Customer Engagement Archives - Glowing https://glowing.io/category/customer-engagement/ Stay Personal. Thu, 11 Apr 2024 14:29:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Can a GenAI Messaging Platform Help with Hotel Employee Training? https://glowing.io/can-a-genai-messaging-platform-help-with-hotel-employee-training/ Thu, 11 Apr 2024 14:28:33 +0000 https://glowing.io/?p=17582 For hotel general managers, ensuring that your staff are well-trained and up to date on the latest customer service and having a hub where you can get on-the-job training and practices is essential for outstanding guest experiences and operational efficiency. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), a new question arises: can a GenAI messaging

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For hotel general managers, ensuring that your staff are well-trained and up to date on the latest customer service and having a hub where you can get on-the-job training and practices is essential for outstanding guest experiences and operational efficiency. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), a new question arises: can a GenAI messaging platform aid in the training of hotel employees?

The Challenge of Traditional Training Methods

Hotel training methods have traditionally involved a mix of hands-on training, in-person seminars, and digital courses. While these methods have merits, they come with constraints such as scheduling challenges, variable learning paces, and the need for training updates to stay current with industry standards and expectations. Also they are limited in that they usually don’t allow for immediate feedback and/or questions needed to personalize and help your employee elevate their learnings. When I’m learning, I like to ask a lot of questions and like to better understand any additional informative (guest) experiences to be better prepared and better at my job. If designed right GenAI can be that instructor or teaching assistant needed which opens up more time for other employees who don’t have to be the always beck and call of every new employee. It is pretty standard that most new employees always gravitate to the person that is more likely to answer their questions about guest situations without a lot of frustration. Having GenAI be that situational instructor will again free up that employee to concentrate on their guests.  

Introducing GenAI Messaging Platforms

GenAI can help leverage advanced AI to simulate conversations and scenarios that hotel employees might encounter or while on the job gain knowledge on how to better serve the guests needs through various situations. Once implemented AI can learn about your hotel and the environment it shares with your employees. This technology can provide interactive, scenario-based training that is scalable and adaptable to various learning styles. It will also lead new employees on the right path to solving guest issues or how to better serve them in a capacity that luxury requires. 

Benefits of GenAI for Training

  1. Personalized Learning Experiences: GenAI platforms can adapt to an individual’s learning pace, providing extra practice where needed and challenging employees who progress quickly while on-the-job. It can also be a ready assistant to the new employee by offering top-notch recommendations in any language needed.  
  2. Safe Environment to Make Mistakes: Employees can practice real-life situations without the fear of making mistakes in front of guests, which can enhance learning and confidence. 
  1. Accessibility and Convenience: With GenAI platforms, training can be accessed from any device at any time, making it convenient for staff members who have varying shifts and responsibilities.
  2. Instant Feedback: AI can provide immediate feedback, allowing hotel employees to learn and correct their mistakes in real-time. It can also allow for questions to be asked to better enhance their overall learning experience.
  3. Cost-Effective and Scalable: Once in place, GenAI solutions can reduce training costs by minimizing the need for in-person training and accommodation expenses. This allows other employees to continue with their day-to-day without the burden of getting new employees up to speed. Another area this can help with is that if a new employee doesn’t work out long-term, AI allows the training investment to be minimal. 
  4. Continuous Learning: The hospitality industry is continuously evolving, and AI training can update its programs to teach the latest best practices and standards without the need for major overhauls. 

Challenges and Considerations

While the advantages are compelling, there are also challenges to recognize. GenAI is not a complete substitute for human interaction, particularly in a hospitality setting that values genuine personal touch. AI, while highly efficient, will more than likely need to have an employee with that specific hotel knowledge to be around to help guide the AI process. On that note, it is crucial that the platform is regularly monitored and updated by experts to ensure that it is providing relevant and high-quality training that aligns with brand standards.

Additionally, some employees may be more resistant or less adept at engaging with AI technology, so a hybrid approach complemented by human trainers could be necessary.

Implementing GenAI Messaging in Hotels

For maximum effectiveness, hotel general managers should consider the following steps:

  1. Evaluate Training Needs: Pinpoint areas where GenAI could make the most impact and start small, perhaps with front desk operations or housekeeping protocols.
  1. Select the Right Platform: Choose a GenAI messaging platform that is reputable and aligns with the specific training needs of your hotel.
  2. Pilot the Program: Before rolling out across the hotel, test the platform with a pilot program to gauge effectiveness and gather feedback.
  3. Supplement GenAI Training with Human Interaction: Ensure that GenAI is part of a broader training strategy that includes mentorship and human touchpoints.
  4. Monitor Progress and Iterate: Use data analytics within the GenAI platform to track progress and adapt the training based on performance and feedback.

Conclusion

While a GenAI messaging platform offers many benefits that can revolutionize how hotel employees are trained, it is not without its challenges. For hotel general managers, the key will be to integrate this technology into a comprehensive training program that respects the balance between technological efficiency and the human element of hospitality. With the right approach, GenAI has the potential to enrich employee training, leading to more effective, confident, and capable staff ready to elevate the guest experience to new heights.

Hospitality is, after all, about people serving people. AI, when used correctly, can ensure that those individuals are well-equipped to deliver the best service possible.

