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Santa
Fe, NM – May 2020 / Newsmaker Alert / The
travel industry is facing a challenge unlike any other right now including
immense distress and financial uncertainty, leaving hoteliers wondering
what the future holds. Now, more than ever, the industry needs to pull
together, stay strong, and find ways to support one another.
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What
lies ahead remains unclear. But what we can safely assume is that customer
service, procedures, policies, and restrictions will change in ways we
never imagined. Therefore, we must start planning now for the day when
travel resumes.
John
Smallwood, CEO at Travel Outlook,
says, “While call volume has temporarily softened, hotel reservations teams
must prepare today as they will be inundated with calls as travel restrictions
soften. To equip your call center for the new norm, you must first start
by evaluating how calls are being handled today. And then prepare a plan
for the new demands travel will place on the industry.”
Here
are a few recommendations for hoteliers to consider.
Reach
Out and Rebook
Your
team can let guests that have cancelled know that your hotel has reopened
or will be open. This is the perfect opportunity to recommend exclusive
bounce-back offers that are not available through other channels. Be sure
to review restrictions to make it easy for them to rebook directly with
you and not through an OTA.
Prepare
for the Surge
While
it might be hard to imagine right now, travel demand will return, and the
industry will recover. In fact, there’s every reason to think that when
travel restrictions are softened, there’ll be a sudden boom in the number
of people looking to book their next trip.
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To
make sure your hotel is ready to capitalize when demand returns, it’s important
to take action now. Keep communicating with guests and give them an easy
way to get in touch with you. Be sure to allow them to make a future reservation
today (not just when the crisis is over). That way, you’ll be in the best
possible position to quickly return to profitability.
Stay
Open Virtually
Your
relationship with your guests is even more important than ever. Stay in
close contact with anxious guests and offer up-to-date information on when
your hotel might re-open. More importantly, start taking future reservations
based on the timeline you’ve set.
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Having
a professional outsourced
call center team in place that serves the hospitality industry in the
interim is the right first step. When things turn around, having this team
in place offers the luxury of avoiding immediate fixed payroll cost in
reservations.
Doug
Kennedy, CEO of Kennedy Training Network says, “Voice reservations will
make an immediate comeback and be stronger than ever, especially for upscale
and luxury hotels and resorts. Travelers will need a compassionate, human
voice to guide them through the booking process, provide recommendations,
and offer reassurance that their stay will be handled with the care and
safety they expect.”
Outsourcing
Is Not a Cost Burden
Often,
hoteliers don’t know how much revenue they’re missing because they don’t
invest and track the difference a call center can make.
While
it may take time, this crisis will eventually subside, and the time to
prepare for the return of new business is now. Having a voice reservations
team can help ensure you capture every future reservation once the crisis
subsides. With the right team in place, your hotel’s voice channel can
prove an invaluable to your direct revenue strategy, as well as maintaining
guest satisfaction.
For
additional information, visit www.TravelOutlook.com/openvirtually,
or contact:
Company
Contact:
John
Smallwood, CEO
Travel
Outlook Premium Reservations Call Center
Email:
openvirtually@traveloutlook.com
Phone:
844-TRAVELOUTLOOK (844-872-8356)
Media
Contact:
Raul
Vega
LEVEL
5 Hospitality
www.LEVEL5hospitality.com
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Previous Release: Assisting
Hotels in Regaining Stability, Travel Outlook Gets Armed with Effective
Sales Tactics Developed by Kennedy Training Network (04/21/20) |