Learner Guide:

Customer Care

SAQA US 7836:

MONITOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Specific Outcome 1:

understand the concept of customer satisfaction

https://www.obami.com/portals/Silulo_Ulutho_Technologies/CustomerCare/UnitStandard1/QR_SO1_1

SECTION 1: UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF CUSTOMER

SATISFICATION

Specific Outcomes

❖ Describe products and services provided by the organisation. (SO

4)

❖ Describe ways of establishing rapport with customers and

maintaining a professional relationship. (SO 7)

❖ Identify customer requirements and decide how best to deal with

the request. (SO 8)

❖ Decide how best to promote the features and benefits (SO 9)

❖ Explain the importance of interpersonal skills (SO 2)

❖ Suggest ways of increasing customer satisfaction (SO 12)

Assessment Criteria

❖ Arrange or create an environment in which the learner

can be fairly assessed against the outcomes. (AC 1)

❖ Evaluate the learner's ability to meet the outcomes. (AC

2)

❖ Provide specific feedback to the learner on assessments

and the learner's ability to meet the outcomes. (AC 3 ;)

❖ Complete the declaration of competence and inform

the appropriate ETQA once the learner has

demonstrated the ability to meet all the outcomes. (AC

4)

❖ Counsel the learner on future assessments, necessary

learning and further qualifications. (AC 5)

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Serving people is the foremost activity in hospitality, and being expertly served is the reasonable

expectation of your guests. How far you go to create customer satisfaction determines the level of

success for your hospitality business. But customer satisfaction isn't just about service. When the other

elements that round out your guests' experience are adequately addressed, customer satisfaction

should be high.

Concept of customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction measures how well the expectations of a customer concerning a product or

service provided by your company have been met. Customer satisfaction is an abstract concept

and involves such factors as the quality of the product, the quality of the service provided, the

atmosphere of the location where the product or service is purchased, and the price of the product

or service.

Benefits of customer satisfaction

The following are benefits of customer satisfaction;

I. Create a customer-focused culture

According to Bain & Company, a customer is four times more likely to buy from one of your competitors if their

problem is service related versus price or product related. By emphasizing the importance of customer

satisfaction throughout your entire company, you’ll be able to create a culture that truly puts customers first.

Having this type of culture is exactly what’s needed to build a brand that’s associated with great customer

service. Since a truly strong brand is very hard to replicate, your company will have a major competitive

advantage if you focus on improving satisfaction through employee engagement.

II. Make it personal (and keep costs down)

One of the most common myths about maximizing customer satisfaction is that it will significantly increase costs.

However, because it’s six to seven times more costly to attract a new customer than it is to retain an existing

customer, prioritizing customer satisfaction can actually help control costs.

Of all the ways to increase customer satisfaction and maximize customer retention, personalization is one of

the most powerful strategies. Customers are more likely to be comfortable with businesses who know them and

address their needs. Given the fact that it’s easier than ever to manage and use customer information, your

company should always be looking for new ways to make every customer feel important, and that what you’re

offering is specifically tailored to them.

III. Use loyalty to your advantage

Price insensitivity is a key benefit of loyal customers. But repeat customers aren’t the only ones who are open

to paying a higher price for quality. A report published by Defaqto Research found that 55% of consumers would

pay more for a better customer experience. What that means is making customer satisfaction a top priority may

give you a little leeway on price and other places where you could be at a competitive disadvantage. Delivering

amazing service to customers makes it possible to actually raise prices and still come out on top of competitors.

Good service adds to the value of the product.

1.2 UNDERSTANDING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OFFERED BY THE ORGANISATION (SO 4, AC 1, AC 2,

AC 3, AC 4, AC 5)

As a sales person you need to know the product that you are selling. Remember, knowledge is

power, product knowledge can mean more sales. It is difficult to effectively sell to a consumer if we

cannot show how a particular product will address a shopper's needs. Let us look at some of the

benefits of knowing a product;

I. Strengthens Communication Skills

Having a thorough understanding of the products on the shelves can allow a retailer to use different techniques

and methods of presenting the product to customers. Stronger communication skills will allow a salesperson to

recognize and adapt a sales presentation for the various types of customers.

