Extended Stay America Demonstrates the Power of Old-School CX Tactics
The News: Acting upon post-engagement customer surveys is critical to closing the feedback loop, and can have a dramatic impact on the reputation of a business, even if the customer initially had a negative experience. And while many customer experience software platforms feature sophisticated omnichannel engagement and workflow mechanisms, designed to allow organizations to reach out to customers via text, email, mobile app, or social media network, using a traditional phone call can demonstrate that the company truly cares about the customer’s negative feedback, and is willing to have potentially uncomfortable conversations.
Using Telephone Outreach to Close the Loop After Negative Feedback
Analyst Take: Nearly every large, customer-facing organization utilizes some type of feedback mechanism to keep tabs on their customers’ experiences and ensure that they are satisfied. Travel and hospitality companies are no exception; guests are not only encouraged to complete post-stay electronic or paper surveys, but are also asked to review their stays on third-party travel sites. However, few organizations will reach out directly to customers, beyond responding online to online reviews. But a recent feedback experience I had with one property was somewhat unique.
During the spring, summer, and fall months, I travel frequently for both business and to take my daughter to her travel lacrosse tournaments. I had neglected to make a reservation for a tournament in New Jersey until the last minute, but was able to find a reasonably priced room at the Extended Stay America in West Windsor, New Jersey, which was inexpensive and relatively close to the tournament site.
Upon checking in after a hot and exhausting first day of the tournament, the hotel staff was extremely unhelpful as I struggled with the check-in kiosk, with two counter staff members focusing more on their personal conversations than on my check-in experience. In addition, a third employee emerged, further diverting attention from my check-in, leaving me and my daughter to struggle to find the elevator. When I asked, one employee barely acknowledged me, looking annoyed that I had interrupted their conversation. This experience left me far from satisfied, and when I received the post-visit survey, I provided negative feedback.
Closing the Loop
Four days after I had completed the survey, I received a voicemail from an Extended Stay America employee, which encompassed several best practices for customer outreach:
- The representative introduced herself clearly as an employee of the Extended Stay America location where I had stayed, rather than an “x-times-removed” corporate employee who may not have a direct or personal relationship with that specific location’s manager or team.
- The representative thanked me for filling out the survey, and requested that I call them back to elaborate on the negative feedback I had provided.
- The representative did not provide a blanket apology, which demonstrated the organization was interested in hearing my story, rather than trying to offer one-size-fits-all apologies that lack context.
Demonstrating Empathy and Laying Out an Action Plan
When I had time to return the call, I was connected to the worker who had reached out to me. She asked me to repeat my complaint, and then apologized, saying that “I’m sorry you had that experience. The employees were not acting professionally.” The demonstration of empathy during customer interactions, and it is simple to include such statements of empathy whenever appropriate.
Then, the worker told me she would check the schedules to see which workers were on duty at the time of the complaint, and would be sure to inform the manager so that the workers could be retrained on the importance of acting professionally when helping guests. Whether or not this actually occurs, reassuring the customer that negative feedback is being acted upon demonstrates that the customer and their feedback is valued.
Providing Accountability at the Local Level
The most interesting aspect of the feedback interactions was that a local staffer (probably the site manager) reached out via telephone, and initiated what could have been a contentious call. In this day, where many people prefer to interact in relative anonymity via mobile apps, web chats, and texts, it demonstrates that the company cared enough to assign accountability to a live human, who could wind up needing to have an uncomfortable conversation.
Further, regardless of whether the worker was sorry that the negative interaction occurred, offering a person-to-person apology from a worker who is on-site, as opposed to being in a far-removed corporate office, brings more authenticity to the interaction.
In fairness, I have never stayed at this property, and am unlikely to do so again. But the solid, personalized follow-up I received still is a net positive for the company, as I will not post negative feedback or reviews on third-party travel sites, which have a far greater reach than their own internal surveys.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
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Author Information
Keith Kirkpatrick is VP & Research Director, Enterprise Software & Digital Workflows for The Futurum Group. Keith has over 25 years of experience in research, marketing, and consulting-based fields.
He has authored in-depth reports and market forecast studies covering artificial intelligence, biometrics, data analytics, robotics, high performance computing, and quantum computing, with a specific focus on the use of these technologies within large enterprise organizations and SMBs. He has also established strong working relationships with the international technology vendor community and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events.
In his career as a financial and technology journalist he has written for national and trade publications, including BusinessWeek, CNBC.com, Investment Dealers’ Digest, The Red Herring, The Communications of the ACM, and Mobile Computing & Communications, among others.
He is a member of the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP).
Keith holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Magazine Journalism and Sociology from Syracuse University.
