Constructive feedback from timeshare customers collected by AIRDA content team

May 2016

One of the areas we are looking at with renewed interest at AIRDA, is customer support and satisfaction. Getting closer to the customer is what we’re working towards in more ways than one - a lot can happen when we listen to the customer and understand his point of view.

Featured here is a partial compilation of feedback received from timeshare customers.  Some of these suggestions may already be implemented by AIRDA members at their resorts.

Here’s what customers had to say >

01: This may not always be possible, but can you have a customer relations person assigned to me? This would help in terms of clarifications, queries and assistance that we might need from time to time. A dedicated customer support person knows your transaction history, so you don’t have to explain things again and again – usually happens when a new person comes on the line on customer support.

02: Can you plan meaningful activities for elderly people? My parents, who are in their early seventies usually get left behind in the kind of pace that youngsters set in terms of outdoor activities. Something like meditation sessions, yoga, nature walks and visits to tourist or religious destinations can be considered.

03: Can you plan something constructive for young children between four years to nine, which is both entertaining and engaging? Not just running around the resort but something a little more educative and engaging. Little children usually have a lot of pent up energy that needs to be tapped into in an interesting manner – especially during a vacation.

04: A doctor on call who is actually available over weekends, for instance – not just to make house calls but take a session on the need for annual health checks, fitness routines, diet planning and regulation of activity. The doctor should also be available during unforeseen emergencies that may arise during a vacation – things can get tricky, if you can’t access a doctor in the middle of the night.

05: Rooms and facilities that are convenient for people in wheelchairs. Right now, very few resorts keep that in mind when they build a new facility, or renovate an existing facility. Being wheelchair friendly is an important step forward in opening your doors to the disabled. All rooms needn’t be disabled friendly – you could consider a couple of rooms at the ground floor that can be designed around the needs of people in wheel chairs.

06: Can you gift resort customers a calendar every year that can mark out high-traffic and low traffic seasons, along with indications of monsoon months? This can help customers plan their holiday bookings better. The calendar can also highlight dates when annual payments need to be made along with other charges. Part of this could be a note pad / jotter pad that customers can use to make notes on bookings, reminders, payments and useful phone numbers.

07: I have sometimes noticed that we fill in (or complete) at least two customer feedback forms during a vacation at our resort - usually at a restaurant, or at the end of our vacation, during check out. But we don’t get any communication after that to tell us what customer support is doing in relation to the feedback given by us. It’s always important to get back to a customer to tell him that an issue has been resolved in some way – or will not be an issue when the customer comes back.

08: I find that small details are often ignored at a resort. Insect-proofing inside rooms can sometimes make a big difference – especially at locations that are near lush forest lands. It will also be useful if we can get an email a week before we leave telling us about insect repellents that we could bring along. This will be extremely useful from a customer’s point of view – especially if they’re travelling with small children.

09: I wonder if resorts can have a more flexible policy on personal items left behind by customers. A personal request or email should help to release them, rather than the customer personally visiting the resort. On a side note, we heard from a friend that a customer support person actually went around the room before check-out looking for things that could be left behind. Things like mobiles, mobile chargers, children’s soft toys are are items that usually left behind.

10: My husband has a medical condition that requires a specially planned diet. Most chefs are helpful enough to sometimes comply with our requests, but it would be nice if the system could charge more and help out with diet requests, without making the customer feel they’re doing him one big favor.

This is part of an ongoing series of articles that gathers constructive feedback from customers, to be featured from time to time in the Views & Interviews section.