Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Customer is Often Wrong

Years ago, when we included Customer Service presentations in our speaking offerings to Tourism Conferences, I would share my contention that the customer was not always right. Debunking the commonly held maxim, I would intone that the customer was often wrong...and not just wrong but disrespectful, condescending and rude. That was in the late 1990s...decades before what we are experiencing today.

Yesterday, we shared results from a Longwood International study that indicates 80% of travelers expect equal or higher levels of customer service as we emerge from COVID. 

Our friend Cole Carley forwarded a chilling story from the Wall Street Journal that may well shine a light on why so many hospitality workers have so far refused to return, even in response to higher wages and signing bonuses. According to Black Box Intelligence, 60% of restaurant workers say they had suffered from emotional abuse and disrespect from customers.

Our mommas taught us better. And, for those whose parenting was somehow lacking, it's up to hospitality managers to escort anyone disrespecting or badgering staff to the door. No exceptions.

The customer is not always right.

 

The Disconnect from Reality

As we continue to ride the ever changing tide from the plague, a curious consumer expectation has emerged. According to the most recent travel sentiment study from Longwoods International, 80% of travelers expect equal or higher levels of customer service on this side of COVID than they experienced before. And, a quarter of those consumers were disappointed in the service they have received this year.

Has the inability of the hospitality industry to rehire workers not been articulated well enough in the media? Or are 80% of us just too self-absorbed to read signs like this one (click image to enlarge) and connect the dots?

COVID Dogs

As someone who has endured several flights over the years seated next to someone who is clearly toxic, I'm amazed that most airlines haven't resorted to temperature guns to reduce the number of clearly sick travelers from planes. And this goes way previous to COVID.

I still think they should (and have seen a few regional carriers do this) but you gotta love the ingenuity of whoever figured out that dogs can sense sickness in humans.

Temperature guns and dogs. Simply love the concept...unless you're too self-absorbed to care about your fellow passengers.

Just sayin.

DMOU: Getting LGBTQ+ Right

Authentic. It's the word we often hear when Destination Marketers attempt to develop messaging for consumers. But when reaching out to a market that doesn't look or live like you, achieving authentic is often elusive. Last month, HospitableMe's Billy Kolber and Kenny Porpora joined me on the DMOU Podcast to break down how DMO pros should approach the LGBTQ+ market. From working with the local community to determine whether your destination is ready to designing and executing authentic messaging, this is a conversation you won't want to miss. Plus, they revealed details on their new Master Class, with a discount for DMOU listeners that expires at midnight tonight.

Check it out!

Landing a Dream Job

I can't imagine my life not in the travel and hospitality field...and yet, that's never where I aspired to be when I was younger. I stumbled into it quite innocently and I've never let go (or, probably more truthfully, it never let go).

But why wasn't it an option? My mother instilled in me an ethos to always give back; to be in service to others. And, I can't think of an industry that is more "in service" than the service industry. So why wasn't it a viable option as I made way way into adulthood? Because, historically, we've paid shit wages and demanded impossible hours of entry-level positions? Because society and educators didn't value the work we do? Because self-absorbed asses in our midst think it's OK to demean service workers to their faces?

An interesting story in Fast Company caught my attention over the weekend. Roughly half of teens aspire to work in an artistic or investigative career. Only 2% of careers are in the arts/creative field and 8% are investigative (think scientist, detective, researcher, etc.). Why don't more dream of a job in hospitality?

Which then got me thinking about the new Amazon Prime series "Life's Rewards," where a rich playboy loses everything and is forced to live off his hotel points. As I suggested to Visit St. Pete / Clearwater's Steve Hayes on the DMOU podcast, my favorite aspect of the show was not just the character's reawakening...but the service staff around him that helped him find his way.

The answer isn't ads that extoll the virtue of a life in hospitality (did those Army ads make you want to join...or was it the TV shows and movies that glorified the cause?). We need more shows like Steve's to inspire the other half of teens that hospitality is a path worth considering.

Parking

In roughly half of the Strategic Plans we facilitate, the lack of downtown parking comes up as an issue. And, while it may be an issue in some towns...research indicates that the real issue is more often the lack of effective signage directing consumers to exiting parking.

Indeed, a recent studies indicates that there are eight parking spaces for every car in America.

Next time the lack of parking is cited as an issue in your community...push back with the alternate view. 

It's likely simply poorly signed.

New on DMOU: Getting LGBTQ+ Right

Just up in the DMOU vault is an insightful conversation with our friends Billy Kolber and Kenny Porpora of HospitableMe into the world of LGBTQ+ travel. From ensuring that your community is ready...to hitting all the notes perfectly in your messaging, this podcast is for any DMO pro that recognizes the opportunity to welcome a vibrant and growing market to your community.

You'll also hear about their new Master Class...and score a DMOU / DMOproz discount code, just for listening. And, yeah...their Bonus Round questions are pretty fun, too.

Join us.

The Future of Officing

In destinations as diverse as Kankakee County and Kansas City, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) have made the decision to ditch their physical offices after experiencing a degree of success working virtually during the pandemic. Other DMO CEOs have planted their feet firmly in the "back to the office" camp to preserve staff culture and creativity.

Visit Omaha has elected to do a hybrid approach, leaving its Downtown location in favor of virtual officing...but utilizing some of the $250,000 it would have sunk into lease payments into renting meeting space at destination hotels when it needs to meet face to face. Smartly, they'll keep their sensational Visitors Center open and use it as their administrative hub.

How is your DMO evolving when it comes to the future of its Office and Visitor Center?

The Nod From the NFL

Customer Service is nothing new...but when we experience stellar service, we notice. Right?

That's what I felt over the weekend when I thought about the NFL Draft. I mean, that's all I've been hearing about on Sports Radio for the past two months. When the hell is it, I asked myself. And then, I asked the internet and was taken to a page that said it starts Thursday. And, for more information, I was directed to visit the website of Destination Cleveland. And, that made me smile.

It shouldn't have. That link should be expected. DMOs in pro sports towns have been working with their franchises for years. But yet, it still did...and Destination Cleveland didn't disappoint, as they've transitioned their home page to NFL Draft HQ.

And again, I smiled. 

Visit, Vaccinate & Vacation

As destinations go, you can’t get much more diverse than Alaska and the Maldives. But, both are banking on the same strategy to stimulate visitation: COVID-19 Vaccines.

Beginning June 1, inbound passenger to commercial airports in Alaska will be able to receive the vaccine. And, in the Maldives, the nation’s Minister for Tourism has announced a 3V strategy: Visit, Vaccinate and Vacation.

The beauty of the strategy isn’t lost on me. One would need to stay three or four weeks to get the second shot (though Alaska is planning to arrange for visitors to get their second shot at home).

Can you say “High Value Customer?”