Click here to get more information and to see Glowing’s messaging and GenAI solution in action.

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The Role of Communication in the Hospitality Industry’s COVID Recovery https://glowing.io/the-role-of-communication-in-the-hospitality-industrys-covid-recovery/ Mon, 30 Aug 2021 20:46:02 +0000 https://glowing.io/?p=17429 One key industry that was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic was hospitality. Strategies used to prevent the virus from spreading such as social distancing, stay-at-home orders, travel restrictions, and community lockdowns have all resulted in the temporary closure of businesses in the hospitality industry. From restaurants to hotels, almost all businesses in hospitality experienced

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One key industry that was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic was hospitality. Strategies used to prevent the virus from spreading such as social distancing, stay-at-home orders, travel restrictions, and community lockdowns have all resulted in the temporary closure of businesses in the hospitality industry. From restaurants to hotels, almost all businesses in hospitality experienced a sharp decline in revenue and had to brave the economically tumultuous times. The pandemic has also been especially harsh to those who work in the hospitality industry, as reports show that at least 15.9% of the industry’s workers remain unemployed as of January 2021.

But now that the world is slowly recovering from the pandemic, businesses in hospitality are also starting to bounce back. In this post, let’s discuss the important role of communication in helping the hospitality industry recover.

Understanding the role of communication
Businesses in the hospitality industry will have to rebuild a professional relationship with their customers, employers, and stakeholders. Since the pandemic has temporarily forced them to close their doors, most will have to strive to find these connections again if they want to thrive in a post-pandemic society.

One way hospitality businesses can regain the trust of those they transact with is by becoming more transparent and keeping their communication channels open. In addition, it’s also best for businesses to impart how they’ve handled the crisis and detail the steps they’re taking as the world moves on from COVID. Doing so allows businesses to give their customers a full view of how the crisis has affected them, which then encourages customers to build empathy and support a business’ recovery efforts.

Through effective communication, businesses can reinstate the lost trust between them and the customers. They should always listen closely to what their customers have to say with regards to COVID and other health concerns. Businesses can monitor for any sentiment change within their audience by closely observing their communication channels such as email, service chats, and social media pages. Being mindful of what the general public has to say can help hospitality businesses tailor-fit their marketing plan, as well as package their COVID-recovery messages without sounding too desperate, needy, and unprofessional. In addition, good communication can also help boost the confidence of future customers as businesses can make it clear that they take safety precautions seriously.

How to communicate effectively during these precarious times
So how exactly can hospitality businesses communicate effectively during these distressing times? For one, hospitality businesses need to hire the right people if they want to reassure their customers and regain the trust of their investors. Professionals who can help hospitality businesses today are those who are trained in corporate communication. These individuals are responsible for maintaining the reputation and image of an organization, and are involved in planning, organizing, controlling, and leading a business’ communication strategy. When looking for a corporate communications manager there are many qualifications to look out for, with universities tailoring degrees, such as liberal studies, to focus on modern communication methods. Those who take a degree in liberal studies are taught how to communicate effectively, drive culture, and design strategies solve workplace challenges. Hiring these professionals will help hospitality businesses stay true to their brand and inject an understanding, empathic, and accommodating tone of voice ⁠— all of which are needed in today’s corporate messaging and advertising.

Another key role that is crucial in helping businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic are professionals with good marketing skills. These professionals can help hospitality businesses create engaging and professional marketing strategies that reinforce how an organization prioritizes the safety and security of everyone within the establishment.

Aside from competent employees, hospitality businesses should also have access to an effective messaging platform. This will assist in driving better outcomes for both the business and its customers. With extensive customer profiles, automation features, and omni-channel connectivity, such applications will make it easier to interact with clients, boosting customer engagement as well as business performance.

By now, hospitality businesses should understand the important role communication plays in their journey towards recovery. While we may be on track towards a fully reopened economy, it’s worth noting that nothing is permanent. So, those in the hospitality industry should be quick on their feet to adapt to sudden changes and effectively communicate with their customers, which keeps them in check and not lose their hard-earned trust.

 

Specially written for Glowing.io

Authored by Ruth Janice

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Digital Daily Health Checks – Improved Workplace Health and Safety  https://glowing.io/digital-daily-health-checks-improved-workplace-health-and-safety/ Sat, 25 Jul 2020 19:26:39 +0000 https://glowing.io/?p=17389 As the business world prepares to emerge from the devastation of the coronavirus, we find ourselves in a place where “COVID-ready”, contactless, and socially distant interactions have become the new norm.  If you’ve started the process of reopening your business, the health and safety of your employees and customers is paramount. This can be a

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As the business world prepares to emerge from the devastation of the coronavirus, we find ourselves in a place where “COVID-ready”, contactless, and socially distant interactions have become the new norm. 

If you’ve started the process of reopening your business, the health and safety of your employees and customers is paramount. This can be a stressful and difficult responsibility. Incorporating remote work opportunities is one option, but it isn’t always feasible in all industries. Workplace precautions include implementing sanitation routines, safety protocols, conducting temperature checks as well as performing training and conducting health surveys.

How do we know we’re doing enough? Are physical temperature checks the best solution to keeping your workplace safe for employees and customers? Is routine sanitizing at the entrance enough? 

