酒店从业者的客人信息指南（英文版）.pdf

The Hoteliers Guide to Guest Messaging GUIDEIts Time to Embrace Guest Messaging Implementing Guest Messaging Seven Ways to Encourage Guests to Message Your Property Profile: Attitude Hotels Digital Communication Guidelines Spotlight: Digital Communications at Minor Hotels A Survey of Popular Messaging Apps Introducing ReviewPros Guest Messaging Hub 3 5 8 10 13 18 22 26 INDEXITS TIME TO EMBRACE GUEST MESSAGING Digital technology is changing the way consumers interact with businesses. Increasingly, communications are taking place not by phone, by email or in person but through SMS and messaging apps. For travelers, messaging is easy and convenient, allowing them to use the mobile applications they use every day to communicate with staff. For restaurants and accommodation operatorswhether a hotel, serviced apartment or hostelmessaging provides opportunities to connect with travelers, increase efficiency, answer questions and resolve issues in real-time, providing an elevated level of guest service. In this guide, we show you how to embrace messaging as a new and efficient way to communicate with guests and ensure that staff have the training and guidelines they need to communicate professionally.Well also show you an exciting new product from ReviewPro that will help you integrate guest messaging into hotel operations: Guest Messaging Hub. Its Time to Embrace Guest Messaging 3Its Time to Embrace Guest Messaging 4 MESSAGING IS FAST BECOMING THE COMMUNICATION CHANNEL OF CHOICE According to Skift, close to 1.1 billion new users are set to adopt messaging by the end of 2018, bringing total worldwide users to 3.6 billion. Given that so many people live and breathe by their mobile devices, its only natural that they want to use them to communicate with businesses. 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. Hoteliers havent been so fast to adapt to the trend, however. During ReviewPros recent webinar, Chartering the New Frontier: Digital Guest Communications, only 13 percent of participants said they use SMS or a messaging app to communicate with guests. This presents an ideal opportunity for forward- thinking hoteliers to adopt messaging and stay a step ahead of competitors. If you already offer messaging services to guests, this guide will help you take your service to the next level.Implementing Guest Messaging 5 IMPLEMENTING GUEST MESSAGING While the concept of messaging will be nothing new to staff, there are certain considerations to keep in mind during implementation. The approach may vary across establishments according to the type of business, size, service levels, and objectives. For any type of property, defining a clear action plan is critical to a smooth and successful implementation process. Here are four steps to successful messaging implementation: STEP 1: THE BASICS Decide the messaging strategy appropriate for your business: group, individual or hybrid. For example, a hotel group will need to decide if corporate office will receive messages and forward them to the appropriate property or the properties will handle messaging independently. Select the messaging services most suitable to your guest demographics. For example, if you have lots of Chinese guests you should choose WeChat as a messaging option. Configure your messaging services. Define the welcome message, waiting message, and out-of-hours auto-reply (if applicable). Review your privacy policy to ensure that it covers communications by messaging. Some companies include a link to their privacy policy in messages. (See example next page.)Implementing Guest Messaging 6 STEP 2: DEFINE INTERNAL PROCESSES Select which team members will be responsible for receiving and responding to guest messages. Confirm the workflow and process of handling messaging. Build a relevant knowledge base of quick answers. Resources for this information may include your hotel directory, website and company FAQ.Implementing Guest Messaging 7 STEP 4: RAISE AWARENESS OF MESSAGING Teach staff best practices in receiving and responding to guest messages. Teach the process for acting on tasks and closing cases. Display messaging on property and digitally to inform guests they can message your hotel. (Keep reading for details.) STEP 3: DECIDE HOW REQUESTS AND ISSUES WILL BE DEALT WITH Select which team members will be responsible for completing tasks generated via guest messages. Create departmental workgroups to ensure information is routed to the right departments and staff members. Create guidelines and processes for the assignment of tasks, resolution time limits and escalation parameters.SEVEN WAYS TO ENCOURAGE GUESTS TO MESSAGE YOUR BUSINESS Travelers often have questions for hotel staff but dont want to wait on hold or line up at the front desk. How can you let them know that they now have a quicker, easier option? Try using these seven touchpoints to encourage guests to message your hotel. 