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experience . Rohit Gupta , VP Europe – Products and Resources at Cognizant , explains
how the UK hospitality industry should embrace digital processes .
The hospitality industry needs to embrace new technology to improve the guest
Putting technology at the heart of customer experience in hospitality
HE GUEST EXPERIENCE has
T always been at the heart of the hospitality industry . As new technology becomes available , we are already seeing hotels across the world embrace innovation to further enhance and personalise that experience , for example , hotels in Singapore are trialling facial recognition for faster check-ins .
Traditionally , the UK industry has benefitted from workforce abundance , particularly from the EU , which makes up approximately one fifth of the total hospitality workforce . Consequently , it has been slow to adopt emerging technologies , due to management seeing little need to free up employee time . This means that jobs in the industry are often mundane and repetitive – which is worrying considering research shows that one of the main reasons hospitality employees in the UK would decide to leave the industry is due to the lack of career prospects . Technology can better the working environment for employees by increasing transparency and reducing the time spent on banal tasks . This ultimately improves job satisfaction and , in turn , would boost employee retention rates , which currently stand at 15 % below the national average .
Beyond this , COVID-19 has now added to the requirements of today ’ s customer and employee experience , making safety and hygiene a bigger priority for businesses than ever before . As a result , the hospitality industry is turning to digital to provide the experience that customers not just want but need .
There is no time to waste – hospitality businesses in the UK need to recognise that Digital Transformation is vital , especially in a post-COVID world .
Understanding guest behaviour to yield true value out of digital processes
A typical connected experience should empower guests with access and control . Using a mobile app , for example , guests can check-in and out , use a digital room key , control the room temperature , make a restaurant reservation , order room service , request extra towels and more – all from their fingertips . Yet , despite the promise of apps providing ultimate convenience , guest
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JOBS IN THE INDUSTRY ARE OFTEN MUNDANE AND REPETITIVE – WHICH IS WORRYING CONSIDERING RESEARCH SHOWS THAT ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS HOSPITALITY EMPLOYEES IN THE UK WOULD DECIDE TO LEAVE THE INDUSTRY IS DUE TO THE LACK OF CAREER PROSPECTS .
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