Lockdown starts just as customers accept hospitality’s ‘new normal’
The latest Customer Sentiment Tracker from Feed It Back and KAM Media has found that we are entering another lockdown just as things seemed to be heading towards a “normal” level with regards to customer sentiment.
October saw a 42% drop in the volume of complaints compared with September, suggesting that customers were really beginning to settle into the ‘new normal’ of hospitality.
Based on feedback from 89,825 customers via the Feed It Back platform, NPS (net promoter score) for October 2020 (56) tracked in line with October 2019 (56), rising back up following a dip during Eat Out To Help Out in August (54).
The biggest recovery in the customers eyes comes from the Fast Casual sector with NPS jumping from a low in August (22 to 59.) Social review ratings have also grown for Fast Casual from an average of 3.9 in August to 4.3 in October.
Carlo Platia, CEO, Feed It Back: “Fast Casual sector struggled in the eyes of its customers since re-opening, consistently gaining lower NPS scores, satisfaction ratings and customer confidence levels. October saw a considerable improvement and just as many close it seems the sector has won back customers. I hope they are able to pick up where they left off.”
The tracker also identified speed of service as a growing issue in the Casual Dining sector specifically. NPS declined in October (54 to 42) accompanied by a rise in speed of service complaints which accounted for 20% of all complaints in this type of venue.
Cleanliness remains a key focus for customers, but October also bought a rise in complaints about ‘atmosphere’ as a result of Covid procedures accounting for 8% of all complaints over all compared with just 3% this time last year.
Katy Moses, MD, KAM Media: “The data is showing us that the atmosphere and hospitality experience still isn’t quite as customers expect it to be. Going into this second lockdown consumers are less fearful and more stressed and frustrated. There is a huge opportunity for hospitality to be a saviour in the eyes of its customers and give them something to smile about once lockdown measures lift again.”
“2-in-3 say that they expect to drink out less this festive period, so the industry has work to do to entice them out of their homes. Now the industry knows how to keep our customers safe, re-opening should focus on bringing them some much needed joy and happiness!”
The monthly tracker from Feed It Back and KAM Media measures key KPI’s focussed on customer sentiment including NPS and satisfaction ratings covering cleanliness, atmosphere, service and value. To receive the tracker direct to your inbox, email allears@feeditback.com.
KAM Media
KAM Media is a boutique research consultancy, specialising in hospitality and retail. Our research and insights tools, and services, are designed to give our clients the critical knowledge needed to understand why, where, when and how to create an impactful and engaging customer experience, at every stage of the journey.
For more information contact:
Katie Jenkins – KAM Media – katie@kam-media.co.uk
Feed It Back
Feed It Back is a company that tracks the word on the street about operators, through immediate feedback on experiences and online review platforms, such as Facebook and TripAdvisor. It aggregates all feedback into one easy to use platform that allows operators to efficiently deal with feedback they otherwise wouldn’t have heard, reward employees for excellent service and turn negative experiences into positives.
It currently boasts a range of clients including: Loungers, Boston Tea Party, Tenpin, Brains, and Paul UK, to name a few.
For further information, contact allears@feeditback.com