reputation.

References

Beqiri, G. (2017) Importance of Communication Skills in Business. VirtualSpeech. Available at: https://virtualspeech.com/blog/importance-of-communication-skills#:~:text=Allows you to speak concisely, of your dealings with others. (Accessed: June 19, 2020).

Carmicheal, K. (2020) How to Write an Effective Communications Plan [ Template], HubSpot Blog. Available at: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/communications-plan (Accessed: June 19, 2020).

Cook, M., Bell, C.R. and Ridge, K., 2013. Guidelines for the Development of a Communication Strategy. https://web.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-042507-084241/unrestricted/GuidelinesForTheDevelopmentOfACommunicationStrategy.pdf

De Silva, D., Elliott, C. and Simmons, R., 2013. Restaurant wars: spatial competition in UK restaurants. Economics Working Paper Series, 13. https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/lums/economics/working-papers/Restaurant_Wars.pdf

Lake, L. (2018) How to Market Your Business Online, The Balance Small Business. The Balance Small Business. Available at: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/top-10-internet-marketing-strategies-2295375 (Accessed: June 19, 2020).

Linton, I. (2016) How to Develop a Comprehensive Communication Plan, Small Business – Chron.com. Chron.com. Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/develop-comprehensive-communication-plan-14604.html (Accessed: June 18, 2020).

Network for Good (2018) 10 Reasons for Creating a Communications Plan, Network for Good. Available at: https://www.networkforgood.com/nonprofitblog/top-10-reasons-creating-communications-plan/ (Accessed: June 18, 2020).

Sharma, P. (2015) Barriers to Business Communication: Business Management, Your Article Library. Available at: https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/business-communication/barriers-to-business-communication-business-management/70120 (Accessed: June 18, 2020).

Tripadviser (2019) Absolutely awful, poor service terrible management. – Review of Harleys Smokehouse & Grill, Kinver, England, Tripadvisor. Available at: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g1135311-d8752028-r645393938-Harleys_Smokehouse_Grill-Kinver_Kinver_Parish_Staffordshire_England.html (Accessed: June 18, 2020).

Welcome To Dunsley Hall (no date) Dunsley Hall. Available at: http://www.dunsleyhallhotel.co.uk/ (Accessed: June 19, 2020).