Customer Care Superheroes in the Hospitality Industry
Interview Series with Renata Jardim
On this week’s post, we talked to Renata Jardim, a Marketing Assistant at PortoBay Hotels and Resorts — one of the best Hotel Chains in Portugal! This interview is part of the Customer Care Superheroes series brought to you by HiJiffy.
Our previous interviews:
Customer Care superheroes in the hospitality industry — A interview series with Marcio Bastos
Customer Care superheroes in the hospitality industry — A interview series with Sofia Freire
About Renata
Renata is from Madeira Island, Portugal. She has a degree in Journalism from the Faculty of Arts of Porto University. After returning to Madeira, Renata went through several professional experiences, until she was admitted to a professional internship in an e-commerce company. There, she had her first professional experience in Social Media. A few months later, a vacancy opened for the Marketing department of PortoBay and, guess what? She was the chosen one. Renata considers herself as an extrovert, helpful and friendly person, especially online! Here’s a fun fact: she has a twin sister, Bruna, who is smaller, blonder and, according to Renata, funnier. Gummies, chocolate and lasagna are some of her all-time favourite food and snacks! When it comes to leisure time, she enjoys reading, writing, Harry Potter and cats. She loves spending time on Youtube, Pinterest and 9GAG. And I almost forgot to mention her special superpower: she has a gif for every single situation!
About PortoBay Hotel & Resorts
The PortoBay Hotels & Resorts was the fruit of an idea: building hotels perfectly adapted to the demands of the market in terms of facilities, services and positioning.
The group’s growth has been based on choosing the best locations, both urban sites and resorts. The PortoBay group is a hotel chain comprising 12 hotels: 9 in Portugal (6 on the island of Madeira, 1 in the Algarve and 2 in Lisbon) and 3 in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Búzios and São Paulo), which among them have a total of 3050 beds in the 4-star and 5-star market.
We asked Renata about the importance of collecting guest’s data, customer support and automatization. Here are her answers for this week’s customer care superheroes series:
1. Can you explain some of the daily tasks of a Marketing Assistant?
Within the PortoBay Marketing department, I am part of the copy and social media team. My main function is the management of the PortoBay group’s social networks. Adding to that, I also produce content for the various online and offline communication channels. On a day-to-day basis, I am responsible for the preparation and management of content, advertisements, comments and all social profiles of PortoBay hotels and restaurants.
2. Can you describe some of your daily frustrations and challenges?
My job requires an almost permanent monitoring of everything that happens around our social networks. Due to the speed with which everything happens online, one of the main concerns I face is being able to give a timely response to all the requests and questions that arise. At the copywriting level, I challenge my creativity daily.
Due to the speed with which everything happens online, one of the main concerns I face is being able to give a timely response to all the requests and questions that arise.
3. Why did PortoBay choose HiJiffy? What problem were you trying to solve?
PortoBay met HiJiffy by chance in Lisbon at WebSummit in 2016. The product we were introduced at the time seemed innovative, practical and a possible solution to deal with the growth we faced in terms of messaging.
4. Can you describe your experience working with HiJiffy?
I have been in this partnership between HiJiffy and PortoBay practically from the beginning. One of PortoBay’s characteristics when it comes to choosing partners for projects is the fact that we make sure to know everything that is happening and to be critical and objective in what we want. HiJiffy has been open to suggestions from the start and concerned with meeting our needs. This dialogue and discussion of ideas between the two parties proved crucial for the development of the product and its adaptation to the reality of PortoBay. We value the work, knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit of HiJiffy, which results in a constant evolution in the service they provide us.
HiJiffy has been open to suggestions from the start and concerned with meeting our needs. This dialogue and discussion of ideas between the two parties proved crucial for the development of the product and its adaptation to the reality of PortoBay. We value the work, knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit of HiJiffy, which results in a constant evolution in the service they provide us.
5. What do you feel is the most effective way to build a long-lasting relationship with guests?
In my opinion, the most effective way to build a long-lasting relationship with guests is to provide an excellent service, be attentive to their needs and available whenever necessary. At PortoBay, we receive one in three customers with a “welcome back”, which reflects, in my opinion, the relationship of trust with our clients and the focus on their well-being.
6. Nowadays, personalization is key. Do you agree / Disagree? Why?
I agree. Personalization allows us to improve our service and customer experience!
7. In your opinion, what is the best way to collect and analyze data to customize guests’ stay? Why?
In my opinion, the best way is through a preference form, which aggregates feedback from the customer’s experience during the stay. Then, centralize all information relating to a customer profile on a single platform, so that it can be easily queried and analyzed. This allows you to get to know the customer and, consequently, direct personalized marketing campaigns. As important as adding information, is having the appropriate tools for analysis and processing of this data.
As important as adding information, is having the appropriate tools for analysis and processing of this data.
8. What are the most effective channels for customer care?
It’s important to be where our customers are. And our customers are increasingly on social networks and messaging apps, so of course, customer support on these channels is indispensable. Although many guests still use channels such as email or phone for customer support, instant messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp are always more appealing to those looking for a quick response to a problem.
It’s important to be where our customers are. And our customers are increasingly on social networks and messaging apps, so of course, customer support on these channels is indispensable…instant messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp are always more appealing to those looking for a quick response to a problem.
9. Why is multi-channel communication more important than ever?
Assuming that communication with our customers is a two-way street, it is important to assure to the customer that we are always available when and where he needs us to be. The confidence that a good customer support service conveys contributes greatly to the level of customer satisfaction.
NB: HiJiffy brings chat to the hospitality and travel industry, enabling customers to effectively connect with you through instant messaging apps.
