Latest news with #customerloyalty
The Independent
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Marks & Spencer is back online – these are my favourite fashion picks for summer
I spend a lot of time covering M&S, but the retail giant has been in the news for other reasons this year. Over the Easter weekend, M&S was forced to stop taking orders on its website after days of disruption in stores caused by a cyberattack. With deliveries paused and products in short supply, it's cost the retailer more than £300 million in sales. But, the good news is that online orders have now been resumed. As investigations into the cyber attack continue, stock is set to slowly return online for deliveries and click-and-collect orders. An M&S spokesperson told me: 'We're offering our bestselling products, along with newness and this makes up the majority of our range which is available online today (10 June).' 'More of our fashion, home and beauty ranges will be added every day. For products that are not available online, customers can add them to their 'wish list' and when they come back into stock we will let them know.' Customer loyalty will be key to M&S's survival, with analysts commenting that the retailer has been losing out to rivals. Indeed, the shutdown of online operations coincided with a spring heatwave in the UK, when many people were in the market for summer clothes. I spend much of my time browsing, trying on and reviewing the quality of clothes, particularly on the high street. Whether it's wedding guest dresses or sandals, M&S constantly impresses me with its comfortable and well-crafted clothes, low prices and on-trend styles. While its homeware easily rivals designer brands (see its Tekla-style towels or Pooky-inspired lamps), it's the retailer's fashion that really stands out. It's always been a go-to for well-fitted but feminine bras and soft pyjamas and dressing gowns that will last you years, but M&S used to have a reputation for dowdy clothing. Maddy Evans, director of womenswear at M&S, has led the charge to reinvigorate the brand's clothing offering. Former Topshop fashion director Evans has helped M&S shake those frumpy associations, targeting women who have one eye on the latest designed collections on the catwalk, and another on purse-friendly value. Its fashion takes runway trends and make them wearable day-to-day, all at affordable price points. So, with summer officially here and a heatwave predicted for this weekend, M&S online orders couldn't have resumed at a better time. Here's everything I'm bagging for this season. Giving the designer look for less, this pair of pumps earned a spot in our round-up of the best ballet flats for 2025. Combining the comfort we've come to expect from the high street stalwart with newly elevated style, the dainty style is available in white, black or red and features a slim sole, square toe and flat heel. The delicate self-tie bow fastening and ruched detailing elevate the simple silhouette. Trust me, they're the comfiest flats I own. Swap your florals for polka dot this season. The classic print is having a comeback and this sweet blouse is the perfect everyday style. Characterised by a round neckline and three bow-tie fastenings at the front, the top is cut into a peplum hem with puffed sleeves for extra impact. Finished in all-over polka dot, there's flower-jacquard embellishment for texture. Leopard print is perennially cool (it's a neutral, in my opinion), but the style is back in a big way this summer. M&S's playful take featured in my round-up of the best summer dresses for 2025. Boasting a body-skimming cut that flatters your silhouette, it runs true to size. Complete with a laidback crew neckline and mini hemline, the polyester fabric has a soft jersey feel. M&S also helpfully offers petite, regular and tall lengths, so you can find the perfect fit. An investment for your everyday wardrobe, this M&S style is designed with a fitted bodice and round neckline. The A-line skirt flows out from the waist for a midi hemline cut. Simple but sophisticated, style it with ballet flats and trainers day-to-day before jazzing it up with jewellery and kitten heels in the evening. M&S's linen rich skirt is finished in one of this season's hottest hues, tomato red. Distinguished by its A-line shape and ankle-grazing hem, the shirring on the waistband adds flattering detail. Tone down the bold red hue with a simple white Tee. An effortless way to look put-together, every wardrobe can benefit from a denim dress. This M&S style features a mid hemline and milk-maid style puffed sleeves, while the three bow tie fastenings in the body nod to Ganni. Better yet, there's side pockets. A great choice for Wimbledon or summer occasions, this pure cotton cami dress is finished in a timeless polka dot. Complete with a midaxi-length and flattering sweetheart neckline, the dress has subtle ruched detailing on the bodice to enhance your silhouette.
