By John Hendrie
Mick Jaggar really was right over some fifty years ago, when he trebled, “I can’t get no satisfaction”. And, even the satisfaction he might have received, had little value.
Many consumers are no better off now. The mediocrity anticipated with products and services has created a new depth of cynicism and distrust across retail establishments, and this includes Hospitality operations.
To thrive and succeed we must better engage the guest, gain their loyalty and exceed their hopes. Our passion must be seen in a new context – the commitment to transcend expectations. In order to transform your business, a leap is required from merely doing the brand to being the brand and delivering that memorable experience. Your level of excellence needs to move to the remarkable, the sublime. We talk about the WOW which successful businesses project. How did they get there?
It begins with a paradigm shift in philosophy, your operations, and your involvement. As you begin to better understand the market, always tumultuous and changing, examples abound of failure to make a statement and then deliver beyond what is expected. Remember, it is not about how you feel you are doing; it is about how your guest responds.
You cannot remain static. Success begins with goals and measurement, evaluation, and action. You simply have no idea about your performance unless you have standards which are quantifiable. These may be SOP’s, Quality Programs, Customer Satisfaction mechanisms. Performance delivery is validated by your guests, but, this is only a yardstick, for it is historical data, but still actionable. Understand that you need to create that personal relationship with your guest, where they trust you and share their hopes, which then becomes part of your strategic performance equation.
Business success results with your response, your innovation, and your credo to deliver beyond the merely possible. For example, do all your employee nametags identify them as a member of Guest Services. That is the name of the game, not whether they work in Housekeeping or the Front Desk. And, you have to be engaged. Many of us have lost that touch, stuck behind the desk, answering E-mails, returning calls. We forget who really pays our salaries. When was the last time you personally escorted a guest to his/her room? When was the last time you graciously thanked a guest for their patronage, beyond the banal gesture. Another idea. Remove your automated telephone system. Have a call answered in two rings, with a live voice, saying, “Good day. The XYZ Company. This is Stephanie speaking. How may I be of service?” Maybe a little retro, but this sets the bar, and exceeds expectations.
If you exceed the hopes of your guests, which have now been recognized and measured, you must then turn them into loyal partners, understanding that it is far easier to retain a current guest than solicit a new guest. Is it the experience which differentiates and makes us distinct and unique in the marketplace? Absolutely, and we are in the experience business, by the way. We must be involved in every aspect of that experience.
We cannot afford to become obsolete in our prime by not recognizing that the paradigm has dramatically moved. We see the current Hospitality status in the service we receive in restaurants, the offhand manner in which guests are treated in lodgings, the perfunctory attention (if any) which we receive in shops and attractions. Daily, we experience an order, which is incomplete or wrong, the lack of eye contact and sincerity, and usually no thanks for our business. Yet, we bear that Standard for Hospitality Excellence in Service and Products.
If you invest in this new paradigm, you have something to market to the consumer, your potential guest. Tell them your story, whet their appetite and curiosity. Be passionate! You are different and distinct from others. Make the leap, lead the charge, deliver way beyond the expectation, frame the experience, and watch your revenue stream grow.
