The power of predictability
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When was the last time you bought food or coffee from a national chain instead of the independent local place you never visited before?
Chances are, you didn’t want to risk something unfamiliar. Going with the chain provided a consistent level of service and product you could expect.
The business did that by building and following systems. Every single time. Around the world. Procedures that specified down to the last detail how your experience was created.
Predictability is crucial for building loyalty. Nothing turns people off faster than experiencing great service the first time, only to be disappointed the second time.
Let me ask you: How do you provide predictable excellence?
(I’m looking to explore this subject a little deeper in the future. Do you know any great hotel operations experts I could talk with?)
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By only promising what you can constantly offer. No peaks which can turn people off when experiencing the hotel more than one time.
In our case, we provide predictable service by making sure we control as much of the process as possible. This means that besides regularly inspecting our member hotels (by contacting each traveler that we send to any of the properties after they return home) we also have a corporate pre-arrival concierge that makes sure our hotels are ready to receive a traveler and know what their special needs and/or interests are. We rely on them for the in-house service level but set the stage—and standard—before anyone even walks through the door. From the traveler’s perspective, no matter which of our hotels they visit, they’ll always be in touch with the Mexico Boutique Hotels concierge and made to feel safe and welcome.
A brand is a promise to consumers that they will get the same experience every single time. Brands don’t just happen. It takes strategy, systems, and buy-in from everyone who is involved in your organization. Those organizations that don’t focus on building a consistent brand experience will suffer. When a solid brand strategy is in place and is being successfully implemented, consumers notice. It leads to recognition, recall, and loyalty.
Slightly off topic, but my agency has just developed a sensational new in-room branding product specifically designed for the hotel industry. Visit http://www.steamyourmessage.com to learn more. Nothing like this exists in the marketplace…until now. Thanks for your time.
“A brand is a promise”
Very well put.
brand name recognition is vital, I saw the special on the history of coca cola and it interviews the marketers. One interesting thing is that they used to send coca cola shipments with the troops at $0.10 per bottle and when they came back home they had a big loyal customer base. Check it out on hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/108764/cnbc-originals-coca-cola-the-real-story-behind-the-real-thing scroll to 23 minutes in
Interesting…thanks for the link.