Delivering the WOW!
Tourism Vancouver Island
March 2014
Factor
Noun
the quality something has of being very impressive or
surprising to people
2 Questions
• What is your greatest customer service challenge in your
workplace?
• What do you hope to gain from today?
“New Normal”
Tug of War?
Our Destination Team!
Customer
Expectations
Seinfeld
Memorable Tourism
Experience
“A tourism
experience
positively
remembered and
recalled after the
event has
occurred.”
Role of Corporate Culture
• WestJet
• Disney
Internal Customer
Corporate Culture
What we say in our ads is true:
"Owners Care." Sure, it's our aircrafts
that fly you places, but it's really our
people who get you there. In fact, our
entire corporate culture has been built
around caring for you, our guests, by
providing a great guest experience.”
WestJet
Corporate Culture
Corporate Culture
Disney understands it can’t disappoint a
guest, even once; if it does, the guest
may never return. It’s this
understanding that defines Disney as
“guest-driven.”
Johnson 2007
Corporate Culture
1.
2.
3.
4.
Safety
Courtesy
Show
Efficiency
Corporate Cultures Collide
Operator
Expectations
What should your guests expect from you?
WestJet
Deliver the Unexpected
Cultural Considerations
Determine Needs
• Ask the Question
• Listen for the WOW
• Say YES!
Shut Up & Listen
Cookie Cutter Response?
WOW the Complaint
• Actively Listen
• Apologize – own it!
• Fix It
• Say Thank You!
• Follow Up
Most Customers just want to be heard or prevent
the situation from happening to someone else.
Customers
• #1 Marketing tool! WOM sells
• WOW Talk
EVERY interaction can be
reviewed?
Every interaction can be
reviewed!
81% of travelers said
reviews were important
when deciding which
hotel to stay at (Forrester Research
2011)
75% of travelers said their
holiday was better
because they used reviews
to make sure they picked
the best place for them
(Forrester Research 2011)
83% usually or always
consult Trip Advisor
before booking a hotel
(Phocuswright)
We all have Baggage!
Perception = Reality
The Fix by Numbers
Complaining customers
• Only 4% share
• The other 96% quietly go away, 91% never to
return!
• 1 complaint = 26 silently unhappy customers
• 68% due to attitude
• 70% will return if you fix it!
• 95% will return if you resolve it immediately.
• Seize the opportunity!
• Put yourself in the Customers Shoes
What is YOUR WOW?
Tips
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Be Authentic - sell yourself not your business
SMILE 
Ask the Question! Don’t assume.
Existing Customers are your greatest strength
Empower your team!
Treat others the way you want to be treated
Encourage Complaints
Say thank you!
Manage your online reputation or someone else will
manage it for you!
Questions?
Jenn Houtby-Ferguson, CMP CMM
Email: Jenn.Houtby@TourismNanaimo.com
Twitter: @JennHoutby