As a vacation destination, Baha Bay heavily focuses on customer satisfaction, and the facility collects feedback and makes improvements as needed.
The waterpark, which is tied to a resort, is different from a neighborhood waterpark or aquatics center because patrons aren’t regulars — most are there for vacation. If they don’t enjoy the visit, they’re more likely to be upset.
For the relatively new facility, which opened in 2021, managers seek to stay ahead of any dissatisfaction by paying close attention to reviews and survey feedback, making improvements as they go, says Melissa Lockwood, general manager of the resort.
Gathering feedback
An automated survey system emails guests who booked online, asking them to complete a survey after their visit. They also are prompted to leave a TripAdvisor review, both in the email in through a QR code at the entrance.
Lockwood receives a daily email with new reviews and surveys, which also are made accessible to the guest services manager and marketing personnel.
“If there’s room for improvement somewhere, we address that directly with that department and have them come up with an action plan,” Lockwood says.
TripAdvisor also sends weekly summaries showing if the facility has gone up or down in the rankings. Baha Bay uses this as a tool to measure customer satisfaction.
“It’s been really helpful because the bulk of our feedback is positive, and we’re able to recognize associates that contribute to that,” Lockwood says.
As an incentive for employees to solicit reviews, management started a friendly competition among guest service teams to see who can get mentioned the most on TripAdvisor.
Responsive approach
When reviewing the feedback, management finds that people most often get frustrated if they receive incorrect information, or feel their concerns aren’t taken seriously.
To ensure customers feel heard, Baha Bay’s receptionist regularly responds to TripAdvisor feedback and Google reviews, both positive and negative. “If it’s a negative comment, we address that just to make sure we’re ... letting them know we take their concerns seriously,” Lockwood says.
Sometimes the issue is related to incorrect online information that one guest got from another. In that case, the Baha Bay team leaves a comment with a polite correction.
As Lockwood sees it, follow-through is also key to guest satisfaction. Doing something like giving out a comp ticket for a free return after a negative experience can go a long way toward making people feel heard.
In 2022, Baha Bay added another layer to its customer satisfaction approach — mystery shoppers. These unannounced visitors evaluate their experience based on a provided list of standards. This happens once each quarter. With two visits under its belt, Baha Bay has scored over 95% and 90%, respectively.
