Ok, it’s an occupational hazzard, but from a curious browse through the guestbook at a Bed and Breakfast there were some pretty clear patterns emerging.
From years worth of entries a clear picture emerged of the type, nationality and values of the guests , plus some insight into what they think are the most (and in some cases least) memorable attributes of the experience. (a complimentary bottle of wine on arrival is a big hit)
This was a pro-active B&B owner who understood and served his guests well, but customer facing staff in larger organisations are confronted by valuable user feedback on an hourly basis and are seldomly in a position to analyse and convert this feedback into improvements in customer experience, let alone to measure changing attitudes and expectations over time.
In this case, it’s a humble visitors book, and more than likely the quality of feedback is biased towards the positive but this is a great example of how some basic research at the front lines of a business or service can help shape a proposition to best meet customer needs. …or perhaps exceed them by leaving a chocolate on the pillow.
