Best Practices and up to the minute news on Customer Experience Management and Service Excellence
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Best Practices and up to the minute news on Customer Experience Management and Service Excellence
Brand loyalty keeps profits rolling for the long-term.
How? Research published in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management says repeat customers help your bottom line in three big ways: They refer new customers, help you decreased operating costs, and reduce spending on marketing.
That checks a lot of boxes for any business. So Roberta Nedry, president of Hospitality Excellence, used her more than three decades of experience in this recipe for customer service loyalty.
“It can take years to get loyal guests like these, and only seconds to lose them,” said Roberta Nedry, president of Hospitality Excellence. “Wooing repeat and referral guests are part of a hotel’s easiest and most profitable business strategies.”
Want to woo those guests? Follow Nedry’s step-by-step recipe. It’s broken down as easy as making Mac and Cheese…
It all starts with the employees. Get everyone together and on the same wavelength on how to best treat guests.
Workers who sincerely go out of their way for guests can make a huge impact on their experience. They’ll feel safe and comfortable to communicate with the staff to get the best experience. Making connections will make more positive memories that keep your guests coming back.
“Value the returning and loyal guest,” Nedry said. “Feeling appreciated is powerful for both employees and guests to feel. Loyalty is what makes a profitable difference.”
Loyal guests will make referrals to the business. When employees know the winning recipes, they can execute a plan to make your guests talk. On the flip side, if they don’t work hard at it every day, guests can share their negative experiences too.
“Everyone always loves to tell a bad service story,” Nedry said. “Give employees statistics on repeat guests and let them know how loyalty pays or does not. Remind them of the facts — satisfied customers will tell 9-12 others. Dissatisfied customers will tell 10-20 others.”
Your employees then need to get to work with the tools you’ve given them. Once your workers recognize loyal and repeat guests, empower them to go the extra mile. Little things can add up to a lot.
Picking up on social cues and repeat behavior out of guests is more common than one may think. Hospitality employees shouldn’t give the house away to their guests. But, they should feel empowered to make an executive decision when they pick up on those telltale signs that a guest needs a little better their experience with your business.
“Not taking repeat guests for granted requires that management ensure that employees understand how to recognize and nurture loyal guests,” Nedry said. “Take steps to ensure your organization treats loyalty like royalty. Those that do, reap the rewards royalty bestows.”
Prove the recipe is working. Try it out. Let your workers have a test run and try the recipe they’ve been learning up until now. Seeing the product of their work and getting a taste of what they like will help them take customer service more into their own hands and make their own style.
“Motivate [employees] to go out of their way to recognize returning guests, using guest names when possible,” Nedry said. “Enable them to have access to information on preferences of loyal guests and to offer them even before the guest asks.”
Review how system changes may positively or negatively impact loyal guests. New guests will not notice but loyal guests will. Make it easy for them to continue to do business. Don’t make them work for it. If guests have to work for it, they’ll quit “working for you” and go somewhere else.
“Make your guests feel like they have returned to a home away from home,” Nedry said. “Reach out and thank them for the opportunity to continue to do business with them. Go above and beyond – their dollars will do the same for you.”
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