The Readiness of Hospitality Services of Online Transportation

Service for International Visitors

Desloehal Djumrianti

, Hanifati

, and Pridson Mandiangan

Department of Business Administration, State Polytechnic of Sriwijaya, Palembang, Indonesia

Keywords: Hospitality service, drivers online, customers’ choices, customers’ expectations, customers needs

Abstract: The study was a descriptive qualitative research. The purpose of the study was examined communication

skills and hospitality service of online trasnportation services (OTS) in Palembang, particularly Go Car and

Go Grab drivers required to serve international customers. Respondents were online drivers of two online

transportation services companies – Go Jek (Go Car) and Go Grab, by using snowball sampling method, 100

drivers maximum or 10% from total population for each company. The study was designed based on the

means-end of laddering focused on the relationship between cognitive between selected values of service that

given by drivers, attribute service (means) to customers’ expectation, customers’ needs and individual

communication skills (ends) of online drivers. Cognitive means intellectual potential which related to the

ability to develop the rational ability. By using ‘Theme and Coding’ approach to interpret the data from

interviews and observations, the study found that some of the online drivers had not had the basic of hospitality

service to serve international visitors, because of they only able to speak Indonesian and local languages.

Although incomplete services to customers, the study has been confronting earlier theories. The hospitality

services may happen without using verbal communications. Body languages instead of oral languages to

communicate with foreign customers may use as cordial and generous. Sugestions implementation for

companies, and government to make a regulation of requirements policies for a new online driver, such as

they must be able to speak one international language for instance English or Mandarin to communicate (daily

conversations) with foreign customers.

1 INTRODUCTION

As Palembang is one of the international cities in the

world, at once it also as a tourist destination in

Indonesia. Many international events have been

conducted in this city, such as sports events: 2011 -

SEA Games; 2013 - Islamic Solidarity Games; 2014

- ASIAN Games; and 2018, and Islamic events, such

as 2014 - International Musabaqah, etc.

While the development of technology

communication and transportation also support

Palembang as a destination which ready to serve

tourists. The number of online transportation modes

that used in Palembang, such as GoJek, Grab, and

Uber. The development of devices and apps enable

people to transport from one to another place in a

simple way, just clicks they may hire cars like their

own vehicles.

So that is why, online transportation mode has a

lot of customers, one online driver may get around 10

to 20 customers per day (personal interview with an

online driver, 2018). Not only in Palembang –

Indonesia online transportation is used as local

transportation, but also in neighbour countries, such

as Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam (Agung, 2017).

The customers of this mode transportation may

from any level and type, from students to housewives;

from locals to foreigners who come to this city, which

potential be loyal customers. This, therefore, make

online drivers have to ready serve their customers.

They have to give the best services to the customers.

The services for customers in this context are known

as ‘hospitality’. Walker and Walker (2004)

emphasise that hospitality refers to the relationship

between guest and host, also refers to courteous

activities, such as reception.

However, some of drivers have really weak

hospitality services, particularly to foreigner

customers. Based on our preliminary study, by using

semi-structured interview to several drivers, most of

them reject the orders from foreign customers

Djumrianti, D., Hanifati, . and Mandiangan, P.

The Readiness of Hospitality Services of Online Transportation Service for International Visitors.

DOI: 10.5220/0009152800002500

In Proceedings of the 2nd Forum in Research, Science, and Technology (FIRST 2018), pages 81-87

ISBN: 978-989-758-574-6; ISSN: 2461-0739

because they did not want to speak with non

Indonesian customers.

The drivers were not ready spoke with foreigners.

Eventhough, they accept the orders mostly there were

no communication between drivers and passangers. If

this happend and happend again, it will make the OTS

companies collaps. The multiplyer effects of this also

to the drivers themselves, they will lost the jobs.

Based on the report of a local newspaper –

Sriwijaya Post (30 January 2018), there are more or

less 6,000 of online motorbike drivers in South

Sumatera, Indonesia or around 2,000 of online cars

drivers. To be an online driver has no particular

requirement, anyone who has a driving licence and

own car may apply for this job. They are might be

from university students, housewives, or bankers.

