New Customer Service Survey Shows Gulf Between Hospitality Business Belief and Customer Experience

A new report by Moneypenny, the leading customer conversations company, shows that across every form of contact, hospitality companies scored themselves significantly higher for customer service than customers do.

How different business communication channels meet customer expectations:

The research was conducted among 200 hospitality businesses and 5000 consumers to understand the gap between business and customer perceptions.

The One-Shot Economy

The survey showed that 70% of consumers say they’re likely to choose the business that responds first.  It also showed that 73% of hospitality businesses believe a customer will try a company again if they don’t receive a response to an enquiry, yet only 23% of consumers say they would keep trying, while around 1 in 5 or more would stop trying or go elsewhere.

Speed of response, professionalism, and human reassurance beat personalisation

When asked what matters most on first contact, both hospitality businesses and consumers rated clarity, speed of response and professionalism as important, but there was a big perception gap in the importance of personalisation, with 85% of hospitality businesses rating it as important, compared with only 68% of consumers saying this.

 After-hours advantage

The survey showed that 40% of consumers say support between 9 am and 5 pm would best meet their needs, while 26% would prefer early evening support between 5 pm and 9 pm.

The survey also showed that out-of-hours availability makes customers more likely to feel reassured (35%), complete an enquiry or purchase (27%) and choose or stick with a business (25%).

Unfortunately, most hospitality businesses surveyed cite staffing and cost as the reason they can’t extend cover, as the top barriers to offering out-of-hours support were:

• Staffing or resourcing: 42%
• Cost or affordability: 41%
• Technology limitations: 20%
• Customer demand doesn’t justify it: 21%

The report also highlights a broader experience challenge, with 1 in 10 consumers unable to recall a single memorable customer service experience, reinforcing how difficult it has become for brands to stand out.

Jesper With-Fogstrup, Group Chief Executive Officer for Moneypenny, commented: “We spoke to a broad cross-section of hospitality businesses, from hotels to guesthouses and pubs, and what’s striking is how consistent these perception gaps are across the board. These aren’t isolated issues; they span the full spectrum of hospitality businesses, regardless of size or specialty. Many businesses believe they’re delivering a high standard of service, yet guests are telling a different story. In today’s on-demand world, where guests are driven by speed and convenience, responsiveness and real-time communication are no longer a ‘nice to have’ – they are fundamental to winning trust, securing bookings and driving growth. Those that fail to respond quickly risk losing clients before the conversation has even begun.”