The 21^st century has brought about big strides in the psychology of customer service. We can thank millennials for helping us “find our truth” and learn relationships between customers and businesses are just as personal as any other serious relationship.

With today’s competitive environment, a business that sincerely wants to win a customer back can take cues from the steps needed to reconcile the most intimate of relationships.

6 ways to win back a customer like winning back a lover

1. Know why things ended

When we’ve lost a lover, it is easy to get defensive and not take a hard, honest look at we did wrong. But if we don’t understand what we did wrong, we can’t fix it.

Some businesses have an easier time than others at capturing data about why a customer left. Sincere exit interviews are critically important when possible, and in most cases, our ex-customers (and our ex-lovers) are eager to share why they moved on. Was the cost too high? Were there better alternatives? Did we ignore their needs to pursue our own agenda? Did we not understand what they were trying to tell us? Were we rude and unsympathetic?

2. Sincerely apologize for what we did wrong

When we are hurt, it is hard to apologize for our part in the breakup…in intimate or business relationships. Once we clearly know where we failed, we need to find a way to be humble and sincere and acknowledge our part of the breakdown to the person we’ve hurt. A simple and personal email or letter to the customer validates their complaints and plants the seed that we care, which is all we want to do with the apology. And with this apology, we don’t ask for them to come back.

3. Get in shape

To be alluring enough to be reconsidered, we need to do some self-improvement…We need to look hot again.

What does that look like for you? Do you need to change your call center strategy, give your product or service a face lift, or reduce your costs so you can offer a lower price? You may simply need to adopt a company culture of compassion and service. You had something special that won the customer the first time. Try to recapture the romance and show them that you still have what it takes, but now –after taking some articulated steps -you can meet their needs even better.

4. Don’t be annoying

Most of us have learned that if we call or text or message too often, our ex will run even faster in the opposite direction. We need to communicate to find out what we did wrong…once. If they tell us, we have something to work with. And we need to apologize…once.

Then, after seriously improving, we can communicate what we’ve done to change. But that it is. Like our ex-lovers, the more we chase, the faster our customers will run.

5. Give them easy access and more control

Find ways to give ex-customers an easy, unobstructed path to reconciliation. We already have their account information, their billing info, their logins/passwords, and the specifications of what they want. If we know where we messed up, have improved our offerings and are still easily accessible, more often than not, our exes will find it is easier to stay with us than start over with someone new.

Gently offer them incentives…real incentives… to return. Take a hit. We all know what the lifetime value of reconciliation is worth to our company, so we should make our incentives show we truly and deeply care.

6. Know when to move on

Like our ex-lovers, there are some customers we either cannot win back or we are better off without. Inevitably there are a few exes that drain our energy and keep us from moving forward. They prevent us from being the best we can be, and we need to be able to let them go without it hurting our egos or consuming our thoughts or resources. It is important that we conserve our energy and talents for those who we can serve effectively.

Relationships are hard, whether they are with an ex-lover or an ex-customer. Reconciliation requires self-awareness, hard work and humility. In business, it is critical that we have something special to offer our customers, but we need to listen to them, improve our services and empower them to choose us.  In this generation more than any before, the choice is theirs.

By Amy Hinote

Amy Hinote is the founder and editor of VRM Intel which provides news and education for the rapidly expanding vacation rental industry. With a background in finance and marketing and over 10 years im hospitality, Hinote has worked with accommodations and tourism companies, suppliers, and intermediaries and provides insider information about the growing vacation rental industry. Hinote resides just north of Chicago in Evanston, IL.

Contact Amy Hinote
amy.hinote@vrmintel.com
(251) 455-4994

About Twiddy & Company: In 1978, Doug and Sharon Twiddy moved to the tiny village of Duck, North Carolina where Doug embarked on selling real estate and renting vacation properties. Not unlike most start-up companies, the business began out of an office located in the family home, and over time, expanded its operations. Four years after landing in Duck, Doug Twiddy opened the first, formal,Twiddy & Company office in the nearby town of Corolla, and Twiddy & Company was on its way to not only being the area’s premier rental management company but one of the most well respected local businesses.

Since its inception, the business has grown to 100 full-time employees who serve and represent nearly 1,000 Outer Banks vacation rental properties and their owners in Duck, Corolla, and the four-wheel drive beaches. Properties range from expansive 23-bedroom oceanfront estates to cozy rental cottages tucked away on unpaved roads.’

