How User Experience Is at the Forefront of Revenue Optimization

By Jennifer Hill, CRME, Vice President of Client Solutions, Kalibri Labs, and member of HSMAI’s Revenue Optimization Advisory Board

With the pandemic making the communication and interpretation of information more important than ever, user experience (UX) design has become paramount. HSMAI’s Revenue Optimization Advisory Board (ROAB) discussed the importance of UX when it comes to revenue optimization during a recent call, with members noting that presenting data or other information in a seamless way is crucial not just for customers but for internal purposes as well. Here are key takeaways from our discussion:

UX IS CRUCIAL FOR INTERNAL AUDIENCES

While many of us tend to think of UX as being important to customers and external audiences, it is equally important to present data or information in an efficient way to asset managers and other internal audiences. “If I don’t make it easy to get information on the fly, it’s a deterrent to achieving our specific goals,” one ROAB member said. “More often than not, what we find is that they’re using the data in the meeting at a specific discussion point, and if they can’t get that answer within two, three clicks of the mouse, they tend to abandon any report that we put together.”

“It’s really easy to complain and say, ‘This is terrible,’” another ROAB member said, “and yet nobody’s willing to do the legwork. When we try to put in the time, it’s always worth it.”

Another member added that data isn’t as useful if asset managers can’t get the information that they need quickly. “I was super excited to see what we could do with our data, but when I tried to roll it out, UX suddenly became an issue,” the member said. “Trying to achieve a seamless experience where asset managers can get that data sooner and do it within one overall system helps us further our goal and push it along.”

SIMPLER IS BETTER

While a lot of research and development goes into finding the best way to interact with websites or products, the simplest way is often the best. “Unless you’re making it easy and making the ability to track down what people are looking for at a moment’s notice, all the data you have is for naught,” one ROAB member said. “Everything we do is rooted in research and data. Making it simple and usable is our biggest challenge.”

Another member added: “Our biggest opportunity is that we have a lot of junior people that are digging into the data and are trying to interpret it, but not necessarily in the right way. We have to make it easy, so they can call out the key nuggets and give clients the insight they need.”

Another ROAB member said that it is critical to have a UX that works well for mobile, tablets, and computers, so people can easily navigate websites or data in whichever form works best for them. “Our products are mobile responsive,” the member said. “But the number-one question we get is, can I get it on my tablet?”

HIRE SPECIFIC UX DESIGNERS

Whether it is someone in-house or contracted through an agency, having someone who understands UX design and how to present data in a usable way is invaluable to companies. “Even though we have all these great UX solutions that can bring everything together,” one ROAB member said, “if we aren’t teaching people how to think in the right way, it creates challenges.”

Another member added: “We’ve gotten to the point where we’ve hired an analyst specifically dedicated to help streamline. His role is to help get us the reports we need on the fly.”

One member’s company outsources this function to agencies because it is such a large scope of work. “It’s part of the function that sits between marketing and IT,” the member said. “Our UX has a complexity of global, cultural, and regional differences that makes it too complex to do it in-house. The pressure that we’re putting on those agencies has picked up because we’re more interested in it that we had been.”

One member mentioned that jobs focusing on UX design could attract new talent to the industry. “This type of design thinking will be meaningful to folks coming out of school,” the member said. “They’re getting a better understanding of a business model that isn’t just hotel focused. We sometimes forget about some of that other information that could be valuable or meaningful to people who are just entering the industry.”


Categories: Revenue Management
Insight Type: Articles