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What does your customer experience?

Use customer feedback to grow and improve

As we’ve already identified, the global tourism environment has changed significantly over the last decade, largely driven by economic factors and lifestyle trends.

Visitors have become more discerning. They have higher expectations about the destinations, products and experiences they buy and are looking for added value and great customer service as standard.

It’s more vital than ever that your business meets and exceeds their expectations, if you’re to thrive in what is a very competitive marketplace.

If you’re to satisfy and provide a first class experience, you need to know how your customers perceive your business at every step of the customer journey, from the point where they pick up your marketing material or access your website, to when they leave.

To find out what your visitors really think, collecting customer feedback is essential. But more importantly, you need to act on that feedback to make changes and improvements that can transform your business, and at the same time help to transform your local area.

The TIS ‘Listening to our Visitors’ guide provides lots of hints and tips on collecting and using customer feedback to improve your business.

  • To find out what your visitors really think, collecting and acting on customer feedback is essential.

Where we could do better

Customer feedback has highlighted areas where Scotland could do more to provide a fantastic visitor experience.

Quality in some areas, such as accommodation and eating out, can vary from business to business. If we were all to up our game collectively this would have a huge impact on the future growth of Scottish tourism.

If we widen our focus away from our own individual businesses to think about how other attractions, activities and places to eat and drink might make visitors’ stay more enjoyable, we can work together more effectively at local and national level to create the authentic experiences that visitors are looking for.

Scottish Person Smiling

What makes a great tourism experience?

When asked what makes a great tourism experience, most people put hospitality and warmth of welcome right at the top of the list. A smile and a friendly welcome can be powerful marketing tools, and will go a long way towards ensuring visitors go home delighted.

But other elements, such as the quality of facilities and services; the range of visitor attractions, activities, shops and restaurants; knowledgeable staff; high quality, locally-sourced food and drink; and the availability of ‘authentic’ and unique experiences are all important too.

  • To find out what your visitors really think, collecting and acting on customer feedback is essential.

Look carefully at all the individual touch points in their customer journey, from the time they first make contact with you to the time they leave. Answering these questions truthfully, will help you identify how you could add value to the experience at all points in the customer journey. Further information can be found in the ???Listening to Our Visitors??? Guide. The link to this, and other guides, such as Food & Drink, can be found below.

Put yourself in their shoes. 

  • How positive are your TripAdvisor reviews? How do you monitor and respond to these? What are people saying about you on social media such as Facebook and Twitter?
  • Is your website up to date and mobile-friendly? Do you offer online booking? Is your website giving visitors a real flavour of what they can expect when they arrive?
  • How easy is it to book with you?  Is somebody always on hand to answer the phone or respond to emails? Do staff have the skills to deal effectively with customer enquiries?
  • How warm is the welcome when visitors arrive? Are there any touches you could add to make them feel special? How well do you cater for overseas guests?
  • Are your facilities and services meeting the needs and expectations of today???s discerning visitors?
  • Do you make the most of local produce on your menus? If you source your food and drink locally, are you telling your visitors about it?
  • How well do you promote other tourism experiences in your locality? Are your staff knowledgeable and able to provide recommendations based on customers??? interests?
  • Do you ask visitors for feedback on their stay? Do you follow up with them once they leave?


people

Learn from others

Keeping an eye on what other businesses and other areas are doing is a fantastic way of picking up new ideas and, equally, learning from their mistakes!

Better still, go and experience their offer as a visitor. This will give you some great pointers as to what you could be doing to improve the visitor experience in your own business.

If they complement your own offer, speak to them about ways you could work together to cross-sell your services and provide a fantastic visitor experience.

Not only will it benefit your visitors, it makes great commercial sense too! 

"" A Natural High - natural and activity based tourism
Duntrune House Duntrune House - part of the family
Image credit:Scottish Viewpoint Kinross Local Events Organisation
hotel porters Our Visitors - intelligence guide

What does your customer experience?

Have you ever taken the time to consider your customers??? ???touch points??? from the research stage right through to after they have left your business? Use this area below to write notes and save to your account for your futute reference.