Are you active in correcting service issues before they become problems, or do you simply react to what guests say about your hotel online? This debate over being active or reactive is the same ageless conundrum as foresight versus hindsight thinking. Obviously, everyone wants foresight, but knowing a specific means for this goal is not easy at all. Predicting the future never is.
In the past, I’ve argued that assessing your online reviews and qualitative opportunities to grow is a plus. It definitely is, and I would deem it vital to monitor these critiques at a minimum of twice a week. However, it’s not enough. If you are always responding, then you’re always a step behind. Eventually you have to meet concerns before they are publicized.
Using the hindsight of researching past reviews, you will get a strong idea of what drives the average consumer into complaint mode. If the problems have occurred in the past, then it will likely happen again soon, and if you can pick out where the communication structure breaks down, then the battle is already half won. Being proactive in this sense means that you take the time to ensure your staff fully comprehends the necessity of next level service, so that they can identity trouble on their own. It also means that you think of hypothetical situations in the same vein as what’s already happened, and then use your channels to get the word out that these problems might arise. Hoteliers’ foresight means knowing what guests will expect and looking to how you can surpass those expectations.
A nice buzz word to encapsulate part of my argument is the notion of the ‘double deviation’. Guests are not likely to complain immediately after something goes wrong. It is when the initial mistake is not satisfactorily corrected that they take to the streets. Part of your foresight should be developing an appropriate “compensatory checklist” so that any mistakes can be trumped by a more than sufficient apology. I would deem complimentary meals, wine or spa treatments as reliable ways to make amends – and they are only reliable when your staff members are informed about the exact issue.
So how does Inn at a Glance™ fit into this picture? First, if every staff member has a quick point of reference for events, departmental notes and travel schedules, they will have a better indication of how to prepare for possible logistics deficiencies. Knowing who the weekend Manager-on-Duty is at any given time can be vastly important for decision making when a dilemma presents itself at night or on a weekend. Second, for handling these ‘double deviations’, Inn at a Glance™ works wonders for getting the message out about urgent tasks.
Let’s put this into an example for modern times. A guest feels particularly wronged by a certain action while at your hotel, so much so that he or she posts about it on twitter. Your social media manager finds this grievance, then relays it on the Managers’ Home Page with recommended actions. Other staff members are alerted to this update and will be better able to respond in kind; the Inn at a Glance dashboard kept open to get the details right for this delicate arrangement.
Inn at a Glance™ acts as a perfect communication bridge for your social media manager, public relations team and marketers, and the rest of the hotel. In this case, although something was not up to snuff at the outset, if you can communicate to that guest that you care about their criticism while they are still on property, it will make a world of difference.
