Keep them coming back for more - how hospitality operators can build sustainable customer loyalty

“We’re all aware it costs significantly more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an existing one yet how much effort is put into keeping customers at the centre of a hospitality business?” asks The Help Desk's CEO, Dan Smith.
By: The Help Desk
 
NOTTINGHAM, U.K. - Oct. 22, 2014 - PRLog -- Just as in the world of retail, hospitality businesses right across the spectrum need to balance creating an efficient business based on repeatable processes with a way of engaging with customers - existing and new. Remember the warm glow that everyone got from visiting the fictional Cheers Bar; somewhere ‘where everyone knows your name’?  That’s what keeps customers coming back.

So how much do hospitality operators generally know about customer expectations and how often do they measure the experience they provide?  Also are the points-based loyalty programmes commonly used in the industry the right tools to build real brand affinity and customer fidelity?

A 2014 study conducted by Engine Service Design draws on the responses from 1,000 UK adults who were asked to name their top three priorities for customer service.

The survey concludes that, more than anything, customers want service to be clear and trustworthy with nothing hidden.  This response led the field with 56% of the vote.  Following in second place with 52% was the desire for efficiency - service must be quick and responsive.  44% of those questioned highlighted the importance of service being provided in a skilled and competent way.

When asked how they want to feel when receiving service, 57% of customers want stress-free interaction every time and 55% focus on the service being precisely what they are paying for.

An older demographic (35+) focussed more on the functionality of the service whereas the younger demographic (18-35) stressed, not surprisingly, the appeal of service that is engaging and builds a relationship.

So what can the hospitality industry take from this survey?  Well, firstly, it can take great comfort.  When it came to ranking the sectors that provide the best service, hospitality topped the poll with 48% of the vote!

To keep customers coming back, products and service need to be of a consistently and predictably high standard.  No surprises there then, but what truly underpins personalised service is support from IT systems and technologies. Not only does this aid personalisation but also help provide a more seamless and consistent customer experience.

Using a busy restaurant as an example, by walking through the main processes in your mind you’ll see that technology is the invisible pair of hands that makes all the difference to the service experience - for both parties.

·         Making a booking and arriving to find your table is ready - a reservation system is likely to be in use and will have worked the room plan to find a suitable table at the right time, whilst making sure the venue gets profitable table-turn.

·         Placing an order - increasingly likely to be via a server with a mobile POS device or tablet PC, so the order is logged accurately and is transmitted to the kitchen even before the server has returned to his or her waiting station.

·         Food delivered to table - all dishes arrive together and hot as they should do because kitchen display systems have been employed to guide the cooking and serving of items at just the right time.

·         Paying the bill - few restaurants worth their salt will not now be using an EPoS system to manage all point-of-sale processes and accounts and to analyse their trading.

·         Engaging the customer - technologies can generate personalised coupons at the point of payment and capture, via EPoS, details on what was consumed and any customer data provided at time of booking or payment.

·         Keeping the customer brand-aware and loyal - using the data captured, it’s never been easier to keep a brand in the customer’s personal space, using their smart communications devicesas a channel for feedback and targeted offers that will drive precisely the repeat business the operator desires.

Building and maintaining loyalty in today’s hospitality industry calls for a more holistic approach than just implementing a traditional rewards programme.  All the internet-enabled systems and tools we now rely on both as consumers and businesses facilitate the personalisation of service and hospitality operators would be missing a trick if they did not exploit them to the maximum.

So, to keep customers coming back, sound advice would be to invest in the right technology, deploy it smartly and respectfully, and make sure you have sitting behind it the correct Help Desk support. The result will be a streamlined business, relaxed waiting staff and customers who feel truly at home.

Specialist operation, The Help Desk, keeps hundreds of retail, hospitality and leisure businesses fully operational and thousands of staff competent and confident in their use of critical systems.

W:
http://www.thehelpdesk.uk.com/, T:0115 953 2404; E:hello@thehelpdesk.uk.com
End
Source:The Help Desk
Email:***@romainconsulting.co.uk
Tags:The Help Desk, Dan Smith, It Support, Hospitality, Technology
Industry:Computers, Technology
Location:Nottingham - Nottinghamshire - England
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