guest expectations
AI May Make Mistakes, But It Won’t Shoot a Customer
Shep Hyken | July 25, 2024
Customers are not yet 100% comfortable with AI technology. It still makes mistakes, which is frustrating. Consider these findings from our annual customer service and CX research (sponsored by RingCentral): 70% of customers said they would rather use the phone than self-service solutions including AI-fueled technologies like ChatGPT or voice recognition software. 63% of customers are frustrated when using AI or ChatGPT technologies. 56% of customers admit to being scared of AI and ChatGPT. Even with customers’ concerns and trepidation about interacting with an AI-fueled chatbot or voice recognition technol...
Customer Experience Management: Business vs. Customer Expectations
April 1, 2024
If you operate in the hotel or hospitality industry, you’ll know that the customer’s experience is EVERYTHING. From a customer’s first online search and the booking experience to every customer touchpoint and interaction during their time with you, it’s the customer experience management that drives repeat visits and those glowing online reviews. But it’s not just the hospitality industry where customer experience is king. These days, excellent customer experiences and a high quality of service are expected across all sectors. Businesses that fail to meet these expectations risk losing customers, damaging their reputations, and s...
Defining Service Excellence: Setting the Highest Standards of Service in 2024
Kimberly Yoong | March 18, 2024
By Kimberly Yoong Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a time when excellent service was the hallmark of a luxury experience – one that was desired by the people and delivered by the best of companies. Today, it is an aspect of the service sector that has come to be expected by customers. Companies in the service industry have claimed their adherence to the words ‘service excellence’ since time immemorial. One of the best examples of service excellence is the Ritz-Carlton's Gold Standards, with their famous $2,000 rule which employees are empowered to spend to delight a guest above and beyond fixing problems. How m...
The Evolving Landscape of Hotel Reviews: Insights and Implications
Neil James | December 1, 2023
By Neil James The Shiji ReviewPro Guest Experience Benchmark Report has become the industry standard in understanding how we as an industry are managing experience. If expectations are being exceeded, guests talk about it positively and inversely; if not, reviews show it. I’ve spent some time going through the latest report, and here are my thoughts on the subject. The hospitality industry is witnessing a transformative era in how reviews and guest feedback shape its dynamics. The Report for Q3 2023 offers a comprehensive look into this evolution, revealing critical insights about the industry’s current state and future trajectory...
Meeting Expectations Versus Managing Hope
Shep Hyken | July 20, 2023
By Shep Hyken At a recent customer service presentation, the speaker who preceded me said that we must do better than simply meeting our customers’ expectations, and he shared some stories of truly amazing service experiences. Then it was my turn to speak. I didn’t want to contradict him, but I needed the audience to understand that it is impossible to go above and beyond with customers at every interaction. Sometimes meeting expectations is a perfect experience. In my customer service keynote speeches, I talk about Managing the Moment. The idea comes from Jan Carlson, and if you’ve been following me, you will recognize t...
With Great Rates Come Great Guest Expectations
Adam and Larry Mogelonsky | June 21, 2023
By Adam and Larry Mogelonsky Even in the back half of 2023, every hotel is still contending with inflation in some way or another, likely passing these costs onto the customer. Thus far, from what the aggregated travel numbers for this year indicate, guests have been fine with the increased rates. But does that mean that your current guests – in what can ostensibly still be described as a rebound year from the pandemic – are happy guests that are ready to come back within a reasonable timeframe? Would they recommend you to others, either by word of mouth or by word of mouse? While the apt adage for right now is to make hay while ...
For Young Affluents, The Experience Really Is ‘Everything’
Matt Ferebee | May 25, 2023
By Matt Ferebee The world of leisure travel continues to change, particularly as it relates to younger affluent travelers. Raised on the internet and fed a steady stream of content via social media, these younger guests are seeking out travel that delivers what they have become so accustomed to online and on social: relevant content that is as immediate as it is immersive. In the context of hotels and resorts, that ‘content’ includes everything destination-related that a guest experiences before, during and after their stay. This desire to be surrounded by a more integrated, memorable experience is not, of course, a new expectation ...
Amadeus Hospitality’s Ecosystem Approach to Deliver Personalized Journeys in New Era of Travel
Amadeus | May 23, 2023
Research finds travelers today expect personalized, flexible, and sustainable journeys as new data shows the sector continuing to rebound New report explores how the industry will be able to deliver on these traveler expectations through the Amadeus ecosystem approach, combining content across hotels, mobility, and travel insurance Traveler expectations have changed over the past four years – the hospitality industry of 2023 is not that of 2019. These expectations are catalysts for change as today, personalization tops the agenda, with consumers seeking customizable offers when it comes to booking travel. Flexible and sustainable jo...
