Did you know 86 percent of customers in the hospitality industry are willing to pay an extra dollar for a better experience?
If you are a hotel owner or manager, you cannot afford to deliver sub-par customer services.
You will no doubt lose your customers to competitors offering upgraded services, and this means a loss of revenue.
Yet, in a word where customers’ needs and preferences are constantly changing, it can be difficult to offer a custom experience that satisfies everyone.
But worry not! In this post, we’re sharing pro tips on how to improve customer satisfaction.
Here we go:
Invest in a Competent Customer Service Team
In any business, to improve sales you need great salespeople behind your products or services.
Similarly, to offer awesome customer services, you need to hire qualified customer service personnel.
A common mistake new hotel owners make is hiring a customer service manager who also oversees another role - such as marketing- obviously in a bid to keep labor costs down.
You need a dedicated manager to handle various facets of customer services, from designing and implementing a customer experience management strategy to hiring and training customer services reps.
Reward Your Employees
You see, a motivated staff is crucial to the success of a hotel.
When properly motivated, your hotel workers will not only put in the long hours but also go an extra mile to deliver the best services.
Chefs will add an extra spice to those cuisines, waiters and waitresses will keep flashing that smile that keeps customers coming back…. you get it!
Importantly, they won’t jump ship and join your competitor.
As a result, you won’t have to worry about employee turnover costs. On average, motivated performance leads to a 53 percent reduction in employee turnover.
How do you keep them motivated?
Reward them with bonuses, introduce employee of the week/month programs, offer gift cards and even treat their families with free dinners!
Keep Up with Changing Customer Preferences
As we said, customer needs are always evolving.
Of course, you will want to focus on technology. But it goes beyond having a functional website and booking or ordering systems.
Ask yourself, “how does today’s customer want to pay for hotel services?” Or, “what are the latest in-room technologies in the market?”
The point is, you should stay on top of your tech game, otherwise, customers will leave you for a hotel that can meet their tech expectations.
Beyond tech, consider how your customers' dining needs are evolving.
The world is opening up, and communities are becoming increasingly multi-cultural. As a hotelier, you need to ensure your menu caters for various cultures.
You certainly don’t want to lose a customer because you aren't offering the cuisine that tickles his or her taste buds!
The Bottom Line on How to Improve Customer Satisfaction
Whether you are a newbie or an experienced pro in the hotel business, there’s always something new to learn on how to improve customer satisfaction.
These strategies may seem easy to implement, but it’s never that easy, especially if you take a do-it-yourself approach.
You should consider hiring a customer experience management provider to help your hotel improve service delivery and customer satisfaction.
