News Briefs

Alorica Inc., a digitally-engineered, tech-enabled global CX leader, identified the top three leading missteps brands made with their CX strategies in 2024—nonstrategic AI, lack of localized, multilingual support, and relying on legacy customer service practices. With customer loyalty both fragile and volatile within the U.S. market across every industry—more than 1 in 3 U.S. consumers are not loyal to brands—these 2024 CX fails serve as a reminder to companies on what to avoid and what is required to maintain customer satisfaction.

 Top 2024 CX Fails:

• Nonstrategic AI—Between 2023 and 2024, global AI readiness in the enterprise declined; today, only 13% of companies are fully ready to capture AI’s potential. While AI is reshaping the industry, the brands that deployed it without a strategy and the harmonization of human support, failed to make a real, tangible impact and lost out financially in those investments.
• Missing Multilingual CX—29% of businesses lose customers due to the lack of multilingual support, while 70% of consumers say they feel more loyal to brands that communicate in their native language. Localized, multilingual CX that takes cultural nuances into consideration, builds trust as consumers feel heard and valued. Brands that couldn’t deliver a multilingual customer experience lost the increasingly global race for customers.
• Legacy Customer Service—Businesses can no longer thrive on face-to-face communications. Those that shied away from integrating new technologies, data and analytics lacked in delivering exceptional service. For example, 51% of organizations said chatbots reduce customer call time—big savings that add to the bottom line and brand satisfaction.

“Brands are under constant pressure to deliver memorable and satisfying customer experiences, and when they don’t, their reputation and bottom line are at risk,” stated Mike Clifton, Co-CEO, Alorica. “In 2024, AI-powered solutions demonstrated incredible capabilities to personalize CX, but the over reliance on tech without thoughtful implementation led to misguided automation, and ultimately, generic, one-size-fits all responses with no contextual awareness. Brands that don’t take a step back to analyze these detrimental mistakes will not adapt to the emerging tech and future, and they will be left behind.”

Ahead of 2025, the CX landscape is more competitive than ever with brands vying to win market share by meeting increasing consumer expectations. The only way to stand out is by perfecting convenience, speed, personalization and empathy—key pillars of customer trust and loyalty. By leveraging data and analytics, brands can build bespoke experiences that create meaningful connections. In 2025, conversational AI will take off. A type of AI that simulates human conversation across a wide range of tools like chatbots and virtual agents, conversational AI will redefine the standard for CX excellence not only with measurable outcomes, but also by creating more meaningful, empathetic and memorable customer journeys.

“Businesses that don’t have an AI or multilingual strategy for the upcoming year should pause and reassess their approach,” said Max Schwendner, Co-CEO, Alorica. “If they don’t consider these crucial CX fails, they are vulnerable to a slew of pitfalls, including missing customer insights, inconsistent omnichannel experiences, neglecting accessibility needs, over-reliance on outdated tools and poor employee training, which leads to turnover.”

Guestline, an Access Company, released figures highlighting the benefits of online bookings and check-ins to help meet guest demand. The data indicates Guestline's GuestStay self-service technology to be a revenue generator for hoteliers with 2.4 million self-service travelers checking in and purchasing additional services.

Guest self-service has also given hotel teams back 6,000 hours of labor time and, together with Guestline's Direct Booking Manager, captures first party data for hotels to improve their communications with guests.

In 2024, Guestline recorded a staggering 2.3 million online check-ins completed via GuestStay. An additional 120,000 self service check-ins through on-property kiosks generated incremental revenue of 2.6%  as guests purchased additional services such as breakfast - increasing hotel revenue beyond the room booking.

The impact of GuestStay technology and kiosks also benefits the hotel's team. 72,000 guests opted for autonomous checkouts receiving automated invoices without staff intervention. Each digital interaction not only boosted staff efficiency but also elevated guest satisfaction by eliminating traditional bottlenecks especially at peak times.

