Inside Hospitality

How @ihospitality & @37Signals help restaurants deliver a great guest experience.

Posted on 12. Aug, 2010 by Inside Hospitality in Daily Tip, Marketing

Below: Q&A with Gary Tripp, President of Inside Hospitality, about how his team uses Highrise.

What does your company/business do?
Inside Hospitality works with restaurant & hospitality organizations in all 50 states and in 30+ countries helping them deliver a better guest experience through focused mystery shopping, online reputation management, coaching, and other experience measurement solutions.

Why do you need Highrise?
At Inside Hospitality we talk to a lot of restaurant, hotels and bars on a daily basis and have been on a mission (obsession actually) of sorts for the last few years to find the perfect CRM. Every business needs to keep track of contacts, leads, deals, and who said what to whom. The problem is most CRM programs just don’t work. Well, they don’t work in the way we need them to. We have used everything on the market from Salesforce to Goldmine and other fly by night CRM solutions that have popped up on our radar over the years.

Most are over bloated with features that may be useful for Boeing or some other Fortune 500 company, but they are totally over kill for us.

What happened when we used the before mentioned solutions? They simply weren’t used. Complicated applications don’t get used. Simple solutions that just “work” will always be our choice and are embraced by everyone within our company.

We have employees in 6 states and 4 countries. We need something that just “works” the way we need it to. No more, no less.

We found Highrise about 6 months ago and never looked back. Finally, a CRM that just works the way we do and totally fits our needs. It’s like 37Signals tailor designed this application for us. What luck!

How do you use Highrise and why do you like it?
Highrise is our daily life line and keeps everyone in the company on the same page. It lets everyone know instantly what was said last, to whom and what needs to happen next.

We also love how all the company’s information as well as all contacts are all on the same page. Seriously, how could things be easier?

Read entire post on the 37 Signals website by clicking here!

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Today’s tip is brought to you by Inside Hospitality™, a comprehensive and innovative guest experience management and measurement company whose integrated suite of hospitality business solutions from restaurant focused mystery shopping to online reputation management achieves tangible results in the marketplace and is the choice for restaurant and hotels worldwide.

Contact us today and learn how Inside Hospitality™ can create a custom solution for your organization. We can be reached anytime @ (888) 260- 0380.

Click the “RingMe” button and we’ll call you back within 1 minute.

Choosing A Mystery Shopping Partner Isn’t Difficult. – Daily Tip for Friday Aug. 6th.

Posted on 06. Aug, 2010 by Inside Hospitality in Daily Tip, Inside Hospitality

Today’s Tip: Don’t fret. It isn’t that difficult to choose a mystery shopping company.

One of our favorite topics to discuss is mystery shopping. A few years ago we started Inside Hospitality as a restaurant, bar & hotel focused mystery shopping company. Over the years we have diversified into many different aspects of guest experience measurement and have led the industry with some pretty incredible and innovative solutions.

We feel that mystery shopping is one of the most basic and essential elements any operation can utilize to measure elements of the guest experience. Do a Google search for “restaurant mystery shopping” and you will find thousands upon thousands of service providers.

There is nothing wrong with the majority of the mystery shopping companies operating today, except for the fact that they are not hospitality focused. Many companies that evaluate restaurants and bars also evaluate car washes, dollar stores and grocery stores.

Is that who you want evaluating your systems and procedures, a company that also works with gas stations? We didn’t think so. Why would you?

Mystery shopping companies are only as good as their leadership and industry knowledge. Our Mystery Shopping programs have a presence in all 50 states and on all 7 continents.

Bottom line, if you are currently using or thinking of using a mystery shopping/secret shopping/spotter company (whatever you want to call it) you and your business owe it to yourself to talk with us first. The hospitality sector is ALL we do.

Contact us today for a conversation on what we can do for your business.

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Today’s tip is brought to you by Inside Hospitality™, a comprehensive and innovative guest experience management and measurement company whose integrated suite of hospitality business solutions from restaurant focused mystery shopping to online reputation management achieves tangible results in the marketplace and is the choice for restaurant and hotels worldwide.

Contact us today and learn how Inside Hospitality™ can create a custom solution for your organization. We can be reached anytime @ (888) 260- 0380.

Click the “RingMe” button and we’ll call you back within 1 minute.

The Ritz-Carlton Mission Statement – Daily Tip for Thursday Aug. 5th

Posted on 05. Aug, 2010 by Inside Hospitality in Daily Tip

Today’s Tip: Does your team all believe in the same end goal of delivering an amazing experience?

Does your company have a mission statement that is crystal clear and actually means something to the entire operation from the GM to the dishwasher? One of the organizations we admire most is Ritz-Carlton. The following is their mission statement and each team member carries a card in their pocket that outlines why they are there. To serve.

“We are Ladies and Gentlemen, serving Ladies and Gentlemen.”

