Written by our partner, Volo Solutions LLC
One of the industries hit the hardest by COVID-19 is the hospitality industry. People postponed vacations, business travel halted, and conferences and conventions went virtual. Hospitality workers were furloughed and many properties closed down. However, things are rebounding, and today’s travelers are expecting a different level of service than before. Hospitality should focus on in-room tablets and guest messaging now more than ever to accelerate customer experience.
But why?
Customer experience and guest messaging are now going hand-in-hand. With guest messaging options, hotels and properties alike can improve their customer experience by giving customers ample ways to connect and communicate with staff or their loved ones. Similarly, in-room tablets are also related to having a positive guest experience. In-room tablets help promote guest messaging and customer engagement. In this blog post, we’ll discuss what in-room tablets are, why they’re important, and how they can foster guest messaging to improve customer experience.
What are In-Room Tablets?
In-room tablets are WiFi-connected devices that serve as a digital concierge for your hotel. They might contain staff directories, restaurant menus, spa service options, or whatever your property offers your guests. In-room tablets allow you to optimize your guest experience by showing and giving your customers access to everything your hotel has to offer.
In-room tablets mainly serve to inform and guide guests through a personalized experience at your hotel, but also to upsell services that guests might not have otherwise sought after. Whether on your tablet or through your guest message, you should be offering a simple way to send promotions such as a coupon for dinner, notifications for onsite or local events, room upgrades, or safety alerts. Check-in is the perfect time to share your suite of offerings and make a great first impression to drive a positive guest experience.
In-room tablets, like Volo Solutions, also have the opportunity to host guest messaging platforms like Loop. With Volo, your guests won’t just access all of your property’s amenities, but have the ability to chat with your staff via Loop to better streamline customer communications. Hosting in-room tablets gives your guests yet another communication and service platform.
How Do Guest Messaging and Customer Experience Relate?
Guest messaging helps guests stay connected with your concierge staff or fellow hoteliers. Today, 71% of customers expect real-time communication and 60% of customers want quick support to their inquiry. In a study from OpenMarket, 90% of hotel guests in the US and the UK said they would find communicating via messaging with a hotel useful.
The slow adoption of messaging in the hospitality industry isn’t due to a lack of desire on the part of consumers. In everyday life, people use messaging to communicate with friends and family, and increasingly they expect the same convenience from businesses. Matching customer expectations is crucial in receiving positive reviews, recommendations, and lifelong customers.
Experience has become the determining factor when guests choose a hotel brand and become loyal to the brand. In fact, experts believe that customer experience will be even more important than price or product quality in differentiating one brand from another. It’s time to make guest experience your first priority by implementing in-room tablets and guest messaging.
