The hospitality industry constantly changes and evolves in the face of new industry and consumer trends. Unique socio-economic shifts also dictate the course of the market. Analysts and industry leaders continuously provide forecasts to give businesses a way to build their competitive advantage. The industry never stands still.
Customer service is at the core of innovation and good business practices. This is the case no matter where the industry goes. After all, the future in the hospitality sector quite literally lies in the hands of guests and customers, so it’s imperative to perfect your customer service.
To do that, you have to be innovative and adopt new as well as tried-and-tested solutions into your operation. It’s critical to have this balance to meet the expectations of your millennial customers and take your business forward as a whole.
Today, we’ll take a look at some best examples of stellar customer service in the hospitality industry. These digital marketing hotel strategies include leading technologies and best practices that put smiles on the faces of modern customers.
Integrate Virtual Assistants
The world is slowly moving into an age of automation and seamless human-machine interaction. One of the most notable examples is how the leaders in the hospitality industry now use virtual reception desks and assistants to better accommodate guest needs. While this technology is still not in wide use around the world, there are many reasons hotels, restaurants, and other businesses benefit from the use a virtual receptionist. For one, a virtual receptionist or front desk assistant can greatly help businesses optimize payroll expenses during the COVID-19 crisis, but also in years to come.
Aside from financial savings, it’s also important to note virtual receptionists can help expedite numerous processes. For example, taking and processing orders, accommodating new arrivals at hotels and venues, processing booking and customer information, processing check-outs faster, and much more. At the same time, they elevate security on the premises. The result is a better customer experience through sheer expedience and reliability. Although, it’s important to note guests require a human approach as well. It’s great to combine this solution with traditional practices.
Personalize the Customer Experience
Personalization has been the driving force behind long-term business success in recent years. Whether you’re the hotel manager or the head honcho at a successful local coffee shop, remember that customers keep coming back to your establishment not because of the amazing coffee, but because you view them as valued members of your community. This is what builds long-lasting brands, and it’s one of the best ways to take your marketing and WOM to the next level.
This is why personalizing customer interactions and those everyday experiences should be one of your top priorities. By doing so, you can grow your community and boost acquisition, as well as retention. You can do this through loyalty programs, special curated deals and packages, and by simply asking some basic questions at the booking stage so you can prep a special welcome package for your guests, for example.
Recognize the Impact of VoIP Technology
Good customer communication is another vital pillar of long-term success in this industry. You should communicate and interact with your audience, guests, and visitors on a regular basis. This helps establish more meaningful relationships while effectively tend to guest’s needs. It’s critical to have an amazing customer service team and also to integrate leading communication technology like VoIP with your business phone system. VoIP offers a wide range of calling features that enable you to handle calls efficiently and ensure maximum customer satisfaction.
As a cloud-based system, VoIP (voice over internet protocol) aims to bring numerous digital features to the hospitality sector. You can search for the best VoIP service provider that offers features like full mobile optimization, call forwarding and video conferencing, HD voice quality and low-cost calls, as well as various plug-ins and integrations. These and many other features will help build a thriving customer service team. A VoIP receptionist can handle all customer queries quickly.
Leverage IoT Tech and Applications
The internet of things has made significant changes to the way we do business. It greatly impacts our quality of life at home, at the office, and while we interact with the outside world. What started as simple, voice-recognition tech evolved into AI-driven technologies and gadgets. This new tech is capable of tackling menial and complex queries and problems. Nowadays, business leaders in the hospitality industry are using IoT to elevate customer experience across the board.
Having the ability to communicate with various gadgets and control them with the sound of your voice makes a hotel truly stand out in a competitive field. At the same time, having IoT solutions at restaurants, bars, and coffee shops can significantly reduce customer effort and improve productivity.
Capitalize on Big Data Analysis
Last but not least, it’s important to have the right information at the right time to improve your customer experience strategy and integrate new solutions quickly. Without the right data at your disposal, you can’t stay agile and flexible in such a fast-paced industry. Leaders often combine AI with big data analytics to gather vast amounts of industry data. You can also produce comprehensive yet actionable reports. Be sure to integrate artificial intelligence into your data analysis process to always know what your customers want and need.
Wrapping up
Marketing hospitality businesses doesn’t have to be tricky. Customer service drives the industry forward. It’s important to implement innovative solutions if you want to preserve and grow your brand. Use these examples and watch as customer satisfaction rises.