Petrina Guthrie, Owner Services Manager

According to Petrina Guthrie, Owner Services Manager at Twiddy & Company, “I have been in the hospitality business for over 30 years, so I understand what it takes to provide an incredible vacation experience. When I first arrived in the Outer Banks (OBX), I surveyed several companies to see who was doing it right. Twiddy & Company was at the top of the list.”

The company’s mission is straightforward—provide vacation homeowners superior management services and guests an extraordinary vacation. And Doug Twiddy believes that this mission is only achieved with a team that, not only is competent, experienced, and motivated, but mirrors his drive for integrity and passion for personal service.

“Twiddy is extremely successful because it typifies what it means to be a good corporate citizen—whether to the staff, community, property owners, or guests,” adds Guthrie.

Starting with Kaba’s Keyless Locks

“About eight years ago, I was introduced to Kaba Oracode locks when I was working at another rental management company,” notes Guthrie. “We always had a good experience using the keyless access control system, so when I joined Twiddy I presented the locks as a replacement to the existing lock solution.”

Oracode is an intelligent, electronic access control system that provides keyless access for temporary users, such as vacation renters, timeshare owners, and corporate housing tenants. Using a time- and date-specific code, Oracode eliminates keys and cards as well as time-consuming access control management.

“With the Oracode system, we can generate and distribute lock codes in advance or in a moment’s notice and from anywhere in the world,” states Guthrie. When a guest enters a predetermined code into the lock, the lock uses its stored match “digital key” to decrypt the code. If the lock ID matches and the lock’s real-time clock indicates that the current time is between the designated parameters, then the lock will open—otherwise, the lock remains locked and secure. Oracode locks use three AA alkaline batteries, which typically last three years before needing replacement.

“Because our properties are located on or near the beach, they endure more wear and tear than homes located inland,” notes Guthrie. “One of most important selling points of Oracode locks is their oceanfront construction and finish options.”

Oracode locks are totally sealed to withstand climate extremes and meet ANSI A156.25 requirements for dust, humidity, and salt.

Upgrading to Kaba’s Oracode Live

“When Harry Schneider, the Kaba representative, told me that there was a new, next level of Oracode (Oracode Live), I was extremely interested to know how it could benefit not only our company, but homeowners,” says Guthrie. Oracode Live provides all the features of the stand-alone system but now adds real-time notifications and alerts, such as Guest First Arrival and Internet Down.

According to Guthrie, “Oracode Live is definitely more convenient because of its ability to “talk to” the lock remotely. We have homes on the four-wheel drive section of OBX, which means it is very remote, and sometimes you have to drive 15 minutes on the beach to reach certain properties. Oracode Live lets us communicate with a lock without standing in front of it. Also, our maintenance staff has sent lock codes to preferred vendors directly from their smartphones, allowing vendors unattended access inside a property.”

Twiddy & Company has migrated 125 properties from the stand-alone Oracode system to Oracode Live.

Oracode Live also integrates into the BeHome247 energy management system. This unique combination further enhances a guest’s experience by creating a welcoming and comfortable environment as well as streamlines property management operations. With the BeHome247 Enterprise Property Control™ system, managers can: → Monitor and control a property’s temperature and lights → Adjust pool and spa settings, lights, and pumps → Receive notifications when the HVAC system or appliance is out of service

“An additional benefit of the Oracode Live system is the integration capability to the BeHome247 package,” says Guthrie. “We are really interested in its status management segment. Our house cleaners travel a great distance to OBX properties so knowing which home is vacant—because the guest checked out early—is really important to us. With status management, a guest enters a code into a lock and BeHome247 captures it, alerting us that a house can be cleaned early. Whether it’s allowing a guest simple, easy entry into a property or helping provide that WOW factor once inside a property, a satisfied guest means we’ve done our job. And in turn, we’ve served the homeowner well.”

Read More: http://www.kabalodging.com/

By Doug Kennedy –As we have explored in previous articles, many of those who staff our front desks and other operational positions tend to view travel as being fun, exciting and glamourous.

Yet, the travel experience can bring out the worst side of even the nicest guests’ personalities, and on top of that the very reason for travel is not always pleasant. For every guest in town for a wedding there is another visiting for a funeral; for every business traveler in town to hire staff for an expanding company, there is another there to terminate a colleague, settle a lawsuit or close a branch.

In addition to helping our staff better empathize and understand the real-life experiences being played out daily on the other side of the front desk, it is also important to make it a daily mission to bring out the best in others we encounter.

