Hospitality

noun

the business of providing food, drink, and accommodation for customers of restaurants, bars, etc. or guests at hotels.

“he said that young people learn valuable skills by taking jobs in hospitality”

the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.

“X is renowned for their hospitality”

Coupling both of these concepts of what hospitality really means together would help businesses within the sector to deliver the very best possible customer experience. But it has to be a well thought out process. Which we will be looking at throughout this process. 

When considering the customer experience, many people make the mistake of thinking that this experience happens when customers step through the door. But it does in fact start long before they ever enter your venue. 

In this day and age, people have access to so much information and are able to more easily compare venues and their offerings, as well as feedback from other visitors than ever before. So what kind of experience you create really does matter long before they ever visit. 

Because people have access to more information online, what you do at every stage of the customer journey is more important than ever before. Don’t just think about inside your venue, but think about how they discover you, how easy it is to find out more and get answers to their questions before ever stepping foot in the door. 

Many venues are already thinking about reviews and online feedback, but even this is often handled badly, which I will help you navigate better, through this series in due course. However the customer experience is so much more than the online feedback, testimonials and reviews. It’s everything! 

As we go through this XXX part series, I will look to break down each stage of how you can look to improve every stage of the customer experience and journey. Making following the guidance shared easy to implement irrespective of what type of venue you are. 

The customer journey starts well before they arrive, so what are you doing to ensure it is your venue that they choose? 

If you are not showing up online, in search, personal recommendations then you may already be missing out on many customers that you are not even aware of. How easy are you making it for people to share what you offer, and what their experience has been like? 

Stop thinking just reviews and start thinking about building the type of customer experience that makes people want to talk about you and your venue. 

Does your venue have any special qualities, offer anything unique of have historic interest? If so be sure to share this in an easily digestible way, and a range of different formats. Always remember that different people prefer to consume different types of content online too. Whilst some people love video, others would rather skim read, and so you need to show up access them all, to make your marketing efforts the most effective. 

But don’t make the mistake of thinking that all of this is just marketing, although it is arguably some of the most effective marketing you could possibly do, when handled right! It is about making people feel special and like they belong.

In this species we will cover all these aspects of marketing, the customer journey, reviews and recommendations; 

• The Research Stage (Before they decide)
• The Planning Stage (Once they decide) 
• The Journey Stage (The actual trip) 
• The In House Stage (While they are with you)
• The Post Visit Stage (What happens when they leave) 

All of these stages play a fundamental role in how not only those guest view and perceive your venue but also how others may do as well. This is in part thanks to social media and digital platforms where guests can leave feedback and reviews. However it’s important to remember the power of personal recommendations and word of mouth.

We will be publishing 2 blogs a week throughout this series, so be sure to follow along on our social accounts & follow the hashtag #SterlingStockAuditors so you don’t miss any of this powerful, customer experience improving knowledge & advice.