Factors to Consider When Choosing a Hotel PBX System

In the hotel sector, the most important thing is to provide excellent customer service, since the comfort of the guests will make the difference compared to other hotel brands. With the arrival of IP telephony or VOIP, more and more hotels have moved from traditional telephony to the implementation of virtual switchboards to manage calls more efficiently and at a lower cost.

On the other hand, it is necessary to emphasize that in moments of crisis like the pandemic in which the world has been immersed by the coronavirus the calls of clients to hotels have undergone a great increase due to the cancellations, postponements of bookings or questions of the users. With a PBX for hotels receiving a large flow of calls both national and international is not a problem. It is possible to reproduce a locution that alerts the customer of the waiting time, transfer calls to the corresponding department, divert calls to other devices, among other issues.

Functionalities of a hotel PBX phone system

In addition to the obvious functionalities such as receiving and sending calls, a virtual switchboard can be adapted with specific options for hotels.

Do not disturb mode. You can configure the times when the customer does not want to receive calls in the room.

Alarm clock. You can configure it so that the client receives a call with a recording where they are given the “good morning” or the message that is convenient.

Connection with the departments. The auto-attendant function allows the client to contact the different departments from the room by a dialing system.

Interruption of the connection. It is possible to deactivate the phone in the unoccupied rooms.

International numbering. The hotel can manage its own switchboard to automatically answer calls in the corresponding language.

Displaying the name. Calls made from the room to the reception or room service can be displayed with the name of the guest. This allows a closer and more friendly treatment.

Statistics. The statistics function allows the hotel to know the most requested services by the clients. It also provides the customer with a record of calls made during their stay.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Hotel PBX System

Your hotel communication requirements and budget allocation for your communication hub will greatly influence your decision of which Hotel PBX system you will implement.

I have outlined a number of considerations that should be taken into account when choosing the most appropriate hotel PBX system for your hotel.

Number of Phone Calls

You should have an idea of the busiest times of your hotel so that you can choose a hotel PBX system that will be able to handle your estimated call traffic.

Business Expansion

If you’re planning to expand in future then it is recommened that you chose a hotel PBX system that is scalabe that doesn’t incur any additional costs.

Staff Training

You need to consider whether the installation of the hotel PBX system will require staff training.

In case training will be provided to your staff, then you should inquire if the cost of the hotel PBX system includes the training fee and the expected downtime during the training.

Equipment Maintenance 

Hardware equipment will require regular maintenance in order to keep them optimal working conditions. Enquire on the equipment maintenance schedule, associated costs and who will be responsible for that once the systems are installed.

Cost

Choose a hotel PBX system that fits within your budget taking into account the current and all future anticipated expenses.

A hotel PBX system is among the essential components required by a hotel to effectively deliver quality telecommunication services to its guests.

The choice of your hotel PBX system will ultimately depend on your telecommunication needs and budgetary allocation.