Hospitality Net
9 hours ago
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Faster, Safer, Smarter: Why Hoteliers Choose GuestRevu AI Over ChatGPT
Responding to guest feedback quickly and professionally isn't just a nice-to-have; it's essential for maintaining your reputation and building guest loyalty, not only with the guest who took the time to give you feedback, but (in the case of online reviews) for any other potential guests who are reading reviews and noting how you respond to get a measure of the experience you give your guests. Unfortunately, many hoteliers find responding to reviews time-consuming, overwhelming and draining. And if multiple team members are responsible for review responses, the impression given can be inconsistent. Recently, hoteliers have been turning to AI to help, and enjoying the following benefits: Efficiency AI tools can significantly reduce the time spent drafting responses, especially for a large volume of reviews. Our users tell us that it takes on average 5 minutes to respond to a review. With AI, this can be reduced to as little as 2 minutes per review. Imagine that you are responding to just one review a day (we all know it's way more than that), over the course of a year, that's 30 hours spent responding to reviews. With the right AI tool, that could be reduced by more than half, while maintaining or even improving the standard of responses… Quality AI eliminates typos, poor grammar, and clumsy wording, ensuring the basics of professional responses are taken care of. AI also helps maintain a consistent tone and quality in responses, reflecting the brand's voice effectively. This means that no matter how many members of your team you have responding to reviews, your brand voice carries through all replies. Overcoming Writer's Block We have all been there at some point: sat in front of the computer trying to be polite and professional when really you'd like to say exactly what you think. AI can provide a starting point for responses, helping staff overcome writer's block and generate replies more quickly and politely in some cases. Handling Complex Reviews AI can assist in formulating responses to complex, lengthy reviews, ensuring a thoughtful and professional reply is achieved each and every time. When a guest takes the time to leave you a detailed review, it is important to respond to that review with the same level of detail, AI can make this quicker and more accurate. Why GuestRevu AI Beats Copying and Pasting from ChatGPT With tools like ChatGPT easily accessible, some hoteliers have started using generic AI platforms to draft their guest responses. While it's certainly a good start, there is an even smarter, safer, and more streamlined way to handle your online reviews: GuestRevu AI. Here's why it's the better choice, and why hoteliers across property types, from boutique B&Bs to multi-property groups, are making the switch. Find out how the Royal St Andrews Hotel blends AI with exceptional service 1. Designed for Hospitality ChatGPT is a brilliant generalist — it can help write poems, build websites, or summarise scientific articles. But it doesn't know your hotel, your guests, or your brand voice unless you feed it all that information from scratch, every time. GuestRevu AI on the other hand, was built specifically for the hospitality industry. It understands how to interpret reviews, identify guest sentiment, and reflect your tone — whether that's warm and welcoming, polished and professional, or casual and friendly. You can even set your default preferred tones and provide instructions or brand phrasing, so responses feel aligned with your hotel's voice every time. 2. No Copy-Paste Required Let's face it, copying a guest review into ChatGPT, adjusting the prompt, waiting for a response, and then copying it back into your review platform is clunky and time-consuming. For busy teams, that's an extra layer of admin nobody needs, and it increases the opportunity for human error (Wrong chat? Wrong prompt? Pasting the wrong response?). With GuestRevu AI, everything happens in one place. Just click "Generate Response" next to the review, make any quick tweaks you like, and hit publish. Responses are suggested in seconds based on the review content and your predetermined guidelines — no need to bounce between tabs or platforms. 3. Context That Goes Beyond the Review One of the biggest limitations of using ChatGPT manually is that it starts each prompt from zero. Unless you feed in detailed context (like your hotel's name, the type of guest, or previous interactions) you're likely to get a generic (and possibly visibly AI-ish) response. GuestRevu AI works directly with your guest feedback and survey data. That means it knows things like: Your property's name, amenities, and review history The tone you've set as default The type and sentiment of each review Your brand preferences for sign-offs or promotional messages This results in responses that feel natural and accurate, and much closer to something you'd write yourself. 5. Data Security You Can Trust When you paste a guest review into a public AI tool like ChatGPT, you could be violating privacy laws like GDPR or POPIA — especially if guest names or stay details are included. Once data leaves your platform, there's no telling how it might be stored or used. With GuestRevu AI, guest information stays within a secure, GDPR-compliant platform designed specifically for hospitality. Sophisticated anonymisation algorithms are used to mitigate the risk of leaking personal guest information into third-party systems. 6. Consistency Unlike fully automated tools, GuestRevu AI puts you in the driver's seat. You can: Edit every response before posting Regenerate with different tones or instructions Add hotel-specific notes (e.g. 'Please mention our direct booking discount') Use a response template instead if you'd rather not use AI There's even a setting to append a custom P.S. or branding line to all AI-generated replies — great for loyalty messages, cross-promotion, or your signature sign-off. ChatGPT learns your tone from previous conversations and information you have provided. Although a powerful tool, the way you use it is key here. If each of your employees has their own account, then your tone and brand will be inconsistent. Additionally, many employees use their ChatGPT account in their spare time when a professional tone isn't required, and GPT will match this tone in future conversations. The bottom line? ChatGPT might be fine in a pinch. But when it comes to managing guest feedback — where tone, accuracy, and brand voice really matter — it makes more sense to use a tool built for the job. GuestRevu AI is faster, safer, more secure, and tailored to hospitality. No more copy-pasting. No more 'starting from scratch.' Just clear, confident responses — ready when you are. GuestRevu helps hoteliers worldwide to listen to, learn and earn from their guests by enabling them to leverage the power of guest intelligence to build lasting loyalty and drive revenue. GuestRevu's mission is to give hoteliers tools they can use every day to develop a guest-centric culture in their hotels, enhance guest experience, optimise operations, and ultimately, to drive revenue using online surveys and reputation management. With their headquarters in the UK, GuestRevu is a TripAdvisor Platinum Review Collection Partner. For more information please visit Sarah Came GuestRevu +27 (0)87 231 0125
