THE MARKETOUR
A MARKETING GUIDE FROM THE WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM
August/September
1998
GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE IS A KEY TO PROFITABILITY
We all know that getting travelers to visit our destinations -- and to come back again and again -- involves more than hanging out a sign and waiting for the crowds. In the last issue, we reviewed the principles of one-to-one marketing as a way to increase business. In practice, those principles translate into one thing -- good customer service.
Good customer service is the basis for one-to-one relationship building. It also gives you a competitive edge. Any business can sell a similar product or duplicate a price reduction. But good customer service adds a level of value that tips the scales in your favor. It leads to increased volume, extended stays and repeat business. And that translates into improved profitability.
How Can Good Customer Service Be Achieved?: Quality customer service begins when management's service philosophy and values are reflected by front-line staff. An integrated customer service system requires, first of all, management leadership and example. Next, staff has to be properly trained and then given the authority to use their judgment and act on that authority.
While specific customer service techniques can be taught, quality customer service is rooted in a spirit of responsibility and caring. To foster that spirit, management leadership must create an environment in which employees are comfortable taking responsibility, one that minimizes the risks of punishment associated with taking responsibility. It also involves rewarding employees who deliver good service with personal thanks, public recognition and financial incentives.
More often than not, people like to please others. That's the basis for enhanced customer service programs. The spirit of customer service needs to be coached and cultivated more than taught. It helps create the self-confidence employees need to take charge and be better customer service assistants.
What Does Increased Staff Responsibility Involve?: Specific customer service skills will be covered in the next "Marketour" issue. However, the general idea of increasing staff responsibility is fairly simple. It involves: "Empowering" your staff to answer questions, offer advice, field compliments and complaints, and resolve conflicts. / Encouraging your employees to become "the expert" in specific subjects. / Designing a "best match" between an employee's skills and his/her job responsibility. / Encouraging your staff to listen, evaluate, respond and report.
Other Customer Service Benefits: In addition to increasing your business' volume and profitability, an effective customer service program benefits you in other ways: Allowing your staff to more fully participate in providing service improves job satisfaction. / Job satisfaction reduces staff turnover. / Retaining skilled employees is much less expensive than finding and training new employees.
Front-line staff are your eyes and ears -- encourage them to report customer requests, complaints and compliments. Then use that feedback to improve your business with new products and services. You've just conducted your own field research, at no added cost.
SPRING FEVER -- TAKING ITS TEMPERATURE
For the first time this year, the Department of Tourism produced a Spring Sampler to promote spring vacations, offering a perfect opportunity to learn more about spring vacations and the people who take them. And once again, we asked visitors to the state "How are we doing?"
We talked to people vacationing in Oshkosh, Green Lake and the New London area April 18-20 and to Door County visitors May 15-17. Many of the Oshkosh area visitors were interviewed as they visited indoor attractions such as museums, while Door County visitors were more likely to be visiting state parks or other outdoor destinations.
How We Did: As in previous seasons, the people we talked to gave their highest satisfaction ratings to scenery, the opportunity to relax and their favorite activity: Relaxing continued to be a favorite vacation aspect, but fewer people cited scenery as their favorite thing and more mentioned the weather as best. / Museums and history topped the list of favorite things about Oshkosh vacations. / Very few spring vacationers found any aspect of their vacation to be less than satisfactory.
Vacationer Profile: As in previous seasons, spring vacationers planned their trips shortly before taking them. However, there were a few key differences in their planning: Special events were more important, especially in Oshkosh, for choosing a time to visit. / Door County visitors were especially likely to choose spring to avoid crowds. / Weather, while still an important factor in selecting a time to visit, was less important in spring than it was in either fall or winter and about the same as for summer. / State maps were cited most often as an important source of information for vacation planning. / Newspaper and magazine articles were more popular in spring than in earlier seasons as an information source; in fact, newspaper travel section articles were specifically mentioned by 10 percent of Door County visitors.
Over half of spring vacationers live in Wisconsin, the largest proportion of any season. Spring vacationers traveled in a variety of parties: couples predominated, followed closely by nuclear families, but significant proportions traveled as part of friend or extended family groups or by themselves.
What's Next: The next round of in-market studies will be conducted in urban areas of the state, including Green Bay, Appleton, Madison and Milwaukee.
For a copy of the spring report, contact Sue Hamilton at 608/266-6792 or shamilton@tourism.state.wi.us.
Wisconsin Makes a Global Impression: The Wisconsin Department of Tourism has strengthened its international public relations to communicate the Wisconsin message to travel journalists, tour planners and consumers in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.
