The old saying that patience is a virtue is no longer valid. Not in today’s world, where top brands like Amazon, Uber and Netflix have changed the expectations of consumers.
We don’t have 10 minutes to wait for a cab anymore and we definitely don’t have time to drive to Blockbuster to rent a movie or to wait until 8pm. to “pay per view” the movie through our cable provider.
Although very few companies actually compete with those digital powerhouses, today’s consumers have become accustomed to their real-time service.
In hospitality, we frequently hear about these companies in terms of providing and personalizing a better digital booking experience.
In a recent PhocusWire article, Max Starkov, founder and director of HEBS Digital, said: “This is what made Amazon a global monster. They know who you are and what’s relevant to you, and that’s what they present to you.
"Download speed and user experience as a whole and the relevancy of the content are the two main converting factors on any hotel website.”
Starkov is correct, but the industry continues to overlook the most important part of the customer journey, the guest’s actual visit to the hotel.
Once the customer has converted, we can’t pretend those same expectations for relevancy and speed no longer exist.
The emergence of this “impatience” has become a fundamental difference between businesses that know what their customers want and those that don’t. Today’s customers don’t just expect faster service, they demand it.
And that is the challenge for hospitality, an industry and business model built around being hospitable and measured by how well a hotel can deliver a great guest experience.
New standards, new approaches
Digital and ecommerce companies have set the standard, but brick-and-mortar businesses must figure out how to meet it.
I was recently in Las Vegas for business meetings and had the unfortunate timing of arriving at the casino resort at 3 p.m., an hour before the designated check-in time.
There was clearly a large conference or event going on because more than eight front-desk agents were working and there were lines of customers in front of each.
I hate lines. More precisely, I hate wasted time. I’m the guy wearing Velcro shoes and brewing coffee with a Keurig because both offer conveniences that save me time. I would gladly pay a premium for convenience and the ability to bypass a line.
My impatience is actually what sparked the idea for Zingle more than a decade ago. As a CPA who commuted to work, I didn’t have the patience to wait 10 minutes at the local coffee shop as my custom order was prepared, often incorrectly by the new high school kid working that week. There had to be a better way.
It took a while, and was far from the app millions use today to order and pay at Starbucks or what our software as a service has become, but I found a solution.
I created a way for customers to use their mobile phones, mostly Blackberries back then, to text in orders and have them printed by the business. So when I arrived at the coffeehouse, my order was ready and more often than not, prepared correctly.
But at the casino that day, I had no choice but to wait in line. I knew I was early and the room might not be ready, but I really wanted a quiet place to prepare for an evening meeting.
Like most everyone else, I scanned Instagram on my phone while I waited. When I got to the front, I found out the room wasn’t ready. The front desk agent was extremely kind and apologetic.
She checked me in and gave me a keycard and said they’d call around 4 with my room assignment when it was ready. The call didn’t come until almost 5 and by then I had little time to get ready for my meeting.
Better ways
Speed and convenience are crucial to providing a great guest experience. I understand the challenge of turning what might be hundreds of rooms at a large casino in a short period of time, not to mention the tough job the staff on the front lines face with impatient people like me.
But like my old coffee shop, there has to be a better way for hotels and casinos to check in guests and communicate with them instantaneously when their rooms are ready rather than having staff manually call potentially hundreds of guests.
I love the promise of mobile check in and the idea of using my phone as a key. But let’s not forget that we also have to be ready to communicate and serve guests on property after check in when and wherever they are.
- Is it hospitable to ask me to download an app I may never use again to place a room-service order?
- Do I really have to touch that wired phone and try to read the faded descriptions to know what to push to make spa reservations or to reach the concierge or to ask for extra towels?
- If I do pick up that phone and call, is someone really going to answer and be available to help me?
Mobile has been the biggest trend for the better part of the last 15 years, but most businesses still struggle to find the right way to use the device almost every one of their customers is carrying with them at all times.
Messaging — via text, Facebook, WhatsApp or whatever the channel of choice may be — has become the preferred method of communication for consumers. It’s fast, convenient and personal.
If you’re not open and available to communicate via these channels, you’re missing a huge opportunity to connect with your guests and to use that as a way to provide a brand-differentiated service experience.