Now that the traumatic experiences of Corona are behind us, people all over the world are finally out of their homes and fully ready to bask in the glory of nature. The pandemic phase has led many to reassess their life priorities. The existential rat race somehow takes a step back and explores life in its full potential. It is witnessing a paradigm shift.
People are looking for destinations and trips where they can connect with their near and dear ones in exotic locales and indulge in a bit of self-indulgence. They don't mind spending beyond their self-evident limits because recent times have shown the transience of life and memories are still fresh.
Two industries directly benefit from this newfound freedom. The hospitality industry caters to wonderful travel, stay and cuisine and the beauty industry stands up to serve when someone is looking for some high quality me time!
The hotel and tourism industry is booming again. The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) released its 'State of the Hotel Industry Mid-2022 Report'. The report suggests that revenue is expected to top $188 billion by the end of the year, nearly reaching pre-pandemic levels. Occupancy is already at a respectable 64 percent. Similar trends are witnessed in the EU, APAC and MENA regions.
The global spa and beauty salon market, which reached USD 144.48 billion, is expected to reach USD 217.25 billion by 2025, representing a compound annual growth rate of more than 6 percent. Men and women across age groups are looking for wellness solutions to reduce stress from their hectic lifestyles.
However, both these service sectors are witnessing a classic case of supply and demand imbalance. The reason is the lack of qualified service personnel worldwide.
For hospitality businesses, not having employees is a more chronic disease than not having customers. You have a visitor and there is no one to say goodbye with a smile! Ouch. The loss of brand image is much more serious than the loss of revenue. According to the AHLA report, there are currently one and a half million jobs open in this sector in the US alone. Even more bizarre is that there are only 65 active applicants for every 100 vacancies.
It is no different in the Spa and Salon industry. A 2022 survey of International Spa Association (ISPA) members found that 62 percent of respondents have more demand for their services than capacity. “Our staffing is so low and our business demand is so high that we are unable to find the time needed to effectively and efficiently train our management team in the areas they need for better customer churn. We have seen a shift in our clientele and their expectations,” is a common theme of the response.
To deal with these challenging circumstances, businesses in these two sectors are increasingly adopting technology-driven, human-centric solutions. Adoption of technology leads to cost optimization and human orientation becomes the cornerstone of customer satisfaction. One such intervention that seamlessly connects these two dimensions is the introduction of an external third-party call center to support front desk services.
In the post-pandemic world, there has been an across-the-board leap in the adoption of digital technologies. There are mobile apps that help you not only check in at the airport, but also directly to your hotel room. A smartphone could be a real travel companion. Hoteliers would increasingly like to advance as many features of the customer cycle and experience as possible. Undoubtedly, these apps make it easy for people to plan their entire trip from booking tickets to paying the entrance fee in advance and booking a guide without having to interact with a person in a traditional way.
Similarly, for the Spa and Salon industry, there are online applications that can allow the client to self-serve appointment scheduling, check-in, pay bills via mobile, and retail purchase products or services via a website.
As a business owner, now imagine combining these benefits with the presence of a real human service provider in between. Technology can respond to the routine and the mundane, but there is no substitute for the human touch when a client is dealing with a difficult situation. Calm reassurance through a personal call or chat can only increase the brand value of the business in question.
This gap is precisely filled by external hospitality call center service providers. 24/7 hotel reservation Call Center Services companies like LiveSalesman work very closely with hotel management to make sure they have extensive know-how about your hotel and are able to offer your guests the same experience as when a guest interacts with you directly. LiveSalesman's Hospitality Call Center team consists of experienced hospitality industry professionals who answer your calls. They are authorized to provide multilingual support in most major European and Asian languages.
A similar deployment is also available for the Spa and Salon industry. LiveSalesman's Call Center Services Spa and Salon vertical can meet the full range of your business needs. From scheduling client meetings, client outreach campaigns, cross-selling and up-selling products and services, managing multiple marketing promotions to answering all client queries from the routine to the very specific. Your business is provided with a local phone number that is manned by the LiveSalesman team 24/7/365. Your customers will get the impression that they are in constant contact with you, whether through a phone call or live chat support. The LiveSalesman team is well-trained on almost all online booking platforms that are prevalent, hence providing seamless galvanization of all channels.
When your business begins to tap into the true potential of the technology and people-centric mix, it needs to gallop forward!