However, there is not available data yet until this

research conduct about the communication skills of

the online drivers to serve their customers. Even

though, communication and hospitality services are

two important aspects in the process of serving guests

and hosts.

In sum, based on the data above the study focuses

on the analysing hospitality services of online

transportation services (OTS), by take a case study of

Go Car and Go Grab drivers in Palembang.

1.1 Research Questions

How do OTS in Palembang understand customers’

choices?

How do OTS in Palembang understand

customers’ needs?

How do OTS in Palembang understand

customers’ expectations?

1.2 The Purposes of Research

The purpose of this study are: To examine the

hospitality service of online drivers. To investigate

types of communication skills that hospitality

services required to serve their customers.

1.3 Contributions and Outcomes of

Study

1.3.1 The Contributions of Study

As a basic guide to prepare the hospitality services of

online drivers as guests and hosts for international

visitors. Report to companies or providers of online

drivers in Palembang, or other parties who concern

with this issue.

1.3.2 Outcomes of Study

A rule or regulation from local government, the

Indonesian government, and company or provider of

online transportation to online drivers about special

skills that required for them, such as communication

skills and hospitality services

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

The main focus of the study was about hospitality, so

it is important starting to define hospitality service,

followed by exploring customers’ needs, choices, and

expectation. In the last part, it discusses

communication and previous studies.

2.1 Hospitality Service

Hospitality service cannot separate from human life,

particularly in the context of guest services. As

O'Gorman (2008:12) defines: hospitality as cordial

and generous reception of or disposition toward the

guest, or. An instance of cordial and generous

treatment of guests, or. The act of practice of one who

is hospitable, reception and entertainment of

strangers or guest without reward, or with kind

generous liberty. Similarly with O’Gorman (2008),

Chapman and Lovell (2006) also state hospitality is

about the process between hosts and guests, is an

action or hospitable habit in the reception or service

to guests, visitors, or foreigners from hosts.

This clearly indicates that hospitality service is

about competencies of a person who wish to do things

out the site from his/her home and different from

her/his daily habits, such as eating, sleeping, and so

on (Chan, et.al, 2007). If explore it further, however,

O’Gorman (2008) emphasises that hospitality is more

than just individual services but it is parts of service

industries and relates to its quality. The services from

one to other companies may compete to attract as

much as customers.

In the indusry of hospitality, customers always

expect to get the maximum services from services

providers to meet their expectations or more. Thus, it

is important for the management of hospitality to

improve the quality of customers services.

FIRST 2018 - 2nd Forum in Research, Science, and Technology (FIRST) – International Conference

2.2 Customers’ Choices

While, a group of scholars, Victorino, et.al (2005)

claim customer-choice will happen spontaneously. In

other words, customers may do a selection for goods

or services without thinking about its advantages or

disadvantages, and suddenly. At the same time,

Verma (2010: 474) states, “the choice of hospitality

services is different from the choice of tangible goods

because even after the purchase is made (that is, after

the room is booked or the meal ordered), the

customer continues to interact with the provider while

the consumption is in progress”. Thus, clearly, that

customer-choice is one of the important factors to

generate the decision of buying goods or services in

the hospitality industry (Verma, 2007; Mylonnakis,

2008; Victorino, et.al., 2008).

2.3 Customers’ Needs

Another important aspect that relates to the

hospitality in this study, is customers-needs. As

Kamdampully (2006) notes that customers-need is

the social needs of customers which orientate on the

services that given by companies in ‘hospitality

fields’. This clearly distinct form customers-needs

from companies that sell general goods or services.

Further, Kamdampully (2006) notes there are two

types of social needs of customers, primary needs and

secondary needs, as shown in figure 1.