Many health experts suggest that temperature checks could create a false sense of safety. If this is the only method used in the workplace, it could potentially be dangerous. Pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic transmission (where no fever is present) makes temperature screening less effective. 

To put it into perspective, a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that two-thirds of seriously ill COVID-19 patients didn’t have a fever. That’s not even considering asymptomatic cases. Thus, the virus keeps spreading.

How can we use modern technology that’s already available to us all to help our employees navigate this time while keeping each other safe?

 

Digital Daily Health Checks

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb on a recent appearance on CNBC,  mentioned that even with temperature checks and other on-site prevention techniques, businesses really should couple these measures with health questionnaires. He calls this a “layered approach.”

“If feasible, conduct daily health checks (e.g., temperature screening and/ or symptom checking) of staff and students.” – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Health checks and questionnaires are great to keep everyone in the workplace, ie. employees, customers, guests, or vendors, aware of their health as well as to keep them vigilant of the symptoms they or others could experience if they are exposed to the virus. 

These checks and questionnaires are also used to inform people of the extra safety precautions they need to take even with safety precautions in place, ie. following social distancing protocols and wearing masks. Employees will be more aware of their health as well as the symptoms of COVID-19 when they’re reminded daily.

While questionnaires can be powerful tools to identify health concerns and also to educate employees, there are additional risks when these are done on-site, such as on iPads. It adds to the risk of exposing employees to shared objects like pens and computers, or where the questionnaires are done in person, there is a risk of direct exposure. In cases where guests or customers need to complete a quick, on-the-spot health check, the use of personal devices and QR codes can eliminate the need for shared devices.

Digital daily health checks are a new way for businesses to conduct health checks, which should ask questions covering not only symptoms (e.g., “Have you had a loss of smell in the last 24 hours?”), but also to assess exposure (e.g., “Have you been in close contact with anyone who has tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours?”).  Furthermore, digital health checks keep employees informed and aware while eliminating the risk of further exposure and spread of the disease. 

Completing health checks or questionnaires remotely via text messaging is safer and easier as employees can complete them at home via their personal devices, eliminating the need for shared devices and personal interviews. 

To make digital health checks truly effective they need to be easy to complete, easy to understand, and easy to manage. Automated health checks ensure that they are always sent out and managers are immediately alerted of any potential risks, such as an employee mentioning any COVID-related symptoms or not responding to the questionnaire.

Delivering the questionnaire directly to an employee’s personal handheld devices via a common communication channel such as text messaging ensures that everyone receives the questionnaire and can complete it. 

The US Department of Labor has specifically stated in their Guidelines on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 that “Employers should develop policies and procedures for employees to report when they are sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.” 

The response data needs to be collected, tracked and interpreted in realtime and that’s where artificial intelligence (AI) is critical, to ensure that nothing is missed by human error. This means that even if a fever isn’t detected, other symptoms or responses can still help stop the spread.

Automated daily health checks help employees feel safe in the workplace, keeps all employees aware and informed about the symptoms of the disease, and helps management ensure health and safety protocols are adhered to in these difficult times.

 

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The New Normal in Hospitality During and After COVID-19 https://glowing.io/the-new-normal-in-hospitality-during-and-after-covid-19/ Fri, 01 May 2020 17:12:16 +0000 https://glowing.io/?p=17369 The effect of the novel coronavirus pandemic has been swift and far-reaching. Perhaps the worst-hit industries have been healthcare, retail, travel, and last but certainly not least, hospitality. While all sectors have seen drastic changes take place over the past few months, the hospitality sector has been one of the worst hit. There will

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The effect of the novel coronavirus pandemic has been swift and far-reaching. Perhaps the worst-hit industries have been healthcare, retail, travel, and last but certainly not least, hospitality. While all sectors have seen drastic changes take place over the past few months, the hospitality sector has been one of the worst hit. There will be a new normal, and how we choose to implement our response to the growing need for social distancing and establishing safety and health standards, will determine the future of hospitality.

The “Top-of-mind” Issue for the Vast Majority of Hoteliers is…

How can we drive occupancy?

While most realize that the core challenge will be to boost the confidence of future guests, to make it clear that every precaution has been taken to safeguard guests and employees, that new standards have been implemented so that guests can reast assured, knowing they can check-in safely, and not checkout with COVID-19.

We believe that a tremendous amount of confidence can be built through leveraging a smart messaging solution. The right messaging tool can directly help with social distancing and help hoteliers prepare for what is quickly becoming the new norm in health and safety.

Many things have changed since the start of the global pandemic, and depending on where your business is based you might have faced forced closure, canceled booking, or simply fewer guests. In areas where national lockdowns are slowly being lifted, a new reality is setting in.


Socially Distant Communication: Omni-Channel Messaging Necessary to Support Traditional Communication Channels

Issues the hospitality industry will face in the future are numerous, but the most pressing may be communication. Guests will no longer wish to speak to the manager directly, they will demand an alternative and simple solution.

Dealing with guests’ requests and issues immediately is essential to the overall experience guests have at your establishment. The coronavirus has forced us to practice social distancing, and guests are now anxious and even fearful of direct communication. For guests to have to discuss queries directly or send emails that will only be responded to once the manager reaches his computer, simply won’t work.

This can lead to disappointment, frustration, and inevitably negative reviews.

