The smallest details can have the biggest impact – part 2

I woke up on my 3rd morning having slept like a log. I was still bleary-eyed when my morning meal arrived. Something was different immediately. There was more colour, more vibrancy, more…life. Two bright red sachets of sunshine shone back from the top of the dull grey box. There was a note on the box to “Serve hot”, and the 2 chilli sauce packets sat on top of the box like the cherry on top of my ice-cream sundae. Through the gloom of the early morning, a smile radiated across my weary morning face. It was like a ray of golden sunshine… and I thought to myself that these 14 days might not be so hard after all…

It may seem small, but the smallest details can have the biggest impact. How did the Hyatt go from getting it all wrong on day one to getting it oh-so-right on day three?

The big brain move here was the use of unstructured social media data to find and fix a problem before it blew up. Hyatt’s Social Media strategy lays out their plan to use social media engagements to drive business value for the company.

Recall: Unstructured data is information that does not have a pre-defined data model like images, free text, audio

One of the primary differentiators about the Hyatt approach is that they treat grumpy clients like me just as well as those saying nice things. Their aim is to reply and delight you, regardless of whether you’re singing their praises or running them into the gutter. The guiding principle behind this strategy helps them care for people as individuals.

The result delivers more personalized experiences, and often highly customized surprises and delights. They can respond to a tweet about their firm within 8 minutes. It’s genius. It ties together the culture and brand values of the Hyatt with 3rd party, unstructured data to deliver customised experiences that delight. The smallest details can have the biggest impact.

Link data to outcomes

In this case, Hyatt..

1. Merged unstructured data – my Facebook posts, with structured data about my stay
   • My Facebook account uses the same name as my check-in
2. I’d called out the Grand Hyatt by name in my comments – they knew I was staying in their hotel.
   • By taking unstructured customer complaint data
   • Matching it with hotel records for those serving quarantine
   • Then updating the data for the food and beverage team to know I want breakfast hot (both temperature and through liberal use of chilli pepper)
   • Hyatt’s team could solve a problem without me ever mentioning it to their staff directly.

By proactively delivering this personalised touch they reached out from being a faceless corporate firm trying to squeeze as much profit as possible and became a compassionate, understanding and thoughtful brand to work with.

“So what? What’s all this worth?”, you might ask.

Well, on day one of my experience, I was a detractor for the Hyatt Group. Not only was I unhappy about their service and food, but I was actively telling other people how bad it was. I was dragging their brand name through the gutter. I was not planning my next Hyatt hotel stay, I was planning my escape by jumping through the window and into the hotel pool below.

As it turns out, 23 cents worth of chilli sauce turned me from a detractor into a promoter. The likelihood of me staying with their brand again is 100%. The likelihood of you staying with their brand is probably higher too. 

Their “wow moment”, delivered through the use of social media data that does not belong to them and a data strategy that is aligned against their core beliefs and values is nudging up their NPS scores, one client at a time. No wonder they’re ranked 167 in global best brands, #20 in travel and hospitality, and occupy the #2 spot in their 4 closest competitors. If I was #1, I’d have one eye looking over my shoulder as they’re coming up fast. The smallest details can have the biggest impact.