7 advantages of automated customer service for the hotel industry

by Sophia Foster
Jul 24, 2019 | Customer Service | Reading Time: 5 minutes

There is a misconception that automated customer service and hotels don’t match. That chatbots take away the human warmth and the quality of the hotel’s service is affected. However, isn’t it worse to make your client wait for a service than using a chatbot?

With the advance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and natural language, automatic responses are more personalized and many clients don’t even notice that they are talking to a machine. Still, many hotels hesitate in adopting these kinds of services. They live in the belief that hospitality and automated customer service can’t work together.

The truth is, in a multichannel world that we live in, a human being simply can’t handle the multiple demands. And it is important to know that before enchanting your guests, you need to be available for them in the most efficient way possible.

If you are still a true believer that chatbots can’t perform a miracle in the hotel industry, take a look at the 7 advantages of automatic customer service in hotels that we listed below.

Be aware that you might witness the miracle of the multiplication of direct sales. You’ve been warned!

1. Guests’ expectations

According to SuperOffice, up to 70% customers expect a company’s website to include a self-service application. So, by investing in automated customer service in your hotel, you will be giving what customers want and expect.

Making customers happy should be your priority. On average, satisfied customers tell nine people about their experiences. On the other hand, angry customers tell, on average, sixteen about their bad experience.

Font: Super Office

In the competitive and fast world that we live in, self-service is not a luxury or expendable. It should be a part of customer service. Don’t make your client frustrated!

2. Operational Improvement

As I said at the beginning of the text, automation didn’t come to replace personalized service, but to help it. It makes possible for human attendants to have time to fully dedicate to the art of hospitality, without having to stress with simple questions that overload work on a daily basis.

Without having to struggle between demands, the effectiveness of hotel staff increases and clients can get all the attention they deserve. In fact, it is not enough to help a customer when he needs it. The staff should proactively reach clients to check if everything is going smoothly. And that takes time.

Besides, with this “extra” time, reservations agents will be able to focus completely on sales and on the potential new guests. Not having to answer simple and repetitive questions, they can do strategic tasks and help in a more efficient way to increase the hotel’s revenue.

3. Multiple Channels

Have you ever tried to answer different people with different questions simultaneously? Impossible, isn’t it? Someone always ends up waiting. This problem is even bigger in hotels chains, with one single website for all its units.

When a quotation request is sent to a human chat, it usually takes a few minutes to be answered. But clients will hardly wait that long. What would probably happen is that the client leaves the webchat to never return.

One of the advantages of having a hotel chatbot is the ability to answer multiple clients on multiple channels at the same time. Fast answers mean more probability of new sales. So don’t make your clients wait!

4. Time Response

In addition to the waiting time, if you give your client short and uncomplete answers, the chances of him booking with you drop significantly. To give a full answer is crucial when texting your potential clients.

A human agent takes several minutes to carry out a full guest service. On the other hand, a robot takes only a few seconds to give a thorough answer, with pictures and prices. Not even Usain Bolt is as fast as a chatbot!

5. Omnichannel Service

For any business, it is important to be available on the channel chosen by the client. That is also true for the hotel business. It is not enough anymore to answer emails or telephone. Your hotel must be online on different communication channels: website, social media and message apps.

But we are only humans. We can’t answer all channels at the same time! Fortunately, omnichannel technology, like the one we have, integrates all channels in one platform making online communication much easier.

6. Single Training

Turnover rates in hotels are quite high. Every time a new employee is hired, time is spent in training so the hotel’s standard is kept even with staff’s changes. This adapting stage can cause a work overload on staff members, promoting an operational deficit.

This kind of problem does not exist with a chatbot. When you hire a robot, you will only have to teach it one single time. Chatbots are better than elephants. They never forget!

7. Cost Reduction

The financial factor can not be ignored. Chatbots can be used to reduce operational costs. According to Forrester Research and Oracle, a web self-service can reduce cost by as much as $11 per call, as you can see in the graphic below:

In addition, to have automation technologies is considerably cheaper than to hire multilingual employees to work only business hours. A robot doesn’t take pauses, works 24/7 and can communicate in several languages.

Automated customer service is the key to success

Researches about customer services conducted by big companies tell us that clients want an online self-service channel. That proves that automated customer service and hotels are a good match, no doubt!

However, it is important to point out that the automation didn’t come to exclude human service. It is just a support tool to help human agents to deliver outstanding guest service. Personalization and automation can coexist in the wonderful hotel environment.

Wanna know more hotel chatbots and guest service? Talk to one of our consultants and we can show you how our platform can help your hotel.