1. YOUR WEBSITE Often the first port of call for your hotel, your website is an essential place to inform travelers they can contact you via messaging. Select a web page to display your SMS number, a chat widget, or links to messaging apps. 2. CHECK-IN Advise guests at check-in, include a notification in key card holders, or display lobby signage such as tent cards, lobby monitors or posters. 3. IN-ROOM Place signage in guestrooms next to the phone, on the desk or on the nightstand. Seven Ways to Encourage Guests to Message Your Business 8Seven Ways to Encourage Guests to Message Your Business 9 4. WI-FI Add a pop-up notification that appears when guests log in to your Wi-Fi network. 5. IN-STAY SURVEYS Include an invitation to guests to message you with questions or concerns via your in-stay survey. 6. QR CODE/SHORT URL Display a QR code or short URL on signage in public areas or on key card holders inviting guests to link directly to your messaging services. 7. CONFIRMATION EMAILS Include an invitation to contact your hotel by text or messaging app in your reservation confirmation emails.Profile: Attitude Hospitality 10 PROFILE: ATTITUDE HOSPITALITY Digital communication isnt just for city hotels; resort properties, hostels and service apartments also under- stand the advantages - even when guests are coming to unplug and unwind.At Attitude Hospitality, operator of nine beach resort style properties in Mauritius, management takes extra care to ensure that any digital tools they take on add to rather than detract from the guest experience. Below are highlights from our interview with Christophe Hb, Attitude Hospitalitys Consumer Experience Manager. What digital tools does Attitude use to communicate with guests? We use ReviewPros in-stay and post-stay surveys. We also have a live chat feature on the website, and our public areas feature information touchscreens running on third-party software. We also use a proprietary “brand experience” geolocation app (Otentik Discovery) to guide guests to local cultural hotspots around our properties. Other digital tools such as WhatsApp are used internally by hotel team members but not with guests.Profile: Attitude Hospitality 11 What are guest expectations of resort properties when it comes to digital communications? We operate beach resorts, so guests dont really expect to receive much “push” communication during their stay. But they do expect the basics, such as fast and stable Wi-Fi connectivity to allow them to communicate (which is itself a challenge on a remote island like ours). They also expect occasional communication on special and tactical offers while at the resort (promotions on spa, special dinners, etc.), especially long-stay guests. What is the biggest challenge your company is facing with the shift to digital communications technology? Implementation. Aligning old/legacy systems with new ones, finding reliable and supportive suppliers for these new technologies, and avoiding inconsistencies when delivering them to the guests. Service excellence is what differentiates hotels in Mauritius from competitors abroad, so we are very wary of creating gaps in service due to malfunctions in new or less-tested technologies. For example, guests communicating with us via one of these new channels and being accidentally overlooked. Guests expectations of quality are very high, so our margin for error is small. What advice do you have for hoteliers that wish to charter this new frontier? I would say start small, consolidate, then deploy. Were lucky enough to be operating nine hotels at very high occupancy all year round. Whenever were trying out new technology, we almost always run a pilot on a single, usually more robust property. This approach allows us to control for many variables (e.g., ensuring the team is sufficiently trained on the new solution, managing multilingual versions relative to the guest mix, etc.) and figuring out all the kinks early. It also minimizes damage to our groups reputation and ensures that when we launch a product group-wide, the onboarding process is that much easier. Click here to check out our messaging video. Profile: Attitude Hospitality 12Digital Communication Guidelines 13 DIGITAL COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES While your staff may be superb with guests in person, by phone, and by email, messaging is a new and unique form of business communication. Most people hone their messaging skills from texting with friends and family, and they may have picked up some bad habits along the way. Messaging in a business environment calls for a more formal approach, though still conversational. A few guidelines and some training will help ensure that employees have the knowledge and confidence they need to communicate with guests effectively. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION When interacting with guests in person, employees use visual, vocal and verbal communication cues such as eye contact, body language and tone of voice to read guests and show that theyre listening and they care. On digital channels, the guest and employee cant see or hear each other, so the employee must rely on words. If employees are rushed or distracted when messaging, they risk confusing, frustrating or even angering the guest. To communicate clearly and avoid misunder- standings, staff must choose their words carefully and follow proper messaging etiquette.Digital Communication Guidelines 14 POOR COMMUNICATION Read the text exchange between a hotel employee and a guest pictured here. How well do you think the employee handled the request? If you were the guest, how would you feel? The employees blunt style of communication, the delay in responding, the typo and the use of emojis all come across as unprofessional. The employee does not appear to take the guests request seriously. In the end, the guest is told to call the front deskcompletely defeating the main purpose of messaging! Digital Communication Guidelines 15 7 TIPS FOR MESSAGING EXCELLENCE How can hotels avoid misunderstandings and create a positive impression when messaging with guests? Start with these seven guidelines. Reply promptly. People expect quick replies via text message and chatoften in a matter of seconds. Assign the correct internal workflow to ensure that employees monitor these channels closely and know whos responsible for responding and how quickly. Program automated replies to advise guests of estimated wait times when staff are tied up. Introduce yourself. If youre messaging a guest for the first time, include your name and department. If you receive a message and dont know who its from, dont say “Who is this?”, say, “May I confirm your name and room number?” Be clear and concise. Keep in mind that guests may be on the go or multi-tasking when messaging. Keep your messages short and to the point, but not so brief that you come across as rude or abrupt. Always remember the pleases and thank yous. Be professional. Texting with guests is different from texting with friends. Avoid abbreviations, jargon and emojis which may confuse or be misinterpreted. When in doubt, type it out. Be conversational, not too casual or too formal. Always check for typos before sending. 1. 2. 3. 4.Digital Communication Guidelines 16 Be alert. Be attentive to the guests around you. They wont know that youre texting with a guest, not a friend. Handle complex interactions offline. If the guest is confused or angry, offer to call them directly to avoid making the situation worse. Have the right strategy, structure and support. Before implementing a messaging strategy, its vital to have objectives, tools, staffing and processes in place. For example, some messaging tools offer features like quick answers, quick cases and workflows to ensure streamlined, efficient handling of communications. 5. 6. 7. FREE DEMO Happy Guests. Profitable Hotels. Comprised of ReviewPros industry-leading Online Reputation Management (ORM), Guest Satisfaction Surveys (GSS) and Mobile App, the Guest Intelligence Suite helps your organization to develop a truly guest- centric culture. Discover today how this highly flexible solution can help you turn insight into action to improve operational and service excellence, while driving revenue.Digital Communication Guidelines 17 BETTER COMMUNICATION With these guidelines in mind, read the example pictured here of the same guest request. This time the employees messaging is prompt, personalized and professional. With a messaging tool in place, the employee can quickly forward the request to housekeeping and maintenance and ensure that the tasks are completed on time and to the guests satisfaction. This ensures that the guest is left with a positive impression and will be more likely to use this communication channel in the future. Spotlight: Digital Communications at Minor Hotels 18 SPOTLIGHT: DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS AT MINOR HOTELS During a recent ReviewPro webinar, Marcos Cadena, Vice President, Digital, e-Commerce & Distribution at Minor Hotels, shared some of the knowledge and experience he has gleaned while leading his companys digital initiatives. Below is an edited, condensed version of Cadenas presentation. Bangkok-based Minor Hotels is the owner and operator of a diverse portfolio that includes 154 hotels, including the brands Anantara, AVANI, Elewana and Tivoli, located across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South America. ADAPTING TO CHANGES IN TRAVELER BEHAVIOR “Our research has found that consumers want to talk to us in a variety of places, including Facebook, WhatsApp and chat through different tools,” Cadena said. “And while chat and other means of communication can help convert