Customer satisfaction is a key factor for the success of any hotel or restaurant. It influences customer loyalty, word-of-mouth, online reviews, and revenue. But how can you measure and improve customer satisfaction in a competitive and dynamic industry? Here are some best practices to follow.
Before you start collecting and analyzing customer feedback, you need to define what you want to achieve and how you will measure it. For example, do you want to improve your overall service quality, reduce complaints, increase repeat visits, or boost your online ratings? Depending on your goals, you can choose different metrics to track customer satisfaction, such as Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), Customer Effort Score (CES), or Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). You should also set realistic and specific targets and benchmarks for each metric, and align them with your business objectives and strategy.
Beyond internal metrics, you can include competitive benchmarking to understand where your hotel or restaurant stands in relation to competitors. This helps in identifying areas where you can differentiate your services and exceed industry standards. For example, consider conducting a thorough analysis of your competitors' customer satisfaction scores and service offerings. Identify areas where they excel and where there are gaps. Use this information to innovate or enhance your own services, focusing on aspects that are unique to your establishment and valued by customers. This approach not only improves your competitive edge but also elevates your standards, directly impacting customer satisfaction.
Every company should create an opportunity that allows customers to provide their feedback, I think it should follow follow-up questions but rather freestyle! Because every customer is unique and wishes to show their customer experience in a different way, thus go for it, create such an ecosystem which is easy to use, easy to understand and easy to reach! I believe it is time for companies to allow their clients to show their feelings, emotions and actions through freestyle feedback system!
Having clear vision and mission of the company is the first fundamental part of setting the goals and metrics. Knowing how the company positions itself you will be willing to know in which direction to move forward. Having balanced scored for each department is great tool that will help to track the progress daily/montlu/quarterly and yearly. But also not forgetting to share it with the team is vital.
To get a comprehensive and accurate picture of customer satisfaction, you need to collect feedback from multiple sources and channels. You can use various methods to gather customer opinions, such as surveys, comment cards, online reviews, social media, focus groups, or mystery shoppers. You should also ask for feedback at different stages of the customer journey, such as before, during, and after their stay or visit. This way, you can identify the key moments of truth that affect customer satisfaction, and capture both positive and negative experiences.
FOR MEASURING 1. Customers feedback 2. By keeping records of the number of customers patronizing. 3.by observing what the customers needs best. IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 1. Using feedbacks from customers. 2. By using the feedback your got from observations on what customers need.
Gathering from different channels feedback will be not enough to make a change. That’s why analyzing every situation if important. Here the great tool to find the root cause of the problems will be 5 WHY’s. Understanding the collected information will help to find the solution faster and make a change.
Collecting feedback is not enough. You also need to analyze and act on it. You should use tools and techniques to organize, visualize, and interpret the feedback data, such as dashboards, charts, graphs, or text analysis. You should also look for patterns, trends, and insights that can help you understand customer needs, preferences, expectations, and pain points. Based on your analysis, you should prioritize and implement actions to improve customer satisfaction, such as training staff, improving processes, enhancing facilities, or offering incentives. You should also communicate the results and actions to your customers, and thank them for their feedback.
To bring the change collected information needs to be shared with departments who are involved in the process. Brainstorming together as a team will help to look to the same situation from different perspectives. One of the also main part is asking the agents from the people who work with the customer/guests directly as mainly they are the face contact with the issue. We have to ask for their opinions and ways how they do see the solution. The agents are the most valuable foundation of the company who can bring the biggest impact.
To ensure that your actions are effective and sustainable, you need to monitor and evaluate your performance regularly. You should track and compare your metrics over time, and see if you are meeting or exceeding your targets and benchmarks. You should also solicit feedback from your staff, partners, and stakeholders, and see if they are satisfied and engaged with your customer service strategy. You should also celebrate your achievements, and reward your team for their efforts. If you encounter any challenges or gaps, you should adjust your actions accordingly, and seek continuous improvement.
As mentioned previously having Balanced scorecard for each department is crucial. Checking in with the team members time to time also great method to bring the value. Understanding the each metric and helping the team to better know it will help to grow together and eliminate the negative cases. While evaluating the performance, positive changes needs to be celebrated and recognized (such as by giving “thank you” cards, arranging pizza day, coffee days) and encourage to push other metrics as a one team one goal mindset.
To stay ahead of the competition and meet the changing needs of customers, you need to learn from best practices and innovations in the industry. You should research and benchmark what other hotels or restaurants are doing to measure and improve customer satisfaction, and see if you can adopt or adapt any of their ideas or methods. You should also follow the latest trends and developments in customer service, such as digitalization, personalization, automation, or sustainability, and see how you can leverage them to enhance your customer experience. You should also experiment and test new ways to delight your customers, and measure their impact and feedback.
Growing by exploring. Never stopping to research more is key to be on a right track. Discovering the different channels such as TikTok, Instagram (even they are social medias if you use the them wisely there is so many amazing valuable information), learning platforms, and also growing network by meeting new people also amazing part of the journey to innovation.
Your staff are the most important asset for your customer service. They are the ones who interact with your customers, deliver your service, and represent your brand. Therefore, you need to engage and empower your staff to measure and improve customer satisfaction. You should involve them in your customer service strategy, and solicit their feedback and suggestions. You should also train and coach them to develop their skills, knowledge, and attitude. You should also empower them to make decisions, solve problems, and handle complaints. You should also recognize and appreciate their contributions, and create a positive and supportive work environment.
Engaging and empowering staff is key to enhancing customer satisfaction in any service-oriented business. Beyond the practices mentioned, another effective approach is to implement a mentorship program where experienced employees mentor newer ones. This not only facilitates knowledge transfer but also fosters a collaborative culture. Encourage open communication channels where staff can freely share ideas and concerns. Additionally, invest in regular team-building activities to strengthen relationships and teamwork. These practices not only empower employees but also directly contribute to a more positive customer experience, as a motivated and cohesive team is more effective in delivering exceptional service.
A successful strategy we implemented in our restaurant involved setting up a customer feedback loop in real-time. We equipped staff with tablets and mobile devices to collect immediate feedback from customers during their experience. This allowed for on-the-spot resolution of any issues and instant appreciation for positive feedback. Staff were also trained to tactfully request feedback at key moments, like after a meal or at checkout. Analyzing this real-time data led to swift improvements and adaptations in service. Our approach not only addressed customer needs instantly but also demonstrated a commitment to excellence, empowering staff to significantly boost customer satisfaction and loyalty.