Eric Neumann, Managing Director of Classik Hotels Berlin, "Guestline has helped us gain more time. I have more time for my team, and my team has more time to offer our guests excellent service and an enjoyable stay – and that's the most important thing."

In addition, GuestStay’s digital registration cards captured 800,000 personal email addresses directly for hotels, converting third-party bookings into valuable first-party data. This provides hotels with valuable data to build stronger guest relationships and drive loyalty through targeted communications.

The Direct Booking Manager (DBM) booking engine secured 1.2 million bookings in 12 months, from 2023 - 2024, with 6.7% facilitated through seamless integration with Google Connector, further optimizing revenue streams for hoteliers.

These figures highlight how adopting self-service touchpoints not only improves the guest experience through convenience but also assists operational efficiencies. By automating routine tasks to eradicate the zombie culture and creating new revenue opportunities, hotels can refocus their efforts on creating memorable guest experiences.

“With almost 50% of travelers preferring to use tech rather than the reception desk and guest expectations on the rise self-service technology is no longer a luxury but a necessity for forward-thinking hotels,” said Chris Jones, Senior Product Manager, Guestline. “By integrating digital tools like GuestStay and Direct Booking Manager properties can improve guest engagement, reduce reliance on manual processes freeing up time to provide a better guest experience and drive meaningful growth.”

Concord Hospitality, the award-winning hotel management and development company currently operating over 140 hotels across North America, is pleased to announce the promotion of Patti Cameron to Senior Director of Talent Acquisition. Since joining Concord, Cameron has been a cornerstone of the team, showcasing unparalleled dedication in attracting, hiring  and retaining top-tier talent. Her leadership has helped foster a workforce of outstanding caliber, building dynamic, high-performing teams that form the backbone of Concord Hospitality. 

Cameron is a seasoned talent acquisition executive with more than 20 years of experience. She joined Concord in 2019, bringing with her a wealth of expertise from her previous roles in staffing and workforce planning across industries including pharmaceutical manufacturing, consumer products and healthcare.  For the last five and half years, Cameron and her team have achieved an extraordinary milestone: filling nearly every position internally, with only one role ever outsourced. Her strategic vision and leadership have been pivotal in driving the company’s expansion, fostering strong relationships and building high-performing teams that continue to support Concord’s ongoing success.

In her new role, Cameron will lead and manage the recruitment and hiring processes for diverse teams across multiple hotel properties, ensuring the selection of talent to drive performance and exceed sales targets. She will play a critical role in fostering collaboration among departments, including operations, finance and human resources, to ensure seamless alignment with organizational goals. By developing and executing strategic hiring initiatives, she will not only support workforce growth but also contribute to broader business objectives, ensuring every department is equipped to deliver exceptional results. 

“I’m honored and excited to accept this promotion and look forward to continuing to work with our incredible team and business partners to hire the most talented hospitality professionals,” said Patti Cameron, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition. “By advancing Concord’s mission and helping to set the standard for excellence, I’m eager to keep uncovering those ‘needles in the haystack’—individuals whose unique skills and potential set them apart—and to watch them thrive as they take on new challenges and grow in their careers.”

Recognized for her dedication to helping others, Cameron is deeply involved in philanthropic efforts. She is known to coordinate donation drives with Concord hotels and the corporate office to support families in Western North Carolina and is a passionate dog rescue advocate,  Cameron fosters dogs for several Raleigh-based rescues, embodying Concord’s commitment to making a positive difference in the community.

“Every achievement we’ve reached as a company is a direct reflection of the incredible people who make up the fabric of Concord Hospitality,” said Mark Laport, President and CEO of Concord Hospitality. “Patti’s well-deserved promotion is a testament to her unwavering commitment and impact on our success. Her ability to cultivate a culture of connection and innovation has been instrumental in our growth, and we are confident her leadership will continue to drive remarkable accomplishments for our company.”