Santa
Fe, NM – September 2020 / Newsmaker Alert / As hotels slowly reopen
in parts of the US, it’s time to question the future role of hotel call
centers. In the following interview, we’re speaking with Travel
Outlook’s CEO John Smallwood and its Vice President Operations Brett
Puffenberger, about the challenge’s hotel-based call centers are facing
today and in the coming months and maybe years.
Can
you talk about the challenges’ hotel-based call centers are facing today?
John:
A major issue for hotels that are starting to reopen is having enough on-property
staff to field incoming calls. A lot of hotels still have employees on
furlough, and many have sadly had to let people go. In these situations,
a limited number of front desk agents are being asked to attend to a queue
of guests and answer booking inquiries over the phone. This is a
serious burden that needs a viable solution.
Brett:
I think this is why outsourcing is a really attractive option right now.
Outsourcing the call center gives hotels the ability to maximize bookings
over the phone while the front desk staff get to focus 100% on the needs
of on-property guests.
What’s
to stop a hotel setting up their own remote switchboard, using their own
staff to remotely answer calls? |
Working
from home has its challenges with unpredictable interruptions John: Well,
it comes with a lot of complications. You need to give your staff the right
training and the right technology so they can answer calls from home in
a slick and professional manner.
And
let’s remember those work-from-home realities we’re all dealing with —
like the kids bounding into the room where you’re working, or the dog barking
in the background.
Maybe
these kinds of interruptions can be laughed off, but if your own staff
are trying to complete a guest booking and sound professional in this environment,
well that’s a challenging situation.
Brett:
Setting up operative contact center telephony with the right reporting
structure is expensive and time-consuming, and, when being used effectively,
requires ongoing attention and management.
In
the past, some hotels may have been put off by the cost of using an outsourced
call center. Given that hotels need to be more cautious than ever about
their bottom lines, why is outsourcing now a good option?
John:
There’s no doubt that hotels need to be mindful of their expenditures.
But they also need to maximize bookings. A remote hotel call center offers
a way for hotels to answer every incoming call, and then convert those
calls into paying guests. We know that every missed call represents a potential
lost booking, which can have a serious impact on booking revenue. Which
is clearly far from ideal in these lean times.
Brett:
The other thing to say is that a remote hotel call center can be entirely
focused on the conversation. They’re not being swamped by all the other
demands that on-property staff are facing, and this kind of extra attention
can prove crucial — whether it’s reassuring an older guest about your hotel’s
rigorous cleaning policies. or letting a family know about the child-friendly
local attractions that are still open in your destination.
How
can a remote call center agent understand the nature of the hospitality
industry and attend to the specific needs of hotel guests?
John:
I understand this concern. But it’s important to say that hospitality call
center agents are specifically trained to speak the language of hotels,
and they know exactly how to sell a property’s unique benefits and features.
Brett:
And the other thing to consider is that if a potential guest calls up and
speaks to a stressed-out front desk agent who’s too busy to answer all
their questions, that’s a lose-lose situation. That potential guest has
a poor customer experience, and maybe doesn’t book, and the front desk
agent maybe feels like they’re not able to do a good job.
John:
That’s actually a really good point that deserves more attention. If a
front desk agent at your hotel feels overwhelmed and that they can’t do
their job effectively, that’s undoubtedly going to impact their morale.
And morale is something we really need to keep up right now.
Professionally
trained, hotel call center agents can be effective working from home. Finally,
what do you think about the prospect of outsourcing as a long-term solution
for hotels?
John:
Well, it’s definitely something that warrants serious thought. The future
feels incredibly uncertain, and until we get back to some form of “normal”,
hotels need a solution that can weather any storm. To me, that makes outsourcing
a potentially long-term solution.
Brett:
I agree. If we see a resurgence of COVID-19 further down the line, a team
of remote call agents can carry on regardless. They’re already in place
and able to give a hotel a reliable and seamless level of customer service.
That’s the kind of reassurance that I think has enormous value in the new
world we’re living in.
Want
to know if outsourcing your hotel’s call center is right for you? |
|
This
is one in a series of essays by John Smallwood, CEO of Travel Outlook Premium
Reservations Call Center about voice reservations, the second most profitable
revenue channel.
About
Travel Outlook Hotel Reservation Call Center Services 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 is a hospitality company that takes reservations calls, not a general
call center with a handful of hospitality clients.
Company
Contact:
John
Smallwood, CEO
Travel
Outlook Premium Reservations Call Center
Email:
jsmallwood@traveloutlook.com Phone:
844-TRAVELOUTLOOK (844-872-8356)
Working
from home has its challenges with unpredictable interruptions John: Well,
it comes with a lot of complications. You need to give your staff the right
training and the right technology so they can answer calls from home in
a slick and professional manner.
In
addition to the unique use of world-class call center technology,