II. Boosts Enthusiasm

Seeing someone completely enthusiastic about a product is one of the bestselling tools. As you generate

excitement for the product, you remove any uncertainty the product may not be the best solution for that

customer. The easiest way to become enthusiastic is to truly believe in the product.

III. Grows Confidence

If a customer isn't fully committed to completing a sale, the difference may simply be the presence (or lack) of

confidence a salesperson has towards the product. Becoming educated in the product and its uses will help

cement that confidence.

IV. Assists in Overcoming Objections

Objections made by customers may be struck down with factual information regarding the product. That

information usually comes in the form of product knowledge. Being well versed in not only your products, but

similar products sold by competitors, allows you to easily counter objections.

1.2.1 PRODUCT BENEFITS, ADVANTAGES AND FEATURES

Good product information is important. Lots of salespersons and sales managers don't like to admit

that sales can be completed by product information. They like to think it is their personal charm,

intelligence, and determination that closes sales.

For the most part, that is bunk. Not only can sales be made by product information, most sales are

made this way. And this is more true today than in the past because of the proliferation of "big box

stores" and other forms of product sales without the benefit of inter-human relationships.

• The product information should be informative, true and complete. Ideally, it should give the prospect all the

information they need to buy on the spot.

• For most prospects who are selecting from amongst products without assistance, clear and easy to understand

information, as described above, is important.

1. Product features

Features are product characteristics that deliver benefits; we buy products for their benefits. Stated

another way:

• Features are product characteristics such size, color, horsepower, functionality, design, hours

of business, fabric content, and so forth.

• Benefits answer the customer's question: Why would I want to own it?

Features describe your product, but the benefit solves a problem for the customer or fulfills a need.

In essence, the benefit sells your product or service. Here's what to include when describing your

product's benefits:

• How will your product or service solve a problem for the customer?

• How will your service fulfill a client's need?

• In what way is your product better than the competition's?

• Is your price better than the competition's?

• Will your service improve the customer's life? Make her happier? Reduce risk? Make him

more productive? Reduce costs in the long run?

• Does your product last longer than the competition's?

• Any other selling features that are appropriate

2. Product benefits

All products and services have obvious benefits to your customers. A power lawn mower is going to

make grass cutting easier. But there are often hidden benefits in products that are not so obvious

to you or your customers. It's finding and pointing out these hidden benefits that make your product

or service more valuable in the minds of your customers. In addition hidden benefits can often set

you apart from your competitor.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FEATURE AND A BENEFIT?

• A "Feature" is what a product has. 4 doors, new improved formula, etc.

• A "Benefit" is what a product does. "This car has four doors to accommodate growing families."

"Our new improved formula makes skin softer and smoother."

How do you tell the difference? When you hear a product claim, ask the question, "So

what does that mean to me?" If there is no answer to that question, you just heard a

feature. If there is an answer you just heard a benefit.

Developing a product or service benefit

All claims of benefits must be 100% absolutely true. You must be prepared to prove any statements

you make to customers. If you are untruthful about your products or services, you won't survive long

in a small town. The truth about you will travel fast. To begin the process you must know your product

or service inside and out. You must know each product's features before you can create a benefit

for them.

There are six steps in identifying product or service benefits.

• Step One: Start by pretending this is a brand new product or service. Your potential customer

has never seen it before. Take each feature and evaluate the potential of a customer seeing

the value (benefit) of that feature without it being pointed out. List the obvious benefits first

then start looking for others. Arm & Hammer Baking Soda started as baking soda, then

cleaner, then tooth paste substitute, then odor freshener. A lot of hidden benefits.

• Step Two: Investigate. Ask customers about the product or service. How would they use it?

How would they change it? What are the benefits to them? Would the add anything to it?

The answers may surprise you. Research what customers tell you. Are their applications valid?

Have their comments inspired other hidden benefits? Additions to the product or service?

• Step Three: Does the product deliver true value to the customer. The more benefits the

product has the less important price becomes. The more value a product can demonstrate

to your customer, the higher price it can command. Can you show the customer this value

in your advertising, brochures and demonstrations?