Solution: Anytime, Anywhere Omni-channel Communication Integration

Glowing’s Omni-channel messaging solution connects customer experiences across several channels for higher engagement. Customers can instantly connect with the various departments, albeit housekeeping, the restaurant, or management. Guests get instant feedback and solutions to all their queries.


Decrease Health Risks by Digitizing “Shared Surfaces and Assets”

Covid-19 is spread through direct contact and exposure to contaminated surfaces. Not only does this affect how we communicate with our guests, but also where. No longer will a well managed front desk serve your guests effectively. Your front desk needs to be online and always available.

Your guests’ needs have changed and most communication should be online with minimal need for direct interaction. This is applicable to reservations, check-in, ordering at restaurants, sharing menus, resort maps, as well as eliminating the need for shared room service telephones.

Solution: One platform that connects it all – Instant communication via any device, in any language, and through any communication channel

Through Glowing’s integrated platform, guests can easily engage with their hosts via their own personal devices, seamlessly integrated with Glowing’s messaging platform-agnostics (unique design attributes) and bi-directional language translation – allowing both your staff and guests to communicate in their home language which is then instantly translated before delivered.


Replace Delayed Alerts, Updates & Notifications with Real-time Broadcast Messaging

In the past, any news could be communicated via the front desk to one member of a group, especially where larger tour groups or business delegations are concerned. As we veer away from shared surfaces and assets, it becomes increasingly more difficult to communicate alerts and important updates and notifications.

Online Travel Agencies (OTA’s) and Airbnb are taking increasing direct market share simply due to the fact that they operate online. Their online presence, even for those who make use of them, doesn’t solve the problem in-house.

Solution: Omni-channel Broadcast Messaging

With Omni-channel Broadcast messaging you can send out group messages, including groups designated by custom tags, effortlessly, to any device, while allowing individual personal communication. This allows guests to easily communicate concerns, receive personal feedback from management within seconds. The query can then be routed to the relevant department and escalated when necessary.

Other benefits of omni-channel broadcast messaging include sending out additional updates, special offers, and more.


Communicate and Drive Guest Engagement (in ANY foreign language)

Customer engagement can be difficult even in the best of times. There are a magnitude of different languages to consider as well as different cultures and personalities. For these reasons, foreign tourists or busy business professionals have often preferred non-verbal communication.

Solution: Easy Customer Engagement – Direct Messaging, Human-assisted Chatbots & Easy Automation

Effective customer engagement is about being available. There are numerous ways Glowing’s platform helps business owners stay connected and engaged. Direct messaging allows your customers to contact you how they want, when they want. Seamless integration means the person on duty gets notified and the query is resolved.

Automation and human-assisted chatbots help to resolve FAQ’s and free up more time for queries that do need more personalized attention. Customer engagement solved.


Glowing’s Core Features Power Engagements

Today, how we engage with our clients has numerous constraints, and having the right tools takes the thinking out of effective customer engagement. Glowing is committed to offering your business tools that are compliant with global regulations – meaning no matter where you are you’re within the law.

Glowing also understands that as the industry is changing you might need help developing a strategy and help integrating new tools. We’re here to help with dedicated strategy sessions, as well as implementation sessions to get it all up and running.

With ongoing support 365 days a year – our mission is your success and continued growth.

As we enter a new era of hospitality, our vision remains to enable effective communication and customer engagment across the globe, spanning all industries. We want to help you develop more enriching and meaningful (and glowing) relationships with your customers.

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COVID-19: Coronavirus and Customer Communication https://glowing.io/covid-19/ Wed, 25 Mar 2020 15:54:20 +0000 https://glowing.io/?p=17361 How To Address The Growing Communication Crisis During COVID-19   As the business world deals with the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), safe communication and effective customer engagement are more important than ever. Most countries are implementing strict measures to curb the spread of the virus, and the communication gap has left

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How To Address

The Growing Communication Crisis During COVID-19

 

As the business world deals with the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), safe communication and effective customer engagement are more important than ever.

Most countries are implementing strict measures to curb the spread of the virus, and the communication gap has left the public scared and in cases furious. Effective communication while being conscious of sanitary and safe health practices is thus becoming critical.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to escalate, more and more industries are searching for effective ways to keep communication channels open without the need for face-to-face interaction or non-personal devices. It is also recommended by the WHO and governments.

However, due to the diversity of communication channels currently used by the public and businesses; as well as the time implication and cost of developing custom applications for this purpose, this is proving to be difficult.

This becomes even more complex when we consider language barriers and different communication channels in various countries. You might be using WhatsApp and Gmail, while your clients only use WeChat and Facebook Messenger, all the while everyone communicating in their own native language.

To offer effective communication in a crisis, governments, organizations, and businesses should, first of all, offer remote/mobile communication to minimize the need for physical interaction. Secondly, they should be able to communicate in any language and through any channel their target audience is currently using on their own personal devices. Effective communication should be easy, with no limitations.

This applies to all industries; healthcare (especially hospitals), hospitality (hotels), retail, education, and religious groups all require fast, effective, and ideally cloud-based communication to minimize the need for “face-to-face” communication while providing the attention their clients need.

