Meeting and exceeding the needs of your customers is the single most important task most companies face today. Too frequently the customer walks away dissatisfied, and 89% of customers who experience poor service will never return.
I witnessed this firsthand while vacationing in South Florida over the holidays…
My brother-in-law had a reservation at a highly regarded chain hotel in Delray Beach and was due to check-in a few hours ahead of us. We were all looking forward to spending some quality time together. Unfortunately, my brother-in-law had a disastrous check-in experience, filled with a comedy of mishaps that sent him packing, literally, to a competitor hotel.
His first assigned room was already occupied by another guest, who was in the bathroom when he walked in. His second assigned room had no working air conditioning. His third assigned room had a shoddy internet connection. He had already begun to settle in and unpack in both rooms two and three and decided that being assigned to a fourth room, and having to unpack again, was more than he could handle.
To this day he has still never received any follow-up communication from hotel management. Suffice it to say my brother-in-law has now gone sour on the entire hotel chain, not just the Delray Beach location.
On the other hand, my check-in experience, hours later, was seamless and pleasant, as was the entire 4-night stay. I had considered proactively changing hotels as well but since it was already after 6pm on the day of arrival, I would have had to forfeit a night’s stay at rack rate pricing.
You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
Allow me to show your front line employees how to make memorable first impressions that keep your customers returning again and again!