The Revinate Blog

When Disaster Strikes

In the last post, I described how I used Twitter and Facebook to ensure I got a seat on a sold-out plane following the East coast blizzard last week. After I published my article my sales colleague, Scott Johnson, pointed out that a few of his international clients were currently using Revinate to manage the fallout from disasters near their resorts.

Explora, a luxury resort in Chile, used Revinate to monitor social media buzz during the gas riots in Patagonia last month. Using Revinate's Social Media Searches, they monitored the Web for people discussing the unrest due to rising gas prices and travel issues in the region. They used keywords such as 'protests natural gas Chile,' 'standed Chile,' and 'stuck in Patagonia' to monitor the state of the region and the mood of tourists. They used Twitter to share stories from guests who were stranded at the hotel but had incredible experiences as a result. They also used the real-time news vehicle to share information about the strike. Then, when the strike ended on January 18th, they used Twitter to communicate the reopening of the hotel, tweeting, "Strike in Patagonia ended. Explora Patagonia to receive travelers starting tomorrow Jan 19. Thank you for your concerns, patience & support."

Last week Hamilton Island, (@hamiltonisland) located near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, turned to Revinate and social media to monitor for news and buzz around Cyclone Yasi and Cyclone Anthony, which threatened to cause the evacuation of the island. They used Twitter to report on the damage, which was minimal, and share updates with the community and worried family members of guests that "all guests, residents & staff are fine."

And of course, we read a few days ago how Chicago hotels such as The Peninsula Chicago and Hyatt Regency Chicago have been using Twitter and Facebook to announce special blizzard rates targeted at commuters and provide information about the storm. If you missed that story you can read it here.

Is your hotel prepared to use social media to monitor buzz and help guests and the community should disaster strike? You likely have an emergency response plan in place should there be a fire or other disaster. But if your plan doesn't include social media communication, perhaps it's time to update the plan with your social media objectives and strategy. There is no better real-time news service for communicating with guests and spreading news virally.

Twitter and the Squeaky Wheel

Last week I was one of the thousands of travelers who had to deal with flight cancelations and delays because of the winter storm. I was scheduled to fly from JFK to SFO on Wednesday morning but I received a flight alert on Tuesday morning that my flight was canceled. I tried calling the airline but was unable to get through to a person due to high call volume. I tried to change my flight online but wasn't allowed to rebook on the web. Fearing that the folks able to reach a customer service representative were taking up the seats on the remaining flights to San Francisco, I turned to Twitter and Facebook.

I first followed the airline on Twitter and liked it on Facebook. I then tweeted for help, saying, "Trying to rebook flt from jfk to sfo but phone system keeps disconnecting me and i can't change online... help?" I didn't get a response within an hour although I saw many tweets from the airline asking individuals to follow the airline so they could be messaged directly. I tweeted again, this time with more edge. I said, "I am following you. Why can't u resolve my issue? So frustrating that phone disconnects every time and u can't rebook online." Within a couple of hours, I received a direct message that someone would be calling me to reschedule my flight. Sure enough, a customer service agent called a little while later and got me an (upgraded) seat on a flight leaving Wednesday evening.

Although my issue was ultimately resolved, I would only give the airline a B- for performance. First, there was no way to reach a live person at the company so I was instantly frustrated. Second, it took way too long for my tweets to be acknowledged. Even a simple response letting me know that my tweet had been seen would've been better than the dead air I got for the first couple of hours. My expectation of Twitter, expecially when dealing with a large company, is that response times are more or less immediate. While I know this expectation might be unrealistic and unfair, it's what I expect.

Unfortunately, complaining on Twitter and on Facebook is a good way to get your issue solved, as no company wants to see clients complaining in a public forum. I'm not proud that I took to the public airwaves to gripe, but it eventually got the job done. I asked the customer service agent whether I would've gotten on the flight if I just followed protocol and patiently called the 800 number and she said the phones were extremely busy and flights were filling up quickly. I took that as a no. Once I was rebooked I tweeted, "Thanks for the help. Much appreciated."

So what is the lesson here for hoteliers?

1. Expect that when people can't reach you directly, they will turn to more public arenas to complain. I didn't turn to Twitter and Facebook until I realized that reaching a live person was going to be impossible. Many GM's already publish their phone numbers and emails but if they don't, I think it's good practice and will alleviate the frustrated 'squeaky wheels' from going public.

2. Monitor and respond in a timely manner. 'Kind of' being on Twitter isn't an option. You're either on Twitter, or you're not. If you have a Twitter account you are sending the message that you are monitoring your account and responding to inquiries. Products like Revinate can help you monitor your account. Set up a computer at the front desk, which is always staffed, and train the front desk staff to watch for tweets and respond as needed, or escalate to the correct person.

