{"id":13060,"date":"2014-10-03T12:36:44","date_gmt":"2014-10-03T11:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beyondphilosophy.com\/?p=13060"},"modified":"2019-08-14T03:19:22","modified_gmt":"2019-08-14T07:19:22","slug":"3-steps-becoming-1-trip-advisor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondphilosophy.com\/3-steps-becoming-1-trip-advisor\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Steps to Becoming #1 on Trip Advisor"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Royal Yacht Britannia<\/a> is the number one attraction on TripAdvisor in the UK. I have been fortunate enough to know and work with their Chief Executive Bob Downie for a number of years, and Bob will tell you that receiving this accolade wasn\u2019t their goal. In a recent conversation with me, Bob explained \u201cIt wasn\u2019t an objective to become number one on TripAdvisor. The objective was to be the very best we could be, and along the way we received these awards because of the consistent quality of what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As their website says, the Royal Yacht Britannia experience is designed to tell visitors about the unique Ambassadorial role played across the World by The Queen\u2019s former floating Palace. In doing so, the Royal Yacht Britannia team has thought through every aspect of the visit to create an excellent Customer Experience<\/a>. Downie explained that this was the result of recognising that Customer Service is only the final action in what has to be a much more strategic focus on the whole Customer Experience.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t get all the right things right; the front door reception, the online experience, the process and procedures, the music, the lighting, the smell or whatever\u2026if you don\u2019t get these things right, then what chance has the person who is serving the coffee got to deliver a great experience?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Leadership Must Invest in Customer Experience\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

What Bob wouldn\u2019t say, but I will say for him is that Bob is a great leader. His attitude and enthusiasm for the Customer is contagious and I have loved working with him, as he has been like a sponge soaking up all the knowledge. Also, Bob has done one critical thing that most CEO\u2019s don\u2019t. He has supported it with his actions.<\/p>\n

Downie is committed to the idea that leadership is key for having an excellent Customer Experience. He believes that his job is to direct, lead, coach, drive the breakdown truck and then coach again. Most of all, his leadership and emphasis on Customer Experience is the key to its success. Downie said that if he doesn\u2019t put the Customer first, why should anybody else?<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI cannot delegate the vital importance of the Customer Experience to someone else. As Chief executive of this organization it has to drive me,\u201d he said. In my view, this is critical and sorely lacking in many organizations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Downie said that many times when you are running a business; it\u2019s easy to get a proprietor\u2019s attitude that, \u201cIt\u2019s my business, and I\u2019ll run it the way I want to!\u201d Running it your way is a short sighted approach, however, because it doesn\u2019t take into account what the Customer wants. It\u2019s critical to make sure that you run your business the way Customers would like you to have it run.<\/p>\n

Their focus on these details has resulted in their ranking on TripAdvisor and excellent revenue. They are self-sustaining organization currently expanding into new projects and attractions, as well as investing in a new vessel that will be a floating hotel.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMost things seem to get measured in the revenue sense. \u00a0On that scale, we are incredibly successful. We don\u2019t get revenue from anywhere else. We generate all our own income. It enables us to expand, to develop new projects, to purchase things that make it better for our Customers. For example our Audio Tour is available in 27 different languages\u201d he said. \u201cSo the proof is in the pudding, in that we are successful because we focused on our Customer Experience. We aren\u2019t driven by the financial side of it; we are driven by the Customer side of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0The Process that Made Royal Yacht Britannia Successful<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Downie is the first to tell you that creating an excellent Customer Experience is a never ending process. He admits that their present success took much hard work over many years. Some of the important points he thinks helped them arrive where they are today include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    A Winning Mindset. Downie compared the team\u2019s efforts to his Rugby days. From a sporting context, an organization can decide they are going to take part or try to win. When you decide to address the customer experience, he explained, it\u2019s important to commit to it, no matter what it takes. We would call this the customer centricity<\/a> of the organization.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \n
    1. \n

      Individual development. One way that the Royal Yacht Britannia approached their experience was to help each person at being the best at whatever they do for the organization. Downie refers to this as \u201cconscious competence,\u201d which means that if everyone is fully competent throughout the business, you can relax and perform at a better level. I agree and believe this is about another critical factor to creating a great Customer Experience, Employee Engagement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \n
      1. \n

        Remembering the little things. Downie describes a commitment from the team to improve all the little bits consistently. As he said, \u201cWe have always striven to see everything through our Customer\u2019s eyes and deliver the kinds of Customer Experiences that they would like to receive.\u201d We would call this the Subconscious and Psychological Experience, two important factors in Consumer Psychology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \n

        \u00a0\u201cAnd you know, it seems to work,\u201d he said, chuckling.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

        Good Customer Experience Starts at Recruitment<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Another area that Downie thinks contributes to delivering a great Customer Experience is recruitment. Starting with the interview, they are committed to finding people that fit the culture they are trying to create. Professional ability is important, of course, but after that, attitude and personality are things they look for in new members for the team. Downie said that as the team gets better and better, it\u2019s more difficult to improve, so that makes the pass mark at recruitment much higher.<\/p>\n

        Once the recruits join the team, however, training is essential. Downie has high expectations of his team, from managers on down. He expects his managers to work extremely hard to make sure that the systems and procedures are in place to enable the experience to be excellent.<\/p>\n

        \u201cYou get the right people, and you train them to do the right things at the right time and in the right way,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt sounds so simple but that\u2019s what it breaks down to.\u201d<\/p>\n

        Downie says they are in the recommendation business. He teaches his staff that it\u2019s everyone\u2019s job to maximize recommendations. The attraction isn’t necessarily one that visitors would come back to repeatedly, so they need good recommendations to attract new customers.<\/p>\n

        \u201cIn the old days it was word of mouth, obviously with the Internet today its world of mouth. So we work really hard to make sure that everyone has a good time, so they recommend us to others to spend their time and money here.\u201d<\/p>\n

        \u00a0\u201cThe late, great Stephen Covey said that your greatest asset is the quality of the relationships you have with your Customers,\u201d said Downie who strongly believes in this philosophy. \u201cYears ago I heard an ice cream van chap interviewed on the radio and he said, \u2018If you look after your Customers then they look after you.\u2019 That\u2019s what it\u2019s all about. If you look after your Customers, then they will look after you.\u201d<\/p>\n

        I couldn\u2019t agree more. Downie and his team at the Royal Yacht Britannia are a great example of how putting the Customer first can propel your organization to top marks, leagues ahead of the competition, and with plenty of revenue to invest in continuous improvements. If you want to learn more about Royal Yacht Britannia\u2019s journey to Trip Advisors #1 Attraction for the UK, tune into our webinar, \u201cHow to Become TripAdvisor\u2019s No.1 UK Attraction<\/a>\u201d on Thursday, October 30th 2014.<\/p>\n

        Oh and if you are in Edinburgh, please make sure that you visit the Royal Yacht Britannia<\/a>. I am sure you\u2019ll have a great time!<\/p>\n

        If you enjoyed this post, you might be interested in the following blogs:<\/p>\n