5 Best IVR Service Providers to Enhance Hospitality Guest Services

It’s a fine Friday evening. Usually crowded streets are slowly emptying. All shops around your block are calling it a day and closing shutters. You thought you could spend the weekend at a getaway station or with your friends. But you are just getting ready to receive the customers as the inflow of customers will be the most on weekends. If this is relatable to you, then you are most probably working in the hospitality and tourism sector. It also means that you are here in search of the best IVR service providers to enhance your business and revenue.

IVR software is the main functionality in any cloud call center and helps businesses to easily address customer queries, offer solutions, and elevate customer support. But when it comes to choosing an IVR software provider, most hospitality businesses seem to be caught in the diverse options available. IVR system plays a crucial part in enhancing your cloud call center software. If you are looking for the best of the best, here we are to help! Read the complete article to help us assist you in making a decision.

What a Hospitality Company Should Look for in IVR Software

It’s been a trend recently for almost all organizations to say, “We’re open, 24 by 7!” But most of the time, this statement just becomes a marketing gimmick. Most industries do not have many incoming inquiries during the late night hours. However, companies tend to show their responsiveness by saying they work around the clock. But companies in the Hospitality sector actually have to work 24 by 7. This is mainly because you will also have inquiries from around the globe regarding accommodations, food, facilities, and travel, especially if you cater services in a highly tourist-attracted location. Also, customers check in and out at any time of the day. 

These factors point to the need for an efficient IVR service for hospitality companies. And who helps companies get this done? This is where the top IVR service providers come in. But before selecting from the vast range of IVR software providers in the market, one should be clear about what to look for while selecting an IVR software. Here are some important factors you need to consider.

IVR Services Should Provide Customizable Call Routing

Hospitality and tourism companies offer a range of services including accommodation, travel, food and beverages, entertainment, conference facilities, and add-on services like wifi, spa, wellness, etc. IVR services help companies offer multiple menus to customers, in order to route them to appropriate departments. If integrated with a cloud telephony software provider, you can avail the call recordings and history of these customers for better lead nourishment.

For example, a customer calls into a hospitality company to ask for a tour plan and proposal to a nearby spot. At the same time, another customer calls to enquire about the facilities in the rooms provided by them. If a receptionist sitting at the front desk is attending these calls, it would be difficult for them to manually transfer these calls to the appropriate sections efficiently. It would not be an overstatement to say that some of the customers might turn away due to the lack of effective communication. A good IVR software provider, on the other hand, has various call routing methods that can divert a large number of calls to the apt departments at the same time.

Multi-language Support

Managing potential customers who come from various parts of the country or world is especially important for the hospitality sector. But unfortunately, we live in the post-babel tower era and we don’t understand all the languages in the world. Well, the best IVR service providers have a solution for this problem too. They provide you with the facility to serve customers who speak multiple languages. You can ask them to dial the respective number that corresponds to their preferred language. This can empower businesses to attract more satisfied customers from all over the world.

IVR Software Must Provide Seamless Integrations

Businesses might be using different software or business management platforms to organize and manage their data, client information, sales and project details, etc. Sometimes, you might also be using a sales CRM software to manage customer data. It is important for businesses to keep up with this data when they are contacting their customers. For instance, if a customer has already contacted you with his needs and requirements, you must collect this data again while he is contacting you for the second time. An ordinary IVR service would not be efficient enough to do this. This is where we realize the importance of integrations. The best IVR service providers like Office24by7 provide seamless integrations with your existing software to collect data and communicate with your customers with reference. 

24/7 Availability is the Core of IVR Software Providers

The main purpose of deploying IVR services in a business is to automate the inbound, and sometimes, the outbound communication through voice. But what is the use if it is not functioning out of the office hours? IVR services help businesses provide their services and support to their customers even if all their agents are asleep! This is a major benefit of availing service from the best IVR service providers in the market.

Ease of Use of the IVR Services

The ease of usability varies from provider to provider. The best providers in the market lets you easily build an IVR flow with the drag and drop function. But don’t worry! We have done the hectic task of identifying the best IVR software providers for you, which you’ll read in the further sections of this article. You only have to choose one that’s best for you. You should also see if they are an omnichannel marketing software, as this can help you expand your communication capabilities in the future.

Benefits of Using IVR Software in the Hospitality Industry

Now that you know what to look for in IVR services, let’s take a look at how they can be beneficial in adding more value to the tools you already have to run your business.

Improve Your Guest Experience with IVR Software

What would you do if your guests arrive at your reception looking forward to your services? You would greet them, give refreshments, offer them a nice and cozy seat, and gently collect their details, all to make sure they feel welcome. However, a customer reaching you through a voice call doesn’t see you in person and it is difficult to make sure all of this happens to them. But you can provide them the best welcome by improving the guest experience in the IVR software. You can optimize your welcome music to give them a warm welcome. Personalize the greeting by including the customer name in the wish. If you’re wondering how all of this is possible through automated IVR services, then check out more on the best IVR solutions in India.

Cost Savings & ROI with Best IVR Service Providers

While businesses spend a lot of money on improving their marketing, customer service, and support, they don’t always realize the amount of money they can save by deploying IVR services. First and foremost, IVR software helps automate the inbound calls, which increases the traffic of incoming inquiries. This means that there is no physical requirement of a person to attend these calls manually and address them. Since customers can serve themselves, they’d prefer calling businesses with IVR as a virtual receptionist. Studies reveal that businesses get 70% more inquiries after deploying IVR services. If businesses are able to convert at least 10% of them into paid customers, that can cover the costs and multiply the return on investment (ROI) several times.