3. To keep complaints from escalating, ask guests that tweet to follow you so you can DM them instead of responding publicly. It allows you to work privately with the guest to resolve issues, ideally on the phone or email.

4. Empower your social media team. The customer service representative that helped me was able to upgrade me, which was a really nice touch.

5. Plan for disasters and train your social media staff. If there is a fire in your hotel or a food poisoning outbreak, will your social media team know how to respond? Put guidelines and plans in place before you have hundreds of clients looking for answers.

Revinate and the Chicago Blizzard

This week's blizzard has both travelers and hotels buzzing on social media. Everyone, it seems, turned to social networks to share weather war stories and get real-time information. When my flight from JFK to SFO was canceled on Wednesday morning, I turned to Twitter and Facebook when high call volumes kept me from reaching Virgin America on the phone. Within an hour, I was rebooked on a new flight.

And I'm not alone. In fact, Revinate and some of our Chicago clients, including Hyatt Regency Chicago and the Peninsula Chicago were mentioned in a great article on the blog, 435 Digital, about how hotels can use social media to help stranded travelers. The article will run tomorrow in the Chicago Tribune. Read it here today.

Revinate Clients - The Best in Social Media

This morning Gadling announced their top 10 social media superstars in travel. Gadling selected the ten companies based on their great Twitter programs. I was thrilled to see 2 Revinate customers, Charles Hotel (@charleshotel) and Hyatt (@hyattconcierge) on the list.

Please check them out and cast your vote.

If you're just getting started with Twitter, you can learn a lot from the way these hospitality companies actively engage with prospects and guests. In addition to offering Twitter specials, Charles Hotel helps the community find cool places and things to do in the area and warmly engages people who mention they will be coming to the hotel. Hyatt also does a great job making guests feel welcomed and helping with property questions and service issues.

Want to become more active on Twitter? Check out our Hoteliers Guide to Twitter for more helpful tips.

Twitter Places Update

Yelp lets you claim your business. So does Foursquare and Facebook. And Twitter appears to be next in line. According to PC World, "Twitter is testing out a new feature that will enable businesses to claim their Place--expanding the functionality of its geolocation feature." 

Twitter Places launched in June of this year and allows people to Tweet from a specific location. While the rumors swirl about what new features Facebook Places might include, it's clear that Twitter is testing out the service, as Twitter HQ has been 'claimed'.

As we saw from Facebook last week, allowing places of business to claim their listing is the next step in allowing businesses to offer location based deals, and, as a result, become a valuable business tool and marketing platform.

 

 

Using Social Media to Differentiate on Service

I recently met with an executive at a leading hotel marketing group. A legend in the industry, he has spent more than 30 years working in hotels. He genuinely loves hospitality and is a stickler for great service. He told me that he is apprehensive about all the new technology coming out because he fears it will make the staff in a hotel obsolete. He said, "I worry about what will happen when people can just check in online and open their door with a bar code that is emailed to them. How will we be able to differentiate on service?"

As much as I love technology, I can see where he is coming from. A few nights ago night I stayed at the Elysian in Chicago and from the moment I pulled in, I was met with smiles and staff that couldn't do enough to make my 12 hours with them special. My name was passed from one staff member to the next so every conversation was personal. Upon checkout, when I expressed concern about making my flight, a front desk manager told me that they would love to have me stay with them another night. I genuinely believed him. And that's when it hit me. Encouraging staff to connect with guests is the most important thing a hotel can do. I will overlook a lot of imperfections if a staff member exceeds my expectations or makes my stay memorable.

And, as I explained to the executive, technology can play a roll. I showed him examples of hotels that were using Facebook and Twitter as an e-conierge and, as a result, surprising and delighting guests. One of my friends recently had a terrible experience with a large luxury brand and as soon as he tweeted about it, he was contacted and told that the situation would be handled immediately. He then tweeted how impressed he was with the brand. He was willing to forgive, and even promote the brand, because of how the situation was handled when he returned home.

What do you think? Can Facebook and Twitter help drive connections between guests and hotels? Will hotels be able to differentiate in this way?

Move Over Junior... Let Grandma Use Facebook

An August 27th report created by Pew Internet & American Life shows that the largest growing demographic for social media is no longer young adults. Rather, baby boomers and senior citizens are getting in on the social media action. As you can see from the chart, from April 2009 to May 2009 seniors' numbers doubled from 13% to 26%.