• Step Four: If this truly is a new product, can you make a prototype to test on some of your

customers? Even better, can you make several different versions and test different feature

and benefits with different customers. Ask them to evaluate and suggest improvements.

• Step Five: Cutting corners. When companies develop new products, they often start with a

very expensive first version. Then the give the product to people, whose job it is, to cut the

cost of the product and make it feasible to produce. So they reduce the thickness of

material, replace metal with plastic and use cheaper materials. Sometimes a product can't

pass the test. It is better to scrap the product completely than to introduce an inferior to your

customers. The value to the customer must be there or the project must be abandoned.

• Step Six: Adjust your advertising and promotion to reflect the new benefits you have

discovered. Sure, your competition will probably follow your lead, however it's always better

to be the company introducing the benefits than the copycat.

Features are the attributes that describe your product or service in detail. Here's what you

need to include when describing your product's features:

• Product descriptions, including size, weight, color, etc.

• Technical details

• Product specifications

• Anything else to do with describing the details of your product or service

3. Product advantages

Product advantages are particular strengths of the products which provide the fundamental basis

for the provision of added value to the client. Product advantages describe how a Feature can be

used or can help the buyer.

The following table shows the difference between product features; advantages and benefits.

Product : Miele fan forced cooking system

• Features: Fan forced cooking system, mini turbine, and ring heater element.

• Advantages: Cooking on up to three levels, hot air forced evenly through the interior.

• Benefits: Reduced cooking time, reduced energy consumption, perfectly even cooking results.

In sales speak; features describe the sales item in technical terms.

Advantages describe the sales item in terms of what the feature does.

Benefits describe the sales item in terms of the benefit to me, the customer.

1.3 PROMOTING PRODUCT FEATURES AND BENEFITS (SO 9, AC 1, AC 2, AC 3, AC 4, AC 5)

If you want your marketing to be as effective as possible, it has to really mean something to your

customers. And one of the best (and easiest) ways to make sure of that is for you to communicate

the benefits of your products or services. Speaking in terms of benefits rather than just listing of

features, whether it’s in writing or in person, means that you’re speaking in a language that your

customers understand.

You will likely know why the features of your products or services are important. But if you don’t show

your customer in very clear terms what benefits those features offer, your message will fall on deaf

ears.

Explain why the customer will be better off with these features, or how a feature will make their lives

different and straight away you’ll be able to give those features a lot more meaning.

There is a simple three-step process that you can use to turn all of your amazing features into benefits

that sell;

I. Features

What are the features of your product or service? Try to list things that are important to customers, not things

that are important to you. And if you don’t know what makes your customers tick and motivates them to buy find

out!

II. Advantages

Write down the advantages of having each of those features. An easy way to do this is simply write, “which

means…” after the feature.

III. Benefits

Now it’s time to list some really clear benefits. The question you ask yourself this time is: “so what?” And the

more times you “so what?” your features and advantages, the clearer and deeper the benefits will be.

Ways of promoting hospitality products

Promoting products is important for any business because of the lasting impact promoting has on

customers. The main function of the promotion is to establish the awareness in the minds of

customers about the company’s product/service. Secondly, it is to establish a positive value in the

minds of customers, then to reinforce consumer behavior by communicating with individual who

have patronized, say a particular hotel or restaurants in the past.

1. Advertising

According to the American Marketing Association, it defines advertising as “any paid form of non-

personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor” (Reid,

p. 386). The purpose of advertising is to motivate the customers to make a repeat purchase or

repeat patronage by their positive experiences to create the brand loyalty (Kotler, p. 564).

Advertising is a form of promotion, but all forms of promotion are not necessarily advertising.

Advertising can be in the forms of advertisement in newspapers, magazines, billboards, sides of

public transports (e.g. aeroplanes, taxi, buses, ferries), posters, TV commercials, radio, SMS (short

message service), web banners, bus stop benches, wall paintings, printed flyers, shopping carts, you

name it.

Types of advertising

Paid form It is a form of advertisement that company paying for the space

(newspapers and magazines) or time (television and radio) and they

have a complete control over the printed advertisement.

Example: A restaurant advertises its buffet dinner with a special rate

for Father’s Day Special in a newspaper ad.

