In an industry focused on providing great guest experience, it’s only logical that messaging platforms be adopted in the hotel industry.
The adoption of guest messaging in the hospitality industry is no longer a matter of if, but rather when. The change requires hoteliers to embrace messaging, and many have shown a reluctance to do so. Questions often asked are:
- How can I manage all these channels?
- Who will respond to guest inquiries?
- How can we maintain control of our brand image?
Often at the core of such concerns is a misconception of what messaging is and how it fits into hotel operations. To dispel these myths, we take a look at some important truths about guest messaging and furthermore how the hi.guru™ platform can assist
1) The Shift to Digital Communication is a Natural Evolution
The hospitality industry has come a long way technologically in the past decade, and these advances have had a big impact on the guest experience. From the speed and efficiency of booking accommodation to the ease of sharing opinions on social media, travelers and hoteliers alike have had to adjust to an increasingly connected world.
Email, texting, social media – the speed and volume of communications have grown exponentially! So how do hoteliers embrace this and move toward a better digital communication strategy?
hi.guru™ feature – Unlimited Message Aggregation
hi.guru™ simplifies conversations by linking messaging channels into a single framework: we integrate your website, native app, social media channels, text messaging, and even voice into one cohesive channel, letting you and your customer focus on the conversation and the outcome.
2) Travelers Want to be Able to Message Hotels
In a recent study from OpenMarket, 90 percent of hotel guests in the US and the UK said they would find communicating via messaging with a hotel useful. Travelers don’t want to wait on hold, in a line or for an email response. It’s much easier to message the hotel. Moreover, at a time when data privacy is a top concern, messaging apps provide a private, secure environment.
3) Messaging Doesn’t Create More Work, it Saves Time
Hotel employees are often overworked, and they certainly don’t need additional responsibilities. And yet part of the workload issue stems from dependency on the telephone, email, and face-to-face interactions that could be more efficiently handled with digital technology.
In an age when people always have their mobile phones with them, the in-room telephone handset seems like a relic of the past. Messaging is a much quicker, efficient and convenient means of communication for guests and for staff.
hi.guru Feature: Concurrent Messaging
Users are able to conduct multiple conversations simultaneously, enhanced through customizable process bots for simpler questions.
hi.guru Feature: Smart Message Routing
Businesses can instantly involve and escalate customer conversations with and to the right people in their organization, to quickly improve the outcome. hi.guru™ Smart Routing lets you manage the conversational spectrum effortlessly!
Read more on these messaging truths