Product Archives - Glowing https://glowing.io/category/product/ Stay Personal. Thu, 11 Apr 2024 14:29:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Can a GenAI Messaging Platform Help with Hotel Employee Training? https://glowing.io/can-a-genai-messaging-platform-help-with-hotel-employee-training/ Thu, 11 Apr 2024 14:28:33 +0000 https://glowing.io/?p=17582 For hotel general managers, ensuring that your staff are well-trained and up to date on the latest customer service and having a hub where you can get on-the-job training and practices is essential for outstanding guest experiences and operational efficiency. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), a new question arises: can a GenAI messaging

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]]> For hotel general managers, ensuring that your staff are well-trained and up to date on the latest customer service and having a hub where you can get on-the-job training and practices is essential for outstanding guest experiences and operational efficiency. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), a new question arises: can a GenAI messaging platform aid in the training of hotel employees?

The Challenge of Traditional Training Methods

Hotel training methods have traditionally involved a mix of hands-on training, in-person seminars, and digital courses. While these methods have merits, they come with constraints such as scheduling challenges, variable learning paces, and the need for training updates to stay current with industry standards and expectations. Also they are limited in that they usually don’t allow for immediate feedback and/or questions needed to personalize and help your employee elevate their learnings. When I’m learning, I like to ask a lot of questions and like to better understand any additional informative (guest) experiences to be better prepared and better at my job. If designed right GenAI can be that instructor or teaching assistant needed which opens up more time for other employees who don’t have to be the always beck and call of every new employee. It is pretty standard that most new employees always gravitate to the person that is more likely to answer their questions about guest situations without a lot of frustration. Having GenAI be that situational instructor will again free up that employee to concentrate on their guests.  

Introducing GenAI Messaging Platforms

GenAI can help leverage advanced AI to simulate conversations and scenarios that hotel employees might encounter or while on the job gain knowledge on how to better serve the guests needs through various situations. Once implemented AI can learn about your hotel and the environment it shares with your employees. This technology can provide interactive, scenario-based training that is scalable and adaptable to various learning styles. It will also lead new employees on the right path to solving guest issues or how to better serve them in a capacity that luxury requires. 

Benefits of GenAI for Training

  1. Personalized Learning Experiences: GenAI platforms can adapt to an individual’s learning pace, providing extra practice where needed and challenging employees who progress quickly while on-the-job. It can also be a ready assistant to the new employee by offering top-notch recommendations in any language needed.  
  2. Safe Environment to Make Mistakes: Employees can practice real-life situations without the fear of making mistakes in front of guests, which can enhance learning and confidence. 
  1. Accessibility and Convenience: With GenAI platforms, training can be accessed from any device at any time, making it convenient for staff members who have varying shifts and responsibilities.
  2. Instant Feedback: AI can provide immediate feedback, allowing hotel employees to learn and correct their mistakes in real-time. It can also allow for questions to be asked to better enhance their overall learning experience.
  3. Cost-Effective and Scalable: Once in place, GenAI solutions can reduce training costs by minimizing the need for in-person training and accommodation expenses. This allows other employees to continue with their day-to-day without the burden of getting new employees up to speed. Another area this can help with is that if a new employee doesn’t work out long-term, AI allows the training investment to be minimal. 
  4. Continuous Learning: The hospitality industry is continuously evolving, and AI training can update its programs to teach the latest best practices and standards without the need for major overhauls. 

Challenges and Considerations

While the advantages are compelling, there are also challenges to recognize. GenAI is not a complete substitute for human interaction, particularly in a hospitality setting that values genuine personal touch. AI, while highly efficient, will more than likely need to have an employee with that specific hotel knowledge to be around to help guide the AI process. On that note, it is crucial that the platform is regularly monitored and updated by experts to ensure that it is providing relevant and high-quality training that aligns with brand standards.

Additionally, some employees may be more resistant or less adept at engaging with AI technology, so a hybrid approach complemented by human trainers could be necessary.

