The common concept of IVR is a system for customers to call and try to find a measure of self-service. IVR solutions can do more if they are properly designed and adapted to the ecosystem in which they must operate. The hotel industry is a case in point. It has various levels of activities according to the stage of a customer’s journey. From the business perspective too, it has variety in the ways business is conducted. AsteriskService IVR solution both sides and helps hotel business to grow in different ways.
The hotel business
There are thousands of individual hotels in cities across the world and there are hotel chains with branches in different countries. From the business angle, the IVR can play a significant role in promoting growth.
A central service provider, for example, Airbnb or OYO, can link together thousands of individuals hotels into a common booking system through the hotel IVR tailored for this purpose. Member hotels can carry out quite a few routine operations through the IVR and the service provider saves money they would spend on employees.
- Hotel chains can automate some procedures through the IVR for their staff members and customers with Hotel IVR solutions from Asterisk.
- Hotels normally have arrangements with agents in which case too the IVR comes in handy to allow agents to check availability of rooms and tariffs.
- Hotels can implement Asterisk IVR Payment Gateway to facilitate inbound payments from customers and from their agents.
The customer journey
Asterisk Service Hotel IVR Solution proves invaluable in providing assistance to customers at all stages of their journey.
- Inquiry stage: Hotels do not have to deploy personnel to answer routine queries about rooms, tariffs and other details. These are fed into the CRM and the smart IVR brings up information on-demand, 24x7. Customers in the US, for example, can easily find out about hotel rooms and tariffs in Australia.
- The Booking stage: Once customers are satisfied they may progress to the next level, which is the booking stage and use the IVR for choosing a particular hotel in a particular location and booking a room of their choice for one or more days. Hotel IVR with IVR payment gateway may be used at this stage to facilitate immediate payments if a hotel stipulates advance payments.
- Before reaching the hotel: Customers can dial the IVR number to get directions to the hotel. It makes them happy to know they have full support available 24x7.
- In the hotel: While inside the hotel, a different set of options come into play in the IVR. Customers can make use of the hotel's internal services IVR option to ask for room service, laundry, catering, transport, wake up alarm, prepare the bill and even make payment.
- On checking out: The IVR helps hotels to get valuable feedback from the guest once he has completed payment using the Payment IVR. It helps hotels to find out gaps in service and improve quality that will lead to more business and repeat customers.
Asterisk Service offers custom IVR development services for hotels across the world to help them fine-tune services and grow business.