Most front of house hotel systems do not consider package management an important toolset for the concierge and front desk, but they should.
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As the number of packages we receive continues to break new records year over year, many of those packages are finding their way to your hotel. Maintaining a real-time, easily accessible log of guest items, like packages, is therefore of increasing importance to the front desk and concierge roles. And guest items aren’t just restricted to packages. Hotels are often responsible for storing lost and found items, amenities for use, like umbrellas, adapters, and extra guest beds, and guest items, like cars, ski gear and garment bags. Losing guest possessions isn’t an option — so how do your hotel staff keep up with the ever increasing number of goods being deposited at your hotel?
ALICE Concierge is the only concierge tool on the market that recognizes guest request management and package management are different kinds of work. It is the only software that enables concierge and front desk to schedule guest activities and manage guest requests in one dedicated interface, and also manage packages with our digital log.
Without a dedicated tool for managing packages, your concierges and front desk agents have to “hack” package management into other systems, purchase a separate tool, deal with packages manually, or have no system in place at all. This is time consuming and unreliable or costly. In contrast, our digital log empowers concierge and front desk teams to stay on top of everything being delivered, shipped, stored, or borrowed at your hotel, and thereby satisfy the increasing expectations of today’s guests.
Why we made package management a distinct component of our ALICE Concierge product
Most concierge systems treat package management in the same way they approach time-based guest requests — i.e. they assume an identical linear workflow and mix package-related to-dos and reminders within the same list of other time-based guest requests.
But there is a critical difference to the user experience when it comes to package management that makes it distinct from other guest requests: it’s not time dependent.
When a guest asks the concierge to schedule a car service, that’s a to-do with deadline; the concierge has to schedule the guest a car and confirm that reservation with the guest, or the guest won’t get to the airport in time to make his or her flight. In contrast, a package, or an item in lost or found, is not a time dependent piece of work — it is something a concierge has to be aware of. It can be picked up, or requested to be shipped at any time.
By giving time dependent and non-time dependent work distinct dashboards within the ALICE Concierge platform, we’ve significantly improved the user experience for your concierge and front desk agents — freeing up more time for them to spend delighting your guests. We’re also saving you money — every lost item impacts your guest recovery budget, and every disappointed guest has the potential to take their complaints to TripAdvisor or another online review site.
The Logbook is a distinct interface within ALICE Concierge to record all incoming and outgoing packages and lost & found items.
Batch Entry allows your concierges to inventory many items at once.
The Notification Center allows you to easily see when a guest has responded to or commented on his/her request.
Shift Log provides staff & management with a property-wide communication tool to easily record and search for any notes regarding a guest, shift, or urgent event. All shift log notes can be emailed to management to ensure that all departments heads are up to date.
Every year, more and more packages are being delivered, and an ever increasing number are winding up at your hotel. Give your concierges the tools they need to quickly and easily manage packages, and other guest items like Lost & Found, while enabling them to prioritize their concierge work.
Learn more about ALICE Concierge by clicking here. Schedule a demo of ALICE Concierge here.