“I build strong relationships and create Ritz-Carlton guests for life. I am always responsive to the expressed and unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests. I am empowered to create unique, memorable and personal experiences for our guests. I continuously seek opportunities to innovate and improve The Ritz-Carlton experience. I own and immediately resolve guest problems. I create a work environment of teamwork and lateral service so that the needs of our guests and each other are met.

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Today’s tip is brought to you by Inside Hospitality™, a comprehensive and innovative guest experience management and measurement company whose integrated suite of hospitality business solutions from restaurant focused mystery shopping to online reputation management achieves tangible results in the marketplace and is the choice for restaurant and hotels worldwide.

Contact us today and learn how Inside Hospitality™ can create a custom solution for your organization. We can be reached anytime @ (888) 260- 0380.

Click the “RingMe” button and we’ll call you back within 1 minute.

Put them on hold, you have guests at the door. – Daily Tip for Tuesday August 3rd.

Posted on 03. Aug, 2010 by Inside Hospitality in Daily Tip

Today’s Tip: Put the phone on hold. You have guests at your door.

Always take care of the guests who are in front of you. Put the call on hold. (but ask them first- and wait for an answer.)

How many times have you walked into a restaurant only to find the host/hostess on a call and not pause a moment to acknowledge you in the least. Way to often.

• The table rotation or cover count can wait.
• The menu cleaning can wait.
• The conversation with other hosts, servers, managers, can wait.
• The phone call can wait.
• The guest at your door should not have to wait.

Take care of the guests in front of you. It’s basic service.

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Today’s tip is brought to you by Inside Hospitality™, a comprehensive and innovative guest experience management and measurement company whose integrated suite of hospitality business solutions from restaurant focused mystery shopping to online reputation management achieves tangible results in the marketplace and is the choice for restaurant and hotels worldwide.

Contact us today and learn how Inside Hospitality™ can create a custom solution for your organization. We can be reached anytime @ (888) 260- 0380.

Click the “RingMe” button and we’ll call you back within 1 minute.

Jack of all trades. Master of none.- inside Inside Hospitality

Posted on 30. Jul, 2010 by Inside Hospitality in Daily Tip

There seem to be a lot of “gurus” popping up everywhere nowadays.  Having specialized knowledge can be a really powerful advantage when it is applied to the right situation.

In the mystery shopping world there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of companies that want to be the “solution of choice” to everyone. We don’t really understand that. How can you be an expert in restaurant, hotels, gas stations, supermarkets, and financial institutions? You can’t be. No one can be a master of each and every domain. Stick with what you know, where your passion lies and success will be yours.

We often get calls from other industries asking if our solutions would work for their business. Service is service. Guest experience is guest experience. Absolutely they will work.

But will we work with them? Absolutely not. There are many other good companies  that can assist your operation. We’re not the company for you.

We stick with what we know best which is the hospitality sector.

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Today’s tip is brought to you by Inside Hospitality™, a comprehensive and innovative guest experience management and measurement company whose integrated suite of hospitality business solutions from restaurant focused mystery shopping to online reputation management achieves tangible results in the marketplace and is the choice for restaurant and hotels worldwide.

Contact us today and learn how Inside Hospitality™ can create a custom solution for your organization. We can be reached anytime @ (888) 260- 0380.

Click the “RingMe” button and we’ll call you back within 1 minute.

Would you be your own customer or guest? – Daily Tip for July 29th.

Posted on 29. Jul, 2010 by Inside Hospitality in Blog, Daily Tip

Today’s Tip: If you don’t believe in it, don’t sell or serve it.

We believe in building the type of company that we would want to work with. That’s how we determine what services we focus on.

If we wouldn’t use our services and pay for them ourself, then we wouldn’t introduce it and bring it to market.

Why would we? If it’s not great and we don’t believe in it 110%, it dies in its tracks. How can you expect some else to use and pay for your services, if you would not yourself?

Way too many restaurants and hotels (and tons of other businesses) ask guests or customers to pay/use something that they themselves don’t really believe in.

Would you pay for the experience you are asking others to pay for? Would you stay at your hotel with your family on your vacation or take your mom to your restaurant for her birthday?

If the answer is no, you really need to stop and reevaluate what your offerings consist of and get them inline with what you believe in.

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Today’s tip is brought to you by Inside Hospitality™, a comprehensive and innovative guest experience management and measurement company whose integrated suite of hospitality business solutions from restaurant focused mystery shopping to online reputation management achieves tangible results in the marketplace and is the choice for restaurant and hotels worldwide.

Contact us today and learn how Inside Hospitality™ can create a custom solution for your organization. We can be reached anytime @ (888) 260- 0380.

Click the “RingMe” button and we’ll call you back within 1 minute.

Study shows guests care about service. Wow, no kidding. – Daily Tip for July 28th.

Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Inside Hospitality in Daily Tip, Marketing

Today’s Tip: Guests Will Pay More for Great Service.

It’s no great secret that consumers these days expect great customer service. Fortunately, they are willing to pay a premium for it, according to the American Express Global Customer Service Barometer, a survey conducted recently in the U.S. and 11 other countries.

A majority of the 1,000 Americans surveyed (61%) agreed that quality customer service is more important to them in today’s economic environment. Those polled added that they would be willing to spend an average of 9 percent more with a firm that provides excellent service.

Ironically, many businesses seem a little clueless about service. About a third of the respondents say they think companies have increased their focus on good service in recent years, but more than half—55 percent—say things have not changed or have actually gotten worse with the economy.

“Customers want and expect superior service,” says Jim Bush, executive v.p. for American Express World Service. “Especially in this tight economic environment, consumers are focused on getting good value for their money….It’s important to see customer service as an investment, not a cost.”

The study also found that, contrary to popular wisdom, customers who have a good experience are more likely to share their experience than those who have a bad one (75% vs. 59%).

Restaurant operators should be especially mindful of one additional finding from the study: Nearly half of the respondents said they use the web to research a company’s customer service reputation, and they put greater weight on the complaints than the kudos (57% vs. 48%, respectively).

“The Internet has made service quality more transparent than ever before,” Bush observes. “Because consumers can broadcast their views so widely online, each and every service interaction a company has with its customers becomes even more crucial.”

Read full post on Restaurant-Hospitality by clicking here!

Next in line: Young restauranteurs in St. Louis

Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by Inside Hospitality in Industry News, Inside Hospitality

Running  some of St. Louis’ most popular restaurants.

When you are running a restaurant, you truly participate in every role from chef to cleaning staff. Learn how seven restauranteurs are running their restaurants and why they think St. Louis is a great town to set up shop. We interview these young professionals who are ready to take on the family business, run the restaurant from the kitchen and others who started the business from scratch.

Read full article from St. Louis Metromix by clicking here!

No, your restaurant doesn’t need a Facebook page-Daily Tip for Tuesday July 27th.

Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by Inside Hospitality in Daily Tip, Social Media

Today’s Tip: Guests… can you hear me now?

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years, you know how the social media landscape is revolutionizing the restaurant and hospitality business. Never before have operators, managers and owners been able to engage directly with guests and potential guests with the click of the mouse.

We have heard people say that every restaurant and hotel needs to have a Facebook, Twitter or some kind of social media  presence. That’s crazy, no they don’t!

Why you may ask?

You need to be where your guest’s eyeballs are. If your guest demographic is a Yellow Book reading bunch, then having a slick Facebook fan site is a collassial waste of time.

That’s not where your guest’s eyeballs are.

Posting your daily specials on Twitter is swell (actually, we think it’s  an old transaction based tactic that doesn’t work.) But, if that is where your guest’s eyeballs are and how they want to be engaged with, that is where you need to be.

You need to ask. You need to listen. You need to react. You simply need to be where your guests are.

If your guests are on Facebook, FourSquare or the next 2.0 social media sensation that’s currently being built in a college dorm room, then that’s where you need to be.

Or you can take a shot gun approach and water down your message and hope to reach someone, by trying to be everywhere.

The choice is yours. Ask or guess. You can’t be everywhere and hit the target. You need to be where your guest’s are. Not where this weeks social media guru says you need to be.

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Today’s tip is brought to you by Inside Hospitality™, a comprehensive and innovative guest experience management and measurement company whose integrated suite of hospitality business solutions from restaurant focused mystery shopping to online reputation management achieves tangible results in the marketplace and is the choice for restaurant and hotels worldwide.

Contact us today and learn how Inside Hospitality™ can create a custom solution for your organization. We can be reached anytime @ (888) 260- 0380.

Click the “RingMe” button and we’ll call you back within 1 minute.

Introducing our latest Guest Experience Measurement Solution | ClubAudit.com™

Posted on 25. Jul, 2010 by Inside Hospitality in Industry News, Inside Hospitality

One size fits all solutions don’t work. Every segment in the hospitality industry deserves it’s own solution. Our club solution is ClubAudit™

We are excited to officially announce today our latest guest experience measurement solution, ClubAudit™.

ClubAudit™, the industries first and only club focused mystery shopping guest feedback measurement program.

ClubAudit™, our industry-leading evaluators focus on the most important elements of your business – service, entertainment and cost control. Our reports are threefold; they ensure that your guests are being treated well, that they are entertained, and that your staff isn’t stealing money.

Truly outstanding guest service, hospitality and bartender integrity are keys to success in any bar. Using ClubAudit™ is the unique way to measure the guest experience, drink pouring, cash handling, suggestive selling and of course, ringing of all drinks and bartender ethics.

Click here to learn more about ClubAudit.com™