Managing Expectations for Social Media Response Times

The following post is from Meghan Veroneau, Marketing Coordinator.

Do guests only frequent your property 9-5, Monday to Friday? I didn’t think so. Hospitality is a 24/7/365 industry, and consumers expect you to be available even when most of the world is sound asleep or enjoying that magical concept called a “weekend.”

This may or may not be possible depending on the resources you have available for monitoring your social media channels. Instead of hoping for the best over periods where social channels aren’t watched, make the most of your downtime with a clear-cut plan of action on when you are available to respond and policies in place that make sure that those questions that warrant an immediate response always get the attention they need.

If possible, have a staff member monitoring the accounts with a smartphone or at least checking in on off times like weekends, just to make sure that critical issues don’t slip through the cracks.

Transparency is Key
In an ideal world, you would have the resources to respond every time your brand is mentioned on social media. The fact is, guests are staying at your property even when your social media guru isn’t.

If there is only one employee that manages this process, then a good technique would be to at least acknowledge a post, question, or comment, and provide a more detailed response at a later time. It shows the consumer that client satisfaction is always on the mind of the property.

Noting when your social media account is monitored (and by placing that information in your Twitter profile or prominently on your Facebook page) will also help manage expectations. If clients see that an account is only monitored until Friday at 5 PM, they should know not to expect a response until Monday. If you can respond earlier, all the better – you’ve exceeded expectations!

Tips to Manage Expectations

• Proactively respond to all interactions – try not to let a comment, mention, question, etc. sit around for days or even weeks without a response. Responding within the hour is usually considered polite – would you let a text message sit unanswered for days at a time?
• Create a plan in-house for appropriate response times – Do you have the resources to respond immediately? Or do you have the resources to respond daily?
• Note when your accounts are monitored.
• Have the manager on duty check social media once a shift and respond to high priority messages.

No one is the better judge than you of what is appropriate for your property or clientele. Here at MICROS eCommerce, we have the resources to consult you on social media as well as tools that will help you better monitor your online presence.

Interested in ramping up your online strategy? Check out the full suite of MICROS eCommerce interactive marketing tools, send us an email, or give us a call +1 301.841.4700(US) | +44 (0)20 3004 9468(UK).

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