Planner Input, Better Meetings Result from New Technology
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Frances Moad
(816) 506-0037 (m)
E-Mail: Pressroom@nkycvb.com | www.nkycvb.com
Planner Input, Better Meetings Result from New Technology
Covington, KY/September 13, 2004-A new customer feedback survey engineered by a Kansas company is helping the Northern Kentucky Convention & Visitors Bureau and other CVBs around the country to gain better information from planners in less time which should improve the overall quality of meetings.
The software, called E-Auto Feedback, is the creation of William J. Myers CAE, CMP. For more than two decades, Myers was Vice President of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He says ordinary paper meeting planner surveys take as long as 15-20 minutes to complete. His online survey takes 4-5 minutes. Customers who use his software report an average response rate of 35 percent. Some experience a 60-70 response percentage. This compares favorably to the national response rate for electronic surveys of between 4-8 percent.
“Traditionally, CVBs are great at sales and service, but tend not to place enough emphasis on collecting post-event feedback. This software allows CVBs to produce reports, avoid the hassle of tabulation and deal with problems quickly. For instance, if a problem arises at a particular hotel, the CVB executive can sit down with a general manager to address issues, using the customer feedback as a focus for discussion.
“The system places a high priority on identifying customer feedback in a way that allows the CVB to improve the environment for the benefit of the planner, those attending meetings and the convention and hotel industries,” said Myers.
Northern Kentucky CVB Convention Services Director Marie Fuehner (FEE-nur) says while her Bureau has a much higher response rate for their evaluations, this new technology provides value to planners by the reduced time needed to complete the questionnaire online.
“We are constantly looking for ways to add value for planners. We are also equally concerned about discovering ways in which we surpassed or failed to meet expectations of the groups we hosted. The tool that Bill Myers provides will help us achieve these objectives.”
Myers sites figures that listed 78 convention centers being built or renovated in 2003 with the actual number of meetings and space booked actually declining. He says Bureaus that are successful in this increasingly competitive environment are those that provide the extra effort in meeting their client needs while carefully defining their expectations.
Myers concluded by saying that the immediate feedback provided by the system will help diffuse potentially damaging situations between planners and Bureaus. “I teach a class on customer service at a local college. Studies indicates 95 percent of the customers who become angry will do business with you again if you do nothing more than listen and respond to their concerns even if the complaint isn’t resolved to their satisfaction.”
Additional Interview Sources
William J. Myers, Newsday Communications
913-327-8933, email: myers@eautobfeedback.com
(additional CVB clients)
Diana Pfaff
Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau
972-252-7476, email: dpfaff@ci.irving.tx.us
Nancy Milton
St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commision
314-992-0651, email: nmilton@explorestlouis.com