The Power of the Host's Voice: How to Build a Customer-Centric Brand

Customer-centricity can help a brand differentiate itself in a crowded market, but customers and prospects must see that differentiated approach to do so.

Just recently, I was at a conference when a potential customer approached to ask how we’re different from the competition, “Everyone says they’ve won lots of awards and have amazing customer support, but how do I believe it?”

My colleague and I pointed to some examples of what we do in our business that show we care about the customer — actions that show how we deliver an award-winning customer experience and how we cannot shy away from any tough questions or feedback our customers want to give us.

One of those examples is our public bi-weekly town halls. These are an opportunity to show that we’ve been hard at work delivering new features for the past two weeks and for customers to ask us anything completely unfiltered!

As head of marketing at Hospitable, a company dedicated to empowering vacation rental hosts with innovative tools and resources, I've had the privilege of interacting with hundreds, if not thousands, of hosts. I’ve learned from their experiences and understood their unique challenges. This experience has also solidified my belief that customer-centricity is the cornerstone to success in the vacation rental industry.

In this article, we'll discuss customer-centricity within the vacation rental space, examining why it's crucial for building a thriving brand and fostering lasting relationships. We’ll also dive into how these lessons can be applied to software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies across a number of industries. 

Why customer-centricity matters in the vacation rental industry

The vacation rental industry is unique. Unlike traditional hotels, where guests interact with a brand representative, vacation rentals offer a more personal and intimate experience. Hosts are the face of their business, shaping the guest experience and creating lasting memories. And each host has their own unique set of challenges.

Customer-centricity, in this context, means placing the customer at the heart of your business strategy. It's about understanding the needs of every customer regardless of industry, anticipating their challenges, and providing the tools and support they need to succeed. This approach translates into several tangible benefits:

• Increased host satisfaction and loyalty: When hosts feel valued and heard, they are more likely to remain loyal to your platform and recommend it to others.
• Improved guest experience: Satisfied hosts are better equipped to provide exceptional guest experiences, leading to positive reviews and repeat bookings.
• Enhanced brand reputation: A reputation for being host-centric attracts new hosts to your platform and strengthens your brand image within the industry.
• Sustainable business growth: Fostering a loyal host community creates a sustainable foundation for business growth and expansion.

Four practical strategies to build a customer-centric brand

Building a customer-centric brand requires more than just lip service. It demands a concerted effort to integrate the host's voice into every aspect of your business. Here are some practical strategies and tips for how any brand can achieve this:

1. Actively listen to your hosts

Building for your customers starts with listening to what they need. This can take many forms depending on the size of your team and the number of customers you have. At Hospitable, we have close to 15,000 customers at the time of writing. So we find that a mixture of one-on-one feedback and broader feedback helps us build a product that customers value.

• Regularly connect with customers: Hosts have several ways to connect with Hospitable, and you should make your support team and leadership team readily available for feedback. 
• Monitor online communities: Pay attention to what hosts say about your brand on social media, forums, and review sites, as these are real users. At Hospitable, we also have a Facebook group where we actively encourage hosts to join and discuss their difficulties and achievements with each other, as well as provide us with additional feedback.
• Provide multiple communication channels: Offer various channels for hosts to reach out to you, such as email, live chat, and office hours with the product and engineering team. The more ways you give your customers to reach you when they need assistance or have questions, the better.

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2. Incorporate feedback into product development

After gathering all of that feedback, it is important to factor it into your product roadmap prioritization. What added features and adjustments can be quick wins, and which are larger pieces of work that you should definitely do but can’t get around to right away? Moreover, you need to communicate to your customers when that feedback has come full circle and the product has been improved accordingly.

• Prioritize feature requests: Use any and all feedback to prioritize new features and improvements to your platform. For example, our bi-weekly town halls also require us to regularly release and present useful features that hosts are demanding.
• Involve end-users in beta testing: A company should strive to invite hosts to test new features and provide feedback before they are released to the wider community. No matter who your end users are, get them involved early and often.
• Be transparent about product roadmap: Share your product roadmap with users to keep them informed about upcoming developments and demonstrate that you are listening to their feedback.  

3. Leverage customer voices in marketing efforts

A big win that comes from putting customers first is customers loving your product and brand. That’s evidenced in the 4.9/5 G2 rating Hospitable has, and the willingness of customers to refer their friends and family.

These positive vibes can and should be used to help you grow your business.

• Showcase host success stories: Hospitable features successful hosts on blogs, social media, and marketing materials. When your customers see great success using your product or service, shout it from the rooftops any way you can.
• Encourage host testimonials: Ask satisfied customers to provide testimonials you can use in your marketing campaigns. We have begun holding in-person customer events where we grab short video clips of customer testimonials and regularly shoot professionally shot customer case studies.
• Amplify positive feedback: Actively share positive reviews and social media mentions to demonstrate the value you provide to our hosts. Do the same with your customer base. 

4. Go above and beyond for your customers

Below are a couple of items that can help your customers beyond listening to and acting on their feedback. What helps your customers will likely depend on your industry.

For example, we’ve helped Hospitable hosts by putting on local events for them to attend, meet the team, and network with fellow short-term rental hosts. Many of our customers have 9-5 jobs alongside their short-term rental management roles and find it difficult to travel to larger conferences across the country to gain valuable insights from other hosts in the industry. So we’ve started coming to them. 

• Offer personalized support: Our team at Hospitable provides dedicated support channels for hosts with knowledgeable staff who can address their specific needs. Offering customers personalized information tailored to their use cases can go a long way to support your brand.
• Create educational resources: Develop helpful resources such as blog posts, webinars, and guides to help novices and experts succeed on your platform.
• Provide a platform for your customers to connect: Many of your customers will face the same challenges as each other at some point or another. 

The Hospitable approach to customer-centricity and the results

So, how did all of this help Hospitable grow? Our customers regularly rate us 70+ on NPS, and, as of October 2024, we have over 200 reviews on G2 with a 4.9/5 rating.

All of this work on customer-centricity helped us build a better product and positive sentiment from hosts, which translates into business growth. A large chunk of new customer acquisition comes from customer referrals, which has helped us achieve a 50.5% growth in annual recurring revenue (ARR) from December 2023 to September 2024.

By consistently prioritizing our hosts' needs, we have built a loyal community that is passionate about our brand. 

Customer feedback can shape success

In the competitive landscape of the vacation rental industry, customer-centricity is not just a nice-to-have; it's a necessity. By actively listening to our hosts, incorporating their feedback into our product development, and leveraging their voices in our marketing efforts, we’ve been able to build a thriving brand that fosters lasting relationships and drives sustainable growth. 

Brands across all industries can apply these tips and best practices to their customer base or target audience. Remember, the power of every customer’s voice is immense. Embrace it, amplify it, and watch your business flourish.