Customer Engagement
How I see it as a small, young fish in a large, old pond...
Customer Engagement Key to Weathering Economic Downturn for Hotel Chains, according to PeopleMetrics 2008 Study
This article points out that the results of a survey about customer engagement show that hotels will have “better financial results than those with low engagement scores.”
This is an obvious but important observation. When I read this, I replayed examples in my mind of how true it is. Having a guest that you become familiar with allows you build a relationship with that person, and stimulates conversation each time they come to the front desk, or any outlet. If they feel comfortable chatting with you, then the next time something goes wrong, chances are they won’t flip out and demand the GM’s home phone number, address, and social security number. They are more understanding and are just coming to you for a resolution, not for a discount. When you can get your guests’ to stop asking for adjustments and just ask for help…you’re doing something right. Not to say you shouldn’t try and go above and beyond for that person. Having a frequent traveler stay with you five or 10 or 100 times a year is usually a sign that they get treated right at your hotel, and a lot has to do with making them feel like it is their home away from home. No matter how frequent a guest is, remember that they were once a first-timer at your hotel, and something went right, so don’t only focus on repeat customers and guests, win new ones. It is also important to give your front line employees a chance to engage the customer/guest. If you are short staffed in your department and you constantly have a line at the front desk, you aren’t giving your employees the chance to get to know their guests and talk about what their plans are for the weekend, how their trip in was, or what hot spots they should check out while in town. Set your employees up to succeed, and it’ll pay off (for you and your company) in the short and long run.
Customer Engagement Key to Weathering Economic Downturn for Hotel Chains, according to PeopleMetrics 2008 Study
This article points out that the results of a survey about customer engagement show that hotels will have “better financial results than those with low engagement scores.”
This is an obvious but important observation. When I read this, I replayed examples in my mind of how true it is. Having a guest that you become familiar with allows you build a relationship with that person, and stimulates conversation each time they come to the front desk, or any outlet. If they feel comfortable chatting with you, then the next time something goes wrong, chances are they won’t flip out and demand the GM’s home phone number, address, and social security number. They are more understanding and are just coming to you for a resolution, not for a discount. When you can get your guests’ to stop asking for adjustments and just ask for help…you’re doing something right. Not to say you shouldn’t try and go above and beyond for that person. Having a frequent traveler stay with you five or 10 or 100 times a year is usually a sign that they get treated right at your hotel, and a lot has to do with making them feel like it is their home away from home. No matter how frequent a guest is, remember that they were once a first-timer at your hotel, and something went right, so don’t only focus on repeat customers and guests, win new ones. It is also important to give your front line employees a chance to engage the customer/guest. If you are short staffed in your department and you constantly have a line at the front desk, you aren’t giving your employees the chance to get to know their guests and talk about what their plans are for the weekend, how their trip in was, or what hot spots they should check out while in town. Set your employees up to succeed, and it’ll pay off (for you and your company) in the short and long run.
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