Most companies profess to provide excellent service and yet surprisingly few manage to consistently deliver, and this begs the question – what is the secret to success in the luxury hotel market?
It’s quite simple actually, however as with many simple things, doing them well consistently can be exceptionally challenging. Great service requires the focus of the entire business operating in tandem with an acknowledged financial commitment in order to succeed. Many companies regularly direct their teams to provide great customer service, but then fail to provide the support required by their teams to ensure they succeed. Companies wishing to provide excellent service must have the entire business provide an unwavering commitment to the process.
Luxury service itself is a very common concept, and yet a precise definition can be somewhat elusive. Most guests can easily define many service attributes, including for example: great service, friendly service, or even luxury service. However what do these terms really mean to your customer and how do they define luxury? Better yet, how do you win new customers and build loyalty amongst your existing customers in the ultra competitive market of luxury service?
For many of us it is all too easy to recall several poor service experiences and in turn people are all too eager to pass on their negative impressions. It’s easy for most people to recall the sequence of events and describe how things were mishandled. By contrast however, if you ask yourself to think of an excellent service experience, often this is much harder to do. This is because we don’t think about the components of excellence in service. We inherently know when it has or has not been achieved based on how we feel. A great service experience is often described in emotive terms such as feeling secure, confident or special.
So why is it so important to get your service offering right? Poor service leads most people to tell an average of seventeen people about their experience, to say nothing of those who blast their negative experiences across social media. Conversely, those who have had an exceptional service experience will tell on average only two or three people. This means that winning the service game is particularly challenging. Get it wrong and your business suffers or even fails. Get it right and your business thrives – however unfortunately the rise to success often takes much longer than the fall to ruin.
So what then is luxury service and how do we rise above the rest and win in this competitive service category? The Oxford Dictionary defines service as ‘The action of helping or doing work for someone’. For me the definition of luxury service is most clearly defined in the way I train my team. I teach them that the difference between four star hotel service (excellent service) and five star service (luxury service) is that in a four star hotel everything the guest asks for is provided in an efficient and courteous manner, whereas in a five start hotel the guest shouldn’t even have to ask – their needs should be anticipated. The goal should be for the guest to be surprised and delighted by a level of service that delivers not only on their expectations but actually exceeds them.
We all want to be treated well, however for each of us the manner or type of service we want changes not only according to our own preferences, but also according to the setting in which the service is delivered. On the surface there is very little difference between great service in a casual environment versus great service in a luxury environment, however the path to success in the luxury market is much more complex.
As an example Les Clefs d’Or members spend their entire careers honing the skill of bespoke or custom tailored service. In fact many people believe that Les Clefs d’Or concierges are leaders in the luxury service industry. Members provide customised service to each guest every time. Training and years of service experience help Les Clefs d’Or concierges deliver a truly luxury experience by using their expertise and intuition to deliver personalised experiences.
One thing is for certain, service is a skill and like all other skills it is learned over time. As with most skills, excellence is achieved through dedication, education and on the job experience. Some people have an instinctive service ethic to begin with while others develop it over the years.
As an employer your goal needs to be to seek out and nurture individuals with the right personality and experience and then train them to succeed in their roles. Celebrate your success stories with everyone and use constant benchmarking within your own business to continually raise the bar. Slow and steady always wins the race and it is only through relentless and determined purpose that most companies win in the game of luxury service.
There are a number of things you can do to improve your service experience and begin to impress guests with your service offering, and here is my personal list for service success in luxury hotels:
People
One way that many businesses find ways to improve is with managing their most valuable asset, their people. Hiring, training, encouraging and rewarding your team is the single most vital consideration if you really want to have the best service in town. Hiring in particular is one area that can genuinely pay great dividends. One of the easiest and most effective ways to choose staff members is by determining during the interview process those who have a real interest in providing service excellence. Often these are people who demonstrate empathy and compassion. Finding people who will truly care about the guest experience is essential to keeping your guests happy. Partnering with Human Resources to get their advice on how to identify these people is an easy and effective way to get the right people on board.
Motivation
Once you have your team then you need to keep them. Motivating your staff by ensuring you are offering training, advancement opportunities and fair pay and benefits along with an equitable rosters process are all keys to winning. Remember to remind your team about how great you are as an employer to avoid complacency setting in with your team. Tell them they are the best – and reward them as such. Remember that rewarding your team does not necessarily have to be of a financial nature. Something as simple as a heartfelt thank you goes a long way with service professionals.