Non personal A form of mass media advertisement without any personal contact

or interaction between the seller and the potential buyer.

Example: A billboard placed along the freeway

2. Sales Promotion

As part of the promotional mix, sales promotion is about short-term incentives to encourage the

purchase or sales of a product or service (Kotler, pp. 612). There are two main kinds of promotional

strategy: push promotions and pull promotions.

• A push promotional strategy is the company makes use of its sales force to create consumer demand of a

product. Push promotions include:

✓ Point-of-sales (POS) displays,

✓ cooperative advertising,

✓ advertising materials, traditional and

✓ Electronic collateral material, and convention and owners’/managers’ meeting.

• On the other hand, pull promotional strategy is that the company needs to spend a lot on advertising to build up

consumer demand for its product. Pull promotions include sampling, price reduction promotions, coupons

combination offers or bundling, premiums, contests and sweepstakes. We will examine them one by one to get

a grasp of the concepts.

3. Merchandising

The next element in the promotional mix is merchandising. It is the eye-catching signage or display

for point-of-purchase advertising tool to draw the attentions of the customers. This includes materials

used in-house to stimulate sales, e.g. menus, wine lists, tent cards, signs, posters, brochures, meeting

planner guides, displays, and other point-of-sale promotional items. For example, some restaurants

will have the tent cards on the dining table to promote wines of the week or desserts of the week.

4. Personal selling

Our next element in the mix is personal selling. It is an interpersonal process of face-to-face or

telephone conversation with one or more potential purchasers for the purpose of making sales to

satisfy the needs and wants of the purchasers. So you can see that this is quite different from the

tools that we have aforementioned. There are three types of personal selling: field sales, telephone

sales and inside sales.

Public relations

Our last element of promotional mix is public relations. As aforementioned, public relations are

different from the other elements because it does not aim at generating direct sales. Can you tell

the difference between advertising and public relations? The primary aim of advertising is to create

sales transaction, while public relations, as the name implies, is to build long term relationship with

the clients and the community that it serves. Image building is more of the primary goal. The function

of public relations is obtaining favorable publicity, developing a positive corporate image, and

handling or heading off unfavorable publicity or heading off unfavorable rumors, stories, or events

(Kotler, pp. 605). Some companies has in-house Public Relations department to deal with publicity

of the company, while others may rely on professional Public Relations Company for a fee.

To achieve publicity, public relations use different means, ranging from news releases, to

photographs, letters and enclosures, house newsletters, speeches and public appearances,

posters, bulletin boards, and exhibits, audiovisual materials, and open houses and tours.

1.4 IDENTIFYING AND MEETING CUSTOMER NEEDS (SO 8, AC 1, AC 2, AC 3, AC 4, AC 5)

Providing superior customer service means meeting customers’ needs by providing them with the

products and services they want or by providing effective solutions to their problems. In order to do

that, customer service, customer care, and call center representatives in the hospitality industry

must be able to accurately and completely identify customers’ needs. . Why "Identifying Customer

Needs" Matters;

• Correctly identifying customers' needs is essential for ensuring customer satisfaction and

loyalty. If you fail to properly identify customers' needs, or if you are indifferent to their needs,

they will take their business elsewhere.

• Customers have unique needs. Assuming what a customer wants based on previous clients

can drive the customer away.

• Identifying customers' needs allows representatives to cross-sell related products or services.

Cross-selling can make the original purchase better, easier to use, or more versatile, and is

financially beneficial to the organization.

• Often, customers either aren't clear about what they need, or they don't really know what

they want. Effective customer service representatives need to be trained to ask the right

questions, listen, and tailor suggestions in order to assist customers satisfactorily.

• Identifying clients' needs creates satisfied customers, and satisfied customers are less likely to

have reason to enter into disputes with your organization or contemplate legal action.

CATEGORIES OF CUSTOMER NEEDS

There are three main categories of customer needs that customers may be looking at which are as

follows:

• Revealed Requirements are usually what the customers say they want. Customer satisfaction depends upon the

extent these requirements are met. A good example of this is fast service the faster (or slower) the service, the more

the customer likes (or dislikes) it. A customer can reasonably expect us to deliver a specific request to which we

have agreed.

