This article is part two of a three-part series on PMSes. Part one can be found here and part two can be found here.
When using a next-gen property-management system, hoteliers instantly have access to a central guest data system — they can instantly recognize the guest’s whole history—allowing the hotel to give better customer service. “If your PMS is correctly deployed across all the departments, all staff will get the same guest profile and be able to offer the same personalized experience wherever they are in the hotel,” according to Daniel Krisch, senior director, hotel strategy and solutions management for Oracle Hospitality.
Next-gen systems also help hoteliers communicate with guests and offer stronger integrations with other platforms. “The hotel can communicate with the guest on the channel that the guest is comfortable with, whether it is Facebook, Twitter, text or something else,” said Larry Gorman, chief technology evangelist for SkyTouch Technology. “Stronger guest engagement will drive a better guest experience. Even if a guest has a problem, hoteliers can drive better satisfaction by how they respond to the issue and how quickly things are taken care of—all things that a next-gen PMS can help with.”
Having the ability to provide a forum for dialogue with the guest so they can express their preferences and expectations is critical, said Warren Dehan, president of Maestro PMS. “Whether this be via pre-stay emails/text messages, online preferences identified before their arrival or during their stay via a guest portal, or simply gathering the information as part of the check-in experience,” he said. “With this information held in the PMS and available for operational reporting and future marketing, the guest will be served on a personalized level.”
Most property-management systems are built with hundreds of features and fields to assist hoteliers in better serving and engaging their guests. However, most hoteliers use only a fraction of those features, said Amanda Wisell, marketing manager for Springer-Miller Systems.
“The best thing hoteliers can do to leverage their PMS for guest engagement and satisfaction is to identify those areas they want to improve, and then work to identify what PMS features they’re not currently using that will help them make those improvements,” she said. “Your PMS provider should be able to act as a consultant and review your current use of the system while suggesting features and upgrades that will help you better service your customers.”