How to turn “indirect” communication into revenue

Some time ago I noticed something peculiar happening. We would ask guests if they had any comments about their stay as they were checking out via chat, and most of the time the answers were pretty standard. Later, when I saw an occasional constructive criticism online, I would go back and review the customer conversation. I would wonder why they decided not to tell us how they were really feeling.

The reality is that it really depends on the context. If a guest is having a problem, they don't always express it explicitly during or after their stay. Eventually we started testing indirect feedback channels that worked more like anonymous comments. What used to be paper customer comment cards could now be translated into digital form. The results have been wonderful, and we're expanding the program.

Now, instead of a guest responding directly to a chat message, we give them lots of opportunities to tell us how they are feeling in a more indirect way. In addition to improving satisfaction overall, we also started asking more marketing-related questions during the customer journey. Instead of asking, "Do you want to purchase a package?", you could ask, "Do you come to our city often?" The answer could have a marked impact on the offers we make over time.

What's critical now is having the data flow set up so the answers don't get lost. Then we can make the right offers to the right guest at the right time. These days there are endless ways to sell. What's most interesting to me is how indirect communication can create extraordinary opportunities in both guest experience and revenue.

If your hospitality property wants to increase revenue using customer lifecycle strategies, send me a message.