In Touch

Any communication that a customer experiences during their relationship lifecycle with an organisation is known as a touchpoint.

Effective collection and analysis of touchpoint data offers invaluable opportunities for the hotelier to engage with and learn more about the customer.

This method of knowing the guest can be used in a number of ways that can improve business, for example in market research, refining hotel services offers, forecasting occupancy, staff planning, defining rate strategies and targeting communication strategies.

A touchpoint is defined as, "all of the communication, human and physical interactions customers experience during their relationship lifecycle with an organisation.

"Whether an advertisement, website, sales person or office, touchpoints are important because customers form perceptions of an organisation and brand based on their cumulative experiences".

However, this touchpoint data needs to be collected in a format that is useful for both the customer and the service provider.

UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER PERCEPTION

Many hotel companies fail to collect and optimise their customer data.

This is often aligned to the lack of data integration and support within a property and between multiple properties. The guest comes into contact with the hotel through a variety of touchpoints, some of which are chosen by the customer, such as the website channel used for reservations, while some are offered by the hotel, for example check-in or first point of greeting.

Each of these touchpoints has the potential to collect guest information and transfer it to the hotel for future guest profiling.

The quality of guest information collected at touchpoints inevitably varies, as does the control of touchpoints.

The ability of hotels, particularly service-oriented establishments, to deliver customer service in the moment is critical.

Mapping the touchpoints can be significant in managing the customer experience, where the sum of the touchpoints during the customer experience equals the perception of the guest’s service experience.

Identifying the most-used series of customer touchpoints helps to optimise processes and manage the critical services, whereas identifying the key touchpoints is also critical as individual customers usually value some touchpoints more highly than others, frequently the first point of contact.

Table 1 shows a typical mapping of the hotel customer and the touchpoints that person is likely to encounter.

It also identifies the data sources that are captured, usually through technology systems already available within the property.

This map indicates how the customer is reached and served by various data sources and the technology resources that are capable of managing the data and touchpoints.

The touchpoint map could go on to identify customer segments that have different touchpoint behaviours.

If this is mapped accurately, it should facilitate the management of marketing assets towards achieving customer-facing objectives.

DEGREES OF DATA

Several touchpoints are under the full control of the hotel and this is where the hotelier can decide how to collect and manage the information about the guest and what level of interaction the hotel will have at the touchpoint.

However there are other touchpoints where the hotel has less control over the information given and the level of interaction, as detailed in table 2.

Here, each touchpoint provides varying levels and quality of information about the guest as well as different opportunities for interaction with the guest throughout their hotel experience.

The quality of information available will vary but will typically include a density of data covering information about the hotel’s rates and promotions, images, videos, maps, rooms and hotel services, reservation services and information about location and destination.

Additionally, some of the touchpoints offer value-added services and detailed information about the guest, such as address, gender, age, email, phone, payment details, record history, guest feedback, loyalty programmes, repeat guests and newsletter subscriptions.

All direct channels of communication with the guest (such as the hotel website and the central reservation system (CRS) offer the most easily controlled and non-mediated touchpoints in terms of information and interaction.

The indirect channels (such as travel agents and third-party websites) provide a different level of information from that provided by the hotel but can also offer value-added services, for example guest profiles and rates.

Moreover, all touchpoints require accurate information about the hotel and its services, and directly managed channels can provide the hotel with guest recognition and history.

However, hotel systems must be technologically equipped to manage this data.

Indirect channels cannot provide the hotel with guest recognition and history as effectively as direct channels and thus will require more operational effort (input or transfer data) to profit from guest information.

INTERACTION WITH HOTEL SYSTEMS

A property management system (PMS) is the central data infrastructure of a property, handling the administration of all guests, their profiles and bookings, as well as their stay history, expenditures and the revenues generated.

Primarily, it is the PMS that serves as a repository for all product and service consumption by guests and this data reflects the real guest behaviour, activities and associated revenues at the hotel level.

A PMS can interact with the key direct touchpoints, such as hotel website, front-office staff, EPOS and CRS as well as with selected third-party intermediaries.

In addition, the PMS contains functionality to manage guest profiles, membership, feedback and guest recognition at both single-property and multiple-property levels.

A CRS can handle the interaction with all the touchpoints and can interface with the PMS, passing information collected to the hotel site and receiving information from the hotel site to process back to the various touchpoints.

Ideally, a customer information system (CIS) should be implemented for profiling, membership and loyalty programmes, consolidating guests’ histories, their preferences and feedback.

A CIS can, if based on predefined rules and score points, match and merge guest profiles coming from the various touchpoints, facilitating the guest recognition at property level and customising interactions and offers.

At the property level, the PMS in connection with the CRS is able to fully exploit the functionality available for guest recognition and loyalty, and ultimately touchpoint management.

PRIORITIES AND RESULTS

Identifying and mapping touchpoints are the first steps a hotel should take to understand how the guest is interacting with the hotel in order to identify and deliver the service requirements of guests.

However, these touchpoints can differ, with direct channels accumulating higher quality of information about the guest’s preferences and profile, than indirect channels.

Touchpoints have to be prioritised to focus assets (human and otherwise) towards the critical touchpoints and their sequence of operation.

Also, the touchpoint map must identify the most used routes that customers take through the hospitality experience at the property level.

The existing IT systems, PMS, CRS and CIS must be effectively deployed and linked to help the hotel achieve best results, in terms of:

• Identifying profitable customers

• Achieving consistency across the touchpoints

• Identifying failing or unused touchpoints

• Recognising mass and customisable touchpoints

• Improving and optimising data capture

• Guiding customers to critical touchpoints

It is unlikely that hotel properties will benefit from a touchpoint project without clearly documenting and analysing the touchpoints, followed by integration of touchpoint management into the customer experience.

Multiple properties will realise the most benefits from a CIS connected with the CRS and PMS to manage the data centrally across the hotels and the various touchpoints.

The deployment of a CIS will improve data integrity and redundancy, and contribute to the reduction of manual work while improving guest recognition in all hotels.