American Express recently published the American Express Global Customer Service Barometer and the results show why it is so important to provide great customer service on social platforms. While the report isn't tailored to the hospitality industry, it's a great source of data for hotels and restaurants wondering whether to devote resources to social media.
For one, the report says, "consumers who have used social media for service tell significantly more people about their service experiences, and say that they'd spend 21% more on companies who deliver great service - compared to 13% on average." In other words, if you can wow your socially savvy guests doing what you do best - providing great service - they will tell others. How can you identify your socially active guests? Monitor foursquare, Twitter and Facebook for any check-ins or mentions of your hotel. Revinate users can easily monitor these mentions in real-time using the Revinate dashboard, and even click through to the person's Twitter or Facebook page, if public, to learn more about him/her. As soon as you catch a mention or check-in, respond to the guest to show that you're listening and responsive to feedback or service issues over social media.
We have amassed great stories from hotel clients that have quickly resolved service issues over Twitter and turned an annoyed customer into a loyal guest that tells others about the high level of service he/she experienced at the hotel. Hyatt Regency Chicago, for example, monitors conference hash tags in the hotel for any facilities issues and responds immediately, wowing the conference attendees and followers with swift action. And it's not just complaints that you want to monitor. Four Seasons comes to mind as a hotel client that has had incredible (public) results sending amenities up to guests' rooms as an extra show of gratitude and service when they receive a check-in or tweet.
In addition, the American Express report shows that "consumers who have used social media for service in the last year are willing to pay a 21% premium at companies that provide great service." So rather than thinking about the expense of monitoring social media for service issues, you can think of it as an investment in your sales programs as happy, socially engaged customers are willing to spend more with you.
Read the whole report here.
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