In today’s competitive UK hotel industry there is a lot of value in guest experiences and their positive feedback. The entire experience for a guest, from booking their stay up until the moment they check out, has a significant impact on the way they will perceive your hotel.
With technological advances, there has come a way to streamline and enhance your guest experience by using VoIP systems.
How VoIP Works In The Hotel Industry?
VoIP, also known as IP telephony, is a streamlined way of making and receiving calls directly over the internet. Hotels implement VoIP systems as this offers them a way of enhancing guest services such as personalised services, advanced call routing and integration with hotel management systems. This enhances the overall experience and offers the hotel an effective way to communicate and coordinate.
By utilising the hotels’ already operating broadband connection, the use of the outdated traditional phone lines can be replaced, which in turn offer many benefits to the hotel.
What Is The Difference Between VoIP And Traditional Phone Services?
Traditional phones rely on physical lines and can often be slow, expensive, and have limited functionality. VoIP uses cloud-based infrastructure as well as advanced network technologies, making it much more reliable and offers much more flexibility and features. Essentially, VoIP communication is routed directly through the internet while phone calls are routed through copper wires.
How Hotels Use VoIP To Improve Guest Experience
Many hospitality businesses are drawn to using VoIP as this offers the opportunity to enhance guest experiences by offering unique features such as personalised service, 24/7 accessibility and easy use of hotel systems. These unique features offer the benefit of improving communication and coordination between staff, and personalised and prompt communication with guests.
Here are some of the fundamental ways VoIP is implemented to enhance guest experiences in hotels:
Easy To Use
VoIP is generally set up in a way that makes it easy to use. This means that the process of communication for staff or guests will be straightforward. Guests will be able to communicate any requests through the use of their own personal mobile devices.
Personalised service
VoIP offers the hotel the chance to address the client personally by allowing hotels to access the guest’s information and address them on a personal level. By addressing a guest by name, it can increase guest satisfaction and experience.
International calls
Hotels have been notorious for the high cost involved with international calls. By implementing VoIP, the hotel can offer the guest reasonable prices for international calls.
24/7 Accessibility
In some cases, guests might need assistance from the hotel even when they are not currently in their room. VoIP calls or communication methods make it easy for the guest to communicate with the hotel from anywhere at any time.
Guest Services
The integration of VoIP technology makes it possible for the guest to make use of the hotel’s services directly from their personal mobile device. These services can include things like concierge services, room service or booking additional packages such as spa visits, etc.
Cost Effective
Compared to traditional phone services VoIP technology is only a fraction of the price. This is beneficial for the guest, who most likely will need to communicate with the hotel at some point. The same can be said for the hotel, hotels deal with multiple calls daily, which can add up to an astronomical phone bill. VoIP phone systems can significantly reduce telecommunication costs.
Prompt Service
Since VoIP phone systems can be set up in a way to offer multiple lines for incoming calls, this allows increased productivity and rapid response times. Traditional phone lines can become frustrating when there are multiple guests phoning in at the same time; VoIP completely eliminates that struggle.
All these factors contribute to making a guest’s experience so much more enjoyable and easy when staying at a hotel.
Does VoIP Really Enhance Guest Experience At Hotels?
Hotels are in the business of competition and therefore guest experiences are crucial for the hotel’s reputation. Communication is one of the most prominent factors of a guest’s journey with a hotel. The first step of making a booking requires sufficient and effective communication between the guest and hotel. When considering the huge impact that communication makes in the overall guest experience at hotels, it is safe to say that VoIP technology will make a huge difference in guest satisfaction.
Not only do VoIP systems hold huge benefits for the hotel such as cost efficiency and improved communication channels, but they also hold even greater benefits for the guest, such as remote mobile access and personalised service.
