Over the past few years, the automation space has evolved tremendously. From the chatbot on a website to the robots in a manufacturing unit, automation is taking marking its presence in several industries.
Talking specifically about the hospitality industry, hotel automation solutions are emerging as a focal point and have already started to make an impact.
So, it is crucial for B2B technologists to adopt a complete consumer-first mentality. There’s simply no way forward any longer: business software and hardware must act, think, and feel like consumer software and hardware. Enterprise users are no longer willing to sacrifice usability or functionality simply because it’s a service or tool they use at work.
In other words, any software you put to work in your hotel’s operations MUST behave and serve in a way that is user-friendly at a level akin to consumer-friendly. In this way, your staff and your clients get the most out of your use of the software.
Training, Retraining and Improved Learning
Industry experts have pointed out that people learn differently. There are “audible” learners who take in information best when listening to it, and there are “visual” learners who absorb information by reading. However, almost all learners can take in information and master new skills far more readily when they learn by doing.
Adding validity to this, is the age-old proverb that goes…
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for his lifetime.
This is why Hotelogix has designed its unique ACE or Automated Coaching Engine. It is integrated into an easy-to-learn hotel management system, Hotelogix, and offers potential buyers a chance to fully evaluate the software before making the investment and transition.
However, this built-in training function is also effective when the software is put into place and ready to use in the daily hotel operations. At that time, its tutorials can walk hotel staff through the various essential processes necessary for day-to-day business, and in a way that feels consumer-oriented rather than enterprise-oriented.
This training automation is definitely one of thoses sought after smart hotel solutions that not only saves time & money in many ways but also guarantees the best sort of learning because staff get to learn through hands-on, real-world experiences. Applying the knowledge needed to accomplish the tasks required ensures the most robust learning experiences.
It also ends up sparing hotel owners from entering into the traditionally flawed training methods available, while supplying guests with the attentive service that modern automation enables.
Today’s consumers are already seemed to be comfortable with automation as the industry is already much inclined towards it. Smartphones and tablets are already in the game and are making an impact in many aspects — from business to travel, grocery shopping to medical appointments. Self-service claims have become the present age currency. As a result, when it comes to hotel accommodations, guests want to experience the same self-service alternatives.
So, guests anticipate some sort of automation, while still demanding a personalized service integrated into the mix. The right PMS, like Hotelogix, can support such goals.
Train and Re-Train
For example, many small to mid-sized hotel owners and operators find themselves in the unenviable position of dealing with staff training & re-training. They have to organize paid sessions during or after business hours for staff to learn a new system that they may not master in a single round of training. Thus, the cycle of dealing with staff training & retraining, and sub-standard performance is the result.
Of course, it is important to remember that it is not only about keeping staff capable of using software, but even more so about guest satisfaction.
Artificial Intelligence, for example, is put to use in programmable room functions, such as heating and cooling clocked to operate only when a guest is present. However, AI is also capable of supporting marketing and upsells, reminding staff of a guest’s preferences in dining, activities, room cleaning schedules, and more. Did they add a spa stay? Automation is the tool to ensure they repeat that activity with each visit.
An automation tool like Hotelogix cues your staff to follow through on all of these things with each booking or check-in/checkout procedure. And it maintains their level of training at all times. This one of a kind smart hotel solution helps in overall staff training in hotel industry.
Trained staff improve guest satisfactionin many ways, and the Hotelogix software trains in all areas to ensure the very best results.
For example, it includes:
Front desk operations
Accounting tasks
Housekeeping and maintenance functions
Back office tasks
Integration with channel managers and booking engines, and more
This means that staff can quickly learn whatever sets of tasks are required, and management can emphasize the finer details that ensure customer satisfaction. After all, why spend days on end training individuals to use the software when it is the guest-facing protocols and procedures that are most important.
On the Go Management
With ACE, staff training in hotel industry would get much simpler. That’s not all, easier staff management at hotels is also possible because the Hotelogix option also incorporates mobile functionality. This is why training automation saves time & money. It can eliminate the need for computer stations and allow workers to use mobile devices to address many hotel tasks and requirements. Whether it is a housekeeping team updating the status of a room, or a front desk person making the check-in process remarkably fast and seamless, having an easy-to-learn hotel management system with automated training is far more efficient.
Here is an example:
The Hotelogix system allows a user to choose whatever function it is they need to learn. It uses an array of interactive panels to show them precisely how they start, manage, and complete the task. Then, it asks them to go through the procedure on their own and tackle something they will need to address on a regular basis.
Once they understand the intuitive software, they can handle any procedures easily, and remain up to date on all facets of the system. They can then focus on the work that matters most – ensuring that guests of the hotel get their full attention and are treated in a way that ensures repeat visits, recommendations, positive feedback, and more.
Beyond Guest-Facing Procedures
Naturally, trained staff improves guest satisfaction when they operate at the guest-facing level, but what if it is back-office or housekeeping? How can ACE enable improved customer satisfaction? It has to do with the synchronicity of the software. Linked to front desk systems, it ensures that the status of a room is updated quickly, preventing delays in the check-in process, and keeping workflows smooth.
Because the software allows real-time changes that update unilaterally, staff are able to address housekeeping requirements as soon as they are entered into the system. A room that requires housekeeping or maintenance can be indicated in the software and staff can be notified of what needs to be done, as well as any customized work.
So, an option like Hotelogix ensures easier staff management at hotels but also keeps things flowing in a much more efficient manner. Work is never duplicated thanks to the simple colour-coding and communication, and there is no risk of booking a room that requires some sort of maintenance or other work. With such features, housekeeping staff are supported in their work and will experience fewer errors, as well.
Take It Anywhere
Naturally, hotel owners and operators appreciate the software because it includes a mobile app that hastens the check-in and check-out processes as well as the housekeeping procedures. Designed as intuitively as the software, any ACE training will enable a user to transfer their skills to the mobile app.
This, as noted, cuts down on things like training and retraining, and saves money by eliminating the need for redundant work stations. Staff can use mobile devices that achieve all of the same tasks. Whether it is a complex distribution update or pricing change, or a simple need to update a room audited overnight, it can all be done on the go.
And returning to the customer satisfaction that improves with the use of ACE and a system like Hotelogix, the mobile app has been designed to make front desk interactions more appealing than ever. The app can scan identification cards from more than eighty countries, making it possible to complete a check-in within moments of a guest’s arrival, as well as managing their bills and payments.
Meeting Tomorrow’s Tech Demands Today
Designed to be used by those with limited (or even non-existent) knowledge in the use of technologies, the Hotelogix software and the mobile app can literally be mastered in the shortest time frame imaginable. It will enable owners and staff to quickly become functional parts of a more efficient operational system.
The ACE is hands-on learning, and it gets staff trained and working faster than other approaches, ensuring small to mid-sized hotels reap the ongoing benefits. The features integrated into the software can be accessed on the go and via mobile devices. Pricing can be analyzed and changed globally from the app, housekeeping can be managed via the app or workstation, guest experiences can be optimized and customized, and much of it through the automation of Hotelogix, cloud-based functions.
This will have a huge impact on the hospitality industry at all levels. With small to mid-sized hotels becoming more competitive and nimbler and their staff turnovers reduced due to top-notch training, it will definitely cause a shift in the industry.
