The courtesy call conundrum

Rudy a hotelier friend of mine recently reminisced, how after staying for four days, he received a Courtesy call from the hotel’s guest relations officer on the day he was to checkout. The caller wanted to know whether he had enjoyed his stay at that hotel. Rudy chuckled as he told me that he remembers saying this to the GRO; “I would have appreciated receiving your call on day one i.e. soon after I had checked into our room. This would have saved me the trouble of reporting several issues to various hotel people. I had booked a triple-bedded room for the three of us and discovered that there were towels, amenities including tea/coffee set up for only two! Although there was a third bed, even the extra pillows in the room were for two guests. Apart from that I have encountered a few problems, such as….and so on…” Now there are a few lessons to be learnt from this narrative. However, let’s pause a moment to ask ourselves what exactly is a Courtesy call?

Before hotels began making Courtesy calls to its guests, it was mostly done by companies to find out if the customer is satisfied with their service or product. It could be a visit or a telephone call for example, to thank them for their business or to establish how satisfied the customer is with the company's service. A Courtesy call not only encourages feedback, it also reinforces customer relations and is proactive. It was much later that the practise of making Courtesy calls was adapted by hotels after Holiday Inn tested the programme and rolled it out in all their properties worldwide.

When the Courtesy call programme began making its rounds, every hotel literally jumped on board to include it. Not only did hotel guests find it useful, they tended to like the hotel better and their attitude towards staff jumped a notch or two. The call was also perceived by guests that the hotel appreciated their decision to stay at their property and thus enhanced the price/value relationship. Whilst some crafted the ‘Courtesy call programme’ carefully and ensured that it was executed with proper ‘do’s and don’ts’ in-place, the majority just implemented it without any thought. Where they erred was to carry out the programme without giving any thought to the important 3 W’s - namely; the Who, When and What.

• Who to call? It is recommended that hotels call guests checking in before 9 pm. or after that time, only when receiving all wakeup call requests over the phone. Calling every guest who checks in, regardless of the time of arrival is insensitive. It can be irritating… especially for someone who arrives near midnight after a long tiring journey and immediately goes to sleep – only to be awoken by a courtesy call.
• When to call? Timing is essential. Firstly, be certain that the guest is on his/her way to the room. Sometimes, guests after checking in, may head to the bar/restaurant or simply take in the view from the lobby, before setting off to the room. Secondly, give them time to reach their room. In a high-rise building this could be a few minutes; in a sprawling resort it could take longer. Finally, let the guest spend some time in the room. Being proactive is fine but it can be annoying to receive a call when the guest has not been in the room long enough to actually know if anything is wrong (it’s like when you’re in a restaurant and they ask how your food is before you have a chance to eat).
• What to say? A well crafted courtesy call delivered with sincerity can say a lot about your hotel. A good example of a simple Courtesy call could go like this:-

Remember Rudy telling me that he received a courtesy call on the fourth day of his stay at a particular hotel? What he missed was not getting the Courtesy call, 20-30 minutes after entering his room on day one of his stay. What he also did not receive was a follow-up Courtesy call which ideally should have been given on the evening prior to his second night’s stay. A simple example of the second night Courtesy call would go something like this:-

"Good evening, Mr. Hodgeson. This is Judy the hotel’s Guest Relations Officer. Your satisfaction is our first concern so I am calling to ask if during your stay so far, everything has met your expectations? Is there anything we can do to make your experience better?" Goodnight Mr. Hodgeson and thank you for choosing to stay with us.

At one time, the Courtesy call program, considered an important standard operating procedure was practiced by almost every 4-5 star hotel. No longer is this the norm. John Wanamaker’s quote “Courtesy is the one coin you can never have too much of or be stingy with.” comes to mind. Made in the 1900’s, it highlighted the constant dilemma organisations faced with making customers happy – or making more money. It still rings true, as nowadays hotels have relegated the customer experience, prioritizing bottom lines and short term goals over customer care.

Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex-Hotelier

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