• Expected Requirements are so basic to a particular service that the customer takes them for granted – often to

the extent that the customer fails to mention them until we fail to deliver them. Problems only surface when things

go wrong! They are the fundamental expectations of the service and without them the service may cease to be of

value. This means that their absence is very dissatisfying. A customer will take for granted that we 'will' fulfil expected

requirements. You will recall that some requirements are expected because they are implied by convention or

statutory obligation.

• Extra Requirements are difficult to discover. Their presence excites, but their absence doesn't dissatisfy as the

customer does not expect them. They are beyond the customer's expectations. This is why meeting this extra

requirement surprises or “wows” the customer. These 'extras' add value to the service and can delight the

customer.

WAYS OF IDENTIFYING CUSTOMER NEEDS

Customer needs may be identified in the following ways:

• Through observation e.g. a family may arrive with a baby and a toddler and their needs will be

very different from a businessman (dressed in a suit with a brief case)

• By listening to what the customer wants

Once the needs of the customer have been identified, the next step is to ensure that

the product or service meets this need. The product features, advantages and benefits

my tie neatly with the customer need.

1.5 WAYS OF ESTABLISHING RAPPORT WITH CUSTOMERS (SO 7, AC 1, AC 2, AC 3, AC 4, AC 5)

Rapport is a relationship of mutual understanding or trust and agreement between people. It is what happens

at an unconscious level that makes us ‘click’ and is enhanced by a perception of likeness and liking. It includes

the ability to see the other person’s point of view (even though you may not necessarily agree with it), and is

a vital element in any form of communication, including the business context.

Indicators of good rapport include;

• Similar body posture

• Gesture in similar ways

• Same rhythm in movement and speech

• Breathing levels are similar

• Voice tone

Why is rapport important for your hospitality business?

So let’s establish why rapport is important to a hospitality business be it a hotel, restaurant, café, spa or

conference centre.

How often have you heard “She was so rude”, “He just didn’t seem to care”, “You don’t understand”, “I’m

not sure if I trust him”. Rapport gives the ability to relate to others in a way that creates a climate of trust,

openness and understanding; it is a key part of building relationships in the business world.

Having the ability to build rapport helps with:

• Customers: All things being equal people will have a better experience being served by people they

can relate to, and are more likely to do business with people with whom they have good rapport. And

by maintaining that rapport throughout will enable us to identify what our customers really want, to

help us provide the best services we can. And the more relaxed and at ease our hotel or restaurant

customer the higher their willingness to spend, and ultimately the greater our chances of further

business.

• Suppliers: Having a good rapport usually leads to better service, puts us in a better position to negotiate

when we need to, and makes it easier to ask for assistance when it’s needed.

• Your team: Having great rapport with your team will open up 2 way communication and builds

trust. You will get the best out of them if they feel comfortable to make suggestions, they are less

likely to be critical of ideas offered to them, and for you it will be a lot easier to call in a favour when

it’s needed. And it makes for a more pleasant working environment all round. Having good rapport

with management is likely to have a rub off effect in increasingly the likelihood of a staff having a

good rapport with your customers too.

HOW TO BUILD RUPPORT WITH CUSTOMERS

1. Match your customer's style. Pay attention to how your customer prefers to communicate and get

in step. Does your customer prefer to get right down to business, or warm up by engaging in small

talk? What kinds of things does he or she find funny, interesting, or intriguing? If your customer talks

quickly and loudly, make an effort to match that energy.

2. Trust builds rapport. Your customers will learn to trust you if you do what you say. Keep your

commitments, call when you say you will, and always follow through. Be careful not to make promises

you might not be able to keep. Too many salespeople make well-intentioned commitments, only to

find themselves unable to find time to fulfill them. They may not always lose a sale because of this,

but they're certainly not building the kind of trust that will make that customer anxious to give referrals.

Another way to build trust is to demonstrate that you're interested in their well-being -- beyond your

own profit potential. Know and appreciate your customers' needs beyond your product. See what you

can do to help them meet those needs. Little things like finding information for them or putting them

in touch with other suppliers tend to make a big difference.

