The WhatsApp you know from your personal use is different than the one I am covering in this article. WhatsApp Business app and WhatsApp business API are two major options for hotel businesses that have so many features to offer. They both might sound similar but in terms of use cases and features, there are significant differences.
Let me explain it to you.
WhatsApp Business for hotels has gained good traction in recent times. And why not? After all, it seems to be a decent choice for several types of industry with features like business profile, quick replies, automatic greeting messages, automatic away messages, contact labels, message statistics, catalogs, etc. And it’s a free app not to mention.
However, for hotel businesses where communications happen on a much wider level, WhatsApp Business solely doesn’t work all the time. Accommodation businesses need some of the additional capabilities to enhance their operational efficiency and customer experience.
This is exactly where WhatsApp Business API integration comes into the frame and does the magic.
Why WhatsApp Business can be the Best Communication Channel for the Hotels and Hospitality Industry?
This platform enables automated and personalized communication mailing services available to guests anytime and anywhere. Rich media capabilities help brands to share room details, images, views of rooms, and large media files. Use of message templates and tags, brands can ensure an automated flow of information to their targeted guests.
Need to communicate in a foreign language? No worries as WhatsApp Business API offers Multi-Language Support to exchange information in native languages. Top it all, the platform enhances brand recognition and authenticity as every message is routed through a verified identity with brand name and logo. This builds customer trust and faith in brands. Additionally, end-to-end message encryption keeps any third party having access to the content of messages shared between the brands and guests, keeping all the information safe.
How Can Whatsapp Benefit Hotel Operators?
Speaking of benefits, they are all tangible and cannot be overlooked. And in this section, I am covering the ones that make more sense to a hotelier.
Get timely booking notifications
One of the top benefits of integrating Whatsapp for hotels with your property management system is that you get timely messages and notifications regarding every booking. Not to mention, you can also receive notifications and messages for canceled bookings, the ones that are on hold, and rescheduled bookings.
Stay updated with all the crucial reports
Reports are crucial for hotel owners. It allows them to take a deeper look at all the happenings of the hotel and make informed decisions
Communicate better
WhatsApp’s sole purpose itself is to help individuals and businesses communicate better. However, “How can WhatsApp help hotel businesses in terms of communication” is the question here.
Here’s how it works:
With guests
Apart from all the happy-go-lucky marketing messages, it is also important to keep your guests updated with details regarding their stay. Communications are just about “Hi” and “Hello”, keeping your guests updated with everything also counts. And in this scenario, WhatsApp has done exactly that.
With staff
In terms of staff, communication is mostly about keeping your employees updated with tasks, shifts, etc. Here’s an explanation of the use case with a scenario.
Now, if that isn’t the definition of convenience then I don’t know what is.
Furthermore, you can also use WhatsApp to keep your hotel staff updated with their roasters and other information with the help of a chatbot. All they need to do is interact with the chatbot to retrieve the required information.