Feedback loops might sound vaguely pointless, but they are used in all aspects of life, from the human body to the environment. A feedback loop produces better behaviour by using a simple continuum: something is produced, its success is measured and those results are then used to improve production. Feedback loops can be used to help build better habits and reinforce good behaviour. But how can this help your holiday park?

When you think of a feedback loop in its most simple terms, it’s essentially just a constant cycle of monitoring and improvement. This can be endlessly helpful in ensuring your holiday park is on the right track, because without knowing whether you’re doing your best or not, you aren’t able to improve. Feedback loops can benefit both large and small businesses, and are very easy to use, especially within the tourism industry.

For holiday parks, a feedback loop can take the form of a simple departure survey. Departure surveys should allow the guest to rate their stay on a scale of one to ten. Your departure survey can also include questions like what the guest enjoyed the most about their stay, what they enjoyed the least, and whether they’d recommend your holiday park to family and friends. While you may not get a response from each and every guest, the ones who do respond will give you endless information, even just by scaling their stay between one and ten. This scale allows you to figure out your net promoter score (NPS), which is a tool often used in business that gauges customer experience and satisfaction, flags whether there are any problems and easily tracks progression in solving such problems.

An NPS groups the responses in three categories: promoters, neutrals and detractors. A promoter is someone who scores your business a nine or a ten, a neutral will score between seven and eight, and a detractor scores anywhere from one to six. Using departure surveys can allow you to figure out your NPS, and work towards bettering it. The number of your NPS doesn’t matter as much as the way it is trending. If it’s going up, you’re on the right path, but if it’s going down, you need to make some changes.

Feedback loops aren’t just for customers either. You can use them in any aspect of your business, even with your staff members. They can give you an insight into how your staff are finding their work, whether they’re enjoying it, and whether there’s room for more job satisfaction. A feedback loop is easy to set up by using software like Survey Monkey, which allows you to create your own electronic guest departure surveys and tailor them to your individual needs. While not every single guest will fill them out, those that do will give you valuable insight into your holiday park. Once your feedback loops are in place, you can use the results to make sure you’re constantly raising your NPS.

Feedback loops are an easy, unobtrusive way to follow the health of your holiday park, track success and growth, and allow you to see any areas that need improving. They are a valuable addition to any business model and can provide great results.