The Importance of a Quality Phone System in Resorts
Let’s start right off the bat ― your resort needs a quality phone system because it is directly tied to your success!
“But how?” you ask.
Imagine having a surge of customers on the weekend. All are tourists who saw your brochure and decided to book a stay with you. Your resort’s location is near the beach, making it an excellent catch. Your staff is busy accommodating guests and trying to give them the best rooms. You can see people standing in queues, some relaxing on the sofas and some enjoying drinks at the bar. When all is sorted, peace reigns.
A few hours later, a guest calls at the desk complaining of a leaky pipe in the bathroom. You immediately send your manager over to resolve the problem. As you put down the phone, another call comes in complaining about spiders in the closet. The entire afternoon goes like this, and by evening, most of your guests are downstairs complaining of such problems. Your staff is oblivious, and everyone keeps complaining that they can’t connect with the desk. There are no professionals in the house to address the plumbing and pest problems. Even after resolving the problems, you keep getting the feedback that the guests have to come all the way down to the lobby to make a complaint because the staff arrives too late.
Can you identify the problem here that led to the negative feedback?
Lack of communication or more accurately ― lack of a quality phone system!
This is where a PBX phone comes into your aid. It’s your resort’s saving grace that will not only allow you to keep your guests happy but also make sure that the staff addresses a problem at the right time.
Before we begin, let’s talk a little about this amazing technology:
What Is PBX?
Private Branch Exchange (PBX) is a telephone network used within an organization or a company. It allows you to communicate internally and externally, using multiple communication channels. You have access to different physical phone lines that offers features, such as transferring calls, call recording, voicemail, call queues, digital receptionists, intercom/paging, and interactive voice menus (IVRs).
Amazing, right? You won’t ever miss a guest’s request or complaint again! And that’s the key to customer satisfaction.
Benefits of Using a PBX Phone System
With a PBX phone system, you will be able to offer guests additional facilities, which will add value while providing exceptional customer service. According to a study published in the Journal of Tourism & Hospitality, service quality in industries such as “hospitality” has become one of the most important factors for achieving customer confidence and a competitive advantage in today’s highly competitive marketplace.
Hence, service quality can give the industry a better chance to create competitive differentiation for success. Service quality includes three things, such as staff, materials, and physical facilities. It is then divided further into two aspects: technical quality and functional quality. A particular model by the name SERVQUAL is used to measure service quality. It includes five dimensions, which include empathy, reliability, tangibility, assurance, and responsiveness.
Many people have declared that hotel phones are dead. Just like comfortable beds and hot showers, phones are also an important fixture that resorts need to pay attention to. With VoIP technology, resorts are now becoming more cost-efficient, feature-rich, and reliable.
Below are the benefits of how a PBX phone system can make resorts more successful:
Lower Costs
Resorts can minimize costs by improving their bottom line. However, with constant maintenance, high calling fees, and repair costs associated with traditional landlines, this is impossible. The good news is that a PBX phone system can help reduce the costs associated with communication without compromising efficiency and quality. From unlimited calling to free internal calls, upfront costs, low/minute rates, and inexpensive monthly subscription plans, you and your resort get access to everything.
Maximize Reservations
A PBX phone system carries various features, which help a resort ensure that all calls are answered. Whether a person is calling about a booking or inquiry, resorts can serve customers better with some of the winning features like on-hold music (to entertain callers) and auto-attendant (a menu that provides you with options and their extension numbers). Since the PBX system also offers online features, customers can contact you directly for inquiries by clicking on the number on your website.
No Delays
Excellent customer service and proper communication are crucial for running a resort successfully. The auto attendant mentioned above feature helps manage the calls that prospects and customers make. From reservations to inquiries and any other incoming calls, you can easily route them to the departments that can deal with them efficiently. This same feature also notifies guests about promotions and upcoming events with custom messages and greetings.
Personalize Customer Service
One of the best things about a PBX phone system is that it can be easily integrated with numerous Customer Relationship Management tools. These tools allow resorts to record customer data and manage it for better customer interactions. As a result, they can identify their needs and address them more competently. In Addition, this collaboration makes the customer data easily available to the front desk, billing, and customer service. Due to this feature, employees can cater to guests better, and this promotes customer loyalty.
Performance Tracking
Have you ever heard of a phone system that helps you keep track of the response your campaigns are receiving? For example, you are launching a new ad about the accommodations in your resort. You have introduced VIP rooms that offer the ultimate luxury amenities such as a Jacuzzi, a steam room, large closet space, and a home theater. With the help of virtual numbers, you are marketing these features. From your website to print ads, emails, etc. This number can be posted anywhere.
Through these virtual numbers, resorts can evaluate the performance of their campaign by tracking calls and finding out the response of prospects. Since the virtual number is portable, it can be dialed from anywhere in the world. People who travel for personal or business reasons a lot can take advantage of this feature by calling from anywhere to make reservations. Moreover, if the resort changes locations, the number can be retained.
Higher Scalability
The most important feature of a PX phone system is its scalability. This makes it quite attractive for growing businesses. So, what does this feature exactly offer?
Imagine your business growing by leaps and bounds. You opened two new resorts in other cities that are receiving a lot of guests. You need to keep up with these resorts so that the same level of service can be offered everywhere. This requires constant and fast communication. You don’t need to buy expensive hardware or additional lines to make this happen. You simply have to toggle your preferences, and you will be able to connect with the other branches.
Clear Voice Quality
How many times have you heard prospects complain that they can’t hear you on call? This weak voice quality can cost you customers! They might not hear about your promotions clearly, or the call might drop mid talk.
During the PBX phone system’s early days, one of the biggest problems it had was calls dropping constantly. Video conferences were glitch, and international meetings had too many interruptions.
Today, one thing has made PBX phone systems a king in the hospitality industry ― strong and fast internet. A connection with high bandwidth is how you can make your calls work efficiently. As long as your internet is fast, you won’t have any problems. The general rule of thumb is that each room should have access to at least 2 Mbps. If there are 100 rooms in a resort, the total bandwidth should be 150 Mbps to 200 Mbps. Other features such as advanced audio compression and noise-canceling microphones also lend superior sound quality to the system.
Final Thoughts
A PBX phone system has the power to prevent burnout. Staff at resorts is often overrun with complaints and requests, which sometimes are not met on time. When this happens, guests leave negative reviews online, which can be damaging to your resort’s reputation.
The benefits mentioned above of this phone system allow the staff to manage the influx of calls by making sure that the right department hears what the guest wants. A VoIP system offers employers to maintain a balance between personal and professional life. It provides them with the freedom to do work from anywhere, whether they are sitting in their cubicle or on the beach (some guests can be such a Karen so we understand if you are taking in the fresh air for a few minutes).
Have we convinced you to throw out your traditional analog phone and go for the PBX phone system? If your answer is ‘yes,’ get in touch with Motion VOIP. They have an expert staff that specializes in making hotels, resorts, assisted living, and apartment complexes technology savvy.