Take a look at your social media evangelist. Can he communicate well with his/her elders? It's going to become more important since, according to the study, 'one in ten internet users ages 50 and older now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves or see updates about others.'

Read a summary of the report here.

Hoteliers Guide to Twitter

By partnering closely with many leading-edge hospitality companies, Revinate is in the unique position to learn first-hand about the social media strategies that work, and don’t work, for the hospitality industry. The Hoteliers Guides are our way of sharing what we have learned with the larger community. This guide is an introduction for hoteliers who are new to Twitter. We’ll explain why you should consider using Twitter, how it can become an invaluable tool, and how to get started. We’ll also provide some helpful tips and best practices along the way.

Download the entire Hoteliers Guide now.

 

How Important is Clout on Social Networks?

As brands look to identify and reach key influencers, a key trend is developing that takes into account a person’s influence among his/her peers. Just look at Twitter to see why influence is important.  First, most brands follow more people than they can realistically keep up with. Second, the Twittersphere is so active that it’s virtually impossible to manually gauge author influence and the relative impact of individual tweets. Enter Twitter ”Clout” (aka influence).

Twitter Clout is a measurement of how influential you are on Twitter. Many companies offer services to check clout. To see just a few of the services, check out Twitter Grader, Klout, and Twitalyzer.  All services measure it differently but they all take into account the number of people who follow you, the number of people you follow, the number of times you tweet, the percentage of times your updates are retweeted etc. Following the tenant of quality versus quantity, Twitter clout measurements enable brands to focus more time on key influencers who have credibility with their peers.

Twitter clout got me thinking about where else the concept of clout is important on the Web. As a frequent restaurant review site user, Yelp and GrubHub are two sites where clout is important to me. When looking for a new restaurant, I often check these sites to decide where to go. I put much more weight on reviews written by people that are active users and review dozens of places. For me, I think active reviewers are more likely to go into meals thinking about their reviews in advance. As a result, they present a more 360-degree view of their experience. How is the service? How is the food? How is the atmosphere? People that only review one or two places seem to only be inspired to write when something extraordinary happens, such as the chicken is served raw or they get a free dessert for their birthday. For this reason I often discount reviews from occasional reviewers.

Note: Location-based services such as Foursquare and Gowalla add an additional twist to clout scores. These check-in services can measure the number of times my “friends” have actually visited a business they have reviewed. Yelp has realized this and has started to get into the location game. I’ll save further analysis for a future post.

But this is not to say that a restaurant manager should discount the reviews from sporadic reviewers. Even though the reviewer doesn’t have clout on the site, he/she was moved to take action and write a review. In fact, it could be argued that these people are even more likely than their prolific peers to tell their friends about the experience in person and on social networking sites because of they are fired up. For example, after a bad meal a reviewer might update his status on Facebook with a warning, “Don’t go to John’s Grill. They tried to kill me with their raw chicken.”

So, is there clout on Facebook? I would argue that a user’s clout on Facebook is similar to his clout in real life. I don’t think clout can be measured by the number of friends or the number of posts or pages ‘Liked’. I am friends with many people who I admire because they think about issues in different, interesting ways. Some of these people post often. Some post rarely. But they have equal clout in my mind. And we all know Facebook fanatics that have hundreds of friends and post about their every move and emotion. Some of these posts are influential, but other times they’re not.

At my last company I worked with brands to create viral campaigns on Facebook. The campaigns usually encouraged people to personalize a brand message in some way and share it with their friends via the activity feed. For example, the Pepsi Throwback campaign allowed consumers to upload a personal photo and ‘throwback’ their look, changing the hairstyle, clothing, and background in oftentimes humorous, entertaining ways. When posted, the photo would contain the Pepsi brand and thus, an endorsement for the brand. These posts often got many comments and drove friends to throwback their own looks. Should the people that engage have more ‘clout’ with Pepsi? Because they start conversations about the brand and the campaign, I think so. If brands can get consumers to ‘Like’ their pages in the process, brands can gather and communicate with a core group of people with clout.

Is the clout of hotel reviewers on OTAs and the bigger travel review sites a big deal? In my opinion, it’s not nearly as important as it is on social networks, although Facebook integration should change things a bit.  Given the fact that most people have fewer experiences with hotels, than say restaurants, you can’t discount a reviewer who only has 3 reviews. Whether you are a frequent traveler or a one-vacation-a-year type, we all know that your hotel experience can make or break a trip.

And unlike networks, where author clout directly impacts the number of people who will see a given tweet, every review on TripAdvisor will be posted to the top of the hotel’s profile and read by the same number of potential bookers, regardless of the author’s clout. However, as review sites further integrate with social networks, I think clout will be attributed to people you know based on your real-world experiences with them.

