7 reasons why you must actively seek guest feedback

Watch the webinar replay from BackLooper, Guest feedback strategies to strengthen engagement, operations, and your reputation From September 10th, 2020.

If you are not actively collecting feedback from guests as a standard part of your operations, you are missing out on vital information that will help improve your business, and missing opportunities to foster stronger relationships with your guests.  Business that do not collect feedback in any fashion either aren’t interested in guest satisfaction, assume they know everything, or don’t think that they will gain anything new from the information.  Here are seven reasons why you must actively seek guest feedback:

1. Get a leg up on your competition.  42% of companies do not actively survey or collect feedback from customers.  Businesses that are not listening to guests’ concerns are leaving crucial intelligence that their competitors are gaining by fostering a guest experience culture that embraces positive and opportunistic feedback.
2. Very few dissatisfied guests actually complain.  1 out of 26 customers is likely to bring up complaints.  This might not seem to be the case if you feel like you are fielding complaints left and right, but you are being made aware of less than 4% of guest satisfaction happening under your nose.
3. Your reputation is at stake.  47% of customers with a complaint will voice it on social media.  And when one negative review can turn away up to 30 potential guests, a lack of a feedback collection initiative will result in more power in the hands of your adversaries and fewer visitors as a result.
4. Improve repeat visitation.  Guests who are dissatisfied are much less likely to return, and the cost of acquisition can be 6-7 times the cost of retaining existing guests.  Focus your energy on encouraging your guests’ next visit and you’ll find yourself reducing wasted time, energy, and resources seeking first-time visitors.
5. Service recovery increases retention.  Because of the recovery paradox, locating more dissatisfied guests and walking them through effective methods of service recovery will result in a stronger connection to the business.  Complaints can be your best friend when you intercept them while still fresh in the guest’s mind.
6. Drive guest loyalty.  73% of customers fall in love with a company due to friendly customer service representatives.  By having a dedicated individual or team that is focused solely on guest communication, the personal connection that your guests will have with your business will yield tangible rewards through repeat visitation and positive word of mouth, and intangible benefits as you weave your way into the fabric of their daily life.
7. Improve your business for the future.  The more feedback you collect, the more data you have to make relevant changes that improve satisfaction, guest retention, loyalty, which all lead to a more profitable business.  By turning guest communication into a continuously revolving feedback loop, feedback becomes an integral part of how you identify pitfalls within your organization, make the necessary improvements, and measure the success of your implementations.

Focus your guest experience initiatives on driving guest feedback and enjoy the benefits that come along with it, including more satisfied guests, the ability to make more data-driven decisions, and reduce negative online reviews.

Watch the webinar replay from BackLooper, Guest feedback strategies to strengthen engagement, operations, and your reputation From September 10th, 2020.

Josh Liebman
Josh Liebman specializes in guest experience within attractions, tourism, and hospitality, including service standards, complaint resolution, and driving guest loyalty. Josh is a serial entrepreneur, podcaster, consultant, and speaker. Josh has worked for some of the top attraction operators in the world, including, but not limited to Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Merlin Entertainments, and Cedar Fair. Josh has been integral to the openings of multiple attractions in various leadership capacities. Additionally, Josh has consulted for many of the world’s leading hospitality brands, including Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria, and many more. Josh is Co-Host of the AttractionPros Podcast, which brings the audience into the room with the top leaders, executives, and influencers in the attractions industry.