Online Reviews For Everything
Everyone has used TripAdvisor to check a hotel prior to (and even after) a visit. And if you work in the hospitality business you'll know it can make or break you. In the next 12-18 months if there isn't already a website where customers can publicly rate your business then brace yourself... it's coming.
In the UK the NHS had sensibly started their
own site and you can now rate any business listed on yell.com. It's only going to get bigger which means the old statistic of a customer who has had a bad experience telling 12 people becomes insignificant when they can tell 12 million.
Compensation
Culture
An apology isn't enough. Fuelled by 'where there's blame there's a claim' you'll find your unhappy customers demanding a financial settlement. Those who already feel overdrawn in their emotional bank account will be looking to replace that bad feeling with cold hard cash.
Increased Expectation For A Lower Investment
The good news is people are starting to spend. The bad news is that
expectations have risen higher and faster than most levels of service. Travellers think budget hotels should have five star staff whilst big box retailers attract shoppers who demand a boutique service. This mismatch will continue until customers demand less (unlikely) or businesses raise their game (essential).
Outstanding Humanised Online Experiences
There's a merger taking place. It's between the world of online
and face to face experiences. Consumers demand the convenience of an online experience but in addition they also want the personalised face to face service. Great organisations whose primary method of sale is online must back up their promise of convenience with multiple communication methods. They have to make their millionth customer of the day feel like their first.
Social Media As The Prime Communications
Channel
Do you remember when you'd be happy waiting 28 days for a written response to your missive? Now 28 minutes feels like an age. And where a letter was one to one, a tweet can be read by millions. High demand customers are impatiently using social media to make their point, gather information and complain publically. Every now and then they may even compliment you, but you'll need to give lots of reasons why Tweeters and Facebookers should brag about you first as it's
more fun (and you get a lot more significance) being more nasty than nice.
@MichaelHeppell
Be Brilliant!
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