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“No response
is a response. It
says, ‘We don’t
care about your
dissatisfaction
enough to even
acknowledge it.’”
Jay Baer
“When you reply, it’s
a culture of embracing
complaints: which then
creates a safe space
for customers to say,
‘it’s OK if I point this
out; I know I’m not
going to be ignored
or lambasted.’”
Jay Baer
to the situation. “If we can put information out there for every-
one, it’s more transparent,” Pestillo says. “If it’s really specific,
we will try to take that offline.”
In addition to simply responding to comments, Pestillo
says that HICV is working to maximize customer feedback
beyond its basic intent, to find ways to not only surprise, but
to delight, its members. “As we look to the future, we want to
marry our customer relationship management software with
all the touchpoints, so we are hyper-focused on getting feed-
back as soon as possible,” he says.
Example: If a member calls looking for a unit at a certain
location at a certain time, and it becomes available, HICV
could call them back to offer it to them, even if the member
had already made a reservation somewhere else. “We could
offer them a chance to change to their original request,” he says.
HICV has also harnessed customer feedback to extend
the hours of amenities at its resorts, add more inventory in
certain locations, and revamp how information is presented
on its website.
But the most important thing is to welcome
all
feedback.
“Create a culture where your company demonstrates
a willingness to engage with customers,” Baer advises.
“When you reply, it’s a culture of embracing complaints:
which then creates a safe space for customers to say, ‘it’s
OK if I point this out; I know I’m not going to be ignored or
lambasted.’”
Judy Kenninger, RRP, is principal of Kenninger Communications and
has been writing about the vacation real estate industry for nearly
two decades.
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