dimanche 12 décembre 2010

The new rules of handling customer complaints

Nowadays old advice like: The customer is always right, come back strongly in the hospitality industry.
According to the Inc. Magazine the following eight expert tips are the best way to deal with unsatisfied customers:

1. Ditch the formalities and break the rules.
2. Don't give customers too much choice.
3. Monitor your reputation online. All the time.
4. Shut up and listen.
5. Collect lots and lots of customer feedback.
6. Sit tight and be nice.
7. Don't fear using your QSA budget.
8. Focus on learning from the feedback.

The most important point is that even if employees always need to apply the company credo to answer any problem, the best way to handle customer complaints is to offer them a personalized service.
Be innovative and analyze customers' feedback respecting the company rules will help the hotel to make customers happy, look after customers loyality and make the business better.

mardi 7 décembre 2010

Skills to improve toward Guest Relations Manager position

Of course at this time of my career, I have some lack concerning the skills I need to perform my futur Guest Relations Manager position. But as I already work in this department, I know what was my assets and my weak points.

To be a good Guest Relations Manager I need to improve:

- Conflict Management
- Team Management

I need to improve those skills but the two ways to acquire it is, thanks to training or by the gain of experience. I personally think that I can learn those skills but the real way to improve it is by the experience because we are talking about human factors and each management situation will need to be handle in different way. To me the improvement of those skills is the gain of experience.

dimanche 5 décembre 2010

How hotels are using Facebook

Known as one of the most famous social network, Facebook should be considered in the hospitality industry as an amazing tool of communication for their existing customers.
Like said in the article at this time hotels tends to use social media more like sales channel and forgot to stay focus on the engagement created by this website.

Loic Le Meur, founder and CEO of Seesmic, a software company that makes one of the most popular Facebook social software application, agree in the sens that the audience interacting on this space is waiting for a real interaction with the hotel.

Facebook has a great impact for hotels, like the Hotel de Crillon for example which can catch it audience and customer thanks to the promotion of their brand, promote special offer and keep in touch with their followers. It can take some time to be and stay present on Facebook but it is an amazing way to create customer loyalty and engagement.