Making the customer journey infinite
Why do people prefer to stick to a brand or repeatedly buy known things? It’s because that particular brand has successfully built a bond with its customers by delivering exactly what their customers were looking for. In the case of a hotel this relates to the hotel, for playing its part, in ensuring that the Customer journey (mostly digital nowadays), begins and ends on a positive note. If the hotel has done well, guests may consider coming back. I say ‘may’ for good reason. Let me delve into that here, later.
I recently asked the manager of an independent hotel “What percentage of your daily guests on average, are repeat visitors?” By the look on his face, I knew my question had caught him by surprise – which is no surprise, because 90 percent of today’s independent hoteliers would not know the correct answer.
We all know that acquiring a new customers cost much more than retaining past customers. Unlike potential (new) customers, they already know your hotel. All that is needed for hoteliers to do is let them know that your value proposition has not unchanged... perhaps is even better now.
And how does one do that? Not by abandoning guests after they have posted very good comments of their stay, but by continuing to connect with them regularly and keeping the ‘conversation’ going, thus creating a bond. The advantage for a repeat guest is that their Customer journey is shortened by not having to search anew for a hotel.
A Customer journey starts long before the check-in to a hotel. It often begins the moment a potential guest decides to take a trip. Hotels come into the picture when the customer conducts a Google search like: “4-star hotels in Colombo, Sri Lanka”, although not all Customer journeys begin this way (perhaps they discover your hotel while talking to family members or friends). In short, a Customer Journey includes the Dreaming, Planning, Booking and Experiencing Phases.
The Dreaming stage starts when people start to think of their next holiday, followed by the planning stage which involves creating an itinerary including travel options. At this point, after deciding where, when and how to go to their selected destination, they begin searching for hotels/ resorts for their stay by narrowing down their options. They might visit over 10 travel websites before making a final decision, so standing out is crucial. Price, amenities, reviews, and the overall booking experience play a significant role here. The stage is now set for the traveler to make a reservation. Here is where the ease of booking and an excellent user experience plays a critical part. Once the booking is confirmed, the guests shift their focus to planning their actual trip. Then follows the stay at the hotel - often referred to the as the experience stage, where the quality of service, comfort and amenities the guest receives, will shape his/her perception of the property. A positive experience will lead to upbeat reviews been shared with family, friends and on social media platforms.
For several hotels, and, in the majority, independent-run hotels, receiving a guest review signals the end of the guest’s journey…and that’s a mistake. Globally, it is estimated that the number of repeat guests in independent hotels averages around 10% on any given night as against over 50% at the major hotel chains. Why the huge disparity, one might ask?
That’s because, and if you recall my question to the manager of that independent hotel, very few independents have CRM (Customer Relations Management) technology and Loyalty programmes in place. As a result, that vital final phase in the Customer journey goes missing. Previously, I mentioned the customer journey includes the dreaming, planning, booking and experiencing phases. In the experiences phase is also Guest retention - which is the final phase of the Customer Journey. Actually, that is partially inaccurate.
In truth, the customer who travels past the search, book, check-in, in-house, check-out and post-stay engagement, where every expectation is exceeded, will become loyal customers by re-booking your hotel, when they visit your destination again and again.
In such an instance and in theory - a guest journey could be infinite.
Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Customer Service Trainer and Ex-Hotelier
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