VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, has become increasingly popular in the hospitality industry in recent years. With the pandemic accelerating the shift to digital technologies, hotels are now looking for ways to enhance their guest experience and streamline their operations. In this article, we will explore three trends to watch for in VoIP for hotels.
VoIP will have its own trends in 2015 that you should be aware of as a hotel owner or manager, which can help your hotel from an economical standpoint, in addition to providing the level of technology innovation that your guests have learned to expect. To give you an idea of what you can expect in the future, here are three trends to watch out for this year:
Hosted PBXs Gaining in Popularity
When it comes to Hosted PBX, the writing is definitely on the wall. Hotels are beginning to see the advantages that Hosted PBX has over an On-Premise PBX system and they’re using that knowledge to make the decision to switch to a Hosted solution. The biggest reason for this change in attitude is that an On-Premise PBX comes with maintenance and repair costs. You often need to employ someone who can handle any issues that might crop up, and someone who can constantly monitor the operation of the system. The use of this on-site person can be costly. With Hosted PBX, your provider handles the problems for your hotel through the cloud and monitors how the system is operating. Plus, you can enjoy quite a few features of a Hosted PBX setup. These reasons should cement Hosted PBX as a trend throughout 2015.
Improved Analytics
We’ve gotten to the point where nearly anything can be monitored, and VoIP is no exception. When competing for guests, it’s important that your communications system is always operating at peak performance. Analytics in VoIP continues to improve and will provide you with an overall picture of how well the system is handling the communications within your hotel. Jitter and latency, for example, can be analyzed to ensure that any problems are well within an acceptable range, and will give you the knowledge necessary to tackle such issues and make improvements. These analytics can also clue you into a poor internet connection, an inadequate router, and other such issues that may be hindering your hotel’s communications. Thanks to improvements in technology and the need for better analytics, we can expect this trend to continue throughout the year.
Mobile Integration
Although it may not be possible for every hotel, mobile integration with VoIP is on the rise. Desktop phones are increasingly finding their way from the desk to the storage closet. This is because some hotels (and other businesses) have migrated to the use of mobile devices as a replacement for the desk and, someday, room phones. In these situations, an employee’s mobile device becomes the primary VoIP handset. This represents a big change in how business in a hotel is conducted, as it allows the employee to always remain connected. The employee can now feel unencumbered by the phone sitting at the desk, allowing them to perform other tasks while always being available to guests. With the increase in mobile device usage, there’s no reason that this trend won’t obtain more momentum in 2015. Hosted PBX providers are finally developing a similar solution that puts the guest room phone on the guest’s mobile device, and these too will begin to emerge in 2015.
Guests today expect seamless communication and easy access to information. One trend to watch for in VoIP for hotels is the integration of VoIP technology with guest mobile apps. By integrating VoIP into their mobile apps, hotels can enable guests to make and receive calls, send messages, and access hotel services through their smartphones. This can enhance the guest experience by eliminating the need for guests to carry a separate phone, and it can also provide hotels with valuable data on guest preferences and behavior.
2015 should prove to be an exciting year for VoIP, especially in hotels. Voice over Internet Protocol will provide your customers and employees with a solid communications system, and if you take advantage of the above trends, you could very well leave your competition in the dust.
Cloud-Based VoIP
Cloud-based VoIP is becoming increasingly popular in the hospitality industry, and for good reason. Cloud-based VoIP systems offer several advantages over traditional on-premises systems, including lower costs, greater scalability, and increased flexibility. With cloud-based VoIP, hotels can easily add or remove phone lines as needed, and they can access advanced features such as an automated attendant, call forwarding, and voicemail. Additionally, cloud-based VoIP can provide better call quality and reliability than traditional phone systems, which is essential for hotels that rely on phone communication for their operations.
Voice-Activated Guest Services
Another trend to watch for in VoIP for hotels is the integration of voice-activated technology into guest services. With the growing popularity of smart speakers and virtual assistants, hotels can leverage this technology to provide guests with a more personalized and efficient experience. By integrating VoIP with voice-activated technology, hotels can enable guests to use voice commands to order room service, request housekeeping, and access information about hotel amenities. This can not only enhance the guest experience but also reduce the workload for hotel staff.
Conclusion
In conclusion, VoIP is transforming the hospitality industry by enabling hotels to enhance the guest experience and streamline their operations. By keeping an eye on these three trends, hotels can stay ahead of the curve and provide guests with the latest in VoIP technology.
Phonesuite is the proven choice for modern, open-architected integrated hotel communications for over 6,500 hotel installations. We offer start-to-finish manufacturing of unique, easy-to-install, full-featured, flexible software and hardware telephony solutions. We give you our assurance of the quality of our product with a promise to resolve any issues you have with our hardware or software in a timely, respectful, and comprehensive manner.
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