Effective communication by telephone will not only assist in selling the hotel, but will also promote an image of efficiency. Since the client has only the telephone conversation on which to judge the standard of the hotel, the rules that apply to good verbal communication are even more applicable to telephone communication.
Many hotels insist
upon their staff answering the telephone in a certain way, e.g. ‘Good morning. The Centurion Hotel,
Marie speaking. How may I help you?’ This quickly becomes
standard procedure and ensures that the client receives all the
information. As long as the call is answered promptly with an appropriate greeting,
the client will feel confident that the organisation is efficient. In
addition to the correct greeting, all switchboard operators should be
familiar with the procedures for making credit card calls,
directory inquiries, collect/reverse charge calls, early morning
calls and international calls.
Most modern
telephone system enable the guest to dial direct both local and long-distance calls.
Making
Calls
Before making
calls, you organise and pen down what you want
to say
• You have
prepared/gathered the necessary reference materials
and documents
• You check that
the telephone number you are going to dial is correct
• You allow the
other part’s telephone to ring for 1 minute, which
is about 7-10 rings
• When the other
party answers the phone, you identify yourself and your company
• You state your
reasons/purpose for calling.
Answering
the Telephone
• You answer
promptly, if possible, within 3 rings.
If
you cannot answer the call promptly, you apologize to the caller at
the start of the conversation.
• You greet the
caller with the appropriate greeting
• You identify your
company or your name/dept. You are proud to
identify yourself
• You always have
pen and paper at hand
• You take notes,
instructions, details and information as required
• You repeat all
instructions or requests
• You listen to the
callers’ tone/mood, not just what he is saying
• During the
conversation, if you need to leave the phone to get something, you inform the caller the reason/situation.
If you estimate you will take a long time, you inform him and
suggest you take down his phone number and contact him when you have
got the information. And of course, you keep your word
• If the caller is
looking for somebody who is not around, you offer
to transfer the call to somebody who can help or offer to take a
note/message.
Transferring
Calls
• If you need to
transfer the call to another person or dept, you state the reason to the caller
• You get the
caller’s permission before transferring the call
• You inform the
caller the dept/job title you are transferring to and the name of the person you are transferring to
• You ensure both
parties are properly introduced. You can do this
by briefly explaining the situation to the person taking the call before
you put through the call.
Taking Messages
• You get all the
necessary information from the caller. These information
include full name of caller, company name, message and the contact number
• You repeat all
information obtained to the caller for accuracy
• After ending the
call, you fill up the message form completely and indicate the following items – full name of caller,
caller’s company name, message, caller’s contact number, name
of person whom the message is for, room number, person who took the
message, date and time
• You write neatly
• You pass the
message to the person concerned as soon as possible.
Telephone
Message Record
To:
.......................................... Room Number:..............
From:...................................... Tel
no.:..........................
Message:...............................................................................Date:.............................
............................................................................................Time:.............................
....................................................................................................... ο Telephoned
....................................................................................................... ο Will phone back
....................................................................................................... ο Please phone
ο Urgent
Signed/Initialed:
Direct Dialling
In most hotels,
when direct dialling from guest’s rooms was introduced,
individual meters for each extension were installed in reception. This
enabled the staff to calculate the number of units
consumed, cost them
according to the charge made by the hotel, and
subsequently posts the price to the guest’s account. Unfortunately this
system is not without problems since staffs occasionally forget to read
the meter, and so the units of one client may be added to the account of
an incoming client. Should a client dispute a charge, it is impossible to
check the cost of the call, and much revenue can be lost in this way.
Computerised
Phone Billing
A computerised
switchboard enables the billing of telephone calls to be controlled in a much more effective manner. Each call
is logged with the date and the exact time, the number that was called,
how long the call was connected for, the number of units consumed and the
cost of the call according to the hotel’s charges. This can then be
automatically charged to the guest’s account, or printed out for the guest
to see in case of query. The system can also be used to ‘bar’ extensions,
which enables the hotel to control the use of the telephone. Various
offices may have access to local calls but not national or international
calls, while other offices may not be able to call out at all. If a guest
has not acknowledged a request for payment of account, the extension can
be barred.
Many hotels have
taken advantage of the new technology now available
to provide their guests with additional services. These are particularly
valuable for the business community, and may well present a good selling
point.
Automated
phone systems
Telephone systems
can now provide a range of services for both the hotel and the client. The systems are automated, and
generally activated through a system known as voice processing, which is
a combination of computer technology and the spoken word. The systems
include a variety of services such as wake-up calls, message waiting
facility, access to hotel services and do not disturb.
1. Wake-Up Calls
If a
guest-controlled computer system is not in use, wake up calls are usually taken by switchboard operators. It is
extremely important that when a wake-up call is requested that
proper procedures are followed so that the call will be made at the
right time. When wake-up calls are entered into the system, the
guests name will be displayed to ensure accuracy of entry. A list of
all makeup calls can be displayed on the screen or printed out any
time.
Guests can also
program their own wake-up call, and they will be called automatically, in a language of their own choice. The
system can be set so that the call will be repeated a number of times,
after which time the operator will be alerted so that an investigation
can be made into the guest’s safety.
2. Message-Waiting
Facility
When guests arrive,
they are allocated an electronic mailbox, and given an individual ‘PIN’ number. This allows them to empty
their mailbox. The hotel may also take advantage of the service
by placing a welcome message in the guest’s own language, and in some
cases they will also provide the guest with the facility to pick up
message for a while after they have left. Here the telephone in the room
will display a light to show that a message is waiting for the guest to
collect. In addition, the system will ‘ring’ the guest quietly at
intervals until such times as the message is collected.
3. Access to
Hotel Services
The telephone
system can be used to access directly all the hotel services, and to display an up-to-date copy of the
guest’s account. Guest’s can also make arrangements such as for a massage
or making a room service order with just a touch of a button.
4.
Do Not Disturb
Although the guest
is virtually self-sufficient, they may decide they do not wish to be disturbed; in that case all their calls can
be diverted to the hotel operator, but the individual service is still
there if the customer requires it. Telecommunication systems mean
that many of the devices of the past have become virtually obsolete. The
telex was very popular, since it enables bookings to be received when
there was no one in advance a reservation, and the problem of differing
times zones was easily overcome. Very few hotels now use this system,
since other methods of communication are faster and easier.
Summary
Effective
communication by telephone will not only assist in selling the hotel, but will also promote an image of
efficiency. Receptionists have to follow the correct procedures for
answering calls and taking messages. Automated phone systems are widely used
in hotels.