Posted by David McHattie on Tuesday, October 23, 2012,
In :
Marketing
Great marketing and clever advertising cannot paint over a poor experience
In fact it can make it worse. Your marketing and advertising is designed to create demand - to offer a promise of something appealing. But Beware..... Don't set an expectation that you cannot deliver on.
Whenever you build high expectations through your web site, your advertising or any piece of PR or marketing ensure you do not establish expectations that you cannot live up to.
Why? Because guest measure satisfaction as: Th... Continue reading ...
Actually in many ways it has never been this good and opportunity knocks for those who focus on what matters.
In 1978 there were only 3 TV channels. If we wanted to eat out our family choice was a Berni Inn or an independent Italian.
We had just purchased our first video recorder - for about £750! Hardly anyone travelled abroad and the proportion of people eating out of home was very small and largely to celebrate.I got my first computer in 1982 - a Dragon 32 - yes 32K - and my first mobile in... Continue reading ...
I visited a restaurant last night, a relative new comer no doubt hoping to make an impression and grow from its existing 4 sites. Sadly I don't hold out much hope for a bright future.Why? The vacuous space had no ambiance, no music, wooden floors and no soft furnishings so with so few guests all there was were the hushed tones of guests trying to chat without sharing their conversation with everyone else. The issue was the team's insistence that arriving guests be seated in the same section ... Continue reading ...
Posted by David McHattie on Thursday, May 17, 2012,
In :
Marketing
At your peril! Visiting a hospitality business the other day it struck me how cynical and to be blunt - stupid, some people can be. I overheard the host proudly declaring they have no time for the Olympics - believing there is no benefit or legacy heading their way - that the costs were ludicrous - the ticket allocation flawed - there would be no legacy - that it was just a London thing. They are not wrong - with such an attitude that they are only too happy to wield to any who will listen i ... Continue reading ...
Let me introduce the genius of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
In simple terms Maslow identified 5 levels of human needs - the ladder we all try to climb despite the many challenges cast in our way:
- Basic Needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sleep and yes sex.
- Safety Needs - protection, order, law, limits, stability
- Emotional Needs - family, affection, relationships
- Esteem Needs - achievement, status, responsibility, reputation
- Self Actualisation - personal growth and fulfillment
That thi... Continue reading ...
Satisfaction is derived when what the customer expects to get is at least matched by what the customer perceives they got
In a supermarket the label and appearance suggest what quality of beef burger the customer will get when they have cooked it. In a restaurant the menu, dish description, price and and environment suggest not only the quality but the service the guest can expect. Expectations are established. When these are met - when what the guest expects to get, is at least matched by wha... Continue reading ...
Hospitality Sector Benchmark rises to 75.42%
Hospitality businesses are in the business of delivering experiences, they are not in the beer, bed, burger or pizza business, these just happen to be products they offer. It is the emotional connection that is made with guests that causes them to become fans and provides competitive advantage. Delivering food, drink and / or accommodation to the standards demanded by guests in a clean and safe environment are simply minimum requirements.
Our rese... Continue reading ...
During sessions with many operators and in my own personal experiences it is fair to say: "All too often the wheels fall off when its busy."Indeed I remember our first Mothering Sunday at The White Hart - the first of what became 200+ Vintage Inns. Late at night my wife and I sat down in front of the fire; bruised and battered after a tortuous day; and declared "it can never be like that again!"
The wheels had fallen off - the guests had not had the experience we had wanted to provide and th... Continue reading ...
Based on my personal experience as a guest and an operator, as well as having sight of 000's of mystery guest reports it seems clear to me that the approach to complaints needs to change.I believe the problem lies is in the base assumption of the team which is compounded by managements mistrust of the team.
The prevalent assumption or starting point when a complaint rears its ugly head often seems to be along the lines... OMG - another guest moaning. We did not get that wrong! Fixing this is go...
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