What comes to mind when you hear “Customer Experience”? You’re probably thinking about what people feel while using your service, right? Well… not quite. That’s only one piece of the puzzle. There’s so much more to it that many owners and leaders in hospitality businesses overlook.
Customer experience is not one thing; like the chair standing on four feet, it has four different phases.
The 4 phases of Customer Experience:
- The Dreaming Phase
- The Planning Phase
- The Experience
- The Sharing Phase
Let’s dive into each of these phases and show how we can improve every step of the journey to create loyal customers.
The Dreaming Phase
This is where the customer experience begins—before they even know they’re going to need our services. At this stage, potential customers are living their lives: browsing the internet, scrolling social media, seeing ads, and consuming content.
They’re not actively looking for us (or anything)… yet. But if we do this right, we can plant a seed.
What we need to do here:
- Create content that inspires and connects with our ideal audience.
- Use high-quality photos or videos to show the essence of what we offer. Think about what sets us apart—a plate of beautifully presented food, a sunset view from our hotel, or behind-the-scenes footage of our catering team in action.
- Run targeted ads to reach the people we want as customers—whether they’re locals in our region or tourists planning a trip to our area.
A simple example: A winery could post a reel of a family clinking glasses on a sunny afternoon. It’s not just selling wine—it’s selling the idea of a relaxing, memorable experience. We are all familiar with this type of content; we see it daily on social media.
The Planning Phase
This is the moment when potential customers shift from dreaming to action. They’re planning a trip, booking a dinner, or looking for a catering service. They’re weighing their options and checking what’s out there.
The question is at this point: do they remember us to check out our offerings?
What we need to do here:
- Make sure we’re easy to find. Our Google Business Profile, website, and social media should all be optimised according to our directions, strategy or business goals.
- Present our offers clearly. Show our value upfront—whether it’s an irresistible menu, a special package deal, or customer reviews from satisfied people.
- Build trust through consistency. If people saw us in the dreaming phase, we want them to feel confident booking with us here.
Example: A boutique B&B posts “Stay 2 Nights, Get 1 Free” on Instagram with a link to their website. When viewers in the planning phase see this, they remember the content from before and perhaps choose us to make a booking.
The Experience Phase
This is the phase most of us focus on—the time when our customers are actually using our service. It’s the dining experience, the hotel stay, or the catered event.
And here is the point where we need to shine.
What we need to do here:
- Deliver on every promise we’ve made. If we said we offer a “cosy and quiet stay,” our rooms better be clean, quiet, and inviting.
- Pay attention to the details. A complimentary coffee, a handwritten welcome note, a “How may I help you?” question, or an extra smile can leave a lasting impression.
- Stay consistent. Every customer should feel welcomed, whether they’re visiting us for the first or fiftieth time.
Example: A restaurant offers freshly baked complimentary bread rolls with butter and olive oil before dining. It’s a small touch but elevates the customer’s experience and sets them apart from competitors.
The Sharing Phase
This is the most overlooked phase, but it’s just as important as the others. What happens after the experience is as critical as what happens before and during it.
The sharing phase has two parts:
What we do: Follow up. Collect reviews. Build an email list. Keep the connection alive.
What customers do: Share their experience with others—through word of mouth, photos, reviews, or social media posts.
What we need to do here:
- Work on a strategy to follow-up with your customers who experienced your place. Send a quick thank-you email or message. Ask how their experience was and encourage them to leave a review.
- Wow-effect: work on a strategy to create moments worth sharing during the experience phase. If we wow them, they’ll tell others about us—without us even asking.
Example: A motel, a few days following the stay, emails guests with a friendly message: “We hope you loved your stay! We’d love to hear your thoughts.” All this is set up to run automated.
How we can improve the entire journey
To truly level up, we need to see customer experience as a full-circle journey (please see the image) that is scalable as it is compounding with every person sharing their experience drawing in even more people – this is the power of customer generated content.
Ways to improve:
– Inspire in the dreaming phase: Be present online with inspiring posts and ads.
– Make it easy in the planning phase: Ensure we’re visible, clear, and trustworthy.
– Deliver during the experience phase: Exceed expectations and create memorable moments.
– Engage in the sharing phase: Follow up and encourage reviews while letting the experience speak for itself.
When we master all four phases, we don’t just gain customers—we create raving fans that will generate us even more customers.
Conclusion
Customer experience isn’t just about what happens when someone walks through our doors or uses our service. It’s a journey that begins long before we meet them and continues well after they leave. If we can understand and nurture each of these four phases—dreaming, planning, experience, and sharing—we can create not just satisfied customers but loyal advocates for our business.
Let’s not just focus on what happens at the moment but take control of the entire journey I laid out here. That’s how we build trust, stand out, and thrive in the hospitality industry.
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I am Shopi.
I provide no B.S. marketing & design for Hospitality Businesses.
