Pulse February / March 2023 | Page 56

PULSE POINTS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 53
concerns , we review all product ingredients prior to their arrival to guarantee their safety .”
Of course , the value of data is proportional to the analytic talent of the individual reviewing it . Cecilia cites the benefits of regular review of data that yields actionable intelligence . “ I can run reports weekly and can react quickly ,” she notes . “ Quality drives our financials , and we need to make sure we never sacrifice quality .” n

PULSE POINT : DATA SOURCES

CECILIA HERCIK OF GEORGIA ’ S SEA ISLAND RESORT knows data collection is an ongoing process involving multiple information sources . Just collecting attitudinal data ( see “ Pulse Point : Data Types ” on page 53 ) can include verbal , handwritten , and electronic input .“ We use so many feedback options — service surveys , customer experience surveys , staff surveys ,” she says .“ We still even have old-fashioned comment cards .”
Cecilia describes the three different sources used for collecting data :
l First-party data : “ This is information recorded by us — our entity , our spa . Using our booking systems and reports , we can find our average spend by guest or our top 20 services and service providers . We also have memberships — every member gets an access card . They swipe when they enter , and that data gives us facility utilization patterns that I use to schedule better regarding maximum capacities or equipment usages . For example , the data shows from 10 am to noon the workout guests are here in largest numbers , so I schedule accordingly — that ’ s better than just asking the team ,‘ When do you think is the busiest time ?’” l Second-party data : “ This is data from industry sources like ISPA with their own research collection . For us , it also includes hospitality organizations that offer benchmarking tools for comparison of rates , booking trends and market stats so we can draft different strategies based on what ’ s going on with competitors and with others in the same industry .” l Third-party data : “ This is outsourcing , outside of industry sources . Third party data often comes from organizations specializing in polling and data collection . We mainly use third-party sources for our employee surveys to maintain confidentiality so employees feel comfortable sharing information . We also use Forbes for yearly training and shopper reports .”
With an influx of data from multiple sources , it is important to have processes in place to evaluate and utilize the information .“ At Sea Island , leadership is responsible for tracking data and interpreting it to make sure it ’ s relevant ,” Cecilia says .“ I spend time identifying patterns and looking for challenges that I need to work on — but I also look for positive patterns , recognizing what we ’ re doing well so we don ’ t change it .”
FEATURED SOURCE
CECILIA HERCIK has a quarter-century ’ s knowledge of the corporate spa industry , with prior leadership roles at Four Seasons Resort , Miraval , WTS International , Aveda and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel before joining The Spa at Sea Island , where she serves as on the executive team as director of spa and wellness . Ten years ago , Cecilia founded C-Spa Consulting to guide international spa organizations in assessment , design , development and implementation of sustainable and meaningful spa business solutions . cspaconsulting . com | seaisland . com
54 PULSE n FEBRUARY / MARCH 2023