I read an business to business article last week by Janet Fouts talking about her frustration with a hotel’s customer service using social media. I thought she brought up some very good points, and highly recommend reading her point of view. The basic gist is to be sure that you are ready before you begin to offer customer service over your social networks. It seems like common sense, but I can see how it could easily be overlooked or forgotten over time. When a guest uses social media to reach out about a complaint or even just a simple question, they do expect a timely answer. They also expect the answer to cover the problem. All too often, the answer makes the problem worse. In the example contained in the link, the hotel did respond asking for her contact information, but never contacted her again. They took a bad situation and made it worse by using Twitter to make it appear to the public that they were helping her when they never actually did anything about it. I’ve experienced quite a few “overly canned” responses to problems and those always annoy as well. You aren’t expected to draft a new …
Digital signage is on a sharp rise in the hospitality industry. Interactive touch screens are in, and those back-lit “you are here” maps are making an exit. So what are some key features to identify when implementing a signage upgrade? Digital signage should first and foremost connect you to your guests, giving you the opportunity to enhance their experience through multiple channels: Interactive wayfinding Travel information such as flights, maps, and weather forecasts In-house promotions Menus Amenities Event information Interaction with your brand Social media integration Secondly, ensure that the signage you are purchasing has a content management system (CMS) that allows you to customize the content, retaining brand consistency and reliability. Digital signage is an elegant, meaningful, and effective tool and your brand can be at the front and center if you manage the content in-house. Social media integration is another way for your brand to shine through digital signage. Users are able to share photos of your property along with your branding on their own social pages, combining peer recommendations with instant brand messaging. In short, keep the needs of your guests at the top of your mind and stay true to your brand.
Imagine that you come across an industry report detailing what to expect in your field over the next decade – a glimpse of the future. Curiosity piqued, you read through and realize that they are describing your company word for word. Do you know what this means? You work for the future! That is how we felt when we read the “From Chaos to Collaboration” report from Amadeus (which can be read and downloaded by following the link), under the heading “Intelligent Recommendation.” (p.28) “As technologies make it easier to tag and recommend all aspects of the travel experience, travelers will increasingly be influenced by their peers. However, internet search engines and expert advice will be equally important. The combination of the three will make the exploration of niche tastes or interests while traveling more accessible to a wider group of people.” (excerpt, “From Chaos to Collaboration” p. 28) This is what our Recommendation Network™ is all about. We have spent the last 3 years researching the hospitality industry to understand how it is that hotel guests want to be interacted with in today’s digital age. It became apparent very quickly that what travelers are looking for are trusted sources …
Our team had a great time at the 2012 International CES with Dell and Startup America. We can’t say enough about how much we appreciate the support Dell has shown us, and how awesome it has been working with them. It goes without saying that Dell is one of the most-loved success stories in the U.S., but getting to know the people behind the company has been a great experience for our crew at Monscierge. Startup America was launched about a year ago at the White House to help young companies grow in five areas: expertise, services, talent, customers, and capital. One of the highlights of our CES trip was a Google+ hangout that included Startup America CEO, Scott Case, and Dell president, Consumer, Small and Medium Business, Steve Felice. “I think the effort by Dell and Startup America to promote up and coming businesses is to be commended. By promoting and supporting startups, each is helping create jobs in today’s tough economy. Other large corporations should take note and follow Dell’s lead. By giving innovative companies exposure at places such as CES, they are directly and positively impacting the engine behind the US economy, small to medium sized businesses …
Vice President of Customer Development, Amy Morgan How long have you worked for the company?I started with Monscierge in November, 2010. What is your job position and what are your responsibilities? I’m Vice President of Customer Development. It’s my responsibility to maintain all of our current customer accounts, and lead the various aspects of supporting the software and our units. That’s the technical description of my job; but really it’s my mission in life, and in my job, to keep our customers happy, get to know them by name, get a feel for their property and their individual needs, and try to meet those on a daily basis. I want them to LOVE their Monscierge unit, and our company, and be happy about inviting us into their lobbies to help keep their guests happy. Please tell me about your most rewarding or satisfying experience, your proudest moment, since you joined the company. This is a tough question. I’ve been proud at a lot of milestones and moments – this is a great company, making huge progress and always learning as we go, so I’m proud to watch that growth every day. I’d say for me, though, my most rewarding …