The obvious place to start with reliability is ensuring that the customer’s perception is there and correct when the customer arrives at your property. However this is certainly not where reliability should end. Reliability means that when a staff member promises to deliver a request it gets done promptly, not hours later. Reliability is a combination of all of these factors that gives the guest a comfortable feeling that “this place works”.
Acceptability:
People like to be accepted. Does your operation convey acceptance, or do your customers Customer service is how we retain customers, get to know them, keep in touch with them. We try to ensure that they get what they want from us in all aspects of their stay. We as managers have to make sure that we check and deliver what we promised the customer. When customers inquire about our product give them advice promptly and courteously, be timely and relevant in your contacts with him. Make sure that you make it easy for the customer to contact you. Be attentive and make sure that you live up to the promises that you made to your customer. I am going to give the readers 10 essential positive customer keys.
The Fresh and New Signal:
“Fresh” and “New” are the positive signs to most customers. Take a good look at your facility or operation and identify what you can do to provide the strongest” fresh and new” signal to your customer.
The Neat & Clean Test:
Your service or product need not to be brand new to convey positive signals. Cleanliness is also very strong desire to the customer.
Efficiency:
For many customers the time is of the essence. Fast response is an impression of efficiency. While it is important that staff display warm, friendly attitudes, pleasant faces are no substitute for efficiency. An efficient response, coupled with a smile, will be the winning combination for pleasing the customer.
Reliability:
Do visitors feel like they are being processed? Are they viewed as outsiders instead of guest? Does the word “welcome” still exist in your vocabulary of all of your customer contact staff? Rude attitude, shabby appearance and so on can take a perfectly reliable operation and turn it in to a very unacceptable environment for your customers.
Class:
Class has many definitions. One of the most applicable to the service industry is “The ability to function with grace under pressure” The handling of an irritated customer (Of course no one has them) by an experienced staff can be a demonstration. Class is also a feeling within the property that comes from the employee’s overall esprit de corps. Class is an attitude that a staff conveys to customers when he offers any service. If you have class your customer will know it and react positively.
Empathy:
Not all your customers arrive in a good mood (of course they do) be sure that your staff are trained to deal with difficult guest and are capable of recognizing those who might have just been through a trying experience.
Uniqueness:
Because you so often hear the expression, “They are all about the same” wouldn’t offering some uniqueness make sense? It does not have to be totally different, but it should tell your customers it is not the same here; offering customers something that identifies with you a recognizable edge.
Beat-the-System Offer:
Most customers do not like the regimented environment or what “the system” offers One technique is to allow the customer to beat the system at least once while in your property, even if it is just a discount on the room.
Value:
Value is quality at a fair price (so much for revenue management) over pricing, poor quality products, or service levels are “rip-offs” signals that destroy the opportunity to offer the customer the strongest reason to your customer.
These keys are mentioned for they are the blue print to a successful operation, it is your guide like a road map, it is up to you to navigate it with success or take the wrong turn and end up someplace in the middle of nowhere. I could quote percentages of reasons why customers leave and don’t come back, or why they blog a bad review. The best advice that is true and to the point is this: “If you don’t take care of your customers, somebody else will” you can’t be number ONE by doing what everybody else is doing. Look at the property that is doing well 80% occupancy high ADR and see what they do? If it works it is not a crime to emulate.
About the Author
Alan Campbell has been in Las Vegas for over 30 years and has worked for the major strip hotels. He has spent some time in California, Los Angeles where he worked for the Radisson and Sheraton hotels. Alan considers the hospitality industry the best job in the world – it is the only place that both king's and Paupers will visit you.
The Hotel Guy