Personality
Nowadays there is a trend to homogenise the service experience to fit each brands image. This is wonderful in regards to consistency and yet at the same time also limits the ability of your service team to really let their individual personalities shine. Memorable service experiences are always delivered in a genuine manner and as long as it compliments your brand those members of your team who have a distinctive style should be encouraged to engage with your guests in a natural manner.
Listen to your guests
Motivated staff will listen to your guests, a truly vital step in service delivery. Only those who genuinely care will really listen and be able to pick up on guest cues and then act on them. By listening for guest cues your team will be able to anticipate their needs to go above and beyond.
Check for satisfaction
Engaged staff can easily be trained to spot check for guest satisfaction. Casually asking how things are going provides your company a chance to discover if there are any issues and fix them before your guest walks out the door. If your guest leaves feeling unhappy, the chances are they are gone for good. I teach my team not to be afraid of complaints. I remind them that successfully dealing with a complaint is the very best way to build loyalty. Your guest will have confidence in your hotel if they know they can count on you when things go wrong.
Listen to your team
One mistake so many businesses make is to fail to truly listen to their employees. Your team knows your guests better than anyone as they are the ones taking on the majority of immediate guest feedback. If you are able to listen and act on your team’s feedback, you may be surprised how many of them have ideas on how to remove roadblocks, innovate and champion positive change.
Empowerment
Empowerment is critical to ensuring your guests are delighted. If your team is not permitted to go the extra mile to do something special, or if they are not authorised to handle problems they are likely to become disengaged. This will lead to service apathy, which is disastrous. Successful luxury hotels all encourage their service teams to proactively make the guest feel special or to fix problems when they occur.
Empathy
The old adage put yourself in the customer shoes still has a great deal of power however I train my team to do one extra thing, put yourself in the business owners shoes as well. When dealing with guests, especially when they are asking for compensation, it is imperative to empathise with the guest to understand their perspective but it is equally as important to understand the value of the guest to the business. Have your teams ask themselves “if this was my business would granting the guest request be of long term value to the business?” Make sure your team understands this and that they are supported to make these decisions when they need to be made.
Software
Surprisingly many companies do not have systems in place that make it easy for their teams to record vital information about customer preference. Details make a customer feel valued. Making sure you note and record what is important to your guest and then acting on it during their stay will win you guest loyalty. I can recount hundreds of stories of guests who were impressed by specific preferences being remembered, from magazines, to newspapers, room temperature, flowers, bedding or even types of coffee, tea, whiskey or freshly squeezed juice. Some guests love having the right brand of vehicle for their limousine transfer from the airport or their favourite driver to greet them. Such records are invaluable when it comes to making your guests feel special and genuinely valued. The key to record keeping is that the information must be easy to note down and easy to access. The amount of information your team will record will directly correlate with how easy it is to use the system. When choosing systems choose wisely, as your decisions will affect your business for years to come.
Social media
Social media is one of the most powerful tools for attracting guests. Actively engaging with your guests via social media will help them to see you as engaged in their experience. When communicating on social media show them all the care and attention you would in person and you will be well positioned to attract new customers. Think of social media as a new way to build guest relationships. For me, my social media endeavours regularly put me in contact with guests before they arrive which for me is a priceless opportunity to build loyalty.
Feedback tools
Find an instant feedback tool that allows you to get details on your guest’s experiences (positive and negative) in a live or instant manner. Blazeloop is one that my hotel is using. It’s an invaluable tool to identify and fix guest’s problems before they depart the hotel.
The Golden Rule
My final thought and my golden rule of customer service is to be honest. Hard truths will always go over better than half-truths or lies. Customers almost always appreciate the truth even if they don’t like the message and they will respect your integrity for doing the right thing.
About the author
James Ridenour is the Chef Concierge at the InterContinental Melbourne the Rialto and the Assistant General Secretary for Les Clefs d’Or International.
James contributes to the InterContinental’s concierge page www.melbourne.intercontinental.com/concierge and also has his own Melbourne website ‘Your Concierge Guide to Melbourne’ at www.jamesridenour.com You can follow James on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ConciergeAUS You can learn more about Les Clefs d’Or at www.uichlesclefsdor.org