Through informal surveys, we learned about what German travelers like to do when they visit the state. Top choices are enjoying scenery, outdoor recreation such as biking, canoeing and fishing, Native American culture, ethnic offerings and golf. A special media kit was developed incorporating these topics, along with top attractions and events listings, and kit elements were translated into German. They'll be used for media fulfillments and at trade shows.
Fall Color Co-op Opportunities: Wisconsin is one of the best places to enjoy the fall season, and now is the time to start promoting it. Several newspapers have plans for fall travel sections; Wisconsin fall co-op banners will be available on the following dates: Chicago Tribune -- Aug. 30 / Lee Newspaper Group -- Sept. 6 / Rockford Register Star -- Sept. 6 / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel -- Sept. 13 / St. Paul Pioneer Press -- Sept. 13.
In addition to featured travel sections, The Journal Topics Newspapers, a group of 15 newspapers serving northwestern Illinois communities, will be running a special Wisconsin Fall Travel Guide in August. With one combined rate, your ad will reach over 250,000 potential travelers. You also have an opportunity to receive free editorial space and a listing on their Web site.
For more information on these and other co-op advertising opportunities, contact Diane Liebe at Laughlin/Constable, 414/270-7109.
Cross Promote Seasons on the Spot: All summer long, customers are right at your doorstep. What better time to invite them back for a fall or winter visit? Research shows that it's easier to bring loyal customers back for more than to develop new ones. With this in mind, take advantage of the current season to promote travel during other times of year. If possible, talk with your visitors about what you have to offer in fall or winter. Display posters with great images of other seasons, and set out an ample number of brochures. Consider a promotion with a cross-season prize package. For example, through a drawing, all summer 1998 visitors could be eligible to win a winter getaway. Then when winter arrives, promote summer travel.
TRAVEL TRENDS
Travel -- Into the Future: Travel is the activity boomers most look forward to during retirement, leading to a huge growth spurt in future travel. By 2020, travel will be the largest industry in history, with 1.6 billion international tourist arrivals -- three times today's number, according to the World Tourism Organization.
Surveys are bringing to light just how big the demand for travel might be. When workers, regardless of age, are asked what they most look forward to when they retire, travel is mentioned by the largest share -- 32 percent, according to a Gallup survey. When workers are asked whether there is something they're putting off until they retire, travel again is the winner -- cited by 45 percent. In a survey of boomers with household incomes of $30,000 or more, travel is the single most important activity boomers plan to do in retirement -- cited by 39 percent (Scudder-Kemper Investments Inc.).
"In the future, older travelers will be looking for travel that is more individualized, intimate, unusual, stimulating, informative and challenging." Source: The Boomer Report, May 1998.
Marketing 101: The Department has developed a series of courses that covers research, advertising, public relations and customer service. This informative series will be available to businesses, associations, visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce and other groups. These organizations can in turn use this "toolbox" to teach members to become better marketers. The series is available through the Department consultants. In addition, the guide will be available on the Department's industry Web site (http://tourism.state.wi.us/agency) late this summer.
Media Lead: Here are a few things to keep in mind when pitching Child Senior Editor Peg Rosen, who supervises travel coverage for the 875,000-circulation publication. Keep your pitch simple by mailing a one-page pitch letter with an attached business card -- no press kits.
Your destination should offer more than a kid-friendly environment, says Rosen. She's interested in places that are aimed at keeping children happy, but she looks for resorts and destinations that also offer what's important to parents, like romance, relaxation, child care and sports facilities.
Peg Rosen, senior editor, Child, 375 Lexington Ave., 10th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10017.
10-SECOND WRITING CLINIC
For smooth flow and natural tone, eliminate words with complex endings. Look for nouns that end in "tion," "tive," "ability," "ment," "able," "ness" and "ance." Change them to verbs or verb phrases. Example: Change "To help in the reduction of these problems..." to "To help reduce these problems..."
PR'S GREATEST HITS
Wisconsin's Sesquicentennial celebration is a national hit. CNN paid tribute to the state's 150th birthday with a segment about Statehood Day during "World Today" on Friday, May 29. This placement reached 1 million viewers. The CNN Web site's travel section also ran a weeklong feature on Wisconsin's Sesquicentennial activities. The travel section, which receives 750,000 page views per week, also linked to the Wisconsin Tourism and Sesquicentennial Web sites.
In addition, NBC "Today Show's" Willard Scott honored the state's anniversary by broadcasting his birthday announcements on July 3, live from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, where Wisconsin was the only featured state. The broadcast generated 3.8 million audience impressions.
