CSC141 - Leading & Managing Service Businesses
Course Description
Practical Leadership for Service Teams and Operations
This course is designed to help professionals who supervise, coordinate or aspire to lead service teams. Develop and deepen your skills in service leadership, customer experience management, team coordination, pricing fundamentals and operational performance tracking. This course will equip to address challenges in people-driven performance, variability in service quality, customer emotions and daily operational decision-making.
Lean tools and concepts that can be applied across many service-oriented organizations, and we'll dive deeper into examples from high-touch service environments like hospitality and wellness.
Course Outline
Class Session 1 — Foundations of Service Business Management
- Core characteristics of service businesses and service-driven operations
- Roles, workflows, and daily operational structure in service environments
- Defining service standards and expectations for quality and consistency
- Guest/client flow and basic service process design
- High-level health, safety, and operational risk awareness
Class Session 2 — Customer Experience & Service Design
- Customer journey mapping (before, during, and after service delivery)
- Key emotional and psychological drivers of customer satisfaction
- Managing expectations and perceived value
- Service recovery strategies and complaint handling
- Retention fundamentals, aftercare, and loyalty drivers
Class Session 3 — Leading and Managing Service Teams
- Recruiting and onboarding for service-based roles
- Training and performance development in service environments
- Leadership and management styles in people-driven organizations
- Motivation, engagement, and retention of service teams
- Building and sustaining a consistent service culture
Class Session 4 — Business Essentials for Service Managers
- Service pricing fundamentals and value-based decision-making
- Key performance indicators (KPIs) for service operations
- Budgeting basics and cost awareness for supervisors
- Branding and digital marketing fundamentals for service businesses
- Aligning daily operational decisions with business performance goals
Learner Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Explain the key operational and leadership challenges unique to service-based businesses
- Lead and manage service teams using clear standards, coaching practices, and service culture principles
- Design and improve the customer journey to enhance service consistency, satisfaction, and retention
- Apply basic pricing, KPI, and budgeting concepts to support informed operational decisions
- Improve service quality, handle service breakdowns effectively, and contribute to sustainable business performance