The customer experience : Lessons from the luxury hotel industry
Professional services firms tend to invest significant resources in acquiring new clients. However, they often neglect their customer retention efforts. What makes a client likely to return or recommend your firm to their network?
If you rely solely on the results or products you deliver, you are missing out on an important opportunity to build lasting relationships with your customers and retain their loyalty. When your competitors offer comparable results and products, your customers' experience with your company is essential. As the founder of a marketing agency and brand consultant, Owen Garitty, author of this article, often looks for opportunities to apply best practices from other industries to the field of marketing. Over the years, he has observed the customer experience at luxury hotels, both as a customer and as a consultant. More recently, he had the opportunity to advise a hotel owner on repositioning and selling their property. This experience showed him the extent of thought and planning that luxury hotels put into providing their guests with world-class service. He believes that applying this customer-centric approach to professional services firms is extremely valuable. The quintessential high-quality customer experience is that offered by luxury hotels. Every stage of the customer journey is carefully considered to ensure that their stay exceeds their expectations. Whether you run a law firm, accounting firm, marketing agency, or consulting firm, you can apply the hospitality practices of luxury hotels to your customer experience. Let's examine the stages of the luxury hotel customer journey and how you can apply hospitality practices to your business.
The reception
In a hotel, the reception desk is the first point of contact for guests after they have made their reservation. Guests are greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable hotel representative who helps them find their room and provides basic information about their stay. For your business, note who is the first point of contact for your customers. This person is responsible for the first impression your customers have of your business. Their behaviour and actions will set the expectations for the rest of your customers' journey. It is essential that all employees have received adequate training to provide your customers with personalised, knowledgeable assistance that highlights your brand values from the outset.
The concierge service
Once settled in their rooms, hotel guests often consult the concierge to organise their trip. The concierge can help them find everything they need for a great holiday, whether it's restaurant reservations, entertainment options, transport recommendations or shopping. The concierge is a source of information about the hotel and the city they are visiting. As part of a professional service, the concierge is the person who works most closely with your guests. For marketing agencies, this is the account manager; for a law firm, it is the lead solicitor handling the client's case. This person must be prepared to answer all your clients' questions and make recommendations if they are unsure which product or service is best for them. The key to maximising the role of the concierge in your business is to never say no to a client's request. If you cannot offer the product or service they need, suggest another solution. Inform them of other possibilities they may not be aware of to help them achieve their goals.
Room service
Room service is one of the most appealing aspects of staying at a luxury hotel. Guests can order just about anything they want over the phone and have it delivered to their room. This combination of wide choice and convenience makes room service a top amenity at many hotels. For your business, this type of service represents a commitment to supporting your customer throughout their journey. Whether they have questions about an ongoing project or ideas for a new venture, your team must be ready to respond quickly to help your customers access the resources and solutions they need.
The checkout
For hotel guests, leaving their room marks the end of the customer journey. However, checkout is not just about paying the bill. Hotels often seek feedback from their guests by training front desk staff to ask, ‘How was your stay?’ and sending questionnaires to guests after they check out to ask how their visit could have been improved. This final request shows guests that their opinion matters and that the hotel is striving to continuously improve. Your guest's journey should never end with a bill. Ask for their feedback and be prepared to take action based on their response. Whether you schedule a debriefing meeting after the project is complete or call them to follow up, asking for customer feedback after billing demonstrates your commitment to meeting or exceeding their expectations and gives you the opportunity to plant the seeds for future collaboration. Your clients' experience working with your company can be a determining factor in their decision to work with you again and recommend you to their network. Applying these lessons learned from luxury hotels and their customer experience can help you infuse hospitality throughout your customer journey.
