Hospitality organizations can use the detailed information provided in a database system to anticipate and provide for the needs of their customers. A database is an electronic filing system containing fields, records, and files. Exceptional customer service is a deciding factor in gaining a competitive edge in any field. A well-organized and managed database system is one of the tools a hospitality organization can use to provide the specific, personalized customer service that today’s sophisticated consumers demand (Tesone, 2006).
Efficiencies/Cost Control of Database Systems An organization has the options of their own IT department design an open platform database system or purchasing the software and support of an independent database management system. In making that decision, an organization must look at the costs and risks involved (Tesone, 2006). Is the IT Department strong enough to maintain and troubleshoot the database they have designed? Eventually, some staff members will be promoted and/or move on to another position – what safeguards are in place when that happens? The investment cost of purchasing software and support from an outside vendor is large, but it is exactly that: an investment. My employer recently made such an investment in a web-based database system as well as expanding the website after much research, many meetings and lots of budgeting. We are already seeing the benefits of these investments: much shorter time periods needed by employees to complete their respective tasks, nearly instant response from the database management system, ease of information retrieval for our customers, and a much higher traffic flow on our website.
Use of Data for Decision-Making In my field, summer camping for special needs children, our database holds incredibly important and confidential personal and financial information about our