5 tasks to automate to relieve the hotel reception team

It is not for nothing that the term “hospitality” is sometimes used to refer to the hotel business sector. Behind this word lies the art of warmly welcoming customers. And who plays a key role in this mission? Your receptionists of course. 👩 ‍ 💼👨 ‍ 💼 But if they are overwhelmed or stressed by time-consuming and repetitive missions, the quality suffers. Automation is the solution to remedy this situation. Thus, you lighten your Front desk and you allow him to focus on the essentials of his job: offering attentive and personalized service. So here are the 5 tasks to rethink as a priority. 👇🏼

1. Booking management

Certainly, since your customers can book their overnight stay online, your telephone switchboard rings less. However, your reception teams now have to juggle multiple reservation channels: the website, OTAs, works councils, emails, etc. If you do not have a hotel management system (PMS) or if you do not use it to its full potential, your staff can waste a lot of time processing these requests, with an increased risk of errors.

Here are our recommendations for increasing efficiency.👇

• Equip yourself with a PMS and use all its functionalities, including the automatic allocation of rooms and the recording of customer information (reason and frequency of stays, hotel reviews, etc.).

🎯 Avoid mistakes and conflicts by anticipating travelers' expectations.

• Bet on online booking by digitizing the customer journey and give them access to change or cancel their stay without having to contact reception.

🎯 Reduce phone calls and email exchanges

• Connect your hotel management system to all your distribution channels to synchronize information in real time: availability, prices, current promotions

🎯 Minimize the risks of Overbooking or billing errors.

• Offer a simple process for paying online.

🎯 Secure transactions, reduce cash register errors, make the Check-in more user-friendly.

2. Check-in and check-out

For a front desk agent, there's nothing more stressful than seeing a long line with eager customers.

Here are some tips to make each stage of the arrival and departure of travelers smooth.

• Registration and verification of customer personal data 📝

In order to meet legal obligations and reduce formalities upon arrival, suggest that customers check in online before their stay (via a form or a mobile application) or directly on a touch terminal at the entrance of your hotel establishment. Install barcode and QR code readers to scan passports and ID cards.

• Key delivery and deposit 🔑

Several secure solutions exist: delivery of keys or a card (magnetic or RFID) via an automatic terminal, generation of an access code that can be sent by email or SMS, opening the room from a mobile application on smartphone, deposit of keys in a dedicated box.

• Treatment of Last minute 💻

To free up time for listening to customers or upselling, set up an automatic check-in system for people who want quick access to a room.

• Payment and invoicing 💰

Plan to automatically send a detailed invoice a few hours before the departure of your customers or make it available on a terminal in the reception hall. They will thus be able to check their expenses and contact the reception only in the event of a dispute. At the same time, invite them to pay their bill on their phone or the payment terminal integrated into your terminal.

3. The recommendation of extras

In a previous article, we shared our How to boost your hotel's turnover through upselling and cross-selling.

To succeed, do as much work as possible from your team. She will thus be able to focus on listening and arguing to trigger the act of purchase and increase additional sales.

Here are our 3 recommendations. 👇

• Use customer relationship management software integrated or connected to your PMS.
  It will allow you to collect and analyze the data of your hosts (their preferences, their consumption habits, their purchase history, etc.).
• Set up a digital welcome booklet.
  One Room directory allows travelers to consult, order and pay for their services with their smartphone and his tablet without moving from his room. This will make your staff more available to answer specific requests or questions.
• Help your receptionists communicate about your extras.
  Set up the sending of targeted notifications by SMS, by email, via your Guest app or your Room directory to highlight additional services or possible upgrades.

▶️ GetWelcom offers you a simple and fluid solution for digitizing your welcome booklet. Make an appointment with one of our advisors to find out more.

4. Communication between travelers and the hotel reception

This is not a question of reducing the exchanges between your customers and your employees to nothing. The idea is to identify recurring questions and to answer them in advance by automatic emails. You will probably agree that it is not interesting, neither by your Staff in Front Office, nor for your hosts to pick up the phone to confirm that a reservation has been processed.

How to proceed?

✅ Step 1 - write your procedures by type of clientele: business, leisure, family, groups, etc.

✅ Step 2 - identify repetitive tasks and recurring questions :

• The reservation confirmation
• The pre-stay email
• The procedure of Check-out and the sending of the invoice
• The post-stay email

✅ Step 3 - choose the most suitable tools :

• personalized email or SMS
• the Room directory
• the Chatbot to answer at any time and in any language
• the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on your website
• screens, tablets, terminals, signage in rooms and common areas

5. Exchanges with hotel staff

The front desk is the focus of customer inquiries. It is also that of the collaborators.

Digital tools can considerably alleviate permanent demands. They make it possible to communicate in real time with the whole team:

• with room service and housekeepers who need to be kept informed of which rooms need to be cleaned;
• with the concierge and the Room service who need to know the specific requests of customers;
• with the catering team who must prepare breakfasts and meals;
• with technicians who need to know the urgent interventions to be carried out;
• with the Management who needs to analyze the results in real time (occupancy rate, turnover, customer ratings, etc.).

These tools also allow you to keep a written record that can be useful for identifying recurrent dysfunctions and implementing corrective actions.

By entrusting these 5 tasks to technology, you free up valuable time so that your receptionists can focus on activities with higher added value. It is also an excellent way to value and retain your reception team. 😃

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