I am never underwhelmed by customer service that wows. Say that five times fast. I am one of those weirdos that leaves a review on Yelp ONLY if the experience was unlike anything else. Recently on our Magazine Summit we went to a restaurant where I ordered the wrong thing (I wanted grilled chicken instead of fried) and the servers quickly corrected the situation, even though it was my fault. Within 30 seconds a Manager came over to apologize, offer an appetizer to correct the situation, and ask about the rest of the team’s food. The Manager then returned to inform me of how the chicken was coming along and let me know that it would be back shortly. Once the new food arrived, they gave me a minute to eat before checking back in.
Now I don’t tell you this story to describe to you how I messed up and what I eat at restaurants. Instead, I tell you this story to challenge you to think about customer service and how your team is creating wow experiences for guests at your venue. Think about this:
- Are you listening to your clients both on the planner level and the guest level?
- Is your team monitoring Twitter to capture guests live tweeting facts about your venue during a conference?
- How are you listening to clients and responding in rapid speed to create repeat customers?
Because yes, you want your event planner to have a successful event and therefore return, but you also want to ensure that the attendees are wowed by the venue and service in order for them to want to attend the conference in the future. The meeting could be a one-time event, but people always share good experiences with their friends and colleagues. You never know what positive (or negative) act of customer service will influence future event planners or attendees. If I were to attend a meeting at your conference center right now, would I leave with a 5 star review of your property on Yelp? Give attendees a WOW experience and create lasting impressions.