Customers these days are a lot savvier when it comes to making a purchase. Everyone has a threshold when parting with their hard-earned money, especially when it comes to the hospitality industry.
Although it is not comparative with a household purchase such as a fridge or television, a meal with an accompanying experience will be more scrutinised. Even more so with a hotel stay.
Life is a connection of experiences and the rise of influencers and social media has shone a torch on the finer things you can have or do.
The reviews you get are important and can easily affect a potential customers decision whether or not to use you, especially if they read negative comments on sites such as Tripadvisor, Trust Pilot or Google Reviews.
This can also be compounded when the management have not publicly responded to the reviewer and reached out to apologise or resolve.
What can we do?
The first step is to understand your business as the customer would experience it. Knowing the customer journey will give you great insights and help you understand the Moments of Truth.
The Zero moment of truth can take in the customers search of your reputation, they already have had the stimulus to purchase a product or experience so now they are choosing who to have it with. They will make micro decisions based on what they see in social media and can take their inspiration from influencers or marketing.
Then they will check out your website or visit your premises with the First Moment of Truth is the First Impression. What they experience during that encounter can influence the amount of money they will spend.
Following on will be the Second Moment of Truth, the experience itself. How they are made to feel, and the meeting or even better exceeding expectations are what makes either a satisfied customer or a raving fan.
What if it goes wrong?
This is something that does happen from time to time. Usually planning and attention to detail usually negates, but it is something that must be deal with calmly, professionally and quickly.
Any service-based industry should check that the customer is happy at the end of every transaction or experience. This ‘Golden Moment’ can guide your company to new heights if managed correctly. Resolving an issue to the customer satisfaction actually reinforces brand loyalty and they are more likely to return because they know you care.
Online Reviews
It is frustrating when you get negative online comments, especially when only a small percentage of customers take the time out to review. It is common in the hotel industry to only get around 12-18% of all customer surveys returned, so it gives even more importance to the ‘Golden Moment’.
However, this can also be what I call a ‘Diamond Moment’, timeless and classy. This is done by responding online very quickly and professionally. Invite them for further dialogue whilst offering your sincerest apologies for the experience.
Potential Customers like to see authenticity and understand that things can go wrong. They will get great comfort in reading that the business has taken this seriously and looking to address the problems directly with them.
There is also something I call a ‘Platinum Moment’ this is when you read of a review from a Customer, and they mention that they had a problem, but it was resolved. They scored the service or experience full marks and say that they will return.
Post Covid
There will be many businesses that will not have many reviews and ratings against competitors could be very volatile. Choosing GJC advisory to help with your Customer Journey and Moments of Truth will help put you on a path to recovery, as a good reputation helps growth with both return bookings and maintaining prices without discounting in a competitive environment.
Written by: Scott Everest