Today, there are more than 35 million reviews on TripAdvisor and I think each review carries equal weight. Although I would love to be able to take into account whether a reviewer and I share a similar persona, we’re not there yet so it’s hard for me to assign clout. Rather, I must look at the law of averages and read the reviews with equal weight. But in looking at the averages, I can assign my own importance to the categories. For example, I am a germaphobe and love fancy hotels more than expensive restaurants. I put more importance on cleanliness than value. I have friends who like to skimp on hotels so they can afford great dinners. They would likely weight value over cleanliness.

However, clout does appear to be very important on FlyerTalk and specialty hotel rewards forums where active participation and status is held in high regard. As specialized social networks, these sites allow you to know more about the members than review sites and clout plays a big role in how feedback is reviewed and responded to. Many hotel brands have multiple users dedicated to these forums as the users are not only influential, but they spend a good portion of their lives living in hotels.

But again, hotels that aspire for great service should treat every review with kid gloves. I am seeing more and more of our Revinate clients responding to every review, thereby sending the message that every client has clout.  And that’s what great customer service is all about.

WSJ Article Controversy

Last week's Wall Street Journal article about hotels monitoring Twitter to the delight of guests got a lot of buzz. Granted, I work for a technology company in Silicon Valley and the vast majority of the people I work with have already embraced social media and developed strategies for monitoring their brands and engaging with customers, but is there really anything controversial about brands adopting new ways to improve their service levels?

This morning ehotelier.com ran an article called, "Why Hoteliers Should Avoid Social Media." The title alone scared me. If you are a brand conscious company and you know that guests are talking about their experiences on social networks and review sites, wouldn't you, at a minimum, want to know what they're saying? Of course the author, Jeremy Wagstaff, doesn't really mean that hotels should avoid social media as the title states. He later says,

Now I'm not averse to hotels and other companies using Twitter and Facebook to keep an eye on what people are saying about them. That's good, and, frankly, it should have happened a long time ago.

So if you're a hotel who is heeding Mr. Wagstaff's advice and monitoring tweets, wouldn't it be great to engage when you see the opportunity to smooth over an issue? The author says that because the response from the hotel is usually to tweet asking the guest to send a direct message, thereby taking the issue offline, nobody wins. Frankly, I have no idea why this is an issue. As a consumer, I understand that businesses need to make money and use discounts when needed to win customers, and incentives when needed to maintain loyalty. That's how business works. By responding, hotels are showing the public that they care. I don't expect them to publicize their responses, or offers, for the world to see. I know they're taking care of their customers and understand why it's prudent for them to take it offline.

It's also curious that Mr. Wagstaff doesn't appreciate the value of social media posts about experiences at hotels. He states

The value in social media-in any network-is the information it's carrying. Whines about the view from one's room isn't information. It's a whine.

Now, I don't know about you, but I love it when my friends let me know about their experiences, good and bad, at hotels. That's the very best sort of feedback I can get on whether on not a hotel is right for me. A personal, first-hand account is not only more valuable to me than impersonal brand advertising, it's also more important than online reviews from people I don't know.

One gentleman I engaged with in a LinkedIn forum about the WSJ article said that he was concerned that Twitter places unrealistic service expectations on hotels. I understand exactly where he is coming from. As a stickler for great customer service, I know how important it is to meet expectations. Many brands suffer because their service offerings don't hold up to customers' needs. Luckily, I think Twitter, today, is still in the 'surprise and delight' phase. In fact, almost all the folks in the WSJ article that received a response were surprised and delighted. They didn't expect a response. So the good news is that hotels have a bit of time to get their monitoring team in place before consumers expect a higher level of service. But they must act now and put the systems in place so they're ready when consumers expect to use these channels for communication.

Monitoring and responding is not brain surgery and it's not a crazy, costly endeaver as Mr. Wagstaff suggests. Many products exist to monitor Twitter, and Revinate's TweetConcierge feature allows our clients to monitor all mentions of their brand (or any keywords they choose) across not only Twitter, but the entire Web.

Rather than using the vehicles that already exist, Mr. Wagstaff's solution is to develop

rapid responses internally - a instant messaging service only accessible to guests, say, or a texting service.

To this I say, "What?? and Why???" Whether you like it or not, people are on social networks and they are talking about your brand. 55 million tweets go out every day and 300,000 people join Twitter every day. With the rapid adoption of innovative, new social communication channels, it's becoming more futile every day to try and force people to use closed, specialized systems. Social media is not going away any time soon so don't fight it... embrace it and watch it pay off.