Do we understand the customer?
As Edward de Bono explains in his books we communicate through codes. The tendency of man is to save on communication and nothing better to do this than using codes that define more complex units.
Human language is an example of the use of codes, the signifiers are only representations diagrams of meanings more or less complex. When we ask for a coffee with milk, we know that this involves a process of preparation described in the signifier.
We tell each way, sending the other codes, which in turn bring us back full of meaning codes. These codes, this wealth of information, sometimes it is compressed in the form of models, which carry the particular part. The creation and use of codes and models, despite receiving the influence of the group, the tribe has built a substantial degree of personal intimacy. Each person creates their own codes in transmitting the communication process. Usually these are so similar that there are no communication problems, but if that difference creates communication differences?
When a customer arrives at a hotel and saw a license plate as the hotel, hotel is conveying that meets a set of parameters for which can be considered to offer a service and enjoy a quality environment. The problem is that possibly this code, that define various meanings of significant quality. Are we sure that the client understands quality like us? Very possibly we will be incurring a communication by the fact that we do not use the same codes.
The industry has a very clear distinction between the sun and beach hotels and city hotels, but we are sure that the client has that distinction clear? Suppose a traveler is going to Bali, staying in a hotel and enjoy every day of the Kuta beach, a typical sun and beach tourism. The following month change in Lombok and will behave in the same destination in Bali. It is a typical tourist beach and sun, but hotels are not the same in Bali and Lombok, are distinct concepts. Are we sure that the client knows that the differentiation is the destinations? Why has to accept different levels of service if he has enjoyed the same experience in vacation destination?
The new tourism customer is increasingly asking that their codes are valid to interpret a meaning, is demanding that the hotel manager of the destination, the worker is closer to its vision of the tourist experience and make it yours. The problem is that everyone has own code and sometimes the changes are indeed significant. Can we respond to this?
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June 18th, 2009 - 14:27
Hey, great post, very well written. You should write more about this.