Figure 1: Matching customer needs with firm’s offer

(Kamdampully, 2006)

As clearly shown in the figure above, primary and

core needs are not only aspects required to meet the

primary needs, but also supplied by supporting

services. While Liao and Chuang (2004) claim the

main factor which influences the customers’ needs in

the hotel industries is ‘performance’.

In this current study, performance means as

complements aspects, such as employees, safety kids

in the hotels.

2.4 Customers’ Expectations

To understand what customers expect also a very

important aspect in the hospitality industries. Based

on the previous studies, customer-expectation is

relating to satisfying or not of customers to the

services from companies (Zeitham, et.al, 2007). In

other words, the quality of services to determine

individual customers’ satisfaction.

Similarly, Dean (2002) claims customers’

expectations in hospitality industries, such as in the

hotels, the expectations of visitors as the basis of their

quality services, and customers satisfaction generated

(Marković, et.al., 2010).

2.5 Communication in Hospitality

The communication between one to another is a

consequence of social relations of human life. There

are at least two persons may generate a social

interaction, this because of intercommunication.

Communication may be defined from etymology,

from the root of a word, the term of communication

is ‘communicatio’, and ‘communis’.

The meaning of communism in this context is an

agreement or understanding of something (DeVito

and DeVito, 2007; Griffin, 2006). DeVito and

DeVito (2007), (Trenboolm and Jensen, 1996) also

define communication as a process of two persons or

more share information and create that information to

generate the meaning and understanding one to

another.

Therefore, the communication in the hospitality

industries is one of important parts for communicator

in order to give best services to their customers.

3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Location and Time of Study

The study conducted in two providers companies,

GoJek and GoGrab in Palembang, South Sumatera,

Indonesia. The time length of study is seven months

from June to December 2018.

3.2 Data Collection Method

To gather data, we used two methods, Primary data

was collected by using:

Semi-structured interview. As Teijlingen (2014)

note semi-structured interview is an open interview,

where the interviewers allow to develop and explore

the questions. The purposes of this interview are to

The Readiness of Hospitality Services of Online Transportation Service for International Visitors

sort out the problem more open where interviewees

enable to deliver their ideas and concepts. Thus, the

interview has been conducted to respondents (online

drivers) to get accurate data. The interview was

around 30 minutes for each driver.

Observation. The observation also conducted to

complete data that collected from interviews. It was

used to look at how the drivers communicate and

hospitality services to customers. By using jotting

notes, “are written in the field” (Neuman, 2006:38), it

was noted anything that related to the research

questions, particularly the services of drivers. The

observation has been conducted four months,

September – December 2018.

3.3 Population and Sampling

Population of this current study was online drivers of

Go Car and Go Grab who work in the are of

Palembang city, registered on the Go Jek and Grab

companies. As mentioned above, the purposes of this

study is to investigate the services of online drivers in

Palembang, so that is why we just use the online

drivers who have working are in Palembang. Based

on data, there were around 2,000 online drivers that

registered on Go Jek and Grab, as shown on the table

Table 1: Population

No. Companies Drivers (cars)

1. Go Jek Indonesia (Go Car) 1,000

2. Grab (Go Grab) 1,000

Source: Sriwijaya Post, 2017

3.4 Sampling Size Technique

The sampling size technique was ‘snowball

sampling”. The reason used this sampling technique

because Neuman (2006) claims this technique proper

for qualitative researches where members of the

population are homogenous or have similarities.

Members of the population selected able to represent

the condition of the population.

Therefore, the population of the study is online

drivers who have similarities drive vehicles or cars of

four wheels for commercial purposes, or deliver

passengers who available from the application of Go-

Car and Go-Grab. The online drivers around 2,000;

1,000 Go-Car drivers and 1,000 drivers. Because

there are no data provided about the demography of

respondents, such as the main jobs; sex; name; and

their ages, then decided maximum 100 drivers for

each provider.

For the first step, around 10 drivers of Go-Car and

10 drivers of Go-Grab were selected as key-

informants in this study. These first 20 drivers help to

select another 20 drivers and continuing until data

required are completed. Therefore, there were around

60 online drivers, 30 drivers of Go-Car and 30 drivers

of Go-Grab.

