South Africa’s tourism industry is enjoying a better-than-expected post-Covid recovery, but the country’s customer service is letting it down.
While tourist reviews are often positive about what the country has to offer, the way we service these guests is our downfall.
“When you look on review sites such as Tripadvisor, LekkeSlaap, Booking.com, Afristay and others, poor customer service is our Achilles heel,” says Nathalie Schooling, chief executive of leading customer experience agency nlightencx.
“As a country we have so many good things to offer visitors, but we frequently fall down on basic customer service.”
With spending by international arrivals more than doubling versus the same time last year, the country’s tourism industry must put in place long-term fundamentals if it does not want the short-term recovery to be derailed by toughening global economic conditions, increasing competition from other destinations, and internal challenges such as load shedding.
These, she says, should include:
- increased on-the-job training for tourism industry workers
- better opportunities for formal qualifications in tourism
- an acknowledgement that an ‘inside-out’ approach is what’s needed to enhance the overall SA tourism product
- a change in mindset that regards tourism-industry employment as low-paying ‘McJobs’.
Abundant wildlife, beautiful scenery, and clever destination marketing are not, in themselves, sufficient to ensure long-term tourism success. This is why customer experience is so important to South Africa’s tourism industry.
“Customers may put up with bad service out of necessity in some industries, but in tourism, their spend is discretionary and they expect to be looked after – especially when it comes to business travellers – so they will quickly take their money elsewhere. And they will tell many others through word-of-mouth and online reviews,” Schooling says.
“Having one visitor once is not a good strategy; the most cost-effective business is repeat business, and you need those satisfied customers to amplify your brand and your marketing efforts.”
And it’s not all about price. A study published in July 2023 in the American Marketing Association’s Journal of Marketing shows that, in the hotel industry, for example, pricing and positive online reviews from guests are the two most important drivers of business.
“If you can balance both, you have a winning formula.”
In the local airline industry, she says, there’s a school of thought that it’s all about the price of a seat. And although this is, of course, important for local leisure travellers, if price is the only point of difference, when a competitor matches or beats that price then an airline have nothing else to offer.
“Better to be an Airlink and have a superior on-time record versus your bigger competitors, or a LIFT airline that offers better customer service. A good experience will be remembered long after the cost of the flight is forgotten.”
Training and motivating tourism employees
Schooling says the same principle applies to all tourism products, and for this reason it’s important even for budget-focused operators to spend time and money on staff training – whether this is on-the-job or in specialist training environments such as colleges and technikons.
It’s also essential to reward employees appropriately and create a supportive environment where they feel valued and can progress in their workplace.
“Too often, tourism jobs in South Africa are not seen as career paths and are mere ‘fill-ins’ until something offering better pay and opportunities comes along.
“Demotivated employees give bad service. Bad service devalues your product. Even budget customers have a right to expect friendly and efficient service, as well as effective product delivery,” observes Schooling.
Making South Africa tourist-friendly
Motivating all role-players in the wider South African tourism environment – including the general public and those working in transport, retail, government, law enforcement, and border control, should be a key part of making the country more tourist-friendly. Thus, she was “pleased to hear” that Toni Gumede, manager in the office of the chief executive of Brand South Africa, had told an international marketing conference in early September that tourism branding should be ‘inside out’, with a focus on achieving buy-in from people and businesses within the country. If local people are not happy with their tourism product, then you have already lost half the battle, he say.
Schooling adds: “It’s music to my ears. South Africa is a brand, and each region is a brand. The people living there are a part of that brand, even if they don’t work directly in tourism, because they interact with visitors regularly in some way. So they need to be made aware of the importance of tourists to the country – and the critical role that they can play, even if it’s just a ‘hello’ and a smile or a wave.”
IOL Business