
If you manage a business in the HoReCa industry, you have no choice but to fully meet your customers’ expectations and provide them with the best possible experience. A critical part of this experience is exceptional customer support — available for any question, at any time of day. The faster you can resolve customers’ issues, ease their concerns, or provide the necessary information, the more likely they are to return to your business time and time again. Are you ready to build your own support center, or could outsourcing contact center services be the better solution? That’s what this post will explore.
The Importance of HoReCa Customer Support
In the HoReCa industry, high-quality customer service is a key success factor. For large hotel, restaurant, and café chains, the customer experience directly impacts brand reputation, repeat orders, and recommendations. As customer expectations continue to rise, even the smallest service mistake can result in a negative review or loss of trust.
One of the biggest challenges for HoReCa businesses is managing multichannel communication. Global chains of hotels, restaurants, and cafés must ensure seamless interaction across phone calls, live chat on websites, email, social media, and mobile apps. On top of this, businesses need to respond quickly to customer inquiries regardless of location or time zone.
Typical communication challenges faced by HoReCa businesses include:
- High volume of inquiries during peak seasons.
- Personalizing customer interactions to meet individual needs.
- Managing negative reviews and maintaining brand reputation.
- Ensuring 24/7 service availability for customers worldwide.
- Providing multilingual support for international clients.
Management’s task is not only to address these challenges effectively but also to turn every customer interaction into a positive experience that fosters loyalty and retention.
Reading: What is Retention Rate: definition and calculation formula
In-House Contact Center or Outsourcing?
Creating your own contact center for the HoReCa industry is a complex and resource-intensive process requiring significant investments in technology, personnel, and infrastructure. You’ll need to recruit agents, provide training, purchase software, develop workflows, and establish quality control systems. For a more detailed understanding of this process, we recommend reading the article, “How to Start a Contact Center from Scratch?”
In-House Contact Center with Remote Agents
If the decision to establish an in-house contact center has been made, modern technology can simplify this process. For example, the Sirius cloud contact center platform by Global Bilgi enables the creation of a virtual contact center. This solution, developed by our experts, is available to Global Bilgi clients under the CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service) model.
Global Bilgi HoReCa Contact Center Outsourcing Benefits
Outsourcing a contact center is an efficient alternative that eliminates many challenges for companies. The greatest benefit is the savings in time and resources. Clients receive a team of agents selected specifically for their project, tailored to their requirements and needs. This ensures agents can quickly begin handling calls, orders, or customer inquiries without extensive preparation time. Other key advantages include:
Flexibility and Adaptability to Seasonality
In the HoReCa sector, the ability to rapidly scale service volumes in response to seasonal changes or business growth is especially critical. During tourist seasons and holiday periods, demand for services surges. Global Bilgi ensures swift resource adaptation so your business can effectively manage workload fluctuations.
Professional Planning
Planning is the foundation of any successful contact center. At Global Bilgi, professional experts handle call volume forecasting, resource allocation, and agent schedule optimization. This minimizes queues, reduces customer wait times, and ensures uninterrupted service. With precise planning, HoReCa clients can be confident that their customers will always receive high-quality service at any time.
Monitoring for Maximum Control
Comprehensive monitoring of all contact center processes is a crucial factor in successful customer service. Global Bilgi employs advanced tools to track performance, manage resources, and ensure seamless operations. This minimizes risks, prevents potential losses, and guarantees that all customer needs are met.
Powerful Analytics for Business Growth
Analytics is one of the most important tools in the operation of outsourced contact centers. Global Bilgi provides detailed reports on all aspects of customer service, including customer behavior analysis, communication efficiency, and agent productivity. These insights help HoReCa businesses make informed decisions, improve business processes, and enhance the customer experience.
Technological Solutions for Contact Centers
Global Bilgi leverages cutting-edge technological tools to deliver high-quality customer service. These include omnichannel cloud platforms, CRM systems, interactive voice response (IVR) menus, automatic inquiry distribution, auto-dialers etc. Importantly, these solutions are integrated into the client’s business processes, and the software can be customized to meet the specific needs of HoReCa companies.