3. Practice reciprocity. When you treat people in a certain way, they tend to want to treat you in the

same way. Find ways to treat your customers as valued members of your professional and even

social circle. In life and in business, the little things make a big difference.

1.6 THE ROLE OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS IN CLIENT INTERACTIONS (SO 2, AC 1, AC 2, AC 3, AC 4, AC

5)

Interpersonal skills are a crucial skill when interacting with customers. Interpersonal skills are the life

skills we use every day to communicate and interact with other people including customers. People

who have worked on developing strong interpersonal skills are usually more successful in interacting

with customers.

A List of Interpersonal Skills Includes:

✓ Verbal Communication - What we say and how we say it.

✓ Non-Verbal Communication - What we communicate without words, body language is an example.

✓ Listening Skills - How we interpret both the verbal and non-verbal messages sent by others.

✓ Negotiation - Working with others to find a mutually agreeable outcome.

✓ Problem Solving - Working with others to identify, define and solve problems.

✓ Decision Making – Exploring and analysing options to make sound decisions.

✓ Assertiveness – Communicating our values, ideas, beliefs, opinions, needs and wants freely.

IMPORTANCE OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

The following are some of the reasons why interpersonal communication skills are important in

customer interactions.

I. Assist in creating relationships with customers

Good interpersonal skills are the invisible glue which binds relationships together. These skills

reveal themselves through a readiness to share ideas and exchange information.

II. Helps in projecting good personal image

Interpersonal communication skills help individual’s especially shy people who cannot

project a favourable image of themselves or take any genuine interest in others to be more

comfortable around other people.

III. Enhances communication

Using good interpersonal skills is often the difference between effective communication and

building barriers to the communication process. Understanding the individual and creating

an environment conducive to communicate effectively is an efficient way of developing

valuable relationships.

IV. Helps in persuading customers

Persuasion happens whether people intend it or not. Those with more advanced interpersonal communication

skills, have more influence. The quality of communication is a major factor in the persuasiveness of a

proposition, opportunity, or argument. Much of the perceived meaning and weight of any point rests heavily on

the non-verbal abilities of the person expressing the message. Understanding the secrets of communication

opens a door to a world of possibilities. Take this interpersonal communication skills training programme to

learn the art of making things happen.

V. Helps in solving customer complaints

People with good interpersonal skills have excellent self-awareness. To this end, they are crucial in solving

customer problems. Individuals who are self-aware are more perceptive of how their words and actions affect

others, and are more willing to admit when they’ve made a mistake.

1.7 WAYS OF INCREASING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION (SO 12, AC 1, AC 2, AC 3, AC 4, AC 5)

The following is a curated list of 15 different tactics to improve customer satisfaction, from a variety

of sources:

1) Develop Customer Service Communities

The most advanced companies are using [customer service] communities to generate product

ideas and test new products. Seventy-two percent of respondents [who participated in a Get

Satisfaction survey] are using communities to get feedback on how existing products are used; 67

percent use them to collect ideas for new products or features from customers; and 46 percent rely

on them for feedback on prototypes or beta products.

2) Treat Customers Like You Would Want to Be Treated

Remember that your customer wants to see the sunny side of you and your business, so have your

filter on and put yourself in their shoes. A good way to instill this attitude among your staff is to do

some simple role play in which they act out a few scenarios that involve both easy-going and

difficult customers. Observe how they handle the situation and coach them on areas to improve.

3) Provide Multichannel Support

With newer communications channels such as social, mobile, web chat, and email becoming

increasingly important to customers, companies must develop systems order to connect with

customers on the channels they prefer to use. Multichannel support not only offers customers a

seamless transition between channels; it also prevents them from having to repeat information they

may have already provided to different call center agents, which can be both irritating to

customers and potentially damaging to a company’s reputation.”

4) Make Employee Satisfaction a Priority

Simply put, when your employees are happy, they can provide better customer service. Studies

have proven that employees often perform better at the jobs when they feel appreciated. Give

each employee a personalized ‘thank you’ every now and then, and introduce an employee of

the month program, if you don’t have one already. If you can help your employees take pride in

their jobs, their work performance will also improve.

