Build a Loyalty with a Brand Concierge
7/1/2010 12:00:00 AM by: Jeanete McMurtry
Whether I’m traveling by car or plane, an immediate
and pure sense of relief overtakes me when I arrive at
my hotel destination. After years of traveling, it fi nally
occurred to me that this change of mood takes place
from arriving somewhere I know with certainty there is someone
waiting to help me; that whatever my need is, meeting it will be his
or her top priority.
You’ve probably had a similar experience. Even though you’ve
never met this person, you trust that the concierge will be kind, patient,
and friendly, even if you’re not. In all of my business and personal
travel, I really can’t think of a time that this didn’t happen,
whether it be a smaller hotel or a large, global chain that prides
itself on world-class service.
WORLD-CLASS SERVICE, INSIDE AND OUT
The consistent thread in the travel and leisure business is the
role of the concierge – someone who, by defi nition, is to help the
guests. That’s their only job: help assure that guests’ lives are immediately
simplifi ed, that they fi nd pleasure in their travel experiences,
and that all expectations are met.
In your travel experiences, and those of others you have read
about, there are many stories of heroic customer service. A 2006 article
on Forbes.com tells of a concierge who spent several days and
hundreds of dollars to fi nd a guest’s favorite snack. Another fl ew
to meet a guest that had left something critical in his room. There
are a number of stories that strike awe and inspiration into the customer
service conscience of the hospitality industry. Yet, in reality,
there should be just as many in the retail, fi nancial services, medical
device, healthcare, and other industries.
Those of us outside of the hotel industry have many lessons
to learn from those on the inside. For one, concierges are far
more than reservation assistants or resources for tourist information.
They are drivers of brand experience. As Allie Murphy, concierge
for the Colo.-based The Lodge at Vail, puts it, “You literally
have the ability to make someone’s vacation exponentially greater
than it could be if they just arranged all the reservations and activities
themselves.”
As a result of a staff member owning this responsibility, hotel
guests leave The Lodge at Vail anticipating their next interaction.
Plus, satisfaction rates keep this hotel at the top of
a highly competitive resort market and maintaining
its four-star and four-diamond designations.
ASSIGNING A BRAND CONCIERGE
The key lesson here is to defi ne how you can make
your customers’ experience exponentially greater,
rather than simply placing an order for what
you sell. Assign one person to be the keeper of that
experience. Assist others in fulfi lling it, as well.
Having one person dedicated solely to making customers happy
might seem like an expensive venture, but when you add up the
increased revenue from repeat sales, lifetime value, and referrals,
it’s a pretty amazing bargain. If you do, you can rest assured that
each time someone does business with you, they will get that same
sense of relief and trust as I do when I walk in the door of a hotel.
Allie Murphy brings up another critical step in the process.
“The role of the concierge is to go above and beyond to ensure that
the guests are worry-free while they are staying at your property,”
she says. “Being a good concierge means remembering that a repeat
guest’s son has a peanut allergy and that her husband prefers
a merlot over a cabernet.”
Do you keep customer profi les that alert you to special needs
or issues that cause them stress? Imagine if you could take away
the worry and anxiety of purchasing products in your business category.
In high-tech and other complex categories, bad purchasing
decisions can often result in stifl ed careers or even job losses. Putting
customers at ease and going the extra mile to achieve peace of
mind can go a long way in building your business.
SHOWING THE CUSTOMER THEIR VALUE
All of the above adds up to making customers feel like they’re
worth your time, thoughts, and energy. And for even the most
complicated individuals, that feeling wields a lot of power when
it comes to making purchasing decisions and, in many cases, not
noticing just how much they’re spending. Case in point: I recently
went to Shanghai, China with a business associate who introduced
me to Amy Lin, an owner of a small pearl store in the middle of a
knockoff mall. Just given the location, I would have been skeptical
shopping there on my own and believing I was getting real pearls.
When we entered the store, each of us was greeted by our own
pearl consultant who sat us down, talked to us about the nature of
pearls, and explained to us the difference in natural and cultured
pearls, teaching us to discern real from fake. The consultants then
showed us their many pearl varieties and stayed by our sides as
we looked over the beautiful items in the store, making sure we
had cold drinks, answering our questions, and helping us try on
their jewels.
They also made a point to show us the photos of their famous
customers like Bill and Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, and dignitaries
from all around the world, all of which took the worry out of the
purchase process. And we were made to feel like the most important
customer of the day.
In a sense, each sales consultant was really a concierge, simplifying
our lives, making us feel important, and taking the stress
out of the experience of being somewhere unfamiliar and unsure
of who to trust. It worked. Our little group of business travelers
spent thousands of dollars in U.S. currency in roughly an hour. The
amazing thing was that we all said we were just going to look and
maybe buy a little something.
Brand concierges can – and do – make a signifi cant difference
in how you feel when you arrive at a place of business, your satisfaction
with the product and brand in general, and how much
you notice the sticker price. Think about it: When you’re treated
like royalty, that $500-a-night room charge quickly gets forgotten.
Instead, you focus on the wonderful experience overall.
Hiring a full-time concierge might not be feasible for your business
right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t assign someone on
staff to take a leadership role in defi ning your brand experience,
standards of customer care, and setting protocols for sales and service
procedures among all employees. Doing so will make a huge
difference in your customer loyalty and long-term profi tability.
Jeanette McMurtry, MBA, is a marketing and sales consultant and
trainer specializing in creating emotionally relevant customer
experiences and communications. She can be reached at 970-390-
6909 or jeanette@e4marketingco.com. |