Socialising customer experience – the OpenTell way

This May, during InMoment’s Customer Experience Elevated 2016 European Conference, Andrew Dean, Customer Experience Manager at iNTERTAIN, will be sharing Walkabout’s story of ‘socialising’ the customer experience. In advance of the Conference, Andrew looks back over the past year, highlighting why iNTERTAIN decided to socialise its customer experience using OpenTell™.

“In the summer of 2015 we updated our customer listening programme, ‘Talkabout Walkabout’, to better inform the way the business interacts with customers, with the clear goal of dramatically increasing customer satisfaction and sales trends. As part of the update, we implemented InMoment’s OpenTell™. OpenTell™ allows verified customers to publish their feedback to a public review site, displaying a much more accurate, honest and timely view of the experience prospective customers can expect to have – far outstripping review sites such as TripAdvisor in timeliness, accuracy and voracity.

We decided to make the move to publishing all the feedback we receive through OpenTell because we felt existing review sites were no longer perceived to be entirely reliable and wholly transparent. We wanted to cut through the uncertainty, straight to the heart of how our customers felt about their experience.

Of course, it took some getting used to at first, as we were essentially sharing absolutely everything our customers say about us – the good, the bad and the ugly. However it’s vital to acknowledge that the volume and authenticity of comments have been essential in helping us connect with customers and make positive and evidence-based changes to our businesses at both a macro and micro level.

Using OpenTell™ has allowed customers to publish their comments via a neutral third party site to Walkabout’s current customer base and potential new customers. Moreover, because of the geo-targeted capability of Walkabout’s website this means that on each venue’s homepage (the landing page for any consumer), we can both invite guests to share feedback, and link them to the that location’s OpenTell page, which contains a rich source of customer ratings and detailed reviews.    

Regardless of whether customers choose to make their reviews public, we utilise all feedback internally to pinpoint exactly what creates great customer experiences and where there are opportunities to improve. We’re always striving to do more and better for our customers. Through the programme, we can make continual changes to the experience, and ensure they benefit both the business and its customers.

The volume and authenticity of comments we’ve received through Talkabout Walkabout and share through OpenTell have been essential in helping our venues connect with customers and provide them with the most accurate and timely view of the experiences they can expect at each location. And of course, we’re constantly re-evaluating and enhancing the programme, in partnership with InMoment, as business focuses and customer requirements change. For a business like ours, in a highly competitive market, it’s vital we don’t sit still and continue to respond to the changing needs of our customers.”

InMoment’s European Customer Experience Elevated 2016 conference takes place 11-12 May at Aston University Business School and will feature speakers from Zizzi, New Look and iNTERTAIN, as well as welcoming keynote speakers Joana van den Brink-Quintanilha (Forrester Research) and Dr. Laura Chamberlain (Aston University Business School).