As Operations Manager at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Frankfurt, Angelo Vassallo was substantially involved in the implementation of Shiji ReviewPro, a Shiji Group brand. In this interview, he tells us how the interface between the chatbot from Shiji ReviewPro and hotelkit has led to a more efficient processing of guest requests and, in turn, to higher guest satisfaction.
Challenges
Prior to the implementation of Shiji ReviewPro, what challenges were there when it came to the communication of guest requests?
Before the implementation of the interface between hotelkit and Shiji ReviewPro, the communication of guest requests was done via the phone: The guest had to get in contact with the front office-employees who, in turn, got into contact with the housekeeping team. Whether the information was passed on to the responsible employees in its entirety and in a comprehensible manner was always uncertain as oral communication always entails the risk that information is passed on unclearly or that the request is misunderstood by the recipients. Since the guest request wasn’t available in written form and the housekeeping team didn’t have anything to refer to, lots of phone calls had to be made to ensure that the guest request was carried out correctly.
The Solution: an Interface with Shiji ReviewPro & hotelkit
What changes did you notice after combining Shiji’s ReviewPro and hotelkit?
Combining the chatbot from Shiji ReviewPro with hotelkit has certainly optimized the way in which guest requests are communicated within our hotels. One could even say that this process was revolutionized by the introduction of this interface. Now, our housekeeping team receives the guest requests via Shiji ReviewPro digitally and in written form in the hotelkit app on their smartphone. The employees can then arrange the requests by urgency and prioritize them accordingly. This way, the employees won’t lose track and in case something is forgotten, a supervisor can retrace whether a message was read or not via the hotelkit tools. This way none of the guest requests get lost and everything is taken care of in a quicker and more efficient manner.
Now, our housekeeping team receives the guest requests via Shiji ReviewPro digitally and in written form in the hotelkit app on their smartphone.
Application of the Interface
How is the interface used?
By scanning a QR-Code with his/her smartphone or by contacting the hotel via any of its messaging channels, the guest gets access to the Shiji ReviewPro chatbot. After typing in his/her name and the room number, the guest can then proceed to submit a request, for example, for an additional towel or a bathrobe. In this request, he/she can also define the preferred time of delivery. Via the interface, the request is then transmitted as a handover in hotelkit. The responsible employee sees the guest request, knows until when it needs to be completed and takes care of it in a timely manner. As soon as the request is taken care of, it’s marked as done in hotelkit and Shiji ReviewPro.
Advantages of the interface
What advantages does the Shiji ReviewPro interface bring you and your team in the daily work routine?
Now, all the important information that our employees need to handle a guest request can be found in hotelkit. The long communication chain regarding the completion of guest requests is now a thing of the past. Prior to the introduction, the guest had to call the front office to tell them about the request, the front office then needed to get in touch with the housekeeping team to inform them about the request and the housekeeping team had to inform the reception once it was completed. Now, the housekeeping team receives the request directly from the guest and is always in the know about what needs to be done. The front-office employees can now take care of the guests that are waiting at the frontdesk and are no longer interrupted by countless phone calls. So, all of this is extremely timesaving for everyone involved and the guest requests are taken care of in a much quicker way.
The Outcome
Has the guest satisfaction increased since the implementation of the interface?
Absolutely. A lot of our guests have already reported back to us that they were pleasantly surprised at how quick their request was taken care of. Many of them also consider it more convenient not having to pick up the phone and instead being able to express their request comfortably via the chatbot. They also really like the flexibility that Shiji ReviewPro offers: They can, for example, also express their wishes when they aren’t at the hotel. That is truly fantastic!
A lot of our guests have already reported back to us that they were pleasantly surprised at how quick their request was taken care of.
About Shiji ReviewPro:
Shiji ReviewPro, a Shiji Group brand, offers a decade of experience and investment in innovation to ensure we continue to be the benchmark of the hospitality industry. Our cloud-based Guest Experience Platform includes Hotel Reputation, Guest Surveys, Case Management and Messaging Automation. Shiji’s ReviewPro owns he industry-standard online reputations core, the Global Review Index (GRI)™, a propriety algorithm based on review data collected from 140 OTAs and review sites in +45 languages. With over 60,000 establishments in +150 countries, Shiji ReviewPro offers the technology, support, and education to empower hoteliers to be better. For more information: www.reviewpro.shijigroup.com
