Let’s put our commitment where our mouth is!
After many years of experience in customer service and the resort industry, we must consider what tremendous impact customer service has on a resort guest’s total perceived satisfaction. Thus, I decided to research the topic in my thesis. The aim of the thesis was to find out to what extent the customer service experience during check-in affects the rest of their stay and their overall image of the resort. We all understand and see that the market and guest expectation change every day. We all speak about the new generation and the how fast everything is changing. If guests do not get their issues resolved immediately they will find the avenue to allow everyone to know about it by tweeting, posting and sharing it with pictures. We found out the hard way that we all need to be accessible to our guests before we hear about it on the news or in all the new and old feedback websites. The website appears as fast as we can find a way to address them.
This is nothing new. I am sure we have some individuals already doing this in the market. It is important to remember that in order to be successful in the market, it is not sufficient to attract new customers. Managers and employees – we must also concentrate on retaining existing customers, by implementing effective policies of customer satisfaction and loyalty. We all preach that customer satisfaction is largely hooked upon the quality of service. I strongly believe the quality of service is tied to the guests’ ability to see immediate results for their issues. This can be achieved by having the ability to take whole resort team approach focusing on customer satisfaction to improve customer loyalty. As you all know, this will also increase the positive image of the resort.
In order to improve the topline revenue, we need to capitalize on our ability to grab the customers’ attention when they shop for a vacation site. Once they are in the door, we need to remember that guest satisfaction is subjective. We have many opportunities to exceed our customers’ expectation so that they will return to our resort and recommend us to other tourists. If we fall short in exceeding their expectations, the guests’ ability to communicate their concerns and see them addressed immediately is critical to the success of the resort staff and management. If they don’t see us respond immediately, we will experience an immediate negative impact – not only negative feedback but also the adjustments in dollars at the end of their stay. When we politely asked how your stay was, we hope they will say everything was wonderful!! Oops, but they don’t always say that. That is another opportunity missed. That was the reason I implemented the 24/7 welcome card in every guest check in any of our resorts have 24/7 my cell number - my real cell number. Yes, they can call me 24/7 to address anything that was not addressed by the resort team. And they do.
Neglecting to pay attention to those calls, not paying attention to the guest needs and not paying attention to the resort attributes considered most important by guests may lead to negative evaluation of the resort. This minimizes the chance of repeat patronage. We constantly evaluate the overall customer satisfaction level for the resort and for each service provided. We provide the best resolution possible for our customers and propose improvements in customer satisfaction in order to avoid repeat mistakes. It all hinges on the quick response to any issues and giving the comfort to the guests their concerns were taken seriously and have been immediately addressed.
The research contains both quantitative and qualitative methods of study. The results of both the qualitative and quantitative part support the theory and show how the customer service during the check-in process - the first impression - affects the customer experience. This positively impacts their opinions on the resort when the general manager or regional manager shows a personal level of interest in their stay by offering their cell number to them when they arrive at the resort. Whether or not they need it, they have someone to immediately contact if necessary. This can turn a dissatisfied customer into a satisfied customer because of the actions of the team. Every single interaction is an opportunity to make your customer’s stay a great one!