IDS Softwares · 20 Aug

Service is king across all industries. Those brands which establish and maintain top-tier service will not only survive but, more importantly, thrive in today's market. Hoteliers around the globe are investing an increasing amount of capital into the implementation of guest-centric technology. However, it's important to remember that while hoteliers focus on the provision of exceptional service to their guests, hospitality technology vendors assume a similar responsibility to that hotel. Just as a hotel's relationship with a guest doesn't end when they select "book now," a vendor's relationship with a hotel doesn't end when they choose to purchase their product. That's merely the first step of, ideally, a long-term, mutually beneficial customer-vendor relationship. In the world of hospitality technology, next-generation platforms (big or small) that demonstrate real staying power and industry-wide influence are those who understand that the customer, in this case, the hotelier, is king. Just as guest loyalty defines the long-term success of a hotel, customer retention will determine the continued success of technology vendors. Because when it comes to the purchase of technology, on-going exemplary service is everything. And yet, reports of poor service commonly plague industries around the globe, with studies indicating that 58% of people felt under-appreciated by companies they conducted business with in 2016. If anything, plights with customer service have become something of a bad punchline, as companies frequently undermine consumer expectations in the realm of on-going support. NewVoiceMedia's 2018 "Serial Switchers" report reveals that poor customer service is costing businesses more than $75 billion a year. That's up $13 billion since its last report in 2016. The stakes are higher than ever before, so why aren't businesses delivering? What can hospitality technology companies learn from this? Identifying a Successful Service Model Hotel technology today is all about innovation. Hospitality leaders are eager to invest in services and platforms which pave the way to a more streamlined, intuitive operational model that brings them closer to guests — with ease. With the right tools in place, properties can offer their guests enhanced connectivity, personalization, and convenience across every touch-point. At least, that's the goal. However, without a service model that genuinely supports a clients' immediate and future needs, hotel tech companies cannot truly drive innovation. After all, if a product can't adapt and evolve with the needs of the client, how can it truly be considered innovative? How can it help keep hotels a step ahead of guest trends, if it doesn't offer an agile infrastructure that's receptive to long-term growth? Let's consider a popular example. Apple is commonly regarded as one of the top customer service providers in America. In addition to its widely accessible service and repair centers, Apple also operates 28 service call centers in America that are positioned strategically to maintain quality service across the globe. However, this was not always the case. In the mid-1990s, Apple was struggling. Realizing the company was at a pivotal make-or-break impasse, interim CEO Steve Jobs decided it was time to shift their focus away from defeating rival companies, to providing better customer-oriented products and services. His envisioned Apple as a company that would 'serve the people,' developing innovative products and services that truly catered to the needs and desires of those who had been buying Apple's products since day one. Since then, Apple has dominated the market share as a leading, world-class provider in technological innovation and hands-on customer service. Another example of an exceptional customer-centric model at work can be observed via JetBlue airlines. While airlines commonly come under fire, especially across social platforms, for negative customer experiences, JetBlue has a reputation for attentive and responsive, personalized customer service. For example, in December of 2013, Paul Brown was flying JetBlue airlines when he casually tweeted that he couldn't grab his Starbucks coffee before boarding the plane because he was flying out of the smaller terminal at Boston's Logan airport. Within seconds of seeing the tweet, JetBlue sprang to action, and the airport customer service team delivered a Starbucks venti mocha to his seat on the plane. Brown was elated and raved about JetBlue on Twitter. While this is a rather specific example, it's essential to consider the underlying theme — the customer and the service a company provides them should always be top of mind.

The Rainmaker Group · 20 Aug

Despite reports of a weakening global growth rate through 2020,1 research from IBISWorld shows that the hotels and motels industry has outperformed the broader economy for the past five years, and total industry revenue so far this year has reached $206 billion.2 Globally, there are 100,535 businesses, with a slate of new project openings continuously being added to the lodging landscape. We saw an increase of 669,460 rooms in 2018 in the U.S. alone.3

EHL · 20 Aug

Creating authentic and captivating experiences is crucial for the competitiveness of hospitality businesses because it can increase value for consumers ([1]; [6]). Experiences are, by definition, co-created in hospitality, meaning they result from "the joint creation of value by the company and the customer" ([7]), regardless whether in high-touch or high-tech contexts ([3]). Today, exploiting technology for enabling and managing these experiences has become commonplace in many industries, but experts who can co-create through technology to produce authentic and captivating experiences in the hospitality industry are desperately lacking. The Global Center for Digital Business Transformation suggests that the hospitality industry is moving closer to the centre of the 'digital vortex' where the velocity and magnitude of change are highest ([8]).

CAL Poly Pomona · 19 Aug

I met with the hospitality team of the NEC Global Enterprise Solutions at NEC Corporation's headquarter in Tokyo last week. The team gave me a brief introduction of what services NEC provides and a tour of the NEC Future Creation Hub, an interactive showroom for the company's latest tech products.