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 Make your property's new year's resolution to re-focus on Customer Service. Doing
so can help seperate your hotel from the competition and forge loyalty. Remember getting a new customer
costs approximately five times what it costs to keep an existing one! 1.) Set service standards for your property. Standard #1: The guest
is greeted within 30 seconds. 2.) Make collecting guest feedback a top priority. Encourage the guest to post the feedback on TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Qype. Make sure all of your employees understand the value of this. 3.) Never ask a guest “Have you stayed with us before?” Build a great recognition system so you, already, know that answer. (Everyone likes to be recognized and feel special) 4.) Collect as much information as you can about your guests. The more details you know regarding their likes, dislikes and preferences, the higher level of service you can provide. 5.) Promote the fact that you offer free WiFi. guest love free Internet access and it makes for happier guests, which just might help you rank higher in TripAdvisor. 6.) Understand the power of consistency. This is crucial for building loyalty, and there is nothing worse than letting a customer down after they have a good experience. Use operating procedures and training to provide consistent excellence service delivery at your property. 7.) Build loyalty through offering unique amenities, not just slashing prices [New York Times]   Use Guest Interations to Forge Customer Loyalty This is my number one customer service secret, and is by far the most important one. I learned this during my tenure at the Beverly Pavilion Hotel in Beverly Hills. The owner insisted that every one of us, who had contact with their customers, know the customer by his/her full name and, when possible, other personal or business information about him. “Good evening, Mr. Smith. Welcome to back!” Then, after a bit of miscellaneous check-in chit-chat, “By the way, Mr. Smith, we have placed two feather pillows, which your wife prefers, in your room.” or, “Was your daughter accepted at the University? Last time you stayed with us you expressed concern that she was having difficulty with her math, and wasn’t sure if she had enough points to qualify for admission.” Now, here’s a customer who KNOWS that they are welcome at your hotel, and whenever they are back in town, you can count on them staying in your establishment! Is this spying on customers? Not at all! It’s simply remembering a few concerns or preferences that your customer shared with you the last time he/she stayed in your hotel. When you can show concern about what matters to your customer, that’s Business to Customer Loyalty, and you can bet on it, you’ve just acquired a customer for life. A final bit of advice about customer service; “If you aren’t taking care of your customers, your competition will.” Print that advice out in large, bold letters and paste it above your PMS.  |