Experienced Staff and Expertise
Global Bilgi ensures the professional selection of personnel, including project managers, planning experts, analysts, supervisors, and other specialists involved in project implementation. Their experience and expertise in contact center management guarantee the successful execution of projects and the achievement of outstanding results.
Outsourcing your contact center to Global Bilgi allows HoReCa companies to focus on their core activities while delegating complex customer service processes to experienced professionals. This improves operational efficiency, optimizes costs, and ensures top-tier service for customers.
Let’s explore the solutions that contact center outsourcing offers for each sector of the HoReCa business:
Outsourcing a Contact Center for Hotels
Hotels often face the challenge of managing complex communications, as they need to handle bookings, guest inquiries, and service reviews simultaneously. Contact center outsourcing creates a multichannel environment for all communications, ensuring 24/7 multilingual customer support. This is particularly important for large hotel chains with international clients, as the speed and accuracy of handling customer inquiries directly impact guest satisfaction and their desire to return.
In addition, a professional contact center can respond promptly to guest reviews, addressing criticism or expressing gratitude for positive feedback on websites or social media. By analyzing guest feedback, the contact center provides hotels with valuable analytics to improve their services. Thus, outsourcing reduces the workload on hotel staff while simultaneously enhancing service quality.
A Case of Contact Center Outsourcing in the Hotel Industry
A vivid example of the benefits of business process outsourcing (BPO) and, in particular, contact center outsourcing, is an international chain of boutique hotels with 40 locations in various countries, established in 2013. During a period of rapid business scaling, the company faced several customer service challenges. The main issues included:
- Overloaded staff: Reception staff could not simultaneously handle phone and online inquiries, assist customers, calculate costs, and serve on-site guests. This led to delays and negative customer experiences.
- Inconsistent service levels: Due to hotels being located in different geographic regions, service quality depended on the cultural and linguistic characteristics of the staff, which adversely affected the brand’s reputation.
- Insufficient automation: The absence of a unified CRM system complicated work with customer databases, booking management, and data analysis.
The management decided to partner with an outsourcing company specializing in contact center services for the tourism industry. The outsourcing provider implemented the following solutions:
Cloud-Based Omnichannel Platform
The contact center established centralized customer support that handled inquiries via phone, email, social media, and messaging apps. Cloud technology ensured seamless 24/7 customer communication.
Linguistic and Cultural Adaptation
By employing remote agents in each region, the contact center provided support in eight languages. This addressed cultural differences and ensured a consistently high level of service regardless of the hotel’s location.
Process Automation
A consolidated CRM system was introduced to manage customer databases and bookings. The outsourcing partner implemented a multilingual IVR (interactive voice response) system to route inquiries, reducing customer wait times by 35%. Automated email notifications were added to confirm bookings and share special offers.
Outbound Services
The outsourced contact center initiated outbound calls to inform customers about discounts, loyalty programs, and invitations to use the chain’s services.
Results Achieved
In the first six months after transferring customer service to the outsourced contact center, the following outcomes were achieved:
- The contact center consistently met its Service Level (SL) targets.
- Customer satisfaction (CSAT) increased by 22%, as indicated by guest surveys after interactions with the contact center.
- Response time for inquiries in chats and on social media decreased from 10 minutes to 30 seconds.
- The number of successful bookings increased by 18%, thanks to automation and proactive customer outreach.
- Customer service costs decreased by 15% due to reduced reliance on in-house reception staff for call handling.
This case demonstrates how contact center outsourcing helps address complex customer service challenges in the hotel industry. The integration of modern technologies, cultural adaptation, and proactive customer engagement enabled the boutique hotel chain to not only improve service quality but also enhance its competitiveness in the market.
Outsourcing Contact Centers for Restaurants
For restaurants, effective communication is key, especially in processes like table reservations, handling online orders, and coordