answer the questions about the case :

3.1.1 Evaluate the importance of a CRM in hospitality companies such as Taj Hotels. Why should Taj Hotels opt for a CRM solution?

(CLO 2, 10 Marks)

3.1.2 Critically Evaluate how sales forecasting could be a competitive advantage for Taj Hotels.

Provide two examples. (CLO2, 15 Marks)

---

this is the case abstract , you can check the case online for additional data:

The case 'Taj Hotels: Using Technology to Offer Personalized Services' describes the various technology-based initiatives taken by Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris (Taj Hotels) to offer personalized services to its guests in India and abroad. The brand's unwavering commitment to offering customer-centric services resulted in its being listed by Brand Finance, a London-based brand valuation consultancy, as the strongest Indian brand in June 2020. It was also considered as a leader in the Customer Experience Excellence metric in a survey by KPMG, a global business consultancy in 2018. The case study discusses the various digital and non-digital strategies adopted by Taj Hotels at individual properties as well as across its chain to provide personalized services and experiences to millennials. Taj Hotels also altered its properties to cater to the needs of millennials, the largest consumer group in India. In 2018, Taj Hotels launched Taj.Live, a digital media monitoring and response system, to listen, interact, engage, respond, and delight consumers across all digital media channels, including social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. This feature increased the direct sales of Taj Hotels by INR1.7 million (USD23,050) within the first three months of the system's installation. The response rate to customer queries also increased from 39% to 85% while the response time went down from 24 hours to less than 15 minutes. The system captured conversations about the Taj Hotels brand on different digital platforms and used analytics to help Taj Hotel employees answer queries, delight consumers, and monitor compliments and complaints. Thus, this digital system enabled Taj Hotels to personalize services across its chain. The case details how the brand leveraged state-of-the-art digital technologies to customize its newsletter, Taj Spice. Taj Hotels partnered with Netcore Solutions, a Mumbai-based provider of an Artificial Intelligence-powered growth marketing platform, to consolidate its legacy data and deliver an exceptional customer experience using data driven marketing automation. The case study goes on to describe how Taj Hotels selected the Oracle Sales Automation cloud in 2017 to bring together various aspects of the hotel chain together. It also launched a mobile application Proxce that featured an easy-to-use user interface which offered several functionalities, including booking of rooms across any of the brand's properties across the world, booking of safaris, paperless check-in to properties, keyless access to rooms, and access to the brand's customer loyalty program, 'Taj Inner Circle.' The case ends with a brief note on the 'Zero-Touch Service Transformation' created and implemented by the brand to ensure business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic and Taj Hotels' future plans to adopt high-end technology like IoT tools to create a more hyper-personalized environment for guests over the next 10 years while retaining the human touch or 'Taj-ness' of the brand.