How a Contact Center Can Upgrade Your Hotel-Booking Business

The tourism industry’s faced multiple challenges over the last two years. COVID-19 lockdowns kept people at home, and concerns about exposure to the coronavirus have impacted check-in procedures and cleaning protocols.

The global hotel industry generated over $600 billion U.S. in 2018. Today, hotel-booking companies can take advantage of technology to improve operations. Let’s look at what contact centers are, how hotel-booking businesses benefit from using contact centers, and how to promote your booking services with a contact center.

What are contact centers?

Call centers include operations where staff report to an office to handle incoming or outgoing communications. Virtual call centers use software to connect employees who work remotely. Cloud-based technology integrates call centers around the globe, ensuring call centers can provide services around the clock. Since cloud-based call centers can operate from any location with internet access, companies operating on-site call centers can save money by renting cheaper facilities outside major urban areas.

Outbound contact centers are facilities where employees place calls to people. Telemarketers promote goods and services to potential customers. Callers may also contact former customers to promote new products or see if they need to order more supplies.

Inbound call centers process incoming communications from callers. These customer service representatives may take orders, help clients resolve billing issues, or help customers correct technical issues with products or services.

How do hotel-booking companies benefit from using contact centers?

Hotel-booking companies process incoming communications from guests who need to book hotel rooms or facilities or change their reservations. Omnichannel software is the best contact center software for hotel-booking companies because consumers can use multiple communication channels to address their needs. Omnichannel software ensures each customer service representative can process incoming phone calls, emails, text messages, and social media messages. Customer service representatives can also engage in live chats or answer video calls. Enabling consumers to choose the communication platform expands your reach because consumers won’t be forced to use communication channels they dislike.

Representatives working in a call center can access current room availability and information about building amenities. Instead of calling a hotel and speaking to someone who only has information about one hotel, hotel-booking businesses using call centers ensure clients reach representatives with information about all their hotels. Suppose a person wants to book an affordable hotel room in Miami Beach, the representatives can review facilities with availability to find a cheap hotel that meets the caller’s needs. They can also help callers identify the hotel rooms with the best value. For example, some callers may only be concerned with finding a room for the lowest rate, while others may be willing to pay more for beach access, a hotel with a fitness center, or a facility with an outdoor pool. Customer service representatives can offer clients personalized service, ensuring they secure the right room for their needs and increasing customer satisfaction.

How can you promote your hotel-booking services with a contact center?

Contact centers are an effective promotional tool for hotel-booking services. Whether you’re promoting your Miami Beach hotels or hotels throughout the United States, you can use call center staff to promote your best hotels. For example, suppose you have a website describing your economy and luxury hotels. Connect your website’s contact form to your call center. Representatives can use the client’s information to identify their priorities and provide information about Fontainebleau, the Confidante Miami Beach, or Flamingo South Beach. Perhaps a caller’s looking for a place to host a wedding reception. Your representatives can highlight hotels with a rooftop pool or facilities that are a short walk to the beach. Perhaps the client’s looking for hotels or motels near the Miami Beach convention center or other local attractions. Representatives can promote all your facilities that meet the caller’s needs, ensuring they find the right hotel.

Contact centers enable hotel-booking businesses to promote multiple facilities. Representatives can provide facility information, take bookings, and process cancellations from one centralized location.