If you’ve stayed at a KOA, you’ve probably received an email asking you to rate your stay a few days after departing. At KOA, camper satisfaction is an important part of our business. After all, happy campers are part of our mission!
Have you ever wondered, “Why do they care so much?”
Believe it or not, your reviews are read daily by KOA campground owners and managers across North American to see what they can do to make your stay better. Now that’s pretty important!
To accomplish this, KOA uses a review system called Net Promoter Score (NPS). This tried and true method of gauging customer satisfaction is used across many industries using a 10-point scale. A grade of a 9 or 10 means a guest has had a good or great experience while a 6 or below is considered a detractor. This means a 7 or 8 denotes a totally neutral experience that had no positives or negatives.
KOA’s NPS system, or the Rate Your Stay survey, only has two questions making it quick and easy to complete. The first question, “How satisfied were you with this campground?”, is graded on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being dissatisfied, and 5 being extremely satisfied. The second question, “How likely are you to recommend this campground to others?” is scored on a scale of 1-10. Again, 1 is not likely at all, to 10 being extremely likely to recommend the campground to others. In addition, KOA allows you to make comments. This is the perfect place to make note of that exceptional employee’s name, or to let the campground know how much you loved their park.
But let’s get down to the important stuff: why should you fill out the review?
1. It helps new campers make good decisions
Every one of our more than 500 KOA campgrounds across the US and Canada is a little bit different. These differences make each KOA special – and each location provides a unique experience for their camping guests. Your review of each location helps set expectations for a new camper who hasn’t visited that property before. Just think of how helpful a review could be for you when booking your next stay!
2. It’s a great way to say thanks
Did a KOA staff member go above and beyond for you? Leaving a quick review is a great way to let campground owners know that their employees are a doing a great job. Since some campground properties are large, not every customer interaction can be easily observed. Sharing a note about how helpful the front desk staff was or how much fun your kids had with the activities coordinator is a great way to make sure a job well done is acknowledged.
3. It helps our campgrounds improve
Hearing directly from campers is one of the best ways for KOA campground owners to know what guests love and what could use improving. The fact is, running a campground and staying there overnight can be two different things, so a little feedback from you, the camping guest can go a long way. Improvements can be small, but make a big difference in the overall experience. Similarly, if there is something you really enjoyed about your camping trip, leaving a note in your camper survey can ensure the campground knows that something they’re doing really leaves an impression – it could mean an awesome employee gets recognition for being mentioned by name!
4. It helps determine our award winning KOAs
In addition to helping the campgrounds, your reviews and input help us select the very best campgrounds for our KOA Campground of the Year and Rising Star. We also use your reviews to determine our KOA President’s Award and KOA Founder’s Award winners. These campgrounds represent the best of the best – and wouldn’t achieve that honor without you! You can find these award winners each year in our KOA Directory or find an updated list, such as this one for 2017, on our blog.
While campgrounds do like to know what they can do better, it’s important to remember that some items are out of their hands. Things like the weather, proximity to traffic sources, noise from nearby train tracks or airports and even what Wi-Fi or cellular capabilities are offered in a remote area are all things the campground can’t readily change. While we know these things are important to you while camping (and we like them, too!), you shouldn’t let these things effect the score on your review. Remember, a review speaks to what the campground can control, not what it can’t.
When deciding where to stay by reading reviews, read both the campers comments, and – if there is one – the campground’s response. There will be campers who were asked to be more courteous to their camping neighbors, or follow the campground policies who will provide negative reviews. Of course there will always be unreasonable complaints, too. As a consumer, you always have to read between those lines, no matter what product or service you’re considering.
KOA owners use the NPS rating and review system to learn how to better serve you, their guests. They want happy campers to camp with them year after year and take great pride in their campgrounds and the service they provide. So next time you receive a KOA Customer Survey, please complete it and send it back! It only takes a few moments of your time, but it let’s your fellow campers know what a great place that campground is, and it makes all the difference to that KOA owner who is trying to earn your repeat business with great camping experiences.
