Hoteliers can benefit greatly from customer relationship management (CRM) software. A CRM in hospitality industry is a powerful ally. In addition to creating a comprehensive database to hold all client-relevant information, a hotel CRM also promotes a hotel’s long-term growth.

Wondering how?

It is, in fact, the driving force behind effective hotel marketing, facilitating hotel businesses in achieving significant results. 

It accomplishes that through more focused advertising and by fostering strong relationships with visitors, corporate clients, and other important stakeholders. 

These clients and visitors act as brand ambassadors for your company, which generates more referrals.

However, before you go and invest heavily in a new CRM software for your hotel business, let’s understand what a hotel CRM is and how it can benefit your business.

What Is a Hotel CRM System?

A CRM system is a popular software solution that aids in the management of leads, marketing, sales, and sales teams. A hotel CRM system, on the other hand, is a specialist CRM created specifically for the hotel business.

CRM enables hotel management to meet customer expectations. In addition to handling leads, CRM also aids in managing loyalty programs, customer feedback, and, most importantly, a 360-degree overview of customer data and interactions.

Additionally, CRM incorporates a telephone system with an appropriate IVR and call distribution system (ACD). ACDs that are well-designed make it possible for visitors to locate the right person or personnel quickly.

The primary goal of hospitality is to make guests feel welcome and comfortable. Therefore, by storing client preferences and histories, a good hospitality CRM software makes it possible to understand customers considerably better.

How Can a CRM System Help a Hotel Grow?

Let’s look at a few benefits that a comprehensive hospitality CRM software offers to streamline your business processes.

1. Increases customer satisfaction

When it comes to the hospitality sector, nothing outweighs the value of customer satisfaction.

Therefore, a client with a bad service experience can affect the reputation of the entire hotel business. Additionally, retaining that client would be a far-fetched dream.

However, with a hotel CRM software in place, a hotel can collect data about its customers, such as their room preferences, food types, etc., and help prevent poor customer experience.

Such data offer a comprehensive knowledge of the guest’s personalities, which is crucial when a hotel wishes to customize its services to suit the guest’s requirements.

Additionally, using automation tools like email marketing, a CRM in hospitality industry enables existing clients to be informed about the latest promotional offers and services the hotel business offers.

2. Automate communication 

A CRM system can automate communications such as client interaction and send reminders about customers’ bookings. This gives the impression that the hotel has made all the necessary arrangements for the arrival of guests. 

Also, as mentioned before, a CRM system could be used to send emails to previous guests about the latest offerings, events they took part in while staying at the hotel, or thank-you notes. 

This would showcase the hotel from a more humane perspective rather than just a mechanical business.

3. Provides a unified platform

CRM systems collect and integrate client information, including financial, historical, and conversational data, into a single, centralized platform. 

With the assistance of this centralized system, hotel staff can access any client account at any given time to view records on an as-needed basis.  This can help the staff do their jobs effectively.

4. Customer engagement

Of course, managing customer information is important. However, it is more crucial to identify the most valuable customers and their booking frequency.

With an intelligent hotel CRM software, you can identify them effortlessly and update them about the latest booking deals. This will also remind them of your excellent customer service and encourage them to make reservations with your hotel in the future.

The success and growth of a hotel business greatly depend on how effectively it operates to retain its customers. With a hospitality CRM software, you can maintain a good customer relationship and provide them with quality services effectively in a streamlined manner.

Features to Look for in a Hotel CRM Software

Before investing in a CRM software for hospitality industry, you must ascertain that the software solution meets the requirements of your hotel business.  

Why?  

It is because the capabilities of one software solution might be suitable for one hotel business but not for other. 

Consider the following essential features that your chosen CRM in hospitality industry must have:

1. Quotation management

Quotation management is one of the most crucial functionality that CRM in hospitality industry must have. This feature is essential for both web-based and mobile CRM.

Activity logs

All activity records, including those for calls, SMS, emails, visits, and meetings, ought to be entered into CRM either automatically or with the least amount of work possible.

Smartphone app

The idea of a CRM in the modern world without a robust smartphone app is impractical and inconvenient.

2. Hotel CMR dashboard

CRM dashboards give access to all stakeholders involved to all the essential information. Executives can benefit from CRM dashboards as much as managers and other staff members.

3. CRM personalization and adaptability

Each hotel has a unique operating philosophy and corporate culture. An intelligent  CRM software must be flexible enough to accommodate the hotel’s systems and standard operating procedures.

4. Hosting flexibility

This functionality makes sure that it complies with your IT policy. If the CRM solution is hosted on the cloud, both the software and the cloud platform must conform to security standards.

5. Lead generation from all sources

This feature will help to minimize lead escapes and reduce the sales team’s workload. Leads may come from walk-in customers, websites, travel booking portals, or any other channel.

6. Marketing Capabilities

Although today’s digital marketing landscape is broad, the hotel CRM system should contain the most fundamental marketing features. Features that should be incorporated include data classifications, bulk messaging, and group messaging via email, SMS, WhatsApp, etc.

7. IVR and telephony integration

Telephony integration in a CRM solution is a critical part of customer experience. Therefore, a hotel CRM system needs to have a proper built-in telephony integration.

8. Tracking the sales team

The ability of sales managers to organize, assist, and monitor the operations of the sales staff with this feature is one of the major advantages of any hotel CRM software.

9. Data quality and deduplication

Data that has not been filtered is hazardous. The ability to examine the accuracy of the data and identify any anomalies should be a functionality of a smart CRM system.

10. Ticketing and helpdesk

The hotel industry experiences client complaints and grievances much like any other service industry. To address such issues and increase customer satisfaction, your chosen CRM must have a reliable ticketing system.

11. Notifications and escalations

It’s unlikely that everything will be flawless all the time. Nevertheless, a reliable hotel CRM will notify the concerned staff members when something is improper or likely to go wrong.

Final Words

The hospitality sector relies heavily on customer service. Therefore, businesses must subscribe to a hotel CRM solution that improves the client experience, boosts customer retention, and minimizes service issues.

A hotel CRM does more than just increase sales, automate marketing, and improve customer service. 

It provides comprehensive solutions for the effective management of entire hotel operations, such as property management and customizing the experience of every guest.

Your decision to invest in the finest CRM software for hospitality industry should be clear and informed, given the amount of time and money your guests invest in their plans. 

We hope this blog will help you select the best hotel CRM platform for your business.

AxisRooms Editorial Desk

AxisRooms, a software suite provider for the hospitality industry, is committed to aiding your business growth, not just with our state-of-the-art products and services, but also with the latest updates from the travel and hospitality industry. Got something to say? Write to us at: editorial@axisrooms.com

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