IVR Software Provider Helps You Increase Operational Efficiency

IVR systems automate repetitive tasks like answering common inquiries, booking confirmations, and directing calls to the appropriate departments, allowing your staff to focus on more complex or high-touch guest services. This streamlined approach reduces the time spent on basic calls, freeing up employees to handle urgent matters more effectively. By improving call management and reducing manual intervention, IVR software boosts overall operational efficiency, helping you serve more guests in less time.

Provide Round-the-Clock Service with IVR Services

One of the greatest advantages of IVR systems is the ability to offer 24/7 service. Whether it’s late-night booking inquiries, requests for wake-up calls, or general questions, an IVR system ensures guests receive immediate attention, even when staff is unavailable. This not only improves guest satisfaction but also reduces the pressure on your team to be available at all hours, ensuring a seamless service experience without additional staffing costs.

The 5 Best IVR Service Providers for Hospitality

Here are our top picks from the wide range of IVR service providers that can help you automate your communication efforts, improve guest experiences, increase ROI, and much more.

Office24by7

Office24by7 tops the list of the best IVR service providers due to several factors. They have years of proven experience in guiding customers to achieve success. This best-in-class IVR service number provider has numerous features that can assist in providing a friendly customer experience. You can expand your business in the domestic and international market with the multifaceted features provided by Office24by7.

Features:

• Mobile, toll-free, and landline virtual number
• Direct, single-level, or multi-level IVR
• Audio library to store all your audio files
• Various call routing methods
• Queue management techniques
• Efficient call distribution methods (round-robin, priority, ring-all)
• Post-call survey
• Reports and analytics

These are only a few of our top-notch features that proves our versatility and efficiency. If you want to know more, check out how the best IVR service provider helps you develop your business.

CallHippo

CallHippo is one of the best IVR service providers that help you adopt IVR functionality into your customer service operations with numerous benefits and advantages. It takes your business to the next level by giving you a gateway to approach the global market. 

Features:

• Unlimited calling minutes within US/CAD
• 1 Standard Number Free
• Multilingual IVR
• User Working Hours
• Business Hours
• Ring All Devices
• 1-year Call Records
• Basic Report Analytics
• Forward-to-device
• Shared Inbox
• Feedback for Calls

Ameyo

Ameyo provides you with different types of IVR system including IVR for self-service, hosted IVR, agent-assisted IVR, etc. They also provide a high level of flexibility while designing your IVR flow with configurable workflows.

Features:

• Customized IVR Call Flow
• Drag and Drop IVR Designer
• Personalized Prompts
• After-Business-Hour
• CTI Integration
• IVR Self Service
• IVR-Call-Routing
• IVR Blaster
• Multi-level IVR
• Skill-based Routing
• Call Queuing
• Preferred Agent Routing
• Voice Logger and Archiver
• Supervisor Call Monitoring
• Wallboard
• Call Reporting & Dashboards

Aircall

Aircall is a very fast and easily implementable IVR service to divert you customers according to their specific need. It helps you design IVRs on a visual canvas. Businesses can easily and automatically route inbound callers to the most relevant teams and agents.

Features:

• Business hours
• Call routing
• Call center analytics
• CTI integration
• Ring groups
• Multi Level IVR
• Dynamic visual editor
• Music and audio messages

MyOperator

MyOperator is one of the best IVR service providers in the industry who claims to grow your business 10x times with their services. It also enables you to provide multi channel support along with a myriad of features. 

Features:

• VoIP Call Center
• IVR Routing
• WhatsApp API
• CRM integration
• Data & Insights
• Instant Follow ups

How to Choose from Best IVR Service Providers

Needs Evaluation

Before selecting an IVR provider, it’s essential to evaluate your specific business needs. Consider factors such as call volume, the types of guest inquiries you typically receive, and whether you require multi-language support. If you operate a small boutique hotel, your needs will differ from a large resort. Do consider if the provider you choose also acts as a missed call service provider if you want additional services like missed call solutions or audio conferencing. By clearly identifying your requirements, you can focus on IVR solutions that provide the features and scalability necessary to improve your guest services.

Budget Considerations

Budget plays a crucial role in selecting an IVR provider. Prices can vary widely depending on the features, scalability, and support offered. It’s important to balance affordability with the core functionalities your business requires. While basic IVR systems may be cheaper, they could lack essential capabilities like seamless integration or multi-lingual support. Choose a solution that fits your financial plan but doesn’t compromise on delivering a quality guest experience. If the provider you choose offers multiple solutions like virtual number solutions and voice broadcasting services at a feasible rate, it would be better as you can scale at any time.

Ease of Customization

In the hospitality industry, flexibility is key to delivering personalized guest experiences. When choosing an IVR provider, ensure that the system allows for easy customization of greetings, call routing, and menu options. Being able to tailor the IVR to match your brand’s tone and adapt to seasonal changes or special offers can make a significant difference in guest satisfaction, helping you stand out from competitors with a more personalized service.

Conclusion

IVR software has become an essential tool for hospitality businesses looking to elevate guest experiences while streamlining operations. The right IVR system not only boosts operational efficiency by automating routine tasks but also enhances guest satisfaction with round-the-clock service and personalized interactions. With features like customizable call routing, multi-language support, and seamless integration, businesses can cater to a global audience without overwhelming their staff. As we’ve outlined, best IVR service providers such as Office24by7 offer unique solutions tailored for the hospitality sector. If you want to significantly improve your guest communication, leading to higher satisfaction, loyalty, and long-term growth for your business, contact us today at +91 70971 71717!