Today customer experiences represent a holistic approach through a growth mindset that connects systems, data, and teams to create a seamless and personalized customer experience from one hotel brand’s reference point to the next.
As hoteliers, we have to understand the customer experience in a relevant context that impacts the bottom line one way or another.
And hotels have to learn how to gather data from employee and customer interactions and use this to optimize future interactions.
Processes that put in place listening, care, connect and build relationships result in a more connected and cohesive experience, which, in turn, increases customer satisfaction, improves profitability and strengthens the hotel brand loyalty.
Here are 5 strategic tips for hotels that will transform the customer experience;
Identify the sweet spots where your customers and your hotel’s goals align
You have to start describing your hotel’s service offers from the customer perspective. Understand the customer states that impact their perceptions of how your hotel fits in their journey.
States
Cognitive: Perception, judgment, reasoning dictated by emotions
Affective: Influenced by emotions and rationale
Behavior: Action as a result of rationale
First of all, you have to understand who your ideal customer is and how they interact with your hotel brand.
To achieve this, you have to align customers and your hotel’s goals. Since a large part of the customer experience, today involve digital media we now work on S.MA.R.T.E.R. goals.
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Relevant
T – Time-bound
E – Exciting
R – Risky
Your hotel goals should be to create customer lifetime value while decreasing acquisition costs.
And to achieve this we use data we gathered from studying customer states in context with S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals to understand customer intent and influence important micro-moments of the customer journey.
Identify key micro-moments in the customer journey
Hotels need to understand that customers today are using their smart devices to document and share important micro-moments of their journey.