Sahara star, head for CRM activities, Mr.

Sanjeev Kahol told us that for them CRM for maintaining the track record of every particular activity of every individual customer, and make sure that their service for them is always perfect. Adding a personal touch through various medias, social networking(facebook instant replies), promotion and advertisement(Calling every valuable member of the Sahara Star group personally) and assigning personal waiters to every table, and every other minute details are taken care of.

In Todays scenario its very important to maintain relationship with customer and to manage that. So many information and communication technologies help to do that. Following are some practices adopted by Sahara Star hote ls.\ 1. Guest preference sheet: At the time of the reservation a preference sheet is sent across to the guest along with the reservation conformation mail This is primarily to capture the various preferences of the customer such as food habits (Diab etic/ Low fat etc.), special needs etc. It alsoasks if the customer is coming on a special occasion or not andarrangements are made accordingly made on the visit e.g. If the guest is coming on a honeymoon or anniversary the room is decorated accordingly, cake is placed in the room etc. 2. Complaint Handling Software: This is another important tool in improving the service of the hotel and to capture guest complaints. If a complaint is registered by a customer it is updated on the software. Gradually as the time lapses the status displayed turn from green to yellow and ultimately red. This status can be seen by any of the managers as the software is connected to the central server. A daily Action Taken Report is generated which is signed by the operati onal head. 3. Fidelio: Fidelio is the property management system used by Indian Hotels Company Limited. Although it is used for various functions but it also plays an important role in the CRM processes of the hotel. It is used for saving the profile, preferences and special information(Anniversary, Birthday, allergies etc.) related to the guest on a central server. This information is accessible to all the Sahara parivar; therefore, whenever there is a repeat customer the hotel staff already has all the necessary information enabling them to delight the customer by personalized service. 4. Wow card: This is a special instrument used by personal butlers for recording guest preferences & other important information related to the guest.

This is a small booklet which is carried by the staff at all times and whenever they get any information which can be useful in the future to please the customer, they simple record it here. This information is further uploaded on the PMS making it accessible to a ll. Hence when next time the guest arrives they are actually in the WOW state about the service 5. Courtesy call: Once the guest is in the hotel and stayed for sometime (a day or two)a courtesy call is made by the guest relationship executive during the evening hours. This is just to know about the guests experience and how can it be improved in case there is some difficulty being faced by him/her. In case there is a complaint it is uploaded on the CRM software and further processes are followed as mentioned above. 6 Room Feedback form: During the evening service/ Turn- down service a feedback form is placed on the bed to know about the customer experiences. 7 GSTS (Guest Satisfaction Tracking system): Post departure an automated mail from the central server is sent to the guest requesting to fill up a feedback form. There are various heads covering the various stations of experiences which are scored on a Likert Scale. This information is quantified to highlight the areas of concern. This sc ore is also used as a measure of performance of a hotel unit. There are few loopholes in the system such as Email ids not updated which automatically stops the guest fromgiving the feedback. Guest profile not saved intentionally. 8. Social Networking Sahara star uses social networking tools for their promotional activities and also for efficient customer relationship, to be developed over time. They respond to most of the compliments and complaints, make the customer feel wanted and add a very perso nal touch by lending an ear to every customer. Loyalty Programmes of Sahara Star Hotel Sahara Star Member Programme: The Sahara Star Member Programme is the frequent guest programme of Sahara Star Hotels Resorts. There are bouquets of benefits. The membership is on yearly basis and they charge Rs. 10000 plus taxes and offer various benefits. Membership Card Benefits Discounts on Food

As a member, part of your food bill is complimentary each time you dine with us with at least one guest. Thus, you can avail the following benefits by presenting your Star Gourmet Membership Card. 50% discount when 2 persons dine 33% discount when 3 persons dine 25% discount when 4 persons dine 20% discount when 5 & above persons dine 20% discount when you dine alone Only one card per table / per party.

Additional Card Benefits on other Hotel facilities The membership empowers you to a 20% discount on the following additional benefits Beverage bills Room Service bills Rack rates of banquet bookings Rack rates of Business Centre and Meeting Rooms Any service at iLA de Sva, Sahara Spa and Wellness Centre Any service at Estrela de Sva, The Beauty Salon Private Dining Room

Accommodation Benefits 10% discount on Best Available Rates from Monday to Friday. 20% discount on Best Available Rates on weekends (Saturday and Sunday). These discounts are also applicable for your guests but not applicable on corporate rates, website rates, and bookings from travel agents.

Exclusive Benefit Complimentary Entry for a couple to our night club The High Lounge. Entry is subject to house rules and dress codes. Further, their CRM head, Mr. Sanjeev Kahol went ahead and told us that members are always given a preference over other customers since it is the members who will add greater value to the organisation Earn in Miles They have tie ups with various air travels and hence they take advantage of their strategic location which is near the airport. They offer 500 miles to the pass enger booking a stay at their hotel. Gift Membership Sahara star provides the members and everyone else to gift their dear ones the privileged gift of Sahara star Membership. Sahara Star Advantage Plus

: Sahara Star Advantage Plus is the perfect programme for their valued corporate bookers in India and comes power-packed with great earning and redemption opportunities, special benefits and exciting offers. Enrolment to the programme is by invitation only.