Improving a customer’s experience is of the utmost importance to business owners. However, this priority has a new meaning in the hospitality industry. Managing a hotel involves many moving pieces.
Consequently, communication among staff members including check-in personnel, cleaning crews, security, management, and more is integral to a great hotel. Keeping all staff on the same page and organized can be challenging.
Two-way radios are a communication tool hotel managers can disperse among staff members. This technology can help staff stay connected and organized daily; however, they are most useful in the occasional emergency.
The instant and reliable communication two-way radios provide can keep both hotel guests and staff safe in emergencies. Read more to discover the expansive benefits of two-way radio use in the hospitality industry and how the technology can be implemented.
Improved Communication
Are your hotel staff members staying connected? Is communication heard immediately? Are problems addressed promptly?
If your hotel staff is struggling with communicating, two-way radios can be a useful tool. With radios, staff can hear real-time communication, compared to other communications like email which can be set aside or read later.
Management can benefit from using two-way radios by using them to communicate to their staff and security. Different channels can be used for specific departments. For instance, security communications can all be designated to channel 8 and cleaning staff to channel 4. With this organization, not only are the right people receiving the communications but there is also less interference and unnecessary transmissions.
Another benefit of two-way radios is the ease of communication. If a manager is requesting a quick cleanup in the hall, they can tune in to the designated channel and transmit their message to all cleaning staff immediately. With this instant communication, the entire cleaning staff receives the message and can respond accordingly.
Two-way radios negate wasted time when prompt responses are needed. Implementing two-way radios will allow staff to stay on the same page and work efficiently.
Enhanced Guest Experience
When hotel staff can work efficiently from effective communication, everyone wins. Guests at hotels, no matter the hotel rating, expect excellent customer service.
Two-way radios allow the staff to respond to issues or requests quickly. Whether it is the cleaning staff fulfilling a towel request or a security guard responding to a disorderly guest, radios can help speed up the response time.
By quickly attending to customers, the guest experience is enhanced. The better time the guest has at a hotel, especially when evaluating their experiences with staff, the higher the chance they will leave a glowing review.
Increased Efficiency
As mentioned previously, two-way radios can improve how efficiently a hotel operates. With radios, staff would not have to physically go to the front desk to report confidential information. Moreover, if someone is looking for a specific staff member, radios would make it easier to find that person in real-time.
Another factor that makes two-way radios more efficient than other forms of communication technology is battery life. Radio batteries are designed to last and function to the fullest for 10 hours on minimum. This is 10 hours of work before the radio needs to be charged.
This is huge in the hotel industry because hospitality works around the clock. Radio batteries can even be conditioned so they do not wear down over time like cellular batteries. To learn more about radio battery conditioners go here.
Additionally, two-way radios are extremely durable. They can easily withstand an occasional drop, a splash of water, and more. Most run-of-the-mill communications technology is not durable which makes it a high risk for failing during a shift and needing to be financially replaced.
Radios also provide a guaranteed connection. When hotels host large conferences, everyday forms of communication like cellular connection can be interrupted by the sheer number of people in the space. As suggested previously, communication between hotel staff cannot be interrupted without risking the hotel’s reputation and the safety of staff and guests.
Lastly, radios offer hotels cost efficiency. Not only are radios reasonably priced for the abilities they possess, but they are long-lasting, meaning they will not have to be updated or replaced soon after purchase. Moreover, radios do not require any functioning fees such as cellular contracts.
Two-way radios are a great communication tool to implement in the hospitality industry to improve efficiency.
How to implement two-way radios into your hotel
The first step for implementing two-way radios into your hotel’s communication system is determining how many you will need. Some hotels assign radios to certain workers or team leaders. Another option is having a group of radios behind the front desk or in a main office, for workers to grab and go.
The next step is finding a reputable radio provider and the radio that possesses exactly what you need. Make sure to look at the features so you are not purchasing something that has more features than you need; you don’t want to be paying for functions you won’t use.
After your radios are delivered make sure there is a training session with your employees so everyone working knows how to use a two-way radio. Whether an employee is assigned a radio or not, they should know how it functions in case of an emergency.
Lastly, make sure the management establishes radio protocols. For example, if you are assigning teams to certain channels, make sure these designations are well known. Another protocol could be reaffirming what situations warrant calling security over radio and/or radio usage over slower communication forms like email.
What Accessories are Useful to Hotel Staff
Two-way radio accessories are very useful for specific hospitality workers. The most useful is surveillance kits or earpieces for security staff. With surveillance kits, security personnel can covertly communicate. Moreover, they will be able to easily hear transmissions in crowds like a conference.
Make sure the surveillance kit you pick is compatible with your radios.
Overall two-way radios can be a great addition to any hospitality organization's communication strategy. Radios improve communication between staff members, can make a hotel more efficient, and improve the guest's experience.
If you have any questions about what radios and radio accessories are right for your situation, feel free to reach out to our experts at Waveband Communications.