In this article, we will discuss how you can use Glowing.io’s Customer Engagement Cloud™ to promote safe and efficient communication during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. We will highlight the importance of effective customer engagement during a crisis and show you how Customer Engagement Software can help you implement the WHO workplace “COVID-19 Ready” recommendations.

What is Customer Engagement Software

…and how this software is making a difference in the current crisis

Customer engagement software is responsible for managing the interactions and communications between customers and staff. At Glowing.io, our Customer Engagement Cloud™ facilitates easy omni-channel messaging communication which allows for truly free communication across multiple platforms and devices, as well as bi-directional language translation; it allows for personalized, targeted messaging; effective management of customer relations; routing and escalation of requests and issues; as well as data analysis for an improved customer experience.

Thus, Glowing’s Customer Engagement Cloud™ environment allows you to safely communicate with your clients and staff without compromising health or convenience.

Why Customer Engagement and Communication is Critical in a Crisis

In today’s market, customer experience is your brand. Customer engagement software helps companies listen, communicate, connect and provide superior customer experiences. In a time of crisis, this becomes even more critical, with customers and staff looking to organization leaders for answers and guidance.

Four Aspects Of Effective Crisis Communication You Need To Implement Right Now

Easy and open communication channels for management, staff, and customers

Open communication channels are essential for reporting and dealing with issues as they arrive. Effective internal communication means that staff members can quickly report any concerns or personal health issues without the need to “check-in” with management.

Similarly, management can then effortlessly reassign tasks and communicate changes to the relevant internal teams through one interface.

Broadcast relevant information to one, few or many targeted internal and external audiences

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing daily, with new stats and information streaming in, the timely dissemination of information is critical. Using Glowing’s Customer Engagement Cloud™, you can provide your staff and clients with personalized relevant information that is delivered to them directly on their personal devices and preferred, popular messaging platforms (ex: WhatsApp, Facebook, SMS, Wechat, LINE, Skype and many more).

An impressive 90% of messages received on mobile devices are read within 3 minutes according to recent statistics. That means that with omnichannel communication – messages are delivered instantly to any device, through any channel – information is never lost or opened after it’s too late.

Demonstrate concern for health and safety and promote better practices, like social distancing

Social distancing is one of the WHO-recommended methods to reduce and stop the spread of COVID-19. Offering effective online customer engagement to promote reduced personal interaction is one way of showing your customers and staff your concern for their well-being.

Social distancing at businesses through customer engagement software doesn’t shut off communication. In fact, does exactly the opposite; it encourages safe communication and promotes healthy choices.

Remember that with Glowing.io’s Customer Engagement Cloud™, you can educate and inform your customers. Customers are more likely to react positively to new safety measures if they understand why they are being implemented and feel like they’re also making a difference by using them.

Provide solutions, solve problems and effectively escalate queries without personal interaction

People are scared, and this fear is what we as businesses need to help alleviate. When dealing with customers through Glowing.io’s Customer Engagement Cloud™, it is important to provide relevant solutions that don’t feed into this fear.

Let’s consider an example in a hotel setting – through the Glowing.io interface, the hotel manager has direct communication with each staff member and guest with zero need for personal contact. The hotel manager can receive requests, complaints, queries, and has the ability to quickly address any needs the customer may have.

In the current situation, guests are scared, they might not want to leave their rooms unnecessarily, but need food, medicine, basic toiletries etc. Glowing.io allows guests to now get in touch with the hotel through any channel they prefer, such as WhatsApp, Wechat, Facebook Messenger, etc. as well as in any language due to the bi-directional language translation, allowing them to easily request online food, grocery or medicine delivery.

Using the Glowing.io interface, the hotel manager (as their one easy point of access) can then quickly respond, acknowledge that the message has been received, inform the client of the progress, and prepare the client for the knock on their door as the parcel is being delivered. This will help clients feel reassured, informed and in control.

Internally, any problems can be reported immediately and where needed escalated to top-management for prompt resolution. No need for delays, meetings or personal contact.

As Glowing.io is a multi-modal, unified messaging solution, managers need only interact with our system to communicate with multiple guests/ customers or patients, on multiple messaging platforms in multiple languages. This can be a huge time saver and an essential communication tool for those impacted by the pandemic. Especially when dissemination of critical health updates needs to be quick, secure and efficient.

WHO (World Health Organization) COVID-19 Recommendations For The Workplace

During the coronavirus pandemic, we have seen luxury brands leveraging our software to assist in reducing the spread of the COVID-19.

As requested by the WHO, we should all be actively involved in getting our workplaces “COVID-19 ready”. There are a few simple steps you can take to keep your staff and clients safe in terms of communication.

Incorporating Simple Ways to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 in Your Workplace

Shared Surfaces and communication tools: The WHO recommends ensuring that shared surfaces (e.g. desks and tables) and other shared objects (e.g. telephones, keyboards) be cleaned with disinfectant regularly. This is important because the virus can survive on these surfaces and spread when people use them.

Glowing.io’s software reduces the use of, and need for, these shared surfaces and objects. Effective Customer Engagement during these times means customers do not need to walk to an information desk, where they have to interact with an external surface or device that 10s or 100s of others have interacted with, or speak face-to-face with any staff to ask for assistance. With Glowing.io’s Customer Engagement Cloud™ your guests and customers can reach out over the safety of their own personal mobile devices.