Implementing GenAI Messaging in Hotels

For maximum effectiveness, hotel general managers should consider the following steps:

  1. Evaluate Training Needs: Pinpoint areas where GenAI could make the most impact and start small, perhaps with front desk operations or housekeeping protocols.
  1. Select the Right Platform: Choose a GenAI messaging platform that is reputable and aligns with the specific training needs of your hotel.
  2. Pilot the Program: Before rolling out across the hotel, test the platform with a pilot program to gauge effectiveness and gather feedback.
  3. Supplement GenAI Training with Human Interaction: Ensure that GenAI is part of a broader training strategy that includes mentorship and human touchpoints.
  4. Monitor Progress and Iterate: Use data analytics within the GenAI platform to track progress and adapt the training based on performance and feedback.

Conclusion

While a GenAI messaging platform offers many benefits that can revolutionize how hotel employees are trained, it is not without its challenges. For hotel general managers, the key will be to integrate this technology into a comprehensive training program that respects the balance between technological efficiency and the human element of hospitality. With the right approach, GenAI has the potential to enrich employee training, leading to more effective, confident, and capable staff ready to elevate the guest experience to new heights.

Hospitality is, after all, about people serving people. AI, when used correctly, can ensure that those individuals are well-equipped to deliver the best service possible.

Click here to get more information and to see Glowing’s messaging and GenAI solution in action.

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]]> Will GenAI Change the Customer Experience in Luxury Hotels… for the Better? https://glowing.io/will-genai-change-the-customer-experience-in-luxury-hotels-for-the-better/ Wed, 03 Apr 2024 20:48:37 +0000 https://glowing.io/?p=17576 The hospitality sector thrives on personalized services and exceptional experiences—none more so than the luxury hotel industry. General Managers and their staff spend countless hours working with guest accommodations through their communications whether it is on the phone or through messaging platforms understand that time responding to inquiries is extremely important. It is these carefully

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]]> The hospitality sector thrives on personalized services and exceptional experiences—none more so than the luxury hotel industry. General Managers and their staff spend countless hours working with guest accommodations through their communications whether it is on the phone or through messaging platforms understand that time responding to inquiries is extremely important. It is these carefully curated interactions that set luxury accommodations apart and yet are so time consuming for the staff which could be spent on other customer and guest needs. That being said, there is a new employee at the front desk and its name is GenAI—or generative artificial intelligence. The big question though is what impact will GenAI have on the overall customer experience? Will GenAI help or become a nuisance to the hotel staff and in return for guests?

The Role of AI in Luxury Hospitality

Generative AI, in the context of luxury hotels, is an emerging technology that has the potential to revolutionize how guests are served in so many formats. From tailored concierge services enabled by machine learning to automating mundane tasks to free up staff to provide more high-touch interactions, AI could and more likely will represent a new chapter in hospitality. However, adopting any form of automation, especially in a service-driven industry like luxury hospitality, must be approached with caution and understanding. 

Understanding Generative AI

Before we address its implications, it’s crucial to understand what GenAI signifies. In brief, GenAI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can generate text, voice, images, and even video content in response to user prompts such as messaging through chat apps and emails. These systems can improve over time, learning from interactions to provide more contextually relevant and personalized responses at a quick rate. Meaning GenAI can provide a quick base as opposed to a hotel employee looking up an answer or figuring out how to quickly respond to a guest in a courteous and helpful way that signifies the luxury brand that they represent. 

Enhancing Personalization Through AI

For General Managers, the allure of GenAI lies in personalization and the speed in which the personalization happens. Imagine that AI remembers a returning guest’s preferred room temperature, favorite table at the restaurant, preference to visit the spa or gym, and even the time they like to be woken up at—before they even walk through the door. These small yet significant details could elevate the guest experience from excellent to exceptional which can have an immediate impact on the General Manager’s bottom-line.

Streamlining Operations with AI

GenAI could also radically streamline operations, from inventory management to predictive maintenance. By predicting and preemptively addressing issues before they affect guests, hotels can ensure that their visitors’ experiences are seamless and disruption-free. It could also mean that GenAI could help streamline questions coming in through escalations of urgency such as a broken AC/Heat thermostat, or no hot water in the shower to something that might not be as urgent such as time the spa opens in the morning or confirm a reservation at the hotel restaurant. GenAI can also streamline the guests agenda by understanding each guest’s preferences such as proactively scheduling spa treatments, restaurant reservations, taxis to the airport, etc. Through all these examples, you can see that GenAI can have a major impact on operations leading to happier guests.  

The Potential Pitfalls

However, with every silver lining comes a cloud. Over-reliance on GenAI could depersonalize guest interactions—something antithetical to the ethos of luxury hospitality. The key lies in finding that perfect synergy between human warmth and machine efficiency. After all, an AI might anticipate needs, but it can’t replicate the genuine human connection that comes from a warm greeting or a smile from a staff member who truly cares. It can however set the stage for the hotel staff to quickly engage with guests by setting the table with recommendations, but in the end the staff would have to jump in to reassure that the needs of the guests are truly met and jump in where necessary to tie up any of the loose ends. 

Training Staff to Complement AI

We are writing another blog that focuses on this subject in a little more detail. The idea of GenAI should be looked at as a professional assistant or copilot that instead of potentially replacing any hotel staff, AI rather should help complement them by taking over simplistic tasks that free up real humans to deliver high-quality, personalized service that no AI or machine could match. Training employees to work alongside AI as well as tapping into how AI could help train new employees on how to essentially respond to guests, but also allowing them to free up time so that they can concentrate on more important tasks while gaining on-the-job experience. 

Staying Competitive with AI Adoption

GenAI offers such considerable competitive advantages that not incorporating it to some degree puts any luxury hotel at risk of falling behind. Can you imagine a competitor who can speak the same language as a guest, who can respond to a guest in seconds and not minutes, who is immediately accountable to the guest for anything needed. The challenge is to wield AI as a tool, as an assistant to your team, almost another employee, but not as a crutch. AI helps ensure that luxury hospitality needs are met and that it helps continue to provide experiences that are richly human at heart. And are absolutely necessary!

Conclusion

The question isn’t whether GenAI will change the customer experience in luxury hotels, but how luxury hotel leadership such as General Managers, Operations, and IT who can balance the technological advancements of AI with the timeless traditions of hospitality can reap the obvious rewards in customer satisfaction and operational excellence. We want to make clear that in the luxury hotel industry, the human touch will never go out of style—AI should simply enhance it, assist it, but not replace it. 

The Way Forward

Luxury hotel leaders must now ponder how to integrate GenAI thoughtfully and sensibly within their service delivery models. When deployed with care, GenAI could certainly change customer experience for the better; a high-tech feature serving a high-touch purpose. In the hands of a forward thinking hotel management team, GenAI is an instrument that amplifies the craft of luxury—an ally in the pursuit of service beyond the ordinary.

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What are your thoughts on the integration of GenAI in luxury hospitality? How do you believe it should be harnessed to improve customer experience without losing the personal touch? Share in the comments below.

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]]> Digital Daily Health Checks – Improved Workplace Health and Safety  https://glowing.io/digital-daily-health-checks-improved-workplace-health-and-safety/ Sat, 25 Jul 2020 19:26:39 +0000 https://glowing.io/?p=17389 As the business world prepares to emerge from the devastation of the coronavirus, we find ourselves in a place where “COVID-ready”, contactless, and socially distant interactions have become the new norm.  If you’ve started the process of reopening your business, the health and safety of your employees and customers is paramount. This can be a

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]]> As the business world prepares to emerge from the devastation of the coronavirus, we find ourselves in a place where “COVID-ready”, contactless, and socially distant interactions have become the new norm. 

If you’ve started the process of reopening your business, the health and safety of your employees and customers is paramount. This can be a stressful and difficult responsibility. Incorporating remote work opportunities is one option, but it isn’t always feasible in all industries. Workplace precautions include implementing sanitation routines, safety protocols, conducting temperature checks as well as performing training and conducting health surveys.

How do we know we’re doing enough? Are physical temperature checks the best solution to keeping your workplace safe for employees and customers? Is routine sanitizing at the entrance enough? 

Many health experts suggest that temperature checks could create a false sense of safety. If this is the only method used in the workplace, it could potentially be dangerous. Pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic transmission (where no fever is present) makes temperature screening less effective. 

To put it into perspective, a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that two-thirds of seriously ill COVID-19 patients didn’t have a fever. That’s not even considering asymptomatic cases. Thus, the virus keeps spreading.

How can we use modern technology that’s already available to us all to help our employees navigate this time while keeping each other safe?

 

Digital Daily Health Checks

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb on a recent appearance on CNBC,  mentioned that even with temperature checks and other on-site prevention techniques, businesses really should couple these measures with health questionnaires. He calls this a “layered approach.”

“If feasible, conduct daily health checks (e.g., temperature screening and/ or symptom checking) of staff and students.” – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Health checks and questionnaires are great to keep everyone in the workplace, ie. employees, customers, guests, or vendors, aware of their health as well as to keep them vigilant of the symptoms they or others could experience if they are exposed to the virus. 

These checks and questionnaires are also used to inform people of the extra safety precautions they need to take even with safety precautions in place, ie. following social distancing protocols and wearing masks. Employees will be more aware of their health as well as the symptoms of COVID-19 when they’re reminded daily.

While questionnaires can be powerful tools to identify health concerns and also to educate employees, there are additional risks when these are done on-site, such as on iPads. It adds to the risk of exposing employees to shared objects like pens and computers, or where the questionnaires are done in person, there is a risk of direct exposure. In cases where guests or customers need to complete a quick, on-the-spot health check, the use of personal devices and QR codes can eliminate the need for shared devices.

Digital daily health checks are a new way for businesses to conduct health checks, which should ask questions covering not only symptoms (e.g., “Have you had a loss of smell in the last 24 hours?”), but also to assess exposure (e.g., “Have you been in close contact with anyone who has tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours?”).  Furthermore, digital health checks keep employees informed and aware while eliminating the risk of further exposure and spread of the disease. 

Completing health checks or questionnaires remotely via text messaging is safer and easier as employees can complete them at home via their personal devices, eliminating the need for shared devices and personal interviews. 

To make digital health checks truly effective they need to be easy to complete, easy to understand, and easy to manage. Automated health checks ensure that they are always sent out and managers are immediately alerted of any potential risks, such as an employee mentioning any COVID-related symptoms or not responding to the questionnaire.

Delivering the questionnaire directly to an employee’s personal handheld devices via a common communication channel such as text messaging ensures that everyone receives the questionnaire and can complete it. 

The US Department of Labor has specifically stated in their Guidelines on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 that “Employers should develop policies and procedures for employees to report when they are sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.” 

The response data needs to be collected, tracked and interpreted in realtime and that’s where artificial intelligence (AI) is critical, to ensure that nothing is missed by human error. This means that even if a fever isn’t detected, other symptoms or responses can still help stop the spread.

Automated daily health checks help employees feel safe in the workplace, keeps all employees aware and informed about the symptoms of the disease, and helps management ensure health and safety protocols are adhered to in these difficult times.

 

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]]> Powerful Customer Experience Stats for 2020 https://glowing.io/powerful-customer-experience-stats-for-2020/ Thu, 09 Jan 2020 02:33:25 +0000 https://glowing.io/?p=17314 With 9 out 10 companies competing on providing exceptional customer experience, it has become the new battlefield and top priority for businesses this 2020. What happens to companies that choose not to take customer experience seriously? Customers simply leave them. Quality product or service is no longer the key to winning customers. How you

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With 9 out 10 companies competing on providing exceptional customer experience, it has become the new battlefield and top priority for businesses this 2020. What happens to companies that choose not to take customer experience seriously? Customers simply leave them. Quality product or service is no longer the key to winning customers. How you treat and interact with customers, or their perception of how you treat them, is what wins them over and drives loyalty. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most important customer experience trends this year.

Customer Experience as Top Priority

Customer engagement should be every business’ top priority this 2020 as it impacts productivity and profitability. eConsultancy and Adobe’s recent Annual Digital Trends report revealed that 20% of B2B companies find that the most exciting business opportunities are in customer experience, beating social media, video and content marketing.

Customer Engagement

Customer engagement is all about inspiring interactions between customers and brands. No one wants to do business with any company that treats its customers poorly, no matter how good the products or services are. Customer engagement is critical in nudging customers to move along their journey and you need to willingly take part in the experiences that you are creating for them. If done right, you’ll build customer loyalty and drive revenue. This means investing in technology and skilled team that will help you deliver consistent customer experience.  Walker’s latest report on the future of B2B customer experience states that 62% of companies will invest to meet the needs of customers.

Engineering

Companies are now embracing the fact that engineering provides the power for real-time connect with customers. Designing a great customer experience requires having the right systems and applications in place so your team can collaborate more efficiently, communicate with customers in real time and deliver service consistently. Gartner, a leading research company, has predicted during its annual customer experience summit that 25% of customer service and support operations will integrate chatbot technology across engagement channels this year. The software decisions your company make will impact the type of customer experience you deliver. Your potential to create innovative customer experiences can come from AI-enhanced omni-channel messaging solutions, such as Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud, which provides real-time interactions and messages that foster a deeper connection between your brand and your customers.

Omni-Channel Engagement

Brands that engage with their customers across multiple channels – which can be through website, email, apps, social media, sms or text messaging – will stay ahead of the curve. While there are numerous available channels to reach customers, communication and messaging need to be consistent, both offline and online. In the PWC’s 2020 report, they highlighted that the number of businesses investing in the omni-channel experience has increased from 20% in 2010 to 80% in 2020. Furthermore, Adobe recently shared that businesses with established omni-channel customer engagement strategies benefit with a 10% year-on-year growth and 25% increase in closing rates.

Customer Feedback

With connected and mobile customers, expectations are at an all-time high. If your company does not have proper customer experience strategies in place, you will find it tough to meet their expectations, let alone exceed them. This could lead to poor customer experience and frustration that could hinder your business growth. In the Future of CX survey of 15,000 consumers by PwC, a multi-national professional service network, 1 in 3 customers will leave a brand they patronize after a just one negative experience, while 92% says they will completely abandon the brand after 2-3 poor customer experiences. Simply put, satisfied customers will remain loyal. Unhappy customers will not hesitate to leave and seek better customer experience elsewhere, most likely your competitors. Ensure you pro-actively obtain customer feedback to help you determine if your clients are satisfied with your service and identify areas for improvement early on before they turn to social media or review sites to air their frustrations with your brand.

Self-Service

More customers these days prefer to find the answers regarding your services or products than to contact support agents. According to Zendesk research on self-service, a massive 91% of their customers said they prefer to use a knowledge base if it’s comprehensive and meets their needs. It’s prudent for your business to capitalize on the self-service or self-help trend because it’s the most efficient and cost-effective way to support your customers. Remove any barriers and make relevant, helpful, easy-to-navigate and searchable information available to your customers. Creating a self-service customer portal will drive customer engagement at a fraction of a cost of setting up a customer service support back office.

Customer Service Skills

There needs to be a focus on your employees who are on the frontline and customer facing. No matter how much you invest in technology or plan customer engagement strategies, your team members’ experiences and skills are crucial in providing excellent and consistent customer engagement. You have to create a positive, healthy and cohesive culture within the walls of your company and empower your team by helping them acquire the right skills, and training them on current technologies and applications to adopt to digital transformation in customer experience. Learn about the top five strategies you can implement to provide more personalized and engaging experiences for your customers. It’s amazing what can be achieved with the right team, right skills and right environment!

Looking to Boost Your Customer Engagement?

Contact Glowing at +1 (650) 687-7046 and we’ll empower your business and team to engage with your customers through our enterprise-class mobile messaging and customer engagement technology suite, Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud.

 

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]]> Omni-Channel Customer Engagement https://glowing.io/omni-channel-customer-engagement/ https://glowing.io/omni-channel-customer-engagement/#respond Sun, 01 Dec 2019 20:01:11 +0000 http://glowingio.wpengine.com/?p=105 How do you engage with customers who prefer different channels for communication, such as email, SMS, direct messages via platforms like Messenger, LINE, Whatsapp, WeChat, and others? In an omni-channel customer engagement strategy, all communication channels are connected and integrated to provide seamless customer experiences. Glowing, through its enterprise-class mobile messaging solution – Glowing

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How do you engage with customers who prefer different channels for communication, such as email, SMS, direct messages via platforms like Messenger, LINE, Whatsapp, WeChat, and others? In an omni-channel customer engagement strategy, all communication channels are connected and integrated to provide seamless customer experiences. Glowing, through its enterprise-class mobile messaging solution – Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud – lets you switch between channels from a single dashboard, delivering seamless and consistent customer experiences. This resolves the technical complexities of in-the-moment customer engagement.

The Difference: Multi-Channel Vs Omni-Channel

In the context of customer engagement, the terms multi-channel and omni-channel are often used incorrectly. Businesses that connect with customers through multiple channels – such as email, social media, web chat, and telephone – have a multi-channel approach. However, this does not mean that your customers’ experiences are seamless. Multi-channel means there are many ways to communicate to customers, but not cohesive, while omni-channel refers to an integrated and seamless approach to business-customer communications, which has been ranked in a recent consumer report as the second biggest challenge businesses face in customer engagement.

A business with omni-channel messaging strategy gives customers a seamless and consistent engagement. For example, a hotel guest may not be able to call due to poor reception in the hallway but has a strong WiFi connection. The guest will then be able to message the hotel’s housekeeping for a particular request via a mobile messaging app. Internally, hotel staff can communicate with each other to relay the guest’s request. In essence, that customer is having an omni-channel guest experience.

Choose an Omni-Channel Customer Engagement Solution

In an omni-channel customer engagement environment, all of the channels are connected to provide consistency and continuity in delivering customer service. Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud is architected to handle omni-channel customer engagement with its real-time all-in-one dashboard, allowing businesses to see entire customer journey and save time and effort of maintaining separate integrations. It is agile and scalable and easy to add new channels to as they become popular. It can be customized and integrated with the business’ CRM and other relevant systems. An omni-channel customer engagement strategy gives your business complete ownership of customer interaction data across all channels for a full customer engagement that will increase customer satisfaction, improve operational efficiencies and drive business growth.

Customers are connected more than ever. They use mobile phones, social media apps and messaging platforms. Any company can now easily reach their customers once they initiate engagement or provided you the consent to be contacted. Customers also get to choose which channels they prefer to communicate with. Through APIs are protocols that system developers use to create software applications, such as messaging solutions. Glowing’s APIs provide businesses an omni-channel approach to customer engagement and communicate with customers using the channels they prefer:

  • SMS – Direct phone messaging between customers and your business
  • Chat – Engage with customer and their concerns, and if the situation necessitates, can include secure transfer of data
  • Video – Allow face-to-face conversations that may be necessary for identity verification, content sharing, or visual problem resolution
  • Routing – Sends priority tasks from every source of your business to the proper agent

According to Customer Experience Trends 2018 research by Aberdeen, a company that provides intent-based marketing and sales solutions,  businesses that provide omni-channel customer experience achieve 91% higher year-over-year increase in customer retention compared to businesses that don’t.

Glowing Customer Engagement Cloud is the right omni-channel mobile messaging solution for leading global hospitality brands and other verticals who are keen to deliver top-notch customer experience. For more info, call Glowing at +1 (650) 687-7046 or request a demo.

Get Started with Glowing

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