Integration partnership enables guests to speak commands using a Volara-powered smart speaker and receive staff replies or request updates via Routier MessageHub
NEW YORK — JUNE 9, 2020 — Routier, an omni-channel hotel guest engagement solution that uses messaging channels such as SMS/text messaging, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, WeChat, Facebook, Line, etc. to seamlessly connect guests to staff, has joined Volara’s secure voice integration hub. By combining Volara’s conversation-management software with Routier’s guest-facing engagement solution, hotels will expedite two-way contactless communications between guests and staff thereby bridging the gap between voice and text. Guests speak requests to smart speakers with voice assistants powered by Volara and receive replies, updates and more via Routier’s guest MessageHub™.
“In today’s new world, hotel guests will want their experiences to be as contactless as possible, especially when it comes to interacting with staff,” said Routier CEO Gal Bareket. “That means getting simple, quick answers to their questions and even faster resolutions to their problems. Instead of requiring guests to use the in-room phone or tablet to make requests, or forcing them to walk down to the front desk and encounter other travelers, Routier teamed with Volara so people can simply ‘Ask Alexa’ for what they need. Once a verbal request is made, hotel staff are alerted in real-time over the integrated Routier Hotel Management Platform, and then continue the dialogue using MessageHub. They can also solve any issues within our Ticket Management Platform. It’s here that we reply intelligently to multilingual guest questions, requests, and complaints while collecting valuable guest data and feedback. This helps hotel brands meet the requirements of digital-age travelers while improving guest service and operational efficiency.”
Routier’s MessageHub™ personalizes the guest experience and ensures a higher level of engagement and utilization, eliminating language barriers and driving positive interactions with the property. Keeping all communications in one channel also makes it easy for hoteliers to track and efficiently interact with all guest conversations, from service requests, notifications and upsell offers, to reservations and complaint resolution. Using artificial intelligence-based technology, the solution automatically answers guests’ questions, takes requests, manages complaints, and makes recommendations, thereby freeing up hotel staff and delivering operational efficiencies. By establishing a centralized messaging hub, all conversations with guests, via all messaging platforms, are carried out in one, easily trackable thread, eliminating communication silos. This frictionless solution streamlines staff task management as well, allowing the property to quickly identify any issues that can be resolved and tracked in real-time, while the guest is still on-property and before they post reviews. Guest requests can be routed through a call center and attached to a service ticket, saving valuable staff time and expediting resolution for the guest.
Volara provides platform agnostic voice-based conversation-management software and a secure integrations hub for existing hospitality technologies. Its software turns the major natural language processing platforms (such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, IBM Watson and SmartBeings WooHoo) into a business tool that drives more efficient customer service, influences guests’ behavior, improves net promoter scores and helps hospitality providers understand travelers better. Volara’s software is enabling the hotel to manage conversations with its guests in real-time. Its secure integrations hub, which now includes 40+ hotel technologies, is enabling guests’ requests to prompt specific actions – whether routing a task to hotel staff, turning off the lights, or putting on the air conditioning. Volara’s software also enables additional layers of security to ensure that guests’ privacy is protected, and proprietary hotel data is secure. Volara is the only provider of voice-based solutions to the hospitality industry that has the Alexa for Business Service Delivery Designation from Amazon and is a launch partner of Alexa for Hospitality.
“When hotels reopen, this type of contactless, two-way communication will be key to attracting travelers and building market share,” said Volara CEO Dave Berger. “With Routier now part of our rapidly growing integrations hub, we can give hoteliers the tools they need to streamline all guest communication and give guests a touchless way to connect virtually to the people who will make their stays exceptional.”
