Why Customer Service and Hospitality are the Perfect Match

Customer service is the essence of the hospitality industry. So why do the two go hand-in-hand?

First Impressions

Excellent customer service is vitally important in the hospitality industry because it’s the first point of contact, between for example, the hotel guest and the representative of the hotel. It is the first opportunity an establishment gets to impress and create a lasting great impression.

If when checking into a restaurant or a hotel, being greeted with a smile and assistance initially makes the customer feel they are in good hands, setting the mood for their time at the establishment. After this first impression however, it’s vital to follow through with meeting the client’s expectations.

Satisfied customers are looking for a memorable experience and an energetic service, where it matters the most. Businesses need to be aware that it’s becoming ever more popular for guests to leave a review of their experience on a number of feedback sites, whether their experience was a good or bad one. Hospitality outlets need to me mindful of this as bad feedback can be extremely damaging.

When delivering on customer promises – Any business needs to keep customers and clients happy, but in the hospitality industry it’s so important to keep guests engaged in order for repeat business and for referral purposes. For the customer to return all you need to do is deliver what was promised, if you can exceed expectation where possible this is always a good tool to help gain referrals.

Staying Ahead of the Competition

Top-notch customer service is often the difference between choosing you or choosing your competition so how do you ensure you’re always ahead of the game? Do you know what your customers really experience when they walk through the door? This is where customer service is critical.

If a customer is unfortunate enough to have a bad experience, for any reason, you need to make sure it’s made easy and clear for them to tell you about it. At the same time be understanding and allow them to get it off their chest to you, so they’re not inclined to tell someone else, giving the competition a chance to get ahead. Try hard to fix the problem – communication is key – and remember keep calm and try to resolve the situation so the customer ultimately goes away happy. For every customer that leaves unhappy, you’re competition has the upper-hand in acquiring that individual and the people they tell about their negative experience.

Benefits of Customer Experience Research

By utilising BARE International’s customer experience research, our mystery evaluators will help you finally uncover how your facility and staff are truly performing. How? A customised formula of mystery calling and shopping, in-store and online audits, e-mailing, and mystery leads reveals how well your employees were trained and brand standards are executed.

BARE’s customer service research supports hospitality clients with dedicated program specialists who become brand ambassadors and serve as the main point of contact. Our Hospitality evaluators have strict ethical standards and are trained to methodically assess every area of a property from the reservation call to the valet departure and every point in between.

Undoubtedly, customer service is of vital importance to the hospitality industry. The level of service your customers receive could mean the glory or disaster of your business and so should not be overlooked. It’s time to streamline operations, increase integrity, and improve the quality of customer service with BARE International India.