Are you failing?
How do you distinguish your business in the marketplace? You may say you try to exceed your customers’ expectations. How can you “exceed customer expectations”? If you were asked what your customers’ expectations are, how would you answer? If you start your reply with, “Well, we think …”, you have just failed!
Yes! You just failed!
Why? In order to know what your customers think and what they expect, you MUST ASK them. That may differ significantly in several areas of their guest experience than you “think.”
You MUST ASK them what they expect, where you succeeded, where you failed! Only then can you set your standards to exceed their expectations. That means you must talk to them. A guest survey is only part of this. Most often your guests will not fill out a survey form unless they were dissatisfied with some portion of their visit. Sadly, too often, they will only let you know of their dissatisfaction on an online report in TripAdvisor or Yelp.
You never want their dissatisfaction to reach an online report after they leave. You want to be able to intervene BEFORE they leave your hotel.
Each of your personnel should be trained and encouraged to visit with your guests during their stay and ask them about their satisfaction (or lack of it). Your personnel should ask how you may be able to make their experience more enjoyable and satisfying.
Your distinction and dominance in your marketplace is a comprehensive program and attitude that continues on a daily and guest-by-guest basis.
Again, Scott McKain, the Master of Distinction, boils it down for us in a compelling way.
May you quickly become the dominant hotel or motel in your marketplace!
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