Adding smart communication and engagement software to your business offers added security in terms of health and solves a major communication problem for businesses in the long-term. Clients will appreciate the simplicity, ease, safety and convenience of all correspondence.

Get Your Workplace “COVID-19 Ready”

Remote work and communication: In the event that there is a rise in new cases being reported in your area, the WHO recommends promoting regular remote work across your organization where possible. Having limited staff on-site, while others work from home, keeps your business open and your staff and customers safe.

Glowing.io’s Customer Engagement Cloud™ helps decision-makers communicate effectively with staff and customers. When a new plan is set in place it can easily be shared with the relevant parties.

Where remote work has been implemented, business leaders have been able to communicate regularly with their customers and their team members, anywhere, anytime by using cloud based communication software.

Plan ahead: The WHO also recommends having a contingency and business continuity plan prepared in advance. Your contingency and continuity plan will help you prepare your organization for the possibility of an outbreak of COVID-19 in your community.

Using broadcast messaging through Glowing.io’s Customer Engagement Cloud™, our clients have also been able to use the platform to engage with customers and staff, educate and take action where needed.

Management Protocol When Organizing Business Travel, Meetings & Events

Travel: The WHO discourages non-essential travel to high-risk areas as well as Face-to-Face meetings and events. It further encourages management and organizers to consider hosting these through teleconference or online video platforms to reduce the need for travel and close contact.

It is important that travel restrictions and canceled meetings be communicated as soon as possible. Using the Glowing.io’s Customer Engagement Cloud™ you will be able to send out broadcast messages, encouraging staff to limit non-essential travel, reorganize planned meetings to continue online and reschedule planned events.

How Glowing.io’s Customer Engagement Cloud™ Can Help You

By implementing the WHO control measures and leveraging Glowing.io Customer Engagement Cloud™, you are reducing the need for personal interaction (while still being personal), and improving remote communication and work. All of these actions can have a meaningful impact in our global efforts to win this battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

The opportunity in our current situation is that we are learning, we are growing as companies, organizations and institutions.

Communication software tools will improve how we work and interact long after the virus is under control. Through improved client engagement we will increase loyalty (and actually boost sales), increase our efficiency and uplevel the customer’s overall experience.

There is room to grow, especially now, and we will.

In the end, how we deal with customers, staff and ourselves during the COVID-19 outbreak will also determine our futures. The ripple effect of the current need for increased health and safety measures will last long after this crisis is over.

Above all, it is necessary that we find ways to care for our own health and the health of those around us.

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Powerful Customer Experience Stats for 2020 https://glowing.io/powerful-customer-experience-stats-for-2020/ Thu, 09 Jan 2020 02:33:25 +0000 https://glowing.io/?p=17314 With 9 out 10 companies competing on providing exceptional customer experience, it has become the new battlefield and top priority for businesses this 2020. What happens to companies that choose not to take customer experience seriously? Customers simply leave them. Quality product or service is no longer the key to winning customers. How you

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With 9 out 10 companies competing on providing exceptional customer experience, it has become the new battlefield and top priority for businesses this 2020. What happens to companies that choose not to take customer experience seriously? Customers simply leave them. Quality product or service is no longer the key to winning customers. How you treat and interact with customers, or their perception of how you treat them, is what wins them over and drives loyalty. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most important customer experience trends this year.

Customer Experience as Top Priority

Customer engagement should be every business’ top priority this 2020 as it impacts productivity and profitability. eConsultancy and Adobe’s recent Annual Digital Trends report revealed that 20% of B2B companies find that the most exciting business opportunities are in customer experience, beating social media, video and content marketing.

Customer Engagement

Customer engagement is all about inspiring interactions between customers and brands. No one wants to do business with any company that treats its customers poorly, no matter how good the products or services are. Customer engagement is critical in nudging customers to move along their journey and you need to willingly take part in the experiences that you are creating for them. If done right, you’ll build customer loyalty and drive revenue. This means investing in technology and skilled team that will help you deliver consistent customer experience.  Walker’s latest report on the future of B2B customer experience states that 62% of companies will invest to meet the needs of customers.

Engineering

Companies are now embracing the fact that engineering provides the power for real-time connect with customers. Designing a great customer experience requires having the right systems and applications in place so your team can collaborate more efficiently, communicate with customers in real time and deliver service consistently. Gartner, a leading research company, has predicted during its annual customer experience summit that 25% of customer service and support operations will integrate chatbot technology across engagement channels this year. The software decisions your company make will impact the type of customer experience you deliver. Your potential to create innovative customer experiences can come from AI-enhanced omni-channel messaging solutions, such as Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud, which provides real-time interactions and messages that foster a deeper connection between your brand and your customers.

Omni-Channel Engagement

Brands that engage with their customers across multiple channels – which can be through website, email, apps, social media, sms or text messaging – will stay ahead of the curve. While there are numerous available channels to reach customers, communication and messaging need to be consistent, both offline and online. In the PWC’s 2020 report, they highlighted that the number of businesses investing in the omni-channel experience has increased from 20% in 2010 to 80% in 2020. Furthermore, Adobe recently shared that businesses with established omni-channel customer engagement strategies benefit with a 10% year-on-year growth and 25% increase in closing rates.

