Maximising those direct inquiries
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- Published Date
- Written by Doug Kennedy
It has occurred to me recently how relatively little attention most accommodation marketing and operations
executives pay to their voice distribution channels, at least when compared to the huge amount of time and effort they invest in managing electronic and online channels.
The ironic part is that for many accommodation companies, these voice channels are still holding their own against website, OTA and other online channels. Even if your online channels outpace the direct voice bookings, virtually all lodging properties today still receive a significant number of direct inquires for reservations that need to be capitalised on.
If you stop to calculate the potential value of each reservations inquiry, it seems obvious that the potential ROI is worthy of the effort to train, measure and incentivise for accommodation reservations sales success. Take a moment to run the numbers by starting with your transient average rate times the transient average stay. That, plus the average ancillary revenue per transient guest if you are a full service property, tells you the potential of each inquiry received. Then calculate the results if every reservations, front desk, or call centre agent could capture even just one more reservation per shift. The truth is the potential increase in call conversion is significantly more than one per day but this number alone will get your management team's attention.
If you listen in to monitored recordings of live calls these days, you'll find callers are more often than not asking a specific question regarding the overload of information available online by just a few clicks at online guest reviews and social media postings. They are also asking questions about the multitude of rates and rate options they have seen online at third-party channels. What's more significant is that many of today's callers practically hand-deliver an opportunity to convert them from costly third-party channels. For proof, just ask any agent how often they are asked a question such as, "Should I book that online or book it with you?"
With today's callers asking more detailed and pointed questions, it's vital to make sure whomever is answering your accommodation's reservations inquiries has the proper resources needed to succeed. This includes training on not only how to work the reservations system but also on how to execute the rate strategy. It amazes me that there are many reservations and front desk staff even today who do not have web access to verify a rate at a third-party website so that they can verify and match it.
It's also amazing how many agents still start off quoting their very lowest rate, as if to do the caller a "favour," while others inadvertently make high demand rates sound undesirable with statements such as ,"Well it looks like the discounts are all closed out that night" or "The only rate I have for those dates is..." or "The only rooms we have left would be our suites".
Despite all the challenges with training agents on executing the rate and efficiently using the reservations system, I have to say those are the relatively easy parts. The most challenging mission is to help those who field voice inquiries have a caller-focused, personalised conversation and not just another transactional call. Achieving this component of reservations sales excellence is not only training but also measuring the results and properly incentivising the frontline staff.
With all the budget cuts of the last few years, many hotels and call centres have allowed training to fall by the wayside. So a good starting place is to schedule a sales training meeting for your team. Here are some good themes:
• Product knowledge. Make sure your hotel or call centre staff can answer frequently asked questions and can provide local insider's tips. Don't assume just because they live in the area that they are prepared to answer the questions guests frequently ask. Create your own in-house reference systems for guests' FAQs.
• How to respond to questions and concerns regarding comments made in online guest review websites.
• Using caller-focused, investigative questions to find out more about what your caller is looking for that they didn't see online.
• How to paint the picture of a positive experience by using language that is alluring, enticing, and that appeals to emotions and not just intellect. How to go beyond simply notifying, informing, and listing what is already posted on the website.
• Asking for the reservation and, if pre-empted from doing so or if the offer is declined, creating urgency and/or removing barriers to booking now.
Of course, the training itself is only the kick-off and first step in helping your voice agents maximise both conversation and average revenue per booking.
To reinforce the training, be sure to measure the results. One way to measure the results is to use a mystery shopping programme. Make sure your mystery shopping provider uses an updated criteria and scoring model that encourages a conversational approach.
All too many mystery shopping programmes are based on outdated models where callers had little or no information before calling; these programmes sometimes even require agents to use heavily scripted statements that offer no appeal to most of today's callers. Work with your provider to update your criteria and overall approach to make sure it is reinforcing a conversational, caller-focused sales process.
Besides the mystery shopping, be sure to properly measure the call conversion. With the exciting new technologies that have emerged in recent years, there are more and more ways for hotels and call centres of all size operations to measure call conversion electronically.
Even if no technology system is available to help you track call conversion, a manual call logging system is better than using no system at all. Be sure that agents are coding all sales opportunities as "qualified calls", so long as it is a reservation inquiry and there are rooms open. Also, do not use call coding categories such as "rate inquiry only" and then deduct these from call count in calculating conversion, as this will only artificially inflate your conversion rate. It is hard to imagine why anyone would call a hotel just to check rates if they were not at least considering a reservation.
Finally, make sure you have a properly structured incentive plan that rewards voice agents for improving revenues. Avoid having a commission programme that pays agents a fixed amount on every sale. Instead, a true incentive programme rewards agents for achieving specific, pre-determined goals. Instead, have a few different incentives that run simultaneously and that reinforce your overall reservations sales strategy. Depending on your market segment and operations, goals that can be incentivised include:
• Total monthly revenue sold versus goal.
• Average revenue per booking.
• Call conversion.
• Mystery shopping.
By focusing your team's attention on maximising reservations sales effectiveness, you'll also be ensuring that potential guests are able to reach someone who is not only polite but also knowledgeable, efficient, and who presents a positive first impression of the overall hotel experience they will receive.
