|
||
Santa
Fe, NM – March 2021 / Newsmaker Alert / 2020
turned the hospitality industry on its head, forcing many in the travel
field to cut costs where they can or risk temporary or even permanent closure.
Despite all that has changed in the hospitality industry in the last year,
one thing remains constant, and that is the need for creating unique, guest-focused
travel experiences, the kind of experiences that keep guests coming back
to their favorite boutique hotels.
2021
is just underway, but the light at the end of the tunnel is visible. Now,
many in the hospitality space are looking forward and discovering new ways
to better serve their guests.
While
boutique hotels may not have the same resources as larger chains, they
are often preferred compared with their national and international chain
counterparts because of the focus attributed to the guests’ experience.
Today,
many in the hospitality industry finds themselves short staffed and scrambling,
oftentimes letting the pursuit of future guests hinder their current guests’
experiences. Outsourcing your call center will give your staff the freedom
to create one of a kind guest experiences that will foster repeat customers
and brand loyalty.
Spend more time
focused on current guests and less time on the phone
While
the industry has entered recovery mode since the year’s end, hotels are
still operating under normal capacity. When your hotel has fewer guests
than usual, it’s more important than ever to ensure they have one of a
kind travel experiences, the kind of experiences that can only come from
a dedicated staff that is focused on guests’ needs for the duration of
their stay.
Our new normal
presents unique challenges that will occupy your staff’s attention
This
last year has been far from normal, and while things are looking up, it
seems as if aspects of the “new normal” are here to stay. Social distancing
and advanced sanitation procedures will likely be part of the future of
the hospitality industry, at least to some degree.
The
hospitality industry is experience-driven and requires hands-on staff to
client interactions. Now these experiences will take extra time and planning.
Outsourcing your voice channels allows your staff to focus on keeping your
guests, rather than chasing down future reservations.
Working from home
is not feasible in the hospitality industry
Like
social distancing, working from home or additional flex time may be a permanent
fixture for many industries. While many working professionals were able
to seamlessly transition to working from home, the hospitality industry
is an industry based on experiences and face to face interaction. Working
from home may not be feasible for your staff.
Additionally,
hotel staff working from home won’t have access to necessary reservation
technologies and training. Rather than risking an uncertain outcome by
having your reservation staff continue to work home, outsource your reservation
department to a team of trained professionals.
Travel
Outlook President, John Smallwood recently said in an article for BLLA
that “many hotels have been turning to outsourcing their voice channels
to ensure that employees won’t have to sustain these challenges. What these
hotels find is that it’s important that the call center reflects the boutique
hotel’s unique brand standards. The fact that outsourcing a call center
may be a less expensive option than setting up your own doesn’t hurt either!”
Let trained professionals
operate your voice channels
Outsourcing
your voice channels doesn’t mean merely ridding your employees of reservation
responsivities, but rather, it ensures that the person who answers the
reservation line is a trained professional, who is intimately familiar
with your property and an expert at converting leads to hard sales.
A recent
survey of hotel reservation staff revealed that only 7% of hotel call
agents mentioned that their hotel offered complimentary breakfast or had
a convenient location, both of which could easily convince a guest to book
at your property over a competitor’s. Doug Kennedy, President of Kennedy
Training Network, asserts that “asking discovery questions is extremely
important because they help an agent learn more about the caller, make
personalized recommendations, and ultimately drive the booking.”
Be better positioned
for growth
If
you’re like most hoteliers, 2021 will be the year you aim to make radical,
yet strategic, changes in your approach to driving revenues. “A recent
study predicted that the “boutique hotel industry is anticipated to
experience revenue growth over the next five years.”
An
outsourced reservation department will allow you to scale in the future
by making a responsible business decision now. As previously mentioned,
many boutique hotels find that outsourcing their reservation department
is cheaper than setting up an in-house reservation department.
The
benefits of outsourcing your reservation department are plenty, from allowing
your staff to focus on curating one of a kind travel experiences to positioning
your hotel for future growth.
About
Travel Outlook
In
addition to the unique use of world-class call center technology, Travel
Outlook is the only call center certified by Kennedy
Training Network, the hotel industry’s best source for sales training
and guest service excellence. Its luxury call team is tested by Forbes
and Kennedy each month. Travel Outlook’s clients include many of the world’s
finest hotels and resorts. LinkedIn
| Facebook
|
Media
Contact:
Raul
Vega
LEVEL
5 Hospitality
www.LEVEL5hospitality.com
|
View
Previous Release: Viceroy
Hotel Group Chooses Travel Outlook to Optimize Voice Channel (03/02/21) |