Inge, Jon (June 11, 2008). Hotel CRM, let's get personal. Hospitality Upgrade. http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_featured_articles/featured_articles.asp
Property Management system is as we all the know “heart” of the hotel. As technology advances, PMS systems have become not only the heart of the hotel but also the key to customer relationship management. It is used in several ways by hotels to build customer loyalty throughout the guest experience, from the reservation process all the way through check out. Modern customer relationship management tools have been assisting hotels in several different ways. Most importantly, the internet has completely changed the way that hotels have interacted with current and prospective customers. The website of a hotel is now the first point at which the customer makes contact with the hotel. This aids in making reservations as well as informing guests of the property. It is essential that the property is properly advertise because it can me a disaster if the hotel fails to meet up to expectations. In addition, now PMS has made it possible to program automatic emails for confirmation as well as follow up emails to thank the guest, this is a very useful tool for CRM. PMS is now able to build more detailed customer profiles so that hotels are able to properly access all of the guest’s wants and needs prior to arrival, this can be as simple as their preference to reading material all the way to the smallest details of what type of room and location the guest normally wants. When hotels are able to meet these expectations without asking the hotel, this is a huge step. As with all new technologies, it is essential to not overuse or overbear the customer with extra information. It is very easy to overstep your boundaries and in this way the customer can feel violated.
Having just finished training at the Hotel DuPont, working in reservations and revenue management, I can certainly see how these new CRM technologies will be very useful to hotels. First, it makes it very easy to set up a reservation for previous guests of the hotel, and now we are able to build more complex guest profiles so that one is able to upsell the product much more. In addition, we are able to easily build customer loyalty with the simple click of a button. I know that at the hotel, we have standard emails typed out and as we enter in the guest’s information, the email is automatically personalized. Also, when we see in our records that they frequently attend the theatre or the green room, emails are sent out when there is a special event or play. In addition, we have programmed our website so that it is found with certain keywords and made sure that it was set up accordingly so that guests are able to enter in their data and upsell as much as possible. Working at the front desk in addition, I have seen how PMS has indeed aided in CRM. Now in PMS, we are able with the click of a button to see comments and messages so that we know exactly what the customer is expecting and we can have things ready before our guest arrives. At the hotel, the staff continually strives to go above and beyond to leave our customers with a memorable experience so as they will not only return to us at a future date but also spread positive word of mouth, which in the end, is the most effective advertisement.
2 comments:
I feel that PMS systems can aid CRM. The common systems today can add a great deal of personalization to the customer. This can create brand loyalty and greater customer satisfaction. I feel that PMS will continue to expand in the way that caters to prospective clients and repeat customers. This is crucial for the business because it allows the staff to be better connected with the clients. Most customers like to have a connection with the people they conduct business. They like to feel important and PMS can allow for the staff or establishment to impress or "wow" the guests. PMS are certainly a very crucial piece of technology in our industry.
I agree that PMS systems help a great deal with customer relationship management. The newer systems that are taking over are very user friendly and quick. It is very simple to do things such as make reservations or advertise to customers quickly. I think that it is a huge advantage to have a system that allows you to put in customer information. This is a great way to make sure that the customer gets everything they want and it also personalizes the experience. Customers really enjoy when a server knows what type of drink they always order or at a hotel they are placed in their favorite type of room.
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