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Transform your business culture through customer experience
In today's experience-driven economy, customers aren't just purchasing products or services — they're investing in the entire experience. Even the best product on the market won't guarantee customer satisfaction or loyalty on its own. Not knowing and understanding your customers experience (CX) is the silent killer of small and medium businesses (SMBs). Far too many SMBs believe that customer feedback programs are the domain of large businesses with big budgets. It's a costly myth, since customer feedback is the key to creating sustainable competitive advantage. The experience economy demands more than a great product Transactional focus, such as 'get the product, deliver it efficiently, minimize errors', describes value in terms of functionality and efficiency. However, today the approach needs to be more relational and experiential, where customers are seen, valued and respected. Furthermore, customers are spoiled for choice and loyalty is only skin-deep. Price is not the only driver! At the core of the experience economy, is how you make people feel matters as much as what you offer! Of course, your offering still needs to work. But when your product is functional AND your service is effortless, responsive, and pleasant, your business becomes truly resilient - even in tough economic times. Shep Hyken's 2024 research backs this up: - 59% of customers will pay more for a great experience - but only if it justifies the cost. - One in four satisfied customers still won't return - because satisfaction isn't the same as loyalty. - 81% are willing to switch brands if they believe another offers a better experience. - 75% are more likely to return after seeing how well you handle a negative review. Research consistently shows that emotions shape loyalty, trust, recommendation behaviour, and willingness to pay more. The key takeaway: your product gets you in the game. Your customer experience is what keeps you there. CX is a culture not a campaign CX isn't a one-off initiative or job title - it's a way of working. And it starts at the top. The starting point is to define what you would like customers to feel when they do business with you. Many founders of small businesses initially worked directly with customers and know them well. They instinctively deliver the product or service, intending to do it differently. And that 'differently' is the CX essence. It is the secret differentiator and should be used to guide decision-making. Leaders need to model how to deal with customers, invest in service skills (especially the hard skills such as empathy, dealing with challenging conversations or complaints), and respond to issues with urgency underpinned by emotional intelligence - when they do, when it's clear that CX is everyone's business, it becomes entrenched as culture. Training your people matters. Ensure that the training content covers not just what to do, but how to deliver service - how to apologise with empathy, how to read customer cues, how to make a situation right, and how to make it easy for someone to say 'yes' to you again. Teach your staff HOW to develop a YES culture and ensure that training is continuous and everyone participates. Whether they directly interact with customers or not, every person in your business affects the experience. Delivery, finance, inventory, operations, HR - these all contribute to the ease, accuracy, and emotional tone of customer interactions. Finally, make sure that your employees have access to the right tools to perform their duties and empower them to do the right thing for customers. Even luxury giants like Ritz-Carlton allow employees to spend up to $2,000 to resolve a guest issue without needing manager approval. While your budget may differ, the mindset shouldn't: train, empower and trust your people to do the right thing for your customers. Voice of the customer: It's not corporate 'speak' Voice of the Customer (VoC) is often dismissed as 'corporate talk.' But SMBs can and must own it - precisely because they're closer to their customers and more agile in execution. You don't need fancy dashboards or expensive tools. What you do need is openness, responsiveness, and consistency. That starts with listening. Customer feedback is a gift for alignment, improvement and growth - even when it stings. Every complaint, comment or compliment is an opportunity to ensure that your systems, your staff, your processes or your product meet their expectations or identify where the gaps are. And don't stop at your customers. Ask your staff - the ones at the till, on the phone, in the van, on the floor. They hear things management never does. It's frontline insight, and it's often gold. Complaints are emotionally charged moments, but they are also powerful turning points. Most customers aren't looking for a refund. They want to be heard, respected, and helped. Train your team to stay calm under pressure, de-escalate with empathy, fix what's fixable on the spot and know when and how to escalate. When people feel understood and cared for, even when things go wrong, they're more likely to forgive, and more likely to return and stay loyal. And remember: action changes perception. When customers see you take feedback seriously and respond meaningfully, trust grows. Silence or inaction, on the other hand, is a loyalty killer. VoC is not about sending surveys. It's about what you do with the feedback. Make VoC visible in your business. Identify who will be accountable and responsible for the VoC internally. Share feedback in team meetings. Track trends. Design fixes. Celebrate wins. Most importantly, close the loop. When customers raise issues, ensure they are contacted and action is taken. Become known for taking customers seriously. Retention is the new growth Too many SMBs chase new customers while quietly losing their existing ones. Retention isn't just cheaper - it's smarter. Track your customer churn and analyse exit patterns. Understand dissatisfaction before it becomes defection. Your existing customers already know you - they're your best bet for sustainable growth. Don't forget to involve your staff in understanding customer churn and how to reduce it. In 2025 and beyond, the businesses that thrive will be those that understand one truth: customer experience is the opportunity to remain sustainable. Product alone won't cut it. Discounts won't build loyalty. But a consistently great experience? That's what customers remember, talk about, and come back for. If you're an SMB serious about sustainable growth, invest in CX. It will earn you more than any promotion ever could.
CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Benefits from use of CDC vouchers not equally distributed, with some buyers trying to seek profit
The Federation of Merchant's Associations Singapore says gains from CDC vouchers aren't evenly felt across merchants, as digitally savvy merchants tend to attract more customers. At the same time, shifting spending habits have seen some Singaporeans trying to profit off their vouchers by flipping them for cash. Now, heartland enterprises are finding new ways to keep customers coming back. Nasyrah Rohim with this report.
Hospitality Net
5 days ago
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Guest Experience: 10 Do's and Don'ts for a Great Guest Experience Strategy
If there's one takeaway for 2025, it's this: Guest experience isn't a department – it's a mindset. To deliver exceptional moments, guest satisfaction must sit at the core of every decision, across every department. From front desk to finance, marketing to maintenance – every action should be viewed through the lens of its impact on the guest. Want real transformation? Make guest satisfaction more than a KPI – make it a culture. If guest experience doesn't come up in every leadership meeting, you're missing the point. It's not about chasing trends or mimicking your compset. Memorable experiences are built through emotional connection, authenticity, and a deep understanding of your guests' evolving needs. Guests want more than a bed – they want a story, a feeling, a sense of belonging. When you design moments that matter, you don't just earn loyalty – you create advocates. Here are 10 guiding principles 'Do's and Don'ts' for a guest experience strategy that actually delivers: Do's to Deliver Great Guest Experiences: ✅ DO Treat guest satisfaction as a core metric. Every time you implement a new initiative (i.e. digital dining, upselling, automated check-in) don't just measure revenue or conversion. Ask: Did this enhance the guest experience? Did we move the satisfaction needle? ✅ Make guest intelligence relevant to every team. From housekeeping to F&B, tailor insights to be digestible and actionable. Empower teams to act on what they learn, not just observe from a distance. ✅ Push your vendors to be partners, not just providers. Ask them where guest intelligence is heading and how AI will shape experience. Choose partners who guide and evolve with you, not just those who tick a box. ✅ Stay plugged into product roadmaps and industry webinars. Hospitality tech moves fast. Tomorrow's winning experiences are being built today. Stay informed, curious, and engaged - it's not just sales fluff, it's your edge. ✅ Use AI for review responses, but keep it human. AI can support scale and consistency, but your brand voice still matters. Train it to reflect your tone. Tech should elevate your authenticity, not dilute it. ✅ Hire and train for emotional intelligence. Guests remember how you made them feel. EQ-driven teams read cues, respond with empathy, and create moments that stick. That's the secret sauce. ✅ Create local, brand-authentic experiences. From a curated neighborhood guide to a scent inspired by the region, guests crave stories, not sameness. These emotional touches forge deeper connections. ✅ Monitor your compset, but think beyond it. Benchmarking is important, but inspiration lives everywhere – retail, wellness, entertainment. The best ideas often come from outside hospitality. ✅ Build a communication strategy for the entire guest journey. Use email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat AI, and in-room tech to support – not interrupt. Be proactive, seamless, and human. Anticipate needs. Build trust. ✅ Make space for magic, surprise, and delight. A handwritten note. A Spotify playlist. Remembering their favorite drink. These moments create stories guests tell long after checkout. That's real hospitality. Don'ts – What to Avoid in Guest Experience:
