🌟 Rethink customer experience

🌟 Rethink customer experience

I don’t have a trophy wall but I have a memorabilia cabinet on my book shelf to commemorate different career journeys of my past. 🏆📚 This one is for the time I spent in US between 1990-1992. I got a group level award for being a good Manager level employee. 🏅

I used my previous training and experience at two prestigious hotels in Hong Kong 🇭🇰 to provide the best care possible to all guests. Also, I controlled the department cost so well that HQ sent someone to ask me what I did, as the cost was way below the group average, but that’s another story. 📉💼

What I have learned decades back in hotel school 🏨🎓 and the ‘first line of defense’ when guests complain while working in these deluxe hotels is that guests need to be heard, the recipient to show understanding and provide solutions. 💬🤝 The playbook of how to handle complaints is now widely available for the hospitality industry, customer service hotlines, and e-commerce. But, pre-internet days, this Bible and practice was a skill set that only a handful could master.

Fast forward a few decades, and the customer expectations have changed, and so should our playbook. 📖🔄 I have always emphasized in forums and fireside chats 🔥💬 that the service industry has to think differently, as other experiences influence customers.

Data-driven e-commerce 🛒📊, predictive content recommendation 🔮, and quick-responding AI chatbots 🤖 have raised customers’ expectations. The travel industry is lagging to embrace technology—for example, 70% of airports have invested in at least three types of new technology compared to only 57% of hotels. ✈️🏨

As a result, it's difficult for the hospitality industry to claim its crown of best-personalized services these days without adopting the full technology stack. Instead of playing catch-up, the industry should be looking at ways to leapfrog by innovation, including but not limited to technology adoption. 🚀💡

New messaging: Manage Expectations

Customer experience has greatly to do with their expectations. 💭 They form their experience from previous visits, relevant benchmarks, marketing communication messages, and word of mouth. 📢 I will add expectations or tolerance levels in case of a mishap, which have a lot to do with the depth and width of their engagement with a brand.

The best way to manage guests’ expectations is to engage with them more. 💬 Most properties do well during the guests' stay, but what about before and after their departure? I downloaded hotel groups’ loyalty APPs 📱 to experience what was offered, and I must say most missed the opportunity to ‘talk with’ potential or past customers.

I would even go as far as APP’s main function should not be just for re-booking or redeeming loyalty points but using CRM data to talk with guests.

Tips: How a property uses the omnichannel of owned media, website, email, APP, and social media has to be well planned so guests can know where to go and what to expect via a specific channel. 💻📧📲

New communication: Empower the staff

Hotel is a labor-intensive product. 🏨💪 It is a burden but should also be the most important asset.

A lot of tech is adopted to replace manpower due to manpower shortages or high costs. But I will argue we should empower the staff in the hotel with more information and knowledge so they can multi-task. 🛠️ The hierarchy in a hotel does not improve the customer experience as you don’t see the same faces when you have a chance to interact with people.

Why is staff not allowed to talk with guests more, not limited to face-to-face encounters, but also using other tools? Also, why limit who guests can talk with? 💬 In the past, language was a barrier, but now with all the instant translation tools, that shouldn’t be an excuse. 🌐 You can go further by asking them to solve the problem by giving them the authority to act. 🛠️

Tips: The best way to empower staff is not to just give tools, but to give staff reassurance. Besides certain redlines or recurrence of something they were clearly told not to do, they will not be reprimanded if a mistake is made. ✅

New listening: Know your customer

Almost everyone has a social media account these days, and being heard has a new definition. 📱💬 The profile of customers and what was said in public and in social media is what a guest does not mind being heard—or even wishes they could be heard.

For many years, the conversation between guests and hotels was private. Now, it is rarely private. 🗣️ What was said and done, you have to be prepared will spread. 📢

Listening without acting is just escaping responsibility. If that is the case, why doesn’t the property make the conversation transparent? There are still fixed mindsets that believe letting the noise subside is the best strategy.

But with the digital footprint, what was said can be found years later. Recommend a future-proof strategy to respond and show actions taken to pacify a customer.

Tips: Social media and internet monitoring is one highly undervalued tool to provide a good customer experience. 🌐 There is abundant information you can find about a person even before they fill out a form. But balance is key: know boundaries and respect privacy.

New reaction: Act bold and be proactive

When responding to customers, the most difficult is determining who is at fault, or what was done before and after the incident to avoid conflict and recurrence. ⚖️

This is not limited to just abiding by rules and policies but often in the eyes of spectators on social media nowadays.

As long as we have authenticity aligning with the values of the property, the greater good, and equity to all guests in mind, no action is too bold, too early, or lasts too long. 🕊️

Tips: Make your actions eye-catching and easy to share. 🎯 Give guests a reason to share their positive experiences with their networks.

By: Colman Ho 何立仁 Entrepreneurship Advisro at TravelTech

✨ Additional Insights:

• The customer journey is no longer linear. Flexibility and personalization are key.
• SOPs ensure consistency but can hinder true guest-centric innovation.
• Building a strong brand comes from authentic guest experiences and word of mouth.

💡 What’s your take? Let’s discuss how customer experience should evolve! 🌟💬