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There’s plenty of evidence to support the notion that happy hotel guests translates into real revenue gains, not just within the hospitality sector but also for both product and service companies. We are indisputably living in an experience economy; so it makes sense that hotels are now, more than ever before, focusing on improving the guest stay.
According to customer journey research by McKinsey, 70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated. A more personalised, positive experience makes guests feel special and wanted, ultimately leading them to spend more money. A negative experience, where guests feel they’ve been neglected, left to wait for lengthy periods or had their requests ignored or forgotten by staff is not going to encourage repeat custom or additional revenue spend. So, look at is this way, 70% of the business has something to do with how you make your customers feel, you have the power to influence this. Now you just need the right tools to support your efforts…
When guests arrive it’s important to make a good first impression, as this will set the tone and expectation levels for the remainder of their stay. You want them to feel welcomed, relaxed and excited by the prospect of being in your hotel. If the first thing they see is a busy and cluttered reception area with a queue of people waiting to check in, this feeling is going to be quickly ruined. Our CustomerCall paging systems provide the perfect solution by introducing the ‘invisible queue’. If a guest’s room isn’t quite ready, or if there are several people waiting for room keys, simply hand guests a pager, and give them the freedom to wait where they wish. Research by Defaqto shows that 55% of customers would be willing to pay extra in order to guarantee a better service. Not only do paging systems eliminate stressful queues in reception areas, making guests more comfortable with a calm, organised welcome, but it also increases the opportunity for additional revenue in restaurants and bars where guests wait.
Hotel operators have the advantage over other sectors such as retail because when guests arrive to check in they are already customers. In stores, customers are not always guaranteed to make a purchase, whereas hotel guests have already proactively spent money with you, and likely compared a number of other hotels beforehand where you have come out on top. Research by Emmet and Mark Murphy shows that a 2% increase in customer retention has the same effect as decreasing costs by 10%. From the moment guests walk into your hotel, they are already paying customers, so use this to your advantage and take their stay as an opportunity to prove why they made the right decision.
Gen2 is a revolutionary real-time messaging software solution, used within hotels to unify all communication channels. It is a central hub that directs messaging and important alerts between staff by integrating with equipment such as two-way-radios, front door buzzers, reception desk bells and fire panels. This means that whether it’s a status update or a life-safety alert, you can be confident that the right people will instantly receive the right information. It costs 6-7 times more to acquire a new customer compared to retaining an existing one, according to research by Bain and Company. This highlights how important it is to look after the people who are already staying in your hotel. False fire evacuations, for example, occur far more often than they should during hotel stays, and have a detrimental effect on both the guest experience and hotel revenue. Gen2 can help eliminate this as it integrates with AlarmCall, our fire alarm paging system, which can pinpoint the exact location of a triggered fire alarm and instantly notify a designated member of staff. This avoids mass panic as trained staff members are given the opportunity to establish the alarms validity rather than unnecessarily alerting and evacuating all guests.
Unmanned reception desks also cause problems for hotels, if guests arrive in the middle of the night they will feel neglected the second they walk in as they’re left looking for someone to check them in. This doesn’t make a good impression and it’s definitely not going to encourage them to re-visit your hotel any time soon. NightPorter paging also integrates with Gen2, and can help solve this problem by allowing hotels to maintain safety and service 24/7 without the need for permanent reception staff. Designated team members are instantly notified when a doorbell is triggered, meaning guests are never left waiting and staff can attend to other tasks, increasing staff productivity while their assistance is not needed at the concierge.
It is surprising that, even in this day and age with all the technology we have at our disposal, so many businesses still need convincing that improving the customer experience will generate revenue and save on costs. A strong communication system has to be a key element of your business in order to achieve this. Research by Bain and Company shows that a customer is four times more likely to defect to a competitor if the problem is service-related rather than price or product-related. One of most effective ways of improving the guest experience is to, firstly, ensure that staff are in direct contact with one and other at all times, either via two-way-radios or staff pagers. This is a simple solution that allows them to work together to provide the best possible service to your guests. And secondly, to ensure guests can easily request assistance from staff at any given time and place around your hotel. This way you can rest assured that guests always have everything they need, whilst also being certain you’ll never miss an opportunity to generate additional revenue. According to Defaqto research 55% of customers would pay extra to guarantee a better service, so if guests are willing to spend the money, you should make it easy for them to!
This is where our call buttons come in. Strategically placed throughout your hotel, call buttons enable guests to discretely request service with minimal effort, whether they are located at the concierge, in guest suites, in meeting rooms or at the bar. Once pressed the button transmits a signal directly to a staff pager, which notifies them of the exact location requiring their assistance. This way staff are available at the press of a button, offering exceptional service without being intrusive. We offer a wide range of designs and materials, including bespoke leather, brushed bronze and sterling silver, designed to complement hotel décor. We also offer customised engraving and branded labelling for that personal quality finish.