5) Encourage Agents to Take Ownership of Problems

Encourage operators to take ownership of problems and spend time dealing with the customer,

rather than escalating or passing over the problem. This gives advisors a real sense of pride in their

job and means they are taking their own action and really shows excellent customer service.

6) Turn Customer Survey Data into Action

Good data reflects the experiences your customers actually have with your company. Furthermore,

good data equips your company to take action. [The key is to] develop a satisfaction survey that

probes truthfully into the heart of your gaps and opportunities.

7) Figure out What the Customer Really Wants

Figure out what the customer really wants, if you can solve the problem they will pay; the value is

often not in the discount you can offer but rather in the solution you can provide.

8) Focus on Company Culture

The best companies put a focus on culture. They implement training programs around their cultural

values to ensure everyone shares the same values and that they are consistently demonstrated

when dealing with customers.

9) Stay Current on Customer Reviews

In a world that is heavily dependent on the internet, consumers are quick to hop online and share

how they feel about a product or service. Take the time to log onto the internet and observe what

people are saying about your business. Find out what people enjoy, as well as what they’d like to

see improved. The reviews you stumble across might surprise you and introduce you to areas of

improvement that you had not previously considered.

10) Offer Proactive Customer Service

The key here is to contact your customers before they need to pick up the phone and contact you!

To be effective, these contacts should be timely, personalized and relevant to the consumer.

The best proactive strategies make regular contact throughout the consumer lifecycle. Examples

include: payment reminders, fraud monitoring, and personalized loyalty and reward schemes. This

strategy can reduce inbound calls and improve agent efficiency. This proves that offering great

customer service isn’t just good for the consumer, it’s good for the business as well.

11) Personalize

In everything you do, make sure the customer feels like he or she is the only one that matters. Use

the customer’s name, refer to personal information and congratulate a customer on his or her

birthday. Make them feel at home.

12) Slash Wait Times

Everyone is busy, and if your company can’t provide the highest levels of service your customers

won’t hesitate to find someone who can. Customer wait time needs to be eliminated or managed.

Bureaucracy needs to be replaced with customer-friendly processes. Be easy to do business with,

and your customers will reward you over and over again.

13) Rethink the Approach to Doing Business & Building Relationships

“Because consumers are operating differently today, and more differently tomorrow, companies

must embrace the environment in which we’re operating. It’s only fair to customers that companies

rethink their approach to doing business and building relationships with them.

15) Demonstrate Product Knowledge

One of the most important aspects of successful customer service revolves around product

knowledge. In other words, any and all agents who have direct customer contact should know the

company’s product and/or service inside and out. In many cases, developing robust product

knowledge involves managers helping agents build their confidence so they’re motivated to

succeed. To do this, managers might try mapping out their assessment of an agent’s product

knowledge and compare it against the agent’s, identifying any gaps that exist and making it easier

to put together a professional development plan for the future.”

WAYS OF IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN A HOTEL INDUSTRY

1. Optimize online presence – Having a website is not enough. To maximize visibility and sales your

property needs to be present on OTAs, review websites and social media channels.

2. Manage guest expectations – Don’t mislead potential guests with empty promises that will only

lead to disappointment (and negative feedback). Be truthful and helpful.

3. Be true to your brand – Always strive to exceed expectations. Impressed guests turn into repeat

customers and advocates.

4. Ask for and track guest feedback – Be proactive! Front-desk staff can ask guests about their stay

and invite them to write reviews online, but with fewer guests checking out at the front desk these

days it’s important to conduct post-stay surveys or invite guests to review their experience via

post-stay email communication.

5. Analyze guest feedback – Listen to what guests are saying and act on it. Gather and review all

forms of guest feedback to measure and analyze for actionability.

6. Use feedback to guide decisions – Guest feedback can be applied to decision-making in all areas

and departments: staff recruitment and training, sales and marketing, investments in new

services/amenities, etc.

7. Respond to guest feedback – Show guests (and prospective guests) that you are listening and

you care; respond to all reviews, both positive and negative. Express appreciation for the review,

reinforce positive aspects, apologize for any issues, and specify actions that will be taken to

improve.

8. Provide social service – Use social media channels to connect with guests and provide customer

service pre-, during and post-stay.