Gathering transactional and behavioral customer data in order to personalize experiences is no longer off-limits and has become an expectation at almost any place you go. An Accenture report examined consumer behavior and found out that clients are more likely to purchase both online or offline if the organization identifies them by their name, knows their purchase history, and provides options based on their past purchases.
Customers want brands to leverage their information in order to personalize their experience. In the hotel industry, leveraging this guest data facilitates in establishing customer loyalty that can turn into word-of-mouth references. References boost your reputation, which will aid in business growth.
To personalize guest experiences is to gather and process client information in a meaningful manner, which is successfully done by utilizing hotel customer relationship management software (CRM) software.
Know About Hotel CRM
A CRM solution is designed to help create detailed client profiles containing information such as customer preferences and behavior. No matter whether you have a single location or multiple across the globe, hotel customer relationship management software is one platform which can drive revenue growth strategies and boost guest experience at the same time.
While integrated with your PMS (property management software), hotel CRM solution offers your facility a benefit over alternative accommodation options which lacks a unified database and also helps you to remain competitive in the industry that is continuously striving for consumer’s attention. It is not uncommon for the hotel industry to have incomplete and fragmented client data. Hotel CRM systems ensure that your data is secure, actionable, and accurate.
Ways to Leverage a Hotel CRM
Although with personalization, becoming a priority in the hospitality industry, it is observed that several organizations are devoting less than 18 percent of their total IT budgets to guest intelligence. Multiple hospitality companies do not realize that a CRM solution has advantages for the guests as well as sales.
Upsell Opportunities
Leveraging guest intelligence helps you to deliver a level of personalization by identifying whether a guest is booking for leisure or business. It creates upsell opportunities which might not be possible without a good hotel CRM platform. If your guest is on vacation, you can offer them packages that they may be interested in, such as a spa treatment. Not only will this upsell the client, but at the same time, it will also show your commitment towards improving their experience.
Guest Intelligence
The information that you gather about your guests in a hotel CRM solution will support the guest intelligence that helps you to build more efficient and deeper customer relationships. Guest intelligence is greatly dependent on their profiles, which are consolidated, updated, trusted, and comprehensive, all of which a CRM software can aid you to acquire. Some data that a hotel CRM platform can store are.
- Reservations
- Preferences
- Treatments
- Service Orders
- Travel Itineraries
Group Intelligence
CRM software stores information about groups. Leveraging group information to your advantage can be a game-changer when you consider revenue opportunities by group sales. Hotel CRM can store vital group information relating to
- Purchasing Behavior: Do group book venue space at any particular time or for any specific reoccurring events?
- Frequency of Booking: How often do the guests book? Are you offering incentives to enhance this amount?
- Sales Opportunities: Is there any other team in the organization from where you can get business from?
Using CRM software helps you to incorporate a high level of personalization by providing event planners customized content such as menus, details, and diagrams about local amenities which proves that your venue can fulfill the requirements of their group event.
Post-Check-Out Interaction
With specific guest details stored in a hotel CRM solution, you can stay in touch with them for longer even after they check-out. Sending follow-ups such as client satisfaction surveys, personalized offers and refer a friend promotions keeps you relevant in their minds. CRM software can also integrate with social media channels to track reviews and gauge consumer sentiment. Such capabilities provide you the opportunity to gather additional information automatically in your CRM solution, even when the guests are not present in your hotel.
How Hotel CRM Boosts Guests Experiences
Building a better journey for the guests is not about defining the path, it is about searching the path your guests are on and joining them along their way. Customer histories that are stored in your hotel CRM software will not just help you to enhance your business but also will reap the advantages.
Hotel guests would be delighted to enter a room that has been personalized to their comfort level. When the building management system is interfaced to property management software, you are able to automate this at scale. Pre-stay efforts such as mobile check-in or itinerary planning are convenient for your employees as well as guests and can be created with the CRM software. Such efforts saves time of your guests while providing you the opportunity to gather additional information from them like which airport they are coming from or if they are in a group, and more.
By integrating with a messaging platform, you be able to interact with your guests easily through text message or through apps such as Facebook Messenger. Leveraging guest information stored in hotel CRM software, your employees can send personalized messages to their guests based on their preferences and profile and later use the data to automate messages. Hotel employees can then serve your guests better through a more guest-centric process of communications.
The Bottom Line
The end objective for the data that you are gathering is to become prolifically constant with service delivery while empowering hotel staff to build happy moments for guests spontaneously. In a CRM solution, you can store guest preferences and notes to gain a deeper understanding of your client’s journey and utilize that to create meaningful recommendations. If your guests are traveling with their pets, look for their pet’s name through pre-stay letter and store this information in the hotel CRM platform. Later, use this information to build a memorable moment by placing a customized pet amenity. Such instances of personalization can go a long way in creating good and strong relationships with your customers.
Emma James is a freelance content writer at SutiCRM, who frequently blogs on Business, Marketing, Sales, ERP and SaaS trends.
