You didn't enter the events industry to spend the whole day emailing or calling. Yet, effective customer communication is crucial; nothing is as important as maintaining a good relationship with your customers. It increases trust, satisfaction, and contributes positively to your image. On the flip side, poor communication can cost you customers: inadequate communication ranks in the top 3 of irritations and is frequently cited as a reason for not choosing a specific venue. And that's unfortunate because, of course, your venue is the best!
If you want to improve your communication skills, look into the exact sources of your customers' irritations. Research shows that most customers get irritated by:
- Late responses: Some questions are better left unanswered until you have a quiet moment to address them, but your customer prefers an answer yesterday rather than today. Did you know that 67% of people requesting a quote expect a response within two days? Nearly a quarter of people say they won't book the venue if it takes longer!
- Silence: Yes, we get it; you're busy. Therefore, it might happen that you don't communicate with your customer for a while. It's crucial to keep the relationship warm and keep your customer engaged: if agreements change, you want to know on time (an event for 35 people is quite different from one for 135!). So, it's not only thoughtful to send reminders occasionally but also very smart.
- Changing contact persons: Changing contact persons is also a source of irritation for most customers. Well, in your industry, it might happen that you take over something from a colleague because 9 to 5 is not your schedule. It's understandable, and not a problem, but a good handover is essential. If your colleague is as well-informed as you are, your customer ideally won't notice the difference!
Okay, now we know what not to do and even a bit of what to do. But you might be wondering: doesn't this take a lot of time and money? We have good news for you: you don't need to take a course or training to achieve higher customer satisfaction. We believe it can be smarter, faster, and easier. The only thing we recommend is: automate. Huh? Yes, indeed. With the messaging module of MICE, you don't have to search your email for the latest conversation because everything is in one place. This way, everyone is always aware of the agreements and the most recent information. Do you often get the same questions? Save your responses so you can easily insert and modify them in a conversation. Finally, you can schedule automatic messages so you never forget anything. With the messaging module, you'll never respond late, be considerate to your customer, and your customer won't be affected when your colleague takes over your work. Good communication has never been so easy! (You're welcome!)
The Fat Mermaid in The Hague is a beach venue that has been using MICE software for years. This allows them to focus on what really matters: providing the best experience for their guests.
Owner Malou says: "Customers automatically receive an email a few days before the event, allowing them to submit final numbers and make other adjustments in the online environment. I was afraid that the personal touch would disappear with automation, but it turns out that's not the case. You actually have the time to write the pre-set emails with care and personalize everything with your own brand."