Whereas in it should be a service provider’s job to bring out the best in the guest or customer, most that I encounter seem to read my mood and react accordingly. Most often I try to be the upbeat, gregarious customer, and I usually receive great customer service from everyone I encounter. But sometimes I find myself distracted, disconnected and otherwise out of sync; in these cases I find that I am processed by the service provider like a widget on the assembly line in a factory.

Instead, we need to make it the mission of our service providers to bring out the best in everyone they encounter; to turn things around for even the detached and seemingly cranky individuals.

Truth be told, there is a certain percentage of people in the world who always come across as polite, always friendly and understanding, even when encountering problems. Even when something really bad happens, such as inadvertently checking them into an occupied room, they come back to the front desk and say “Hello again, really sorry to have to bother you, but when we got to the room there were already guests in there. Hate to be such trouble but do you mind switching us?”

I estimate these to be about 5% of the general population; it seems nothing can shatter their happiness and wellbeing. I call these the “VNPs” meaning the Very Nice People.

As many a wise man has said, there is a great balance in the universe. For sunrise there is sunset, for spring there is fall, and for every VNP there is also the complete opposite set of personalities; I simply refer to these as the “NVNP’s” meaning the Not Very Nice People.

These are the individuals whom we can never seem to satisfy; no matter what we do they will never be happy. You offer to comp a breakfast and they want a comp room; you offer to comp their room and they want you to comp all charges. Now wouldn’t it be nice if our caller ID systems identified these people when they phone in to book? Then our agents could see “NVNP calling on line 1” and answer “Hello? Hellooo? Sorry, can’t hear you!” Or we could put a cookie on their computers that would cause them to find us sold out when they go to book online.

There is just one problem with these fantasies though; we would then lose 5% of our revenues. As most finance managers know, this might represent the difference between actually making a small profit at the end of the tax cycle versus breaking even. In other words, we need their business, too.

The solution

What we really need to be doing is training our staff to be thankful for the VNPs out there and celebrate them every day, and at the same time to be accepting of our share of the NVNPs. After all, without the latter we would not appreciate the former.

Most importantly, we need to train them that it is their job to focus on bringing out the best side of the personalities of the 90% of us who fall somewhere in between. Catch us on the right day, say the right things to start guest interactions, and you can bring out the best of our personalities. Alternatively, make the wrong remark on the wrong day and you just might trigger a negative reaction that makes us upset, frustrated and angry.

If we are honest with ourselves, most of us will admit we fall into the 90% in the middle; I know I do.

A perfect example happened to me recently when I had a problem with my Mastercard debit card. I was out to lunch with my teenage son Adam at our favorite Mexican restaurant that we go to nearly every Sunday; as part of our routine we go to the same place and order the same items, then we take time to talk about the past week and I catch up on his Instagram postings. The entire staff knows us by name and even memorizes our order. Can you imagine how embarrassing it was when my card declined?

Now this has happened to me fairly regularly, especially after an intense period of travel when I often find myself in as many as eight cities in 10 days; I’m sure they cannot imagine a real person travels that much. Being admittedly upset, I called my bank and I’m sure I sounded a little gruff and frustrated when I barked out, “Why did my card decline?”

Yet, my service provider stayed on point. He maintained his pleasant attitude and tone of voice. He proceeded to calmly ask if I had taken out $500 at the ATM each day for the least three days, which I had not. My card had been skimmed! All of the sudden I transformed back into the “VNP” mode and began thanking him profusely for looking out for me.

As in this example, when we train our staff to stay on point, to rise above the negativity and to always make it their job to turn things around, our guests will have a better day that sets the tone for a better overall stay. They will be more likely to give us positive guest reviews and to make social media postings about us.

Yet, this is also self-serving; when we bring out the best in others it also brings out the best in our own personalities. Come into work with a positive attitude, greet everyone you encounter warmly and sincerely, express empathy for and an understanding of what guests go through, and you will spend the vast majority of your day meeting nice, wonderful human beings we call guests.

Doug Kennedy is President of the Kennedy Training Network, Inc. a leading provider of customized training programs and telephone mystery shopping services for the lodging and hospitality industry. Doug continues to be a fixture on the industry’s conference circuit for hotel companies, brands and associations, as he been for over two decades. Since 1996, Doug’s monthly hotel industry training articles have been published worldwide, making him one of the most widely read hotel industry training writers. Visit KTN at www.kennedytrainingnetwork.com or email him directly. doug@kennedytrainingnetwork.com