4 minute read
Rethinking Your Service Process
I’ve just gotten off a webinar in which the speaker, an economics professor, casually said something like, “…of course the hospitality industry will suffer the most. Even after the supply side is back to 100-percent, consumers will be reluctant to travel, eat out and go to events. However, this will accelerate online shopping habits…” This may be true. So after my initial, angry, internal monologue about how someone could be so callously insensitive as to verbally toss an entire industry aside before moving on with the rest of his speech, I realized that now is the time for our industry to really get creative.
A very unscientific poll done by WDWMagic.com on March 26 popped into my news feed last week. They asked their readers when they were planning to go again to Walt Disney World, with choices ranging from, “As soon as the park reopens,” to “No plans to return.” Disney fans are arguably some of the most dedicated and loyal brand advocates in the hospitality industry, and readers of this particular site can be counted within that group. So, it would stand to reason that a poll about plans for returning to Disney World taken with dedicated Disney loyalists should provide a best-case scenario for what the future will hold for demand-side recovery.
Advertisement
Results were mixed. Approximately 20-percent of the 1,184 respondents said they would return either as soon as the parks reopened or within the first month of reopening. Another 20-percent said they’d return within three to six months of the reopening. Twenty-three percent said they were planning to return sometime in 2020. The groups responding that they didn’t plan to return until 2021 (27.2%) or that they had no plans to return (6.4%) are cause for concern. One could argue that planning a trip to Disney World is not directly relatable to an evening out to local restaurants or events, but again, these
respondents are the hard-core Mickey-philes who are spending their free time scouring the internet for Disneyrelated blogs, rumors and news clips. So, when almost a third of this particular website’s readership admits to a reluctance to return to the happiest place on earth within the year, it’s troubling.
So what do we do? We need to focus on strengthening our connection with our guests and reinforcing the trust they have in us to keep them from harm. Any efforts to visibly enhance safety, convenience and personalized experience will be important as we recover from this crisis.
Here in the Lowcountry, the SERG Restaurant Group, among others, is already thinking along these lines. They’ve created a VIP program which asks loyal customers to buy into the program now, at $250. A gift card is included along with the promise of deep discounts on purchases from restaurants for the next year. The program has already been very successful. It is providing a much-welcome cash influx, which the group is using to pay their employees affected by the shutdowns, and it is even allowing the group to donate to other community organizations in desperate need of funds. Perhaps more importantly for the future, it’s also serving to cement the bond the group has with their current customers, so that they will be quicker to return once current restrictions are lifted.
Now is also the time to do some serious soul-searching on what kind of guest experience you’ve been providing, and how you see that changing. A revamping of the service process, even for the smallest of businesses, may be due. The pool of potential customers is likely to be tighter than it has been for some time. What will you do to remain successful in a more competitive market?
I would suggest getting personal. Follow the lead of some of the organizations at the luxury level that spend significant time and resources researching their guests. Empower staff to customize the experience and pamper guests whenever possible. Could you train staff to use the guests’ names, once learned, when addressing them during service? Are there any opportunities to build in customized, thoughtful gestures into the service process? What can you do to elevate your service offerings?
Everyone, including your customers, are being affected by this pandemic. Buying habits and social constructs are being permanently changed. It’s time for a service revolution. How will you and your business evolve?
Su Gibson is the Assistant Director for USC Beaufort’s Center for Event Management and Hospitality Training. She is also the advisor for the Hospitality Management degree program for USCB as part of UofSC’s online Palmetto College
fresh PERSPECTIVES
MAY 5, 2020 • 9AM - 4PM MYRTLE BEACH CONVENTION CENTER
2101 N. Oak Street, Myrtle Beach, SC
Join us for new ideas and recipes!
Presented by
75 % The hospitality industry has a turnover rate of nearly 75 % The hospitality industry has a turnover rate of nearly
heartland.us/restaurant 812-989-6044 robert.higdon@heartland.us Bobby Higdon
