Everything technology-related for Monscierge.
We’ve talked often about hotels using technology to enhance the guest experience through personalization. I wanted to highlight a few restaurant apps who are using their apps to delight guests with custom offers, drive sales with tailored menu items, and remove pain points with increased efficiency and precision. Can you talk about restaurant apps without mentioning Dominos? The pizza chain has been on the forefront of innovation in marketing and technology since their “we’re sorry for making bad pizza” campaign in 2009. They also came up with ordering via Tweet and emoji. Unlimited pizza customization aside, one of the best features of their app is the “Dominos Tracker”, which allows customers to know exactly what their pizza is up to every moment from being ordered to being placed in their hands. Nobody likes to wait, but it’s easier when you know where your pizza is. The Starbucks app took awhile to work its way into a permanent spot on my phone. They had a few security issues in the beginning but quickly caught up to the technology by being one of the first to offer phone payments and location-based services. My favorite feature of their app is that it remembers …
A few years ago, a team of researchers found that happiness, rather than being directly in ratio to pleasant circumstances, existed in the space between reality and expectation. (Happiness = Reality – Expectations) It may sound overly simplistic but it’s a basic premise that has far-reaching applications. For anyone working in service industries, the happiest customers aren’t those whose expectations have been met, it’s those whose expectations have been exceeded. Disappointment, on the other hand, comes when expectations are not met. For hotels, honest marketing photos and reviews can have a great impact on gaining happy (and therefore loyal) guests because they create fair expectations that can be met and exceeded. Another way to raise the sum of happiness is to break through the standard lowered expectations with things like eliminating lines at check in, speedy check out, and personalized experiences. These are some of the reasons we continually speak about using technology to enhance customer service and elevate the guest experience. Click here for client case studies on using mobile technology to increase guest happiness.
We surveyed travelers around the world to discover how they use technology to enhance their travel experience. Some of the most surprising information came from the queries surrounding mobile use during the stay. As expected, use of a hotel’s mobile app to decrease standing in line for check in and check out was a top-rated feature, but we also found that the majority of today’s travelers prefer to use SMS text to make requests such as to maintenance, housekeeping, and room service. Text was named as the number one preferred method of communication by travelers. Considering that text also requires less time than a phone or in person conversation and is easily translated into automated task delegation and follow up, using SMS to communicate with guests is a win-win. What I found most telling was that 94% of people surveyed said they are more likely to choose the same hotel again if technology was used to personalize the stay. This would include location-based offers by means of beacon technology, calling guests by name in communications, and recording and recalling personalization from previous stays such as favorite wine or dining preferences. This recalls to mind a familiar refrain – technology should …
The J.D. Power’s North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index study showed scores improving across the board, but not as much in the areas of check in and check out. While up overall, guests aren’t quite as happy with the process as they are with the rest of the stay. It makes sense. One of the top annoyances in any experience is standing in line, and a busy front desk often means guests are doing just that. In an early Monscierge survey, we found that 49% of travelers feel that 1-5 minutes is too long to stand in line while visiting a hotel. Moreover, 66% prefer to use mobile check-out over visiting the front desk, and 79% prefer mobile for check-out. Billing accuracy and speed were found to be the biggest factors in guest satisfaction during check-out. Another point touched on by the J.D. Power study is direct booking. Jennifer Corwin, Associate Practice Lead for the Global Travel and Hospitality Practice at J.D. Power, had this to say, “Years of capital investment in offerings such as higher-end televisions and in-room tablets have left their mark. Now, as hotels look to push customer satisfaction levels higher, their focus should turn to service …
Travel bookings, whether done by computer or mobile, will never again be separated from internet searches, recommendation sites, and reviews. Hotel companies that view this transparency as an asset take measures to delight guests, keep reviews positive, and sometimes change perceptions when a guest is inclined to complain. In days past, complaints may have been left to comment cards or front desk rants. Social media allows for a more public airing, but also creates a space for a back and forth conversation. Many times, a complaint is handled so well that the guest leaves with an even more favorable view than they would have had during a non-eventful stay. A manager at a popular family resort heard about a comment regarding a poor arrival experience and immediately called the guest to see what had gone wrong. He was able to turn the entire situation around by acknowledging the issue and sending some snacks and drinks to the room. Because of his hasty intervention, the guest was impressed and posted a public review to that effect. Engaging guests while on site is the most efficient way to surprise and delight them. Any means of communication with guests, whether it be face …