New Year Resolutions: Customer Service Standards in 2024

After a busy festive period for the hospitality industry, January can often be a little quieter for Hotels, Bars and Restaurants. It can be an ideal time to reflect on and potentially redefine your customer service standards.

But what if your business has never formally established these standards?

We’re here to help you set a clear and impactful customer service ethos that can elevate your workplace culture, giving your team the leadership, direction and focus needed to put the customer first and positively impact your business throughout the year.

Why do we need Customer Service Standards?

Creating customer service standards is more than just drafting guidelines; it's about shaping an experience and a commitment to your customers that reflects the brand, ensuring they consistently receive the best your business has to offer. This is particularly vital in hospitality, where experience is at the core of customer satisfaction.

Often, large hotel groups and franchises will have extensive brand guidelines that apply globally. Luxury properties may also choose to align themselves with esteemed industry guidelines like Michelin or Forbes Travel Guide to build further awareness and recognition. Whatever standards you choose, the communication of standards, training and cycle of continuous improvement are essential to ensure consistent delivery.

Here we share our 5 tips for Customer Experience Resolutions for 2024

1 - Commit to Listening and Empathy: No single action has more impact on customer interactions than actively listening and showing empathy. Whether it's discerning a guest's specific needs or addressing a concern, giving customers your full attention and showing genuine understanding will always elevate the customer experience with little or zero additional cost to the business. Empowering your employees to do this in every interaction will make a significant impact.

2 - Pledge to Prompt and Effective Responses: In our 24/7 world, timely responses are often equated with care and respect. Set a standard for addressing enquiries, complaints, and feedback quickly and effectively, both in person and through digital channels. Be accountable, and communicate these standards to customers. If you ask a guest to hold on for a minute, then you should get back to them within 60 seconds!

3 - Strive to Exceed Expectations: Whether you operate a luxury hotel with rooms starting at £1000 a night, or an underground gin cocktail bar, challenging your team to use all the tools at their disposal to understand the customer and then consistently deliver beyond what's expected, will delight your guests. Ensure that your reservation processes are set up to gain as much information as possible from guests. At the same time, make sure that your team have processes to gather, share and securely record in-stay information and to reference on the current and/or next visit. Empower your team to use this information to deliver on expectations before going the extra mile.

4 - Focus on Personalising the Customer Experience: Using a customer’s name in an authentic and appropriate way is still one of the most powerful and economical ways to personalise an experience. Make sure that your team are confident and habitually use guests' names. Use the information you have to tailor experiences based on your customers' known preferences, whether it's customising a stay or creating a unique dining experience.

5- Value Customer Feedback: Embrace a culture of learning from your customers this year. Encourage and act on feedback, demonstrating that their opinions are not only heard but are instrumental in shaping your service improvements.

Conclusion

Setting or refining your customer service standards is a commitment to excellence and a promise to your customers. By embracing these core principles and adapting them to your business, you can create a customer service experience that not only meets, but surpasses expectations. This commitment can drive customer loyalty while building a strong workplace culture and distinguishing your business in what is a very competitive industry.

If you would like to discuss anything further or have a chat about how Halo could support your marketing and customer experience strategies, then please click on one of the following links to book a call with Ashleigh or Michael.