How to Best Leverage Guest Review Insights Using a Digital Communication Application
Hotels are facing an increasingly competitive market. Most trip planners aren’t just looking at price points - they’re reading online reviews before they book a room. There are two strategies you can use to leverage those reviews to improve guest satisfaction and manage your hotel’s brand.
First, hotels should directly engage with guests by responding to comments. 83% of travelers who use TripAdvisor read online comments before booking a room. Companies like iResponze, manage guest experience by responding to online reviews on behalf of hotels like Marriott International. It’s an effective brand management strategy and guests appreciate the personalized response.
Next, hotels need to have a solid internal communications strategy. Every hotel employee, from managers to the front desk to the housekeeping team, is responsible for the guest experience. Create a unified communication channel to your dispersed workforce through a team app like Beekeeper, a digital platform they can download to their mobile devices. You can streamline group messaging to your entire staff and share guest feedback to build teamwork and align your employees with a mission of high quality and great service.
Here’s how to use an internal team app to leverage those reviews to build a great guest experience and increase your global review index.
A Team Communication App Facilitates Collaborative Strategizing
Guest reviews can sting. But they can also provide valuable insight into service gaps a hotel staff might not have noticed from the inside. Use a secure group messaging app for transparency, and share this feedback with your employees. They are your hands-on, customer-facing teams and need to be aware of any inconsistencies in service.
Do a gap analysis to see where you and your team think things went wrong. Then strategize a solution together. A team communication app is designed for two-way communication, so encourage employees to be a part of the solution and contribute ideas. It will encourage collaboration and align the entire team on the goal of improving performance and the guest experience.
Embrace constructive criticism and use it as an opportunity to make improvements and to build teamwork. And remember to follow up on guest reviews to let them know about the changes.
A Team App Enables Real-Time Service Response
In the hotel industry, responses to guest issues need to be immediate. An unhappy guest might post an online review while they’re still at your hotel, and your team can remedy the situation during their stay. And the online world moves fast - potential guests are constantly booking hotels based on reviews. A team app allows real-time, direct communication with your workforce. You can send staff-wide unified communication or reach a specific team for a fast response to a customer issue.
Use these reviews as opportunities for growth. Address the problem in real time and implement long-term, company-wide operational changes to permanently resolve a problem so no guest has the same complaint in the future.
Online follow-up is important. If the guest is still at your hotel let them know the problem has been addressed, offer them something extra to make up for their experience, and encourage them to update their review. Regardless, make sure to follow up online to let guests (and future guests) know that your dedicated team worked hard to smooth out any wrinkles in service.
A Team Communication App as a Force for Positive Encouragement
Your hotel employees are your brand ambassadors. Including them in communication gives them a greater sense of purpose in their jobs by showing them how their work plays a part in the hotel’s success. They’ll continue to be productive and engaged which will improve customer satisfaction and boost your global review index.
Make a habit of sharing positive reviews with staff over the team communication app to acknowledge their hard work, especially when a review singles out an employee or a team that went above and beyond to provide great service. There’s no better motivation than positive encouragement!
Alexandra Zamolo, contributing author and fellow social butterfly, is Beekeeper’s Content Marketing Manager. At Beekeeper she provides insightful content to help educate non-desk workforces about internal communication, employee engagement, AI, cybersecurity, and other challenges facing the hospitality, retail, and manufacturing industries.
