Is customer service outsourcing ideal for the hospitality industry?

The decision to avail customer service outsourcing services is a question that even hospitality businesses face. Some may see it as an absurd decision because the kind of services that hotels and restaurants deliver entails physical presence and contact with customers.
Obviously, certain roles such as housekeeper, bell staff, concierge, and food server should be fulfilled by in-house employees, but there are activities that could be sent to an offsite team. Here are some of them:

• Multilingual call center services

International hotels can benefit from multilingual call centers. Outsourcing to one would mean that the inquiries sent from anywhere in the world could be answered by a multilingual customer service team that is available 24/7.

Foreign guests could then develop a positive impression of the business, knowing that it provides convenient communication channels that make assistance readily available to any nationality.

• Booking and reservation services

Customer service outsourcing firms can manage the booking and reservation duties of a restaurant or hotel. As most call centers are multi-channeled, they could also give customers the option to transact via a phone representative or through the establishment’s online channels. For most people, getting quick answers about room availability and reservations, and service/facility rates from the business’ official website or app means top quality customer service.

• Reception services

While there should always be a person attending a company’s front desk, businesses in the hospitality sector can still benefit from outsourced reception services.

The onsite receptionist can focus on entertaining guests, while the offshored ones can answer and route incoming calls. This way, guests would not have to wait for a long time to be served, be it over the phone or in person.

Hoteliers and restaurateurs could cut costs and elevate the quality of their services by letting an outsourcing firm handle some of their customer service duties. Through outsourcing, they can serve guests in person and over various electronic platforms.