The results are in from the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study. According to the study, hotels are feeling the double economic pinch of less leisure travel and higher operating expenses costs. They are trying to manage their costs at the same time they meet ever-higher customer expectations, but that effort hasn’t been totally successful. In 2008, overall satisfaction with hotels is down notably in four of the six segments measured by the study.
In my own 2008 survey regarding factors contributing to the decline in customer service industry-wide, the number one contributor to the decline was workforce optimization—which is just a fancy way of saying that operators are keeping a close eye on labor costs which account for roughly half of all total operating expenses in the hospitality industry.
Presumably, operators are faced with the dilemma of reduced guest satisfaction resulting from lean scheduling during these difficult economic times that reduces the ratio of employees to guests—leading to longer waits in line, on hold, etc. There’s no doubt that this becomes a balancing act as lines begin to form and guests grow impatient…
That said, I’m frequently reminded that it doesn’t cost any more for a guest-facing employee to smile, make eye contact, and have some “life” in her voice. These basics cost nothing at all and, regardless of staffing levels, may mean the difference between mediocre and stellar service from the guest’s perspective.
A penny for your thoughts? (I used to offer a nickel but times are tough!)
