In a city with so many hotels, it’s naturally important for hoteliers in Canberra to do whatever they can to make sure their customer service is as good as it can possibly be. But what are some of the most important customer services a hotel needs in order to stand out? At a time when the internet and other developments are changing the way Canberra hotels do business, has customer service changed, too?

Consistency

In a way, customer service has changed somewhat in recent years. The growth of the online environment and the fact that so many Canberra hotels now have websites means that customer service now needs to be delivered on more platforms than ever before. However, the core of customer service will always be the same. Emil Kovacic, General Manager of Hotel Realm, says that service is ‘everything’ and that hospitality is ‘all about service’.

No matter what innovations might crop up to revolutionise the hotel industry in the next few years, one thing will always stay the same: good service is good service, so making sure to get the basics right before anything else has got to be paramount.

Go beyond expectation

As well as making sure customer service is consistently good, providing you with a solid baseline to work from, going beyond expectation can also help Canberra hoteliers make their guests’ stay even better. As Kovacic says, ‘wherever possible, do better than they expected.’

For example, if a guest wants to check in earlier than normal or check in a few minutes later than usual, it’s always a good idea to accommodate this if you can. They’re likely to remember your help, which could make all the difference in gaining their repeat business – something that is important for Canberra hotels, many of which rely on government and business guests rather than tourism. As these are people who are likely to stay in the same hotel if they enjoy their experience, it’s worth doing what you can to accommodate them.

Listen and reflect

Of course, while customer service will always be about making sure you meet the needs of your guests, it’s worth remembering that the needs of guests can change over time. A representative from the local hotel industry says that listening to guests is vital when it comes to offering a good service and providing innovations that enhance the quality of their stay.

Staff morale also plays a part in this: if your staff is happy and motivated, the service they provide will inevitably be better. The local hotel industry representative says that the most important thing is that both guests and staff are happy, which suggests you can probably tell a lot about the success of your customer service policy by how many people in the hotel are in a good mood.

No matter how many innovations you make in customer service, though, some things will always stay the same. As Kovacic says: ‘if the staff are smiling, that probably goes a little further than most people would imagine.’