Managing a hotel has become increasingly complex due to high guest expectations and the rapidly growing competition in the industry.
The evolution of travelers’ needs has made it difficult for hotels to manage their requests or complaints and exceed their expectations.
Manual or the traditional method of handling guest complaints makes the process messier when many requests or complaints flood continuously in large hotels or resorts.
This creates a need for specialized software to manage guest complaints and requests, automatically assigning them to staff, making management simpler and more efficient.
“A study says that 59% of hoteliers use technology and over 80% of hoteliers think technology makes them more efficient.”
Source: Internet
Current Scenario: Understanding The Need For The Software
Nowadays, Travelers look for hotels that offer personalized service and the most comfortable stay.
Every hotel strives to meet the guest’s expectations and also exceed those expectations to provide them with an exceptional stay at their place.
The increase in the number of travelers, both business and leisure travelers, has made the hotel industry, an ever-busy industry.
Hotels with tons of guests staying, find it very challenging to meet the requests of every individual guest continuously and simultaneously.
The traditional method of handling guests’ requests and complaints manually takes longer. Also, it makes it difficult to manage the requests or complaints simultaneously, thereby making the guests wait longer and increasing the dissatisfaction rate.
This creates a situation for hotels to depend on capable software to effectively and efficiently manage guest complaints and requests.
Software Over Traditional Methods: The Solution
The software that is designed to manage guest complaints and requests specifically has created a significant impact on the hotel’s complaint management process.
Providing every guest with personalized service is the main objective of each hotel but the process of manually handling their requests is slower and work loaded.
For instance, while staying in the hotel, when a guest encounters any issue, he calls the front office. The front office staff relays the complaint to the respective head of the department who then assigns the complaints to the right staff. This is the traditional approach to resolving a complaint.
This takes longer time since the complaint is assigned to the right staff via another person which makes the guests wait longer thereby increasing the dissatisfaction rate.
“Out of 96% of dissatisfied guests, 91% of guests never return to the same hotel.“
Source: Customer THINK
Implementing the software to handle the guests’ complaints and requests will not only reduce the manual work but also help them provide efficient service compared to the manual method.
Let’s take the same situation again in a hotel that uses complaint or request management software.
A guest experiences an issue and calls the front office. The problem is then logged in the software, which automatically assigns tasks to the correct staff in the relevant department and notifies them within seconds of the complaint being logged. The staff, being notified early, promptly addresses the issue and ensures its resolution.
This process of handling complaints using software simplifies the process as well as decreases the addressing time thereby reducing the resolution time.
Implementing Software: The Benefits
Guest complaint and request management software has a drastic impact on hotel operations in a positive way but still many hotels hesitate to implement software specifically for managing guests’ complaints and requests.
As the saying goes “A Coin Has Two Sides”, similarly, implementing software has its benefits and shortcomings.
However, the true impact is determined by whether the benefits outweigh the shortcomings. Let’s delve further to assess the actual impact of implementing the software.
The core benefit of implementing software specifically for handling guest complaints and requests is that it drastically simplifies the handling of complaints and requests by automating the tasks completely.
It also provides systematic tracking of complaints and requests in a centralized platform, which could be a lifesaver in rare cases of disputes, inspections, legal issues, or for future references of the hotel.
Hotels can ensure consistent service for all guests by using complaint management software. This software sets a specific time frame for resolving complaints, which is followed regardless of who the complaint is assigned to. This consistency meets what guests hope for quick solutions based on what they’ve experienced before.
The strict escalation protocols that come with the software are an additional boon to the hotels since they automatically and immediately notify the higher staff about complaints that exceed the time limit.
Many hotels hesitate to implement software specifically for managing guests’ complaints and requests due to the initial investment required for its implementation.
Typically, the return on investment (ROI) from the software outweighs the initial investment costs within one year in many cases.
Other potential reasons for hotels to hesitate to implement the complaint and request management software could be inadequate staff training for using the software, multiple software glitches, or potential threats to data stored in the software, which could be a major nightmare for hotels.
This issue could be resolved by implementing a widely renowned complaint management software in the hotel, as recommended by its satisfied users, for example, Geedesk.
Beyond all the obvious perks, the hidden advantage of complaint management software is that it provides hotels with rich data analytics that can help to proactively address recurring issues, enhance overall service quality, and transform complaints into valuable insights, driving continuous improvement and elevating guest experience to new heights.
Conclusion
In a rapidly growing world, it’s crucial to evolve and stand out from the crowd. Implementing software to manage guest complaints and requests will undoubtedly lead the way in enhancing efficiency and guest satisfaction.
Imagine guests staying at your hotel have their issues promptly addressed, handled, and resolved in the shortest time possible. They would be highly satisfied and would appreciate your efforts by promoting your brand to others and increasing positive word-of-mouth marketing.
This not only enhances guest experience but also boosts your hotel’s reputation and attracts more customers.
By improving efficiency, reducing guest churn, and minimizing the likelihood of costly legal disputes, complaint management software can contribute to significant cost savings for your hotel.
The use of efficient complaint management software can prove to be a game-changer for the hospitality industry, streamlining the process of handling guest complaints and requests, enhancing staff accountability, and significantly improving the overall guest experience.