It is Christmas week. Many of us are packing up our suitcases and getting ready for a well-earned Christmas break. Those running their own businesses will pack their laptop and keep an eye on their emails often with the odd complaint from a family member.
Some of us are off on holiday looking forward to a ski-break, a bit of sun or a break with family and friends and will experience the leisure industry at its best. It got me to thinking is there anything we can take away and implement in our own businesses?
Customer service as a core value
Customer service in the top leisure companies is a core value and delivered by every person in the company from the sales team to the catering staff. It is their job to make sure you have a good time but with the truly great holiday companies they seem to go the extra mile to ensure this happens.
Making life easy
The little touches such as ensuring a smooth booking in process, whereby you are issued with a clear set of instructions. Being greeted with a smile, your welcome pack and your holiday home key with a detailed map of how to get there and where to park. These little things along with tea, coffee and milk being provided so you can unpack with a much needed brew is a nice touch.
Support at every step
Whether you want to know where to book family activities or get some lunch there are locations clearly marked and friendly staff available to help you get settled.
Big choice
Lunch and a film or a few hours in the casino or spa, the better holiday companies offer a wide range of options - something for everyone.
Value for money
If you are offered better deals as an existing customer this helps to build loyalty and gets you thinking about re-booking for next year. If you get rewarded with free upgrades or access to VIP areas for rebooking this is also a nice touch.
Feedback
The leisure industry is big on getting your feedback and surveys are often taken by the reps or emailed to you on your return. They really use the information to pass on to their employees and decide what they could improve for next season.
Conclusion
For me working in marketing in the IT and telecoms space, I think we can learn from the successful leisure companies. Making sure our products and services hit the mark in terms of features, pricing, choice and our overall customer experience from the very first email through to sign up, training and support with the first order and ongoing revenue growth.
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