Customer Feedback

With connected and mobile customers, expectations are at an all-time high. If your company does not have proper customer experience strategies in place, you will find it tough to meet their expectations, let alone exceed them. This could lead to poor customer experience and frustration that could hinder your business growth. In the Future of CX survey of 15,000 consumers by PwC, a multi-national professional service network, 1 in 3 customers will leave a brand they patronize after a just one negative experience, while 92% says they will completely abandon the brand after 2-3 poor customer experiences. Simply put, satisfied customers will remain loyal. Unhappy customers will not hesitate to leave and seek better customer experience elsewhere, most likely your competitors. Ensure you pro-actively obtain customer feedback to help you determine if your clients are satisfied with your service and identify areas for improvement early on before they turn to social media or review sites to air their frustrations with your brand.

Self-Service

More customers these days prefer to find the answers regarding your services or products than to contact support agents. According to Zendesk research on self-service, a massive 91% of their customers said they prefer to use a knowledge base if it’s comprehensive and meets their needs. It’s prudent for your business to capitalize on the self-service or self-help trend because it’s the most efficient and cost-effective way to support your customers. Remove any barriers and make relevant, helpful, easy-to-navigate and searchable information available to your customers. Creating a self-service customer portal will drive customer engagement at a fraction of a cost of setting up a customer service support back office.

Customer Service Skills

There needs to be a focus on your employees who are on the frontline and customer facing. No matter how much you invest in technology or plan customer engagement strategies, your team members’ experiences and skills are crucial in providing excellent and consistent customer engagement. You have to create a positive, healthy and cohesive culture within the walls of your company and empower your team by helping them acquire the right skills, and training them on current technologies and applications to adopt to digital transformation in customer experience. Learn about the top five strategies you can implement to provide more personalized and engaging experiences for your customers. It’s amazing what can be achieved with the right team, right skills and right environment!

Looking to Boost Your Customer Engagement?

Contact Glowing at +1 (650) 687-7046 and we’ll empower your business and team to engage with your customers through our enterprise-class mobile messaging and customer engagement technology suite, Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud.

 

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Top 5 Strategies to Improve Your Customer Experience https://glowing.io/top-5-strategies-to-improve-your-customer-experience/ Mon, 06 Jan 2020 13:56:23 +0000 http://glowingio.wpengine.com/?p=1955 With shrinking human attention and competitive market, what can your brand do to increase customer engagement and drive satisfaction and loyalty? Improve customer service is the obvious, which is also often overlooked. Interactions with your brand is a defining and most memorable moment for customers. At the root of customer service is your customer

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With shrinking human attention and competitive market, what can your brand do to increase customer engagement and drive satisfaction and loyalty? Improve customer service is the obvious, which is also often overlooked. Interactions with your brand is a defining and most memorable moment for customers. At the root of customer service is your customer service team. Their skills and quality of the service they provide define your customers’ experiences.

Established brands must have customer relationships already established, but a smart business will always be seeking to improve customer service and asking “How do we improve our customer service?” Great customer service is anchored on active listening, engagement and anticipating your customers’ needs and desires. If your brand is not constantly on the lookout for opportunities to improve how you serve your customers, then customer experiences will stagnate. Here are some helpful customer service tips to improve customer experiences:

Strengthen Customer Service Skills

It’s crucial that your front of house or customer service team has the right skills for engaging customer and managing their needs. No matter how good your CRM software is, it will not compensate for lack of customer service skills. But what specific skills should your customer service have in this era of connectivity and in-the-moment engagement?

  • Empathy – Probably one of the most important customer service skills is the ability to understand and connect with your customer’s feelings. This allows you to affirm a customer’s feelings and indicate that you understand and can relate with their frustration, even if sometimes you cannot fix it because it’s out of your hands.
  • Patience – Being patient is especially helpful when dealing with irate or angry customers. This helps you to understand the customers’ concerns or issues and be instrumental in improving the company’s customer service.
  • Consistency – Every customer is unique. There are some who have endless questions, while some will be irate. Some customers can be chatty and there are those who just quietly come and go. Your team must know how to handle all types of customers and be able to provide consistent level of service.
  • Adaptability – You should be able to handle surprises, sense the customer’s mindset or mood and be able to quickly adapt.
  • ­­­Communication – Clearly convey to customers exactly what you mean, leaving to room for miscommunication.  Speak clearly and effectively so customers don’t walk away confused. Be authentic, stay upbeat and use positive language, and always end a conversation with assurance that the customer is satisfied with their experience and your services.
  • Knowledge – Even though they’re most likely going to Google everything about your service or product, customers will still rely on you for additional information. Ensure your information is up to date so you can answer very detailed or technical questions. But, at the same time, don’t hesitate to admit you don’t know some of the things because customers will appreciate your honesty and the efforts you put in to find the right answer for them.

Assess Every Touchpoint

Negative customer experiences at any point in the lifecycle can ruin relationships that your business worked hard to win and build. Pay close attention to key touchpoints, without losing sight of the entire customer experience, or you risk failure to deliver good service that can really hurt your brand.

Improve Customer Engagement

Having the necessary skill set is a good start. Your team still needs to engage with your customers. To humanize relationship with your customers, find a common ground or shared interests with them. This endears your customers to your brand and makes any conflicts easier to overcome. Get help from Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud to centralize multiple interactions with customers and manage relationship through mobile messaging from a single platform. This will drive better outcomes for customers throughout their interactions with your brand.

