The front office is an important part of any business – it is usually the first point of interaction between a company and its clients. In a sense, an efficient front office reflects streamlined, well-managed organization. That’s why a smoothly running front office gives clients a great first impression, while a frantic, disorganized scenario can impair a customer’s confidence. In hospitality, the front office or front desk plays an integral role in the establishment’s long-term success. Moreover, the department is widely regarded to be the ‘face’ of the hotel’s brand. Optimizing tasks for your property’s front desk staff with modern cloud technology can go a long way towards improving overall productivity – let’s explore how.
Streamlined check-ins and check-outs
Nobody likes to wait in line at public places and your hotel is no exception. A poorly managed front desk with guests waiting excessively to be addressed isn’t just costing the hotel time and money, it impairs the guest experience before it’s even begun! Cloud based tools get around this problem through software-enabled automation – new bookings received by the system are automatically organized and checking in guests just takes seconds with a property management system. This ensures that your front desk is running at full throttle, all day.
Seamless communication with staff
Working at the front desk often involves managing the tasks of other departments as well, the duty of the front desk agent doesn’t end with merely creating the reservation. The housekeeping staff have to be alerted, the room status needs to be updated and any special requests made in advance by the guest will need to be serviced. With a cloud based system, front desk managers can delegate tasks to specific employees, change the status of a room, and even make announcements – all from a single point of control.
No more double-booked rooms
Double-bookings are a hotel’s worst nightmare. Not only do they severely impact the hotel’s reputation, they can result in guests booking directly with a competitor. Unfortunately, in today’s internet dominated marketplace where millions of bookings are made online each day, the odds of encountering double-booked rooms has increased. With real-time integration enabled by cloud-based software, overbookings become a thing of the past.
All focus directed to the guest experience
Listing hotel rooms online is a great way to boost global exposure. However, with so many channels available, front desk agents can have a hard time constantly updating inventory across each portal every time a new booking is made. With real-time integration between the channel manager and PMS, inventory and rates are automatically updated regardless of where the booking comes from. With your staff freed off this responsibility, they can direct all their attention to your most prized assets – the guests!
Improving the efficiency of your hotel’s front desk isn’t just going to streamline operations around your property, it’s also a long-term play for building your hotel’s brand. Investing in a cloud-based management tool can have instant effects on your productivity and dramatically improve your ROI – the benefits heavily outweigh the implementation costs!
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