Exclusive Feature: If you have 60 seconds, I have 300 words that might help at the NOI line;
Let’s get it out in the open " most of the guests who book your hotel are first looking at TripAdvisor or a similar site, you probably do it yourself when you travel.
So, it’s absolutely critical to take advantage of every opportunity to earn positive guest comments and improve your rankings, and that starts with the first point of contact guests have with your hotel.
Malcolm Gladwell wrote: “we don’t always know where our first impressions came from or precisely what they mean, so we don’t often appreciate their fragility”. What is the first impression guests have when calling your hotel?
Some hotels believe there is a “pain threshold” that guests will endure while waiting on hold. Two minutes is a common one " once it reaches two minutes, the call rolls over to a call center, where it rings several times, the guest hears another disclaimer “this call may be recorded, etc.”, and then, in the case of a well-functioning call center, another 20-30 seconds before reaching someone.
Ask yourself: is this the first impression you want to convey? Is it what is needed to rank in top echelon of hotels in TripAdvisor in your market?
Time it for yourself. Two or three minutes on hold is an eternity. If your hotel caters to an exclusive clientele that over-values its time, you can imagine the frustration these guests have when finally connected " and the chance for an excellent first impression is lost.
Many hotel owners and General Managers don’t believe that the additional expense associated with the goal of answering ALL reservations calls immediately pencils out.
Put aside the intangible “first impressions” argument and how it translates to better TripAdvisor scores for a moment " how many people hang up after being on hold for a minute or so and book with an OTA?
So, do a simple test " commit enough resources to answer 80% of your reservations calls within twenty seconds (with no pre-planned hold times), and commit to carefully document your call conversion percentage and performance of your reservations team.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results " and your hotel will run much more smoothly, too.
This is strictly an exclusive feature, reprints of this article in any shape or form without prior written approval from 4Hoteliers.com is not permitted.
About Travel OutlookTM Travel Outlook takes voice reservations calls for select hotels, improving hotel voice channel revenue and guest satisfaction. The first call center certified by the Kennedy Training Network, Travel Outlook can function as a full reservations department or simply handle overflow calls.
John Smallwood, President and Chief Executive Officer: I oversee the day-to-day activities of a growing company dedicated to helping independent hotels and hospitality businesses increase top line revenues and provide better communication with their guests. I created the Travel Outlook concept in 2006, after more than twenty years’ experience in owning hotels and hospitality management. I earned a marketing degree from New Mexico State University, and started my career with AT&T, but soon bought a short term rental/timeshare operation in Santa Fe which gradually expanded into a hotel management business with over 200 employees. I have owned, managed, or developed a dozen hotel properties.
www.traveloutlook.com
