Fast forwarding guest feedback
Mistakes are how we learn. Sometimes though, we do not realise that we have made a mistake or spot one that has occurred. There are those of course, who prefer to stay in denial, refusing to acknowledge or understand why it should not have happened: only to keep repeating them until it’s too late. On the other hand, those who want to learn from their mistakes get feedback, i.e. to know what you did in the past was and why it was so good or bad.
At first glance “feedback” might be a fuzzy word. According to the Oxford dictionary, feedback is “information about reactions to a product, a person’s performance of a task, etc., which is used as a basis for improvement”.
Interpreted differently, feedback means:
Feedback also relies on how it is communicated; meaning, the use of words. Negative feedback could mean criticism well delivered, or worse - criticism badly conveyed. Conversely, positive feedback could mean praise, and when well expressed – even better!
We all realise that feedback can either be good or bad, and yet, despite all of what is written above… questions remain unanswered. Questions such as: What is the most effective method for requesting reviews from guests? Collect guest feedbacks in real time, at departure time, or after they check out of your property? Should an email be sent immediately or is waiting a few days better? How does one fix an experience after check-out?
Receiving guest comments including criticism, constructive or otherwise, is a vital part of running a hotel. It can enable the property or brand to co-orchestrate their future experience. Managing guest feedback effectively could mean the difference between a great, second rate or mediocre reputation. Feedback, whether solicited or not, comes in various forms and from multiple channels. It all starts with getting that feedback – the how and the when?
Feedback can mean a survey done during the stay, such as the “How is everything” question, asked numerous times when the guest is-in-house, or the most common “Satisfaction survey”, sent to the guest after he or she has left the hotel. Allowing your guests to express their opinions during the stay can have a much bigger impact on their impression than the post-stay survey. To me, the latter is similar to carrying out a postmortem, whilst the former is like using the thermometer frequently to check the body temperature.
Some hotels rely on getting feedback just prior to the guest check-out. While it could marginally de-stress the guest, it might be a case of ‘too little too late’, towards diminishing the distress felt when the stay hadn’t gone as well as expected. Moreover, many receptionists ask, not because they want to genuinely know, but because they are required to – often evidenced when they ask the question looking down at the computer, avoiding eye-contact.
I recall checking out of a hotel, where the receptionist posed me the question “Was everything ok with your stay?” To my ‘Yes” answer, she pulled out a comment card and asked “Can I rate it between 8, 9, or 10 out-of-10 for you?” From the closed format of the question, clearly, the employee was seeking to avoid any response other than “yes, everything was ok”, even if it was not.
Aside of that, check-out time gives very little opportunity to execute the service recovery paradox (SRP) – unlike, being able to correct a problem in one’s product or service, while the guests are still in the hotel. There simply is not a lot of time, to fix my experience at checkout – particularly if one is preoccupied with rushing to the airport to catch one’s flight on time.
Think about it.
Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Customer Service Trainer and Hospitality Management Coach
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