Customer-Centric Advantage – Manage the Experience - By John Hendrie

This situation is not corrected by discounts, clever promotions, or throwing marketing dollars down that “black hole”. We need to rethink what makes that experience memorable, for our consumer is very savvy, a prudent shopper, no longer swayed by our claims of value.

This requires an investment by you to “do business differently”. Only through this paradigm shift to the Customer-Centric will you enter the realm of excellence.

Our goal is to assess resources, realign process, people and products and then compete with advantage, exceeding consumer expectation.

Is Hospitality in such dire straits? As a business so tied to the human touch and sensibilities, we are off kilter. But, we can learn to better manage that critical guest experience with a new strategic equation, which reflects the following:

1. VALIDATION of your relationship with the Guest. Perceptions and values of your guests indicate their needs and expectations. This information can be gathered by multiple means, through surveys, Customer Satisfaction feedback, Focus Groups and the like. How do you know how you are doing, if you have not solicited this response? Next, you must consider the product and service mix that you currently offer to that Guest. If the guest expects A, and you emphasize B, the disconnect is apparent. Lastly, the organizational structure which delivers these products ands services must be reviewed.

2. ANALYZE what information you have compiled. You now have matched your guest, your products and services and your staff and made an ASSESSMENT of where realignments must take place. A new strategy will evolve with performance standards, measurement and recommended action to better manage that guest experience.

3. IMPLEMENT your new credo, the “Customer-Centric” approach.  You will need a practical means of expression, grounded methods of measurement, and a consistency of delivery. Every exchange (“touch point”) with your Guest must emphasize that you will care for them, attend to their needs and that their business and concerns are valued. All your staff will need to reflect this behavior, understanding that Guest Satisfaction is the only performance yardstick. And, you must be prepared to reward those employees who excel with this value proposition.

We need to better embrace the simple concept of engaging our Guest, gaining their loyalty, and better than meeting their expectations. We need to better manage the experience, frame expectations, create real value and then market our uniqueness. This is all about the Customer Experience.


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