BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - October 27, 2009) - The top pressure hospitality organizations face
in upgrading the guest experience is high service level expectations,
according to the Aberdeen Group report "Winning Strategies for Upgrading the Hospitality
Guest Experience." Between August and September 2009, Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
(NYSE: HHS), surveyed 81 hospitality organizations to determine how leading
hospitality organizations are improving the guest experience through
upgrades to customer- and employee-facing technologies.
"The bulk of today's consumers, simply put, are looking for more 'bang for
their buck.' With the proliferation of the online channel and comparison
websites, hotels and resorts need to find ways to attract customers short
of simply offering the lowest price," says Chris Cunnane, chief author and
senior research associate, Aberdeen.
In response to these pressures, hospitality organizations have identified
"improving response to customer feedback and providing a low-cost
alternative to meet customer expectations" as their top strategic actions.
"Leading hospitality organizations are also taking a closer look at
customer behavioral dynamics when implementing guest experience related
strategies," says Sahir Anand, co-author and research director, Aberdeen.
The top capability to emerge from this study is visibility into service and
product allocation per customer. "In a hotel or resort, this equates to
proper staffing of the concierge and front desk to answer questions,
fulfill needs, and provide guidance within the property. For restaurants,
this includes proper host station coverage, table service coverage, and bar
coverage. By providing proper visibility into service allocation,
organizations can adjust staffing levels based on the current and
forecasted customer levels. This visibility can be achieved by utilizing
reporting capabilities from workforce management, reservation management,
and revenue management applications," says Cunnane.
Aberdeen data has shown that a proper mix of employee-facing and
customer-facing technology upgrades can have a significant impact on the
guest experience. Aberdeen's analysis of leading organizations demonstrates
that these companies have placed an increased focus on:
-- Utilization of self-service kiosks. The self-service kiosks allow
guests to control many elements of their experience including reservations,
concierge services, and check-out.
-- Implementation of a CRM system. A CRM system allows the organization
to capture customer data such as visit frequency, purchase history,
activity history, as well as demographic information.
-- Adopt an online training portal. This allows for proper training for
new hires, advancing employees, or preparation for employees who are moving
to a new department. It also allows employees to share ideas, best
practices, and suggestions.
All of the above requirements, amongst others, are part of the winning
strategy for upgrading the guest experience.
A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the
following underwriters: HP and Microsoft. The Hospitality publication
partner for this report is Hospitality Net. To obtain a complimentary copy
of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=6100.
For additional access to complimentary Retail Research,
please visit
http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/-retail
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market
intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more
than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely
positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating
demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment
analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets,
corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more
about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.
© 2009 AberdeenGroup, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617)854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Chris Cunnane
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(617) 854-5370
Chris.cunnane@aberdeen.com