Your secret brand buddy

So what comes next? Probably a more individual approach. One that remembers that we are more than just a number on a data base. No one's collecting cigarette coupons or S&H Green Stamps any more.

I recently visited a remote island deep in the heart of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. There's only one hotel on the island. It's a Four Seasons Resort. Nothing special about that, you might say. But what is special about the Four Seasons Hotel group is their guest service program - or loyalty program - it's invisible.

While you're checking in, your buddy is checking you out. The Four Seasons 'Buddy Program'. Your buddy can be anyone designated from the team of hotel employees - from food and beverage to reception. They quietly work behind the scenes to ensure that your every need is taken care of - without you even being aware of them. In fact no guest would be told about their secret buddy, but they're there focusing on your comfort.

The Secret Buddy program was born out of research which showed that the biggest barrier between guests and hotel management is the language they use. Particularly in the case of complaints. The Four Seasons prefers to call these glitches. Language barriers between guests and staff can further inflame a problem, and so buddies are primarily selected by nationality. Failing that they are matched by areas of interest.

Every morning each team at the Four Seasons is briefed and de-briefed on the buddy situation. So if you like your meal extra spicy, or prefer your Coke without ice, the information is spread systematically across the hotel staff. Instead of relying on a data base, the information is humanized and spread around those providing service by word of mouth.

The program gets smarter. Unlike other loyalty programs which seek to tie up consumers by offering discounts and rebates, this program attempts to predict and thus pre-empt glitches. I can be quite selective about the room I like to stay in during my vacation.

Unfortunately in this instance the hotel was booked up and so my room with the view of my choice was not available. I decided to go anyway and never gave the matter another thought. But the buddy program did. The fact that they were unable to process my request, they decided to eliminate any possible complaint and so upon arrival I was unexpectedly upgraded to a superior room. You can be sure that I never complained.

Staff is expected to report each complaint, even each potential complaint to the buddy. Within 24 hours all relevant staff members would be aware of the problem, and all are focused on addressing future concerns arising out of the glitch. It's not hard to imagine a chain effect of glitches in a situation where other staff members are not aware of the problem.

The buddy system can be tapped into to promote other services at the four Seasons. Buddies can alert other departments to your preferences. A letter for the spa or sports club, or a special offer from the restaurant which (coincidentally) has your favorite dish on today's menu.

Additionally the buddy system functions perfectly in a crisis. If a fire or any other disaster breaks out, the buddy will know exactly where to place the focus ensuring optimal comfort during the crisis period. It's a system that proved its mettle when the catastrophic Asian Tsunami hit on Boxing Day 2004. The island was covered in two metres of water.

Within 24 hours a chartered aircraft picked up all the guests and flew them to the Ritz Carlton in Doha. The Ritz Carlton as prepared. They set up special check-in counters, dedicated rooms, arranged kids programs, all in accord with the details listed by the buddies from the Maldives. Distress was kept to a minimum. Service was systematized, creating an authentic experience and fostering loyalty in one big dose.

There's much to be learned from this experience. If you happen to have a large number of customers, then of course it's a challenge to dedicate a staff member to take care of individual needs. But, as in any business, some of your customers are more valuable than others, and this is where the buddy concept may be of use.

To allocate responsibility for keeping an eye on customers to a real, live person might be a good idea. In theory, no valuable customer should be left to their own devices. Each one should have a buddy that will in time, become something of an alter ego in the situation.

The important thing to remember is to keep the buddy invisible. They should be constantly updated on the status of the customer in order to predict and solve problems before they arise. They can also then recommend other services or items, making cross-selling a regular occurrence. Most importantly, it is a buddy's responsibility to inform all relevant parties about the progress of this person.

It's a whole new way of servicing customers. It's also a concept that needs to be adapted to your particular line of business. But no matter if you are a hotel, a bank, a travel agency or a telco company, a buddy should be waiting in the corner. Not only to predict 'glitches' before they happen, or to increase your sales, but to maintain your brand. Because in the end, the staff will be the people who create the true brand.