SMS: the key to unlocking your hospitality business

It’s no secret that the hospitality industry has been hit hard by the pandemic. Restaurants, cafes, and hotels have been forced to make rapid changes to maintain employee and customer safety, while simultaneously trying to keep their business afloat.

By using an online SMS service, you can improve your reputation, provide an exceptional customer experience, and maintain high safety standards. Let us show you how.

Restaurants, cafes, and bars

• Update customers in a timely manner
  Keep customers in the loop with SMS, whether you’ve tweaked your opening hours, updated your menu, or increased venue capacity.
• Send time-sensitive discounts
  When times are tough, snap discounts and promotions can get customers through the door. Use SMS to send promotions to your contact list, possibly influencing recipients to choose your restaurant the next time they go out.
• Target foot traffic
  Don’t miss out on an opportunity to gain a new customer. Place signage outside your venue with a unique SMS keyword that passersby can text-in to receive a discount or free entree. You could even offer a free scoop of ice cream, for example, to those who text “SCOOP” to your virtual phone number.
• Confirm bookings and send reminders
  The last thing you need during tough times are no-shows and last minute cancellations. Use SMS to confirm online bookings and send reminders to reduce the chance of forgotten reservations.
• Manage queues
  To avoid patrons milling around the front of your restaurant while they wait for a table, use SMS to notify walk-ins when a table is ready for them.
• Send order and delivery notifications
  After placing an order, customers are always keen to know the status of their order. Use SMS to send them a notification at each stage of the process, from the moment their order is received to when the delivery driver is at their door.
• Streamline business operations
  SMS can also be used for business operations, like notifying staff about new hygiene protocols or quickly replacing an unwell staff member by sending a group text to all your employees.

Hotels, entertainment venues, and tourist destinations

• Confirm reservations
  When booking a holiday, customers want prompt confirmation that their reservation has gone through. Put their mind at ease with SMS automation, which allows you to set up auto-responses with the confirmation of their holiday reservation, triggered instantly when they book. You can even use our Sequencer solution to trigger specific sequences when customers respond with a particular keyword or criteria.
• Offer instant customer service
  2-way SMS allows for back-and-forth texting and can help resolve customer concerns promptly. It also allows guests to contact you when they’re away from their room and provides both parties with a record of each conversation.
• Improve guest experience
  By setting up a virtual phone number, you can allow guests to make requests by texting in a particular keyword. This could be to request help with their luggage, order room service, book a spa treatment, or have a valet prepare their car.
• Enable contactless check-out
  Allow customers to seamlessly check out using an SMS keyword instead of speaking face-to-face with your receptionist. For example, you might place a sign with your virtual phone number and the SMS keyword “CHECKOUT” at reception. After sending through this keyword, guests might be led to a form where they can fill in their details and confirm their check-out.
• Receive feedback
  Automated SMS can be set up to thank guests for staying at your hotel after they check out. You can also use this touch point to gather feedback - by implementing an automated SMS system that asks for feedback, you’ll be able to gain valuable insights on improving customer experience. To make things easier, we have created 10 SMS templates for feedback and reviews that you can use.

SMS is a simple way to get your hospitality business back on track, improve customer experience and streamline business operations.