Voice bookings? Isn’t it a thing of the past? After all, in a fast-paced world accelerated and advanced by technology, why would you hold onto archaic modes of communication? That’s quite right - after all, progress is the name of the game. But hear this: voice, and voice bookings in turn, hasn’t run its course yet.
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In this blog article, voice bookings refer to the act of making a reservation using a physical medium such as a telephone or a mobile phone. Not to be confused with Voice Booking Technology, where we see the likes of Alexa or Siri placing a reservation for the guests upon a voice command.
This Hospitality Net article reports an interesting statistic from a Florida resort: 41% of hotel revenues came from voice bookings. The success of marketing campaigns across digital channels (including SEM, Google Ads, emails and social media) were - in actuality - reflected in how many clients picked up the phone and made reservations, revealing how important voice remains to clients.
Should this be such a surprise though? We look towards advancing technology to make our lives more convenient, but human connection hasn’t lost its place in our hearts. Despite the squeaky clean and sanitised feel of social media platforms and their sleek aesthetics, part of why we feel compelled to participate in them comes from our desire to connect. As VoiceTalks writes, the human voice particularly possesses modulation, intonation, inflection and nuance - all of which make the booking process much richer in terms of connection. What’s easily understood is that voice opens us up to an emotional channel of communication.
This is something Portier has always been championing for - introducing technology with a human touch. We can ultimately see how the human touch impacts communication in the example of Artificial Intelligence (AI). When Siri / Alexa / Google Assistant first appeared, it was discovered that their pseudo-humanity was the most appealing feature, people loved speaking to them informally as if they’re a real person! Here, we cannot deny the observation that human beings have this innate desire to connect, even if they know that the other party is not someone real!
Hotel News Resource further sheds light on how the importance of the trip could affect a guest’s chances of making a voice booking. When guests call to make enquiries, it shows their willingness to have the best stay possible. In fact, 30% of Millennials are still calling to book their rooms! When looking at tendencies on making a voice call, it was analysed that Americans are most likely to make a voice booking using our Portier Phones. If you are a hotelier operating in a tourist destination popular with American tourists, consider the kind of technology your hotel has and if it is enough to capitalise on this.
Sure, purely relying on voice bookings alone wouldn’t be the brightest idea in today’s hotel technology landscape, but the desire for human connection hasn’t diminished. Voice booking is still in trend and it lays the groundwork for the first step for a connection with the hotel. Even before stepping into the physical premises, the hotel can offer guests a glimpse of the quality service to expect. In hospitality, people will always be the essence of elevating an experience - and Voice has the power to make that essence available.