Sales and marketing are often at the forefront of revenue generating initiatives; however, there is an often forgotten vertical that’s much more profitable –Guest Recovery. When compared to sales and marketing efforts, the return on investment in a Guest Recovery solution outperforms sales and marketing campaigns by 25%[1] –as long as it’s a best-practices solution.
Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions regarding what guests actually value. According to research started by the US Government and continued by organizations like the CCMC, the 7 concessions requested by upset guests are primarily non-monetary; they include:
- An assurance their issue(s) will be addressed
- A sincere “Thank you” for their business
- A replacement product or item
- An explanation as to what might have caused their issue,
- An apology
- A chance to vent their frustrations
- A refund
With 64%[2] of guests being at risk after a poor experience, having a solution that effectively provides these concessions saves brand-dollars by reducing the need for monetary recompense, curbing guest attrition and increasing guest loyalty by up to 17%2! However, knowing what guests want when they contact you is only part of the battle. Many brands, though eager to provide what guests say they want, fail to make it available through a best practices solution that:
- Provides 24/7 live answer support
- Captures a holistic view of the customer’s experience
- Centralizes multiple contact channels
- Offers first contact resolution, where possible, or
- Addresses their issue within 24 – 48 hours
Time and timing are hugely important to your Guest Recovery efforts. Up to 65%[3] of upset guests reach out after 6pm or on weekends, and after 24 – 48 hours have passed, the likelihood that those guests will feel satisfied with your Guest Recovery efforts drops by 43%2. In order to provide guests with the service they want, in the way that they want it, restaurants need a CRM that allows for the capture, management and resolution of guest issues quickly and with as much information as possible. At the least, the right CRM should:
- Offer detailed categorization upon intake
- Automatically route incident reports based on predetermined business rules
- Allow for on-the-fly special handling
- Automatically escalate open issues
- Provide a seamless tool for mobile closeout
- Provide actionable information through summary reporting tool
Having an incomplete solution can be just as ineffective, and more expensive, than not having one at all; like a circuit, you need all of the pieces for it to work correctly, and when it does, the light comes on.