The manner in which you treat your hotel guests is critical to your business’s success. So much so that, according to an 84 percent response rate in a survey, customer service is a critical factor in determining whether or not they will support your company.
However, many hospitality businesses struggle with this scenario: they train their employees well and strive to provide customers with the best experience possible, but they still have dissatisfied customers. What is the solution? Customer satisfaction surveys.
When you conduct a survey of previous guests, you will learn more about their overall experience as well as any issues that need to be addressed. Here are some of the reasons why surveying your previous guests is important for your hotel or any hospitality business.
Why It’s Important to Survey Your Guests
The hotel and hospitality industry is becoming more and more competitive all the time.
While more people are traveling, increasing the number of revenue streams for your company, travelers around the world have more lodging options. Nomads will use any means necessary to save money, including Airbnb, hostels, and even sleeping on couches, in order to have the best travel experience possible.
On top of all that, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the hospitality industry. So much so that the pandemic has caused the hotel industry to be 10 years behind schedule.
What is the most effective way to maintain your competitive edge while increasing your revenue? Not only should you concentrate on customer service, but you should also strive to improve the lines of communication between you and your customers.
You will know what your previous guests thought of their experience, and you will be able to make changes to make the experience even better for future guests. Furthermore, it is possible that this will result in increased customer retention. Overall, conducting a survey can result in increased customer loyalty, reduced churn, and increased sales.
Best Practices When Creating Your Survey
Now that you understand why customer satisfaction surveys are critical to the success of your hospitality business, it’s time to create the best surveys possible and distribute them.
1. Inquire about issues that are relevant to your ultimate goal
It can be difficult to know what questions to ask when putting together your survey questions. You’ll want to start by identifying your objectives, and then only ask questions that are relevant to those objectives.
For example, suppose your goal is to learn about your guests’ experiences while they are staying at your hotel. If that is the case, you may not want to inquire as to how they came across your company.
2. But Don’t Make Them Biased
Another issue that businesses face when developing surveys is that they place too much emphasis on achieving their end goal, resulting in a survey that is completely biased.
This may cause your surveyors to become irritated, resulting in them abandoning their work. Aside from that, if your survey questions are too direct, you might not get an honest response.
As an alternative, ask open-ended questions that are related to your ultimate goal. Starting a question with a neutral phrase such as “what do you think of…” is not only a better way to lead into a question, but it is also more effective.
3. Keep It Short
As a result, try to keep your survey as brief as you possibly can. Guests who have previously visited your establishment will be more likely to complete your survey if it is clear and concise. You should expect higher abandonment rates if you are sending a lengthy survey to your respondents.
4. Add Text Fields When Necessary
Text fields have the potential to provide the most useful information. At the same time, they can be intimidating to deal with. Offer them whenever the situation calls for it.
Most businesses will ask a few multiple-choice questions before including a text box in their questionnaire. Others will only make the text box optional, without changing the rest of the page.
When you do decide to use the text box, make sure to ask an open-ended question. Customers will be more likely to provide a more detailed response if the question is phrased as “how did you feel while staying at our hotel.”
5. Make Ratings Consistent
Many businesses choose to use a star rating system rather than text boxes or even multiple-choice questions because it is more straightforward. Despite the fact that this is convenient, it is critical to maintain consistency in star ratings. For example, stick with the basic rating system: 1 star equals poor, 5 stars equals excellent, and so on.
If you assign 1 star to the best response, your surveyors will be perplexed and you will not receive accurate responses.
6. Avoid Assumptions and Nichey Language
Of course, you and your team develop specialized lingua franca to benefit your business operations. However, you should not assume that your customers will understand what you are trying to say. When conducting surveys, avoid using specialized language.
Make your surveys clear and concise so that anyone can understand what you’re trying to achieve. Avoid using abbreviations, industry jargon, or making references to your competitors.
Furthermore, don’t assume that your guests are familiar with the ins and outs of the hospitality industry. Instead, ask them about their experiences in your survey.
7. Use Yes/No Answers
Simple responses are essential in surveys. And what could be a more straightforward response than a simple yes or no? Responding with yes or no responses makes it easier for your customers to evaluate and respond. Yes/no responses will also eliminate more complex responses, such as “highly agree” and “not valued,” which can easily confuse your customers and lead to further confusion.