The hospitality and travel industry is just leaving a decade of unprecedented growth. A strong economy and buyer confidence have led consumers to increasingly look to travel to fill their leisure time. Everyone knows, however, that the economy flows like a roller coaster with exhilarating highs and devastating lows. To overlook this crucial part could leave many in the hospitality and travel industry seeing the end of their decade long win. To keep up with the growth and ensure the future of your hotel, operators need to look towards innovative technology, such as cloud communications and UCaaS, to give them the competitive edge.
The Hospitality Industry Reaps the Benefits of Cloud Communications
Over the last several years, we have witnessed the growth of hospitality operators looking to reduce their operating costs through the use of innovative cloud solutions. With minimal up-front costs, the subscription-based nature and enhanced mobility of cloud communications, operators can give their employees the ability to quickly respond to guest needs, safeguard guest data and even, potentially, save on operating costs. Let’s take a look at four of the ways a cloud communications solution can benefit your operations:
Simplicity – Cloud solutions, because they are subscription-based, are simple to manage once the solution is installed. Depending on your current solution you may even be able to utilize your existing hardware and just change where the communications server points to in order to send and receive its data. Adds, moves, and changes are simplified to the point of being able to be managed by the average employee, instead of needing the specialized knowledge of certified telephony maintenance staff.
Satisfaction – Meeting (and exceeding) guest expectations is crucial to the on-going success of your operations, so it should be one of the most important considerations when choosing a cloud solutions provider and technology. Cloud communications enhance your staff’s ability to meet the needs of your guests with speed and keep on top of their needs. One example is the ability of a hotel manager to see the need for a guest room to be cleaned and being able to dispatch the cleaning staff while from home, enhancing the productivity of that staff member while simultaneously ensuring the satisfaction of your guests.
Savings – Running a large and complex operation like a hotel can be expensive in terms of the technology needed. But cloud communications solutions can provide significant savings in both hardware costs and energy costs. Depending on the current solution installed, it is possible that the existing hardware can be retrofitted to work with a cloud solution, removing the need to purchase new endpoints. Additionally, the cloud provider takes on all of the energy and physical space needed to house the data center and servers that process your phone communications, saving you on energy, space, and maintenance costs.
Security – While the belief that cloud solutions are insecure is still prevalent, the belief has actually been debunked. The reality is that cloud solutions are just as secure as on-premise solutions, and in some ways, even more secure. The reason for this is that cloud solution providers are typically tasked with providing a higher level of security for compliance reasons and also take the responsibility of keeping their customers’ data seriously. Additionally, cloud providers employ personnel whose only task is to keep up with the latest security threats and counteract them, ensuring that your data is kept safe while within their networks.
The Cloud Helps the Hospitality Industry Digitally Transform
Digital transformation, as defined by CIO Magazine, says that to digitally transform “marks a radical rethinking of how an organization uses technology, people and processes to fundamentally change business performance.” The question is, how are you approaching your people, processes, and technology to fundamentally change your operations?
Is it time to upgrade your operations telephony solution? Download this free whitepaper to find out.
