By David Konopinski,
Business Development Manager, Interalia Communications Ltd.
 
 
 Whether it’s a business person staying for one night, a three day training symposium or a family weekend the most common criticism heard about a hotel, whatever the profile, is that guests do not feel genuinely welcome. They do not feel that they are special.
 
There is no shortage of the will and intention to solve this problem. The time and effort spent by hospitality management and staff in the area of interpersonal skills training bears ample witness to that. Members of staff who are confident and skilled when working directly with guests, will do more to generate repeat bookings or increase the use of in-house bars, restaurants and so on, than any other single factor.
 
But how can you demonstrate these skills to a telephone caller, when there is no one immediately available to take the call?
 

Reliable digital call processing systems, which improve the telephone caller’s experience and expedite the successful throughput of telephone calls into any department or any individual in the hotel or leisure facility, can help you.
 
It must also be admitted that many thousands of these systems in organisations today are poorly implemented. We have all had the experience of trying to speak to a real person and somehow never getting the opportunity to do so before we hang up in frustration.  Every caller is potentially a guest and could be planning a large wedding reception.
 
But we’ve also all had the experience of being given clear friendly directions to get to the person we need by just one or two key depressions from short well scripted menus. The difference is simple. If the organisation has installed the system to save money or improve efficiency then it can go badly wrong. If the system has been implemented to help the caller in the light of resource problems, for example, then the result will be better. The key is always to work from the point of view of the caller.
 
While waiting, the caller could be listening to music, promotional information or a professionally recorded production combining both elements. And if you think that keeping the production fresh and up to date is costly and difficult, think again. There are experienced, specialist companies can which provide this as a comprehensive, tailored service for you.
 
Now what about the in-house clash of ambient music and paging announcements over a PA system? A single digital call processor will not only help in-bound telephone callers, but can also play different, appropriate ambient music in different areas of the hotel using an existing PA system. When a paging message is transmitted, the music volume automatically fades into the background and then returns to its normal level.
 
Now let’s be honest. No one has control over the number of people who try to reach a particular telephone number at any one time. No hotel or leisure facility has the resource to provide “one caller, one agent” staffing levels all the time. And I’m not just talking about calls from potential guest.  You may be considering multi-keyed guest telephones for each room so that guest can easily contact Room Service, Housekeeping or another guest room. The solution could be low cost telephones and a single digital call processor that provide recorded prompts enabling guests to use the numbered keypad to reach the party they require.  At the same time we must not forget that staff need to use the telephone system for internal calls and paging. Recorded prompts can make their job much easier as well.
 
Advances in telecom technology can play a key part in an organisation’s communication strategy. Intelligent use of digital announcement systems that are able to queue and steer calls as well as deliver information to callers, play music and provide hotel wake-up calls as well as broadcasts and messages will improve customer service and efficiency.