There was once a time when all you needed to do was provide free WiFi and you’d have a bunch of happy customers. However, consumer expectations are quick to change and an online review of your hotel could today include how easy it is to sign up to your WiFi, how reliable it is, whether it can sustain video and of course if it’s free or if there’s a charge for a premium service.
Forbes reports that WiFi quality is the number one reason for choosing a hotel and there is a website devoted to finding out how good hotel WiFi is before you even book. If they’re not good enough reasons to review your existing WiFi provision, here are three more that explain why WiFi should be your number one priority for customer service in any venue and why it’s worth the investment.
1) The need for speed
Customers want connectivity 24×7 and you need to provide a WiFi service which is reliable and reassuringly quick. Guests often want to log onto emails and work out where they need to be next, in the queue before, they’ve even checked in.
If you are hosting a conference, your customer may have an app for their delegates, which relies on access to WiFi to help them choose which seminars to attend, read background information and find quickly locate the nearest café in their break.
Guests also need WiFi for work purposes while at events, to check out restaurant menus, look for things to do, and maintain their social media profile when they’ve got free time.
WiFi can help make your guest’s day go well, and if does, chances are you’ll get that great review.
2) Bonus offers and points
Customers love a good deal, especially if it appears free and is personalised for them. Your WiFi landing page is the perfect opportunity to find out about your guests interests and collect contact information – either by offering incentives to complete short surveys or analysing click through behaviour.
By combining additional data with customer information in your marketing database, you can offer deals which will impress your guests and improve your brand profile.
When guests take up with an offer, for example, if you are a hotel and want to offer guests a free drink in the bar, it may lead them to eat dinner in the hotel that night too – giving them even more services for your guests to review online.
3) Operations – predict and meet your customers’ needs
The benefit of visitors logging onto your guest WiFi is that you can use location-based analytics to improve your operational efficiency and customer experience.
If your systems flags bottlenecks for guests waiting to register at the entrance of an event, you can quickly deploy staff from other areas of the hotel to manage congestion and avert any customer niggles. You’ll also get an alert if one of your visitors wonders into an unauthorised area, allowing you take action to prevent injuries, security threats or theft which might damage your reputation.
WiFi also gives you the power to collect data to feed into your long term operational strategy – providing you with evidence to develop your resources and offer the best possible customer service.
Improving your brand reputation and reviews is all about creating an emotional connection with your customers and showing them that you care about their experience. You can’t help it if 30 people suddenly turn up to the bar at once, but you can show them your reaction to that situation and prove that you have a customer-focused approach.
WiFi gives you the opportunity to interact with your audience directly and optimise their experience to build loyalty – increasing the likelihood of a return visit and a glowing customer review.
