An AI Guided Roadmap to Best Practices in DIY Guest Feedback Management

We’ve been vocal advocates of new AI tools like ChatGPT for a variety of business tasks, including writing assistance and editing, research, and even software code generation. And like a few of our other recent blog posts, we wanted to put ChatGPT through its paces on a new exercise. So, for this AI assisted blog post, we had 2 objectives:

Objective 1

Create a how-to guide for hospitality operators who prefer using self-service survey tools or modules within email marketing platforms to run their guest survey programs, instead of relying on all-in-one solutions like GuestInsight.

Why would we do this?

‍Well, while we know that we’re not going to win everyone’s business despite our compelling value proposition, we think that it’s important to contribute to the hospitality community, at large, by offering helpful resources that can elevate the way feedback is collected and used. And, since we’ve been at this business longer than any of our competitors, we’ve become accustomed to hospitality professionals working with us at different points in their careers, and at different companies and roles. So maybe somewhere down the road we’ll make a connection with someone who finds this guide useful.

Objective 2‍

Compare how ChatGPT’s guide matches up with our principles here at GuestInsight. This falls under the category of using AI tools for research; part of our sales team’s job is to understand objections that potential customers may have to using our services– and being prepared to properly address them. For example, if we’re pitching GuestInsight to a hospitality operator that is currently sending guest surveys through one of the self-serve platforms, we want to make sure we’re able to exceed their expectations based on what they are (or should be) getting from their current guest feedback program.

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Alright ChatGPT, it's time to do your thing:

With the premise for this exercise out of the way, here’s the prompt that we entered into ChatGPT to generate the how-to guide:

“You are a marketing writer for GuestInsight, a SaaS platform that designs and sends guest surveys for hospitality companies, as well as provides dashboards and other analytical tools to manage the data that those surveys generate. Please write a blog post that is a how-to guide for hospitality companies who eschew our model and choose to write their own surveys using a self-service survey platform or surveys integrated with email marketing platforms. The guide should focus on best practices for survey design of guest surveys for hospitality companies.”

Here’s what ChatGPT responded with:

Mastering Guest Satisfaction: A DIY Guide to Creating Impactful Hospitality Surveys

Introduction:

As a hospitality operator, understanding your guests' needs and experiences is critical for providing top-notch service and ensuring their return. One of the most effective ways to gather this information is through guest surveys. Guestinsight offers a comprehensive solution for designing and distribution of guest surveys, as well as analyzing and managing the feedback data they generate. However, we understand that some companies may prefer to use surveys integrated with email marketing platforms or create their own surveys using self-service survey platforms. In this guide, we'll outline best practices for designing effective guest surveys to help you make informed decisions and improve your guests' experiences.

1. Define your objectives

Before you start crafting your survey, determine your primary objectives. Are you looking to gauge overall guest satisfaction, gather feedback on specific services, or identify areas for improvement? Having clear goals in mind will help you develop focused and actionable survey questions.

2. Encourage ongoing feedback from all guests

To get a comprehensive understanding of your guests' experiences, aim to collect feedback from every guest on a consistent basis. This can be achieved by:

• Keeping it short and simple - A lengthy survey can deter guests from completing it. Aim for a survey that takes no more than 5 minutes to complete. Use simple language and concise questions to make it easy for your guests to understand and respond.
• Incorporating feedback requests into your post-stay communication, such as check-out emails or follow-up messages.
• Placing visible reminders in your property, like signage or feedback cards in common areas.
• Training your staff to encourage guests to provide feedback during their stay or after check-out through the survey.

3. Use a mix of question types

Using a variety of question types can help you gather more nuanced data. Include a combination of open-ended questions, multiple-choice questions, and Likert scale questions. Open-ended questions allow guests to provide detailed feedback in their own words, while multiple-choice and Likert scale questions make it easier to analyze responses and identify trends.

4. Make your questions specific and focused

Vague or broad questions can lead to unclear or unhelpful responses. Instead, focus on asking specific, targeted questions that directly relate to your objectives. For example, instead of asking, "How was your stay?", consider asking, "How would you rate the cleanliness of your room on a scale of 1 to 5?"

5. Avoid leading questions

Leading questions can influence respondents' answers and skew your survey results. To ensure you're receiving unbiased feedback, avoid using suggestive language or implying a desired response. For example, instead of asking, "Did you enjoy our award-winning spa?", ask, "How would you rate your experience at our spa?"

6. Test your survey

Before sending your survey to guests, test it internally with your team to ensure it's easy to understand, free of errors, and that the questions effectively address your objectives. This process will help you identify any issues and make necessary adjustments.

7. Ensure anonymity

To encourage honest feedback, assure respondents that their responses will remain anonymous. This can help guests feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts and experiences, leading to more valuable insights for your company.

8. Optimize for mobile devices

With the majority of people accessing the internet through mobile devices, it's essential to ensure your survey is mobile-friendly. Choose a self-service survey platform that offers responsive design, so your survey is easy to navigate and complete on any device.

9. Automate survey distribution and data reporting

To ensure all guests receive an invitation to complete the survey after a transaction, integrate your self-service survey platform with your hospitality PMS software. Additionally, set up customized management email distribution lists to push feedback data reports and survey alerts for low scores to the appropriate managers. This will enable your team to quickly address any concerns and improve guest satisfaction.

10. Analyze and act on the data

Once you have collected responses, analyze the data to identify trends, areas for improvement, and potential opportunities. Use this information to drive continuous improvement in your services, facilities, and guest experiences. Share the findings with your team, discuss the results, and collaborate on developing action plans to address any concerns or capitalize on identified strengths.

Conclusion

By implementing these best practices in your guest survey design and encouraging ongoing feedback from all guests, you'll be well-equipped to provide exceptional guest experiences. Remember, the key to success lies in understanding your guests' needs and expectations, and using their feedback to continually improve and grow your hospitality business.

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Our take on ChatGPT’s effort

 Wow!

The guide it created is quite impressive, both in terms of its content and the way it is written. We think that this guide is useful as a framework/checklist for a hospitality operator that chooses to keep the mechanics of a guest feedback survey program in-house, rather than using an all-in-one outsourced service like ours. Objective one achieved!

As for the second objective of our exercise, to compare how ChatGPT’s guide matched up with our principles here at GuestInsight, we were pleased that every point outlined by the AI as a best practice for properly running a guest survey program is baked into our feedback platform. It is both instructive and validating to see that the values and key elements we’ve built into the continuously evolving GuestInsight platform over the past 18 years is in sync with what ChatGPT has determined to be a model of a good guest satisfaction feedback program, based on all of the Web data that it has access to.

Objective two achieved!

Finally

However, and with whomever, you are running your guest feedback survey program, the guide created by ChatGPT is a good resource for setting up an impactful guest satisfaction feedback survey program.

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#GuestSatisfaction
#HospitalitySurveys
#DIYGuestSurvey
#SurveyBestPractices
#GuestFeedback
#HospitalityIndustry
#ChatGPT
#GuestInsight

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