Proactively Seek Customer Feedback

No matter how well-trained and highly-skilled your customer service team is, you will always struggle to get in front of every customer issue. This is why it’s important to create an easy way for your customers to provide feedback. Whether it’s a phone survey at the end of a service call, an email survey sent from your CRM, a form on your website, or a mobile message survey sent through your Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud dashboard, providing multiple access for customer feedback will make it easier for your brand to assess what needs improvement in service delivery. This can also keep unhappy customers from voicing their dissatisfaction on highly-visible review sites or social media.

Invest in Software or Technology

In this day and age of connectivity and mobility, software or technology plays an important role in customer service as it helps  increase the speed of customer interactions. With the right tools or solutions, customers no longer have to wait on hold on the phone to speak with customer service agent. Instead, live chat on company websites or in-the-moment text or messaging through popular messaging platforms enables brands to engage with customers and address their needs. With Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud, you can use broadcast message feature to send messages to a large group at once, automate responses to frequently asked questions, schedule your messages and more.

Unsure of your team’s strengths and weaknesses are or why customer engagement is dipping? Contact Glowing at 650) 687-7046 and we’ll empower your business and team to engage with your customers through text and messaging. With our enterprise-class and cloud-based messaging solutions, you will discover touchpoints and skills that need improvement, and, more importantly, your customers will see your brand’s commitment to providing top-notch customer service.

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Omni-Channel Customer Engagement https://glowing.io/omni-channel-customer-engagement/ https://glowing.io/omni-channel-customer-engagement/#respond Sun, 01 Dec 2019 20:01:11 +0000 http://glowingio.wpengine.com/?p=105 How do you engage with customers who prefer different channels for communication, such as email, SMS, direct messages via platforms like Messenger, LINE, Whatsapp, WeChat, and others? In an omni-channel customer engagement strategy, all communication channels are connected and integrated to provide seamless customer experiences. Glowing, through its enterprise-class mobile messaging solution – Glowing

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How do you engage with customers who prefer different channels for communication, such as email, SMS, direct messages via platforms like Messenger, LINE, Whatsapp, WeChat, and others? In an omni-channel customer engagement strategy, all communication channels are connected and integrated to provide seamless customer experiences. Glowing, through its enterprise-class mobile messaging solution – Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud – lets you switch between channels from a single dashboard, delivering seamless and consistent customer experiences. This resolves the technical complexities of in-the-moment customer engagement.

The Difference: Multi-Channel Vs Omni-Channel

In the context of customer engagement, the terms multi-channel and omni-channel are often used incorrectly. Businesses that connect with customers through multiple channels – such as email, social media, web chat, and telephone – have a multi-channel approach. However, this does not mean that your customers’ experiences are seamless. Multi-channel means there are many ways to communicate to customers, but not cohesive, while omni-channel refers to an integrated and seamless approach to business-customer communications, which has been ranked in a recent consumer report as the second biggest challenge businesses face in customer engagement.

A business with omni-channel messaging strategy gives customers a seamless and consistent engagement. For example, a hotel guest may not be able to call due to poor reception in the hallway but has a strong WiFi connection. The guest will then be able to message the hotel’s housekeeping for a particular request via a mobile messaging app. Internally, hotel staff can communicate with each other to relay the guest’s request. In essence, that customer is having an omni-channel guest experience.

Choose an Omni-Channel Customer Engagement Solution

In an omni-channel customer engagement environment, all of the channels are connected to provide consistency and continuity in delivering customer service. Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud is architected to handle omni-channel customer engagement with its real-time all-in-one dashboard, allowing businesses to see entire customer journey and save time and effort of maintaining separate integrations. It is agile and scalable and easy to add new channels to as they become popular. It can be customized and integrated with the business’ CRM and other relevant systems. An omni-channel customer engagement strategy gives your business complete ownership of customer interaction data across all channels for a full customer engagement that will increase customer satisfaction, improve operational efficiencies and drive business growth.

Customers are connected more than ever. They use mobile phones, social media apps and messaging platforms. Any company can now easily reach their customers once they initiate engagement or provided you the consent to be contacted. Customers also get to choose which channels they prefer to communicate with. Through APIs are protocols that system developers use to create software applications, such as messaging solutions. Glowing’s APIs provide businesses an omni-channel approach to customer engagement and communicate with customers using the channels they prefer:

  • SMS – Direct phone messaging between customers and your business
  • Chat – Engage with customer and their concerns, and if the situation necessitates, can include secure transfer of data
  • Video – Allow face-to-face conversations that may be necessary for identity verification, content sharing, or visual problem resolution
  • Routing – Sends priority tasks from every source of your business to the proper agent

According to Customer Experience Trends 2018 research by Aberdeen, a company that provides intent-based marketing and sales solutions,  businesses that provide omni-channel customer experience achieve 91% higher year-over-year increase in customer retention compared to businesses that don’t.

Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud is the right omni-channel mobile messaging solution for leading global hospitality brands and other verticals who are keen to deliver top-notch customer experience. For more info, call Glowing at +1 (650) 687-7046 or request a demo.

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