February 2003 - Prior to installing GuestWare
in December 2002, front desk personnel at the Blue Mountain Resort needed
more arms than an octopus to perform their jobs. Guests who needed an additional
cot or pillow, or who had another request, called the front desk first.
The person on duty then had to relay the call to the proper department.
Simultaneously, that same person was responsible for checking in guests
anxious to hit the resort�s slopes. It was not the most efficient way to
use personnel or ensure quality customer service.
"Our
resort is too busy to do things that way," says Guy Peters, the resort�s
hotel manager. "With GuestWare, front desk staff still get calls but they
are no longer the ones fielding all the calls."
To facilitate the best use of GuestWare, the Collingwood,
Ontario-based resort radically adjusted its guest response processes.
As part of its customer quality initiative, guests anywhere on the resort
property who push the front desk or housekeeping buttons on their phones
are now directed to a dispatch center. Usually manned by three staff members,
the center is located in the resort�s Blue Mountain Inn.
Having a centralized call system is critical at
the resort because of its size and its different types of lodging. Set
on more than 250 acres, the resort includes an inn, hotel, ski lodge, condominiums
and mountain homes. Vancouver, B.C.-based Intrawest Corp., 50 percent owner
of the Blue Mountain Resort, manages 546 units on the property. The resort
will add another 152 units by December 2003.
Peters says the property�s diverse clientele also
creates a unique challenge. Both business and leisure travelers stay at
the property and many more guests visit just to ski without staying overnight.
"On a busy day we can have 10,000 to 12,000 skiers,
including those staying with us," Peters says.
GuestWare�s Rapid Response Solution
When
a guest calls the dispatch center, a staff member will answer and assess
to whom the call should be directed. If the call pertains to housekeeping,
someone in that department will be notified of the request by radio. If
the call pertains to the front desk, it will be forwarded there.
Dispatch center personnel log each request into
the Request Entry screen of GuestWare�s Rapid Response software. The screen
uses customizable hot buttons and drill-down menus to enable the operator
to quickly log the request. While a staff member works to solve the problem,
GuestWare displays it as an open request. After a problem is solved, the
staff member then calls the dispatcher, who then closes the incident. GuestWare
alerts the dispatcher when a request is overdue and sorts new calls by
elapsed time.
"GuestWare gives us the intelligence we need to
handle the needs of our guests," Peters says. "It allows us to track the
number of calls we get and the specific types of calls. It gives us the
ability to identify negative trends quickly. Thanks to GuestWare, we can
turn those negatives into positives faster than ever before."
Software Can be Customized
Because the Blue Mountain Resort is so large,
its guests rely on shuttle transportation to move from one end of the property
to another. A large percentage of the calls to the dispatch center are
shuttle-related. Because of that, Peters says his staff set up a specific
category within GuestWare called "Shuttle."
"GuestWare allows us to process and analyze the
number of shuttle trips we are taking in a day," Peters says. "It allows
us to track the flow of people around the resort."
Peters says GuestWare has enabled his staff to
schedule personnel more efficiently. The software helps identify peak times
and locations of labor needs.
"We have a better handle on recruiting," he says.
"If we schedule better, we can have a positive impact on our employees
and our guests."
GuestWare also has helped Blue Mountain management
identify spiraling costs such as coffee.
"Coffee is a problem," Peters says. "Even though
we supply it in our rooms, guests call our dispatch center to request it.
It costs us about $80,000 a year but if guests don�t get it, it is a huge
dissatisfier."
Comment Card Tracking Implemented
GuestWare also enables the Blue Mountain Resort
to track and analyze comment card responses. Before using GuestWare�s Comment
Card Tracking, comment card results were not saved in any type of software
program. Using GuestWare, resort staff can log comment card responses quickly.
Hot keys take the user through each question in less than a second. The
software�s mail-merge capability makes generating follow-up letters easy.
GuestWare also summarizes comment card results graphically. That
allows the resort to quickly identify negative or positive trends.
Comment cards are collected in many places around
the resort. An administrative assistant sorts through the cards. Comments
requiring immediate attention are forwarded to department managers before
being entered into GuestWare. All card responses eventually are entered
into GuestWare by night auditors and front desk managers during slow periods.
Peters says the comment card data collected in
GuestWare enables his staff to identify problem trends for the owners of
the properties they manage.
"We can say to an owner, �Look, this is what guests
are saying about your property. We suggest the following solution for the
problem,�" Peters says.
Robust Reporting Capability
Because the Blue Mountain Resort is in the midst
of its busiest season, Peter says staff will wait until spring before analyzing
most of the data they have collected in GuestWare.
"This time next year, GuestWare will be huge for
us because we will use it to its full capacity," Peters says.
GuestWare�s reporting capabilities will enable
the Blue Mountain Resort to show response time by staff, request or department.
Incidents can be tracked by unit, type of incident
and department.
"We will be able to go to that data to build a
case for capital expenditures," Peters says. "In any company, you are always
fighting for dollars for improvements. It will help us spend more wisely."
The Blue Mountain Resort is 50 percent owned by
Vancouver, B.C.-based Intrawest Corp., a leading developer and operator
of village-centered resorts across North America. The resort offers 34
trails over 253 acres and many lodging options. For more information, go
to www.bluemountain.ca or call (705) 445-0231.
GuestWare, Customer Relationship Management software
for the lodging industry, is developed, marketed, implemented and supported
by Diversified Computer Corp., Seattle. GuestWare is installed in more
than 700 hotels worldwide. Four Intrawest Corp. resorts have installed
GuestWare: Blue Mountain, Collingwood, Ontario; Copper Mountain, Copper
Mountain, Colo.; Stratton Mountain, Stratton, Vt.; and Sandestin Golf and
Beach Resort, Sandestin, Fla.
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