Part of the path to success with Loop is ensuring that front-line staff know how to promote it effectively. Your guests, after all, are more likely to use Loop if they’re actually aware that it exists, and if they have a good understanding of how it works. There are ways to train and equip your front-line staff with the tools and knowledge they need to ensure a higher volume of guests use Loop. We’ve outlined a few of them here to help you out.
Have Front-Line Staff Bring It Up
It’s easy for jet-lagged hotel guests and hungry restaurant patrons to overlook collateral signage and previous emails they have received about Loop. That’s why front-line staff should remind them to use it whenever a guest checks in at a hotel or places an order at a restaurant.
At hotels, there are several ways to do this — word-of-mouth is perhaps the most effective, but staff can also hand out business cards containing all the information guests will need or direct them to collateral signage at the front desk and in their rooms. At restaurants, front-line staff can remind guests to leave feedback by saying something like, “Before you leave, please consider using the kiosk at the front of the store to let us know how we did.”
Introduce It as a Useful Tool
The hospitality and restaurant businesses are hectic ones. When guests order their food at a restaurant, it might be during a rush; when a guest checks in at a hotel, the front desk has to give them all the information they’ll need during their stay. In both cases, your front-line staff might be tempted to say, “Loop is available if you need it” and expect guests to figure it out for themselves. This, however, isn’t necessarily enough to get the guest to use Loop. Front-line staff should take 15 to 30 seconds to tell guests what it is and how they can access it.
When introducing Loop, they should frame it as a convenient tool that can help guests connect with staff about any requests, concerns, or comments they may have, and, if applicable, let guests know they already have an email in their inbox with a link to the web app. It doesn’t hurt to tell the guest that the app is monitored 24/7 and that they can expect a response within a pre-selected period of time — for example, 30 minutes to an hour.
Have Staff Create Loop Messages on Behalf of Guests
When front-line staff receive requests via phone or in person, they should of course immediately accommodate them, because that is the foundation of excellent customer service. But with Loop, they can take it a step further — they can also ask the guest if they can create a Loop message on their behalf. This has benefits for both: first, it allows staff to keep track of requests more easily, and second, it allows them to update the guest as soon as it’s been fulfilled.
This not only reminds the guest that Loop is available for their use, but also makes an electronic record of the request so it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. It’s also a great way to get the guest using Loop, as they can simply respond to the message any time they need something. Just remind staff that they should always ask the guest’s permission before they create a Loop message!
What are your front-of-house best practices for Loop? Share them with us in the comments, or on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.