3.5 Research Design

This study is a qualitative research based on ‘the

means-end of laddering’ (Reynolds & Gutman,

1988). This approach focuses on the relationshipm

coqnitive between values that selected for services

that given by online drivers, service attribute (means)

to understanding of customers choices, needs,

expectations, and individual communication skills

(ends) of online drivers. Cognitive can be interpreted

as intellectual potential about the abilties to develop

rational of individual (Turner, 2010).

By using semi-structured interview, respondents

(online drivers) asked about recall (memory) of their

services to customers in a particular times. Service or

something that relates to services fails or recovery in

hospitality service setting. In this approach,

respondents also investigates their manner of

treatment in order to providing their services.

The study investigated the communication and

services of online drivers to the international visitors

in a particular time. The interviews were conducted

in Indonesian language. The interviews were

conducted around 30 minutes for each driver, by

using voice recorders.

The steps as shown on the figure 2.

Source: Data Processing, 2018

Figure 2: Research framework

Customers

oriented:

choices

needs

expectations

Hospitality

service

Commun

cation

skills

FIRST 2018 - 2nd Forum in Research, Science, and Technology (FIRST) – International Conference

Figure 2 was the steps that used to analyse the

communication skills of online drivers. The first step

was investigating how they understand the

customers’ choices, expectations, and needs. This

very important part to understand how the

communication skills that the drivers have, the

abilities of communication with international visitors,

how they serve choices, expectations, and needs of

their customers. That also shows the level of

hospitality service for each driver.

3.6 Analisis Data Technique

The approach that used for this current study is

‘Themes and Coding’. As Neuman (2006) claims

Themes and Coding is one of the approaches in a

qualitative research, it used to integrate data from

field research. Thus, data that has been collected

from interview and observation were grouped into

several themes and Codes. The grouping of codes

used ‘open coding’, where the researchers able to

group themes and codes based on the data that

summarise what they see happening after read

through data several times (not based on existing

theory – just based on the meaning that emerges from

the data), then they start to create tentative labels for

chunks of data (Neuman, 2016).

To answer the research questions, after data were

grouped into themes and codes, then they were

interpreted and analysed based on the percentages of

similarities of themes and codes, such as how did

OTS in Palembang understand of customers choices;

how did drivers of OTS in Palembang understand of

customers needs; how did drivers of OTS in

Palembang understand of customers expectations.

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

As mentioned earlier, the study was based on ‘the

means-end of where it focused on the relationship

cognitive between values that selected for services

that given by online drivers, service attribute (means)

to the understanding of customers choices, needs,

expectations, and individual communication skills

(ends) of online drivers. Thus, through the semi-

structured interview to the online drivers were

recalled their services to customers, including their

manners in the processing of services to customers.

The next step has grouped the data (interview

results) based on the similarities, basically, there were

five groups of a theme. They were ‘not able to speak

English or other languages’; ‘shy to communicate

with foreigners’; ‘don’t care’; ‘don’t know how to

start a communication’. The table 2 shows the themes

of communication styles and hospitality services of

online drivers, and ‘Body language’.

Table 2: Themes of communication styles and hospitality

services of online drivers to international customers.

Themes Customers

’ Choices

(average)

Customers

’ Needs

(average)

Customers’

Expectation

(average)

Not able to

speak

English or

other

languages

Don’t

know how

to start a

communic

ation

Shy to

communic

ate with

westerners

foriegners

Don’t care

Body

Lan

50 %

15%

13%

31%

19%

31%

53%

24%

11%

30%

Source: Data processing from primary source, 2018

4.1 Communication Styles of OTS

Table 2 shows that there are two types of

communication styles that used by OTS, local and

Indonesian languages; and body language. The

language barriers were the most problems for online

drivers to communicate with their international

customers.

