10 Tips to Improving Hotel Customer Service

Step up your hospitality game with these easy tips

The increasing competition and guest expectations within the hospitality industry means the importance of ensuring a positive experience for guests is at the forefront of occupancy and profitability. Poor customer service costs U.S. companies more than $3.7 trillion each year. Through what we've learned with our work with top hospitality professionals, Kipsu has compiled 10 simple tips that will help boost Customer Service Scores.

The CrowdStrike outage impacts hotels and halted their operations - how does your property stay prepared for an outage in the future?

Communicate with guests independently from the internet with guest messaging.

On July 19th, a flawed update from the company CrowdStrike caused one of the largest IT outages in history that affected nearly 8.5 million Windows devices. This affected banks, airlines, hospitals, and train networks, etc. Hotels from major brands like Marriott and Hilton were greatly affected, from not being able to process credit cards to having to walk guests personally to their room. Outages like this are rare, but when they happen, it can greatly derail hotel operations and your customer service will matter more than ever before. Especially when we rely on technology so heavily in our work lives as well in our personal lives, it's crucial to have a back up plan that is easily accessible and to be prepared if a similar situation happens again down the road.

“It’s Not My Fault”: A Service Recovery Fallacy

Respond to guest complaints in a positive and impactful way (constructive)

Picture this: an upset customer or guest reaches out and proclaims a negative experience, demanding something be done. It becomes all too easy for our front-line team members to sit back and think, “This is not my fault.” Unfortunately, this does nothing to assist with the service recovery process. Instead, that team member will focus on pointing fingers and feel less motivated to actually solve the problem in front of them. In hotels that pride themselves on their service, team members should be encouraged to skip past the idea of “who is to blame?” and move directly to “what can I do to help?” In the end, it doesn’t matter who messed up.

Citadines - Science Park Singapore finds an approachable way to communicate with guests via hotel texting.

Kipsu is bringing success to our international partners. (Video Included!)

Our international partners are making more connections with guests in an approachable way using Kipsu. As texting has become the norm, it has been easier for guests and staff to communicate through this method. We sat down with Amber Tan as she shared her experience with Kipsu at their property. From gaining direct feedback from guests to efficient response times from staff, Amber has already seen the success Kipsu is bringing to Citadines.Watch our video to hear her insights on how hotel texting helps build relationships with their guests!

10 Ways To Wow Newlyweds at Your Hotel

We’ve all encountered either first or second-hand the stress of a wedding. From the overbearing mother-of-the-bride to unexpected rain showers, it’s quite normal for the bride and groom to look forward to the moment after they say I do. So whether they are having the wedding at your hotel or spending their honeymoon there, there’s nothing newlyweds appreciate more than smooth sailing when it comes to hotels. Here are ten ways you’ll be sure to wow the couple and help get their marriage started on the right foot.

‘Til check-out do us part: best ways to communicate with guests during wedding season

Guest messaging features that improve the experience for newlyweds and their guests

May through October is peak wedding season, and we are currently in the thick of it. It can be a stressful time of year not only for brides and grooms, but also for the hotels involved in their special days. Thankfully, there are ways that can help your property run smoothly. By using tags and the outreach feature in your guest messaging software, your team can send targeted group messages that keep guests and staff connected and coordinated on the “day of ''.

Meeting Guests Where They Already Are: Statistics Showing the Importance of Hotel Texting

We have the numbers to back up why guest messaging is a need for hotels (infographic included).

Texting has been redefined as a crucial mode of communication between companies and their customers, marking a significant shift in business interaction especially in the hospitality industry. It has also become a way for hotels to differentiate themselves from competitors that are less tech-savvy. And the numbers speak for themselves: check out this infographic showcasing the importance of texting in today's hospitality industry.

The Online Travel Agency problem: How to get more direct bookings using guest messaging

Leverage guest messaging to minimize OTA bookings

Hotels are grappling with the challenge of losing revenue to online travel agencies (OTAs), a long-standing issue exacerbated by the hefty commissions these agencies take. Despite the perceived convenience associated with OTAs, hotels are recognizing the urgency of reclaiming direct bookings. To address this, leveraging platforms like Facebook Messenger and Apple Business Chat for seamless communication, combined with robust loyalty programs, emerges as a strategic solution.