Assessment of Customer Service Skills among Administrative Office Staff in a Hospitality and Tourism Higher Education Institution

ABSTRACT Administrative office staff play a crucial role in delivering quality services and shaping stakeholders' experiences in higher education institutions, particularly in hospitality and tourism programs where service excellence is fundamental. Guided by the SERVQUAL framework, this study assessed the customer service skills of the administrative office staff of the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Cebu–Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue Campus. Specifically, it examined respondents' perceptions of the staff's competencies in communicating effectively, establishing and nurturing productive relationships with associates and clients, and working collaboratively as a team. A descriptive quantitative research design was employed using total enumeration of forty students who visited the College administrative office to address major academic concerns during Academic Year 2021–2022. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire that underwent content validation, pilot testing, and reliability testing using Cronbach's alpha. The weighted mean was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that respondents perceived the administrative office staff to demonstrate an excellent level of customer service skills across all competency dimensions. Communicating effectively obtained the highest weighted mean (4.46), followed by establishing and nurturing productive relationships with associates and clients (4.44) and working collaboratively as a team (4.42). The findings suggest that respondents perceived the office staff as responsive, professional, and collaborative in delivering administrative services. The study concludes that sustaining these competencies through continuous professional development, regular customer feedback mechanisms, and service quality enhancement initiatives may further strengthen stakeholder satisfaction and institutional service excellence. Keywords: administrative staff, customer service, hospitality management service quality, tourism education