What Is Mobile Guest Engagement?
In an age of hyper-connectedness, today’s guest wants to connect with their favourite brands using their mobile device. Social media is one obvious communication channel, but there are other ways for brands to tap into this phenomenon to encourage customer loyalty and drive repeat business.
Mobile guest engagement enables guests to connect with brands one-on-one through the mobile device of their choice. With mobile guest engagement, guests can quickly and easily send comments, questions, requests, and concerns to staff for immediate follow-up. Moreover, it gives brands insight into their guests’ sentiment, as well as data on staff and operational performance.
Why Use It?
Most of your guests aren’t telling you when they have a problem with your service. For some, it’s too much of a hassle to find a staff member to complain to; for others, they merely want to avoid confrontation, no matter how minor. Many people, particularly millennials, prefer digital interactions because it’s the easiest way to communicate. That’s why mobile guest engagement is so important — it gives your guests an instant, convenient channel to connect with your staff.
Through this channel, your guests can let you know right away if they have a request that needs fulfilling or a concern that requires resolution, giving your team the opportunity to act before your guests leave the property. This significantly lessens the possibility that your guests will go online after their visit and leave a negative comment on social media or trip review websites.
Still need convincing? To back up our claims, we’ve rounded up seven statistics that show why mobile guest engagement is the future of hospitality and restaurants.
- In a survey of customer experiences by Belding Training, 71.5 percent of interactions that were described as positive initially began as negative situations that the brand successfully turned around.
What it means for mobile guest engagement: When a guest is upset, it doesn’t mean all is lost! Oftentimes, unhappy guests will be impressed — perhaps more impressed than guests who never have a problem at all — if you apologize and make up for a negative experience. With mobile guest engagement, it’s much easier to identify and correct your guests’ concerns while they’re still on your property.
- According to an American Express survey, people are almost twice as likely to tell others about negative customer service experiences than they are about positive ones.
What it means for mobile guest engagement: It’s crucial that you not let your guests leave your property upset, otherwise they may tell everyone they know to avoid your business. Make sure there’s an easy way for them to reach out and voice their concerns during their visit. This is where mobile guest engagement is key — it provides guests an immediate, effortless way to connect with staff to get their problems solved.
- Gartner predicts that by 2020, customers will manage 85 percent of their relationship with the enterprise without interacting with a human. (Source: Gartner)
What it means for mobile guest engagement: Guests are increasingly going to seek out self-service options during their visit, whether it’s for check-in or to ask for a set of fresh towels. Through mobile guest engagement, businesses can automate some of these minor communications between guests and the property so that the focus can be placed on complex guest needs that require more attention.
- In a survey of mobile customer service strategy by ICMI, almost 62% of companies say that mobile is a competitive differentiator. (Source: International Customer Management Institute)
What it means for mobile guest engagement: Because more and more people are using their mobiles phones to interact with brands, adopting mobile customer services strategies gives businesses a leg up on the competition. A mobile guest engagement solution will make your business stand head and shoulders above the rest in the eyes of your guests.
- Twenty-two (22) percent of consumers, according to The Economist, want to be able to interact with a brand over multiple channels, while 14 percent want to have the same ability 24/7.
What it means for mobile guest engagement: In this day and age, phone and face-to-face communication aren’t enough to keep your guests fully engaged with your brand. With its email and texting capabilities, a mobile guest engagement solution is an indispensable part of any effective customer service strategy.
- Bank of America survey respondents said their mobile phone is more important to them than their personal computer, and equally as important as their cars and deodorant.
What it means for mobile guest engagement: From emails to important documents to social media, most people’s lives are on their mobile phones, and they take them everywhere. Brands that don’t try to connect with their guests through this channel are letting a valuable opportunity pass them by.
- Econsultancy found that with 30 percent of travelers relying on their mobile devices to make last minute reservations, mobile has become guests’ preferred device for booking business and holiday travel. (Source: eConsultancy)
What it means for mobile guest engagement: Travellers aren’t just relying on mobile to make their travel plans — they also expect to be able to use their devices throughout their trip. Many travellers use their mobile devices to look up directions, connect with friends or colleagues, and post travel updates to social media. With a mobile guest engagement solution, businesses can take advantage of this reliance on mobile to build a relationship with guests and drive repeat visits.