The table also shows that there are half of

respondents and more (50%-53%) were not able to

speak foreign languages, thus, they also less able to

understand customers choices and expectations. In

addition, around 31% of drivers did not know to start

a communications, and they shy to communicate with

foreigners.

This data confirm with the preliminary study, and

it was very anxiety to the continuity of the OTS

companies. Although, language is very important in a

communication. DeVito and DeVito (2007) claim

that one of the communication purposes is to get a

similar understanding of something between a sender

and a receiver.

The Readiness of Hospitality Services of Online Transportation Service for International Visitors

4.2 They Ways of OTS Supply

Customers Choices, Needs, and

Expectations

As shown from table 2, none of dimensions of the

customers’ oriented, customers’ choices, needs, and

expectations were fully understand by drivers.

4.2.1 Customers’ Choice

The data shows only around 6%- 50% of drivers can

understand the customers’ choice. Although, the

percentages of drivers who said shy, don’t care, and

prefer to use body language were less than 10, this

indicates that they have no choices and efforts to

understand their customers’choices.

Similarly, drivers who said did not know how to

start a communication with foreigners (15%), this

indicates that they also have no efforts or lazy to

understand customers’ choices.

4.2.2 Customers’ Needs

Although only around 31% or below of customers

who did not understand the customers’ needs the use

of body language, and did not to start a

communication had been shown that the drivers also

have less opportunities to explore their abilities to

speak with their verbal language.

4.2.3 Customers’ Expectations

The table shows that drivers had a big struggling to

understand the customers’ expectations, more than

half or around 53% of them were not able to

understand what the expectations of foreign

customers because their language barriers.

Similarly with the way they understand of the

customers’ needs they use body language to get

understanding of their customers (around 31%).

Even some of them around 24% of OTS also did not

know to start a communication. This really weak, if

they not use verbal and only use the body language,

they will not fully understand of customers

expectations.

Hence, the results contradicted with the theory of

hospitality that defined by O'Gorman (2008), where

there are two important aspects of the hospitality

services ‘cordial and generous’. In the process of

service to customers, the OTS was not able to show

them. In addition, the results also not relevant to the

concepts of expectations (Zeitham, et.al., 2007; Dean,

2007; Marković, et.al., 2010). The services of drivers

were cannot meet the customers’ satisfaction. They

also not able to supply from primary and secondary

needs from the core and supporting services of

drivers.

A peculiar resume/conclusion that some of the

drivers who answered ‘don’t care’ (see table 2 above),

because they were not ready to get foreigners

customers. The language problems lead to the drivers

were not able to give the best hospitality services to

the international customers.

5 CONCLUSIONS

Language is one aspect that plays important roles in

the communication and services to the customers. As

shown in table 2, language was the most problems for

drivers to generate communications with foreign

customers. This very crucial for OTS - Gojek, Grab,

government to take actions, As Palembang is one of

an international city, foreign customers who come to

this city might be potential customers of the online

transportation.

The study suggests that these parties have made a

regulation for drivers requirements, such as they must

have English skills, at least for daily conversation and

hospitality services for international visitors.

Communication skills and hospitality services are

two important aspects in the process of serving guests

and hosts of OTS in Palembang, particularly to serve

international customers.

Although incomplete services to customers, the

study has been confronting earlier theories. The

hospitality services may happen without using verbal

communication because most of the OTS was not

able to speak international languange. Body

languages instead of oral languages to communicate

with foreign customers may use as cordial and

generous.

Hence, they were not ready to serve foreign

customers, particularly using the verbal languange

and non Indonesian languages.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This paper is about the hospitality services of OTS in

Palembang, so, I am grateful to thank all drivers for

the feedbacks, and cooperations. I also would like to

thanks to my institution the Director of State

Polytechnic of Sriwijaya - Indonesia, and all supports

from my colleagues.

FIRST 2018 - 2nd Forum in Research, Science, and Technology (FIRST) – International Conference

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The Readiness of Hospitality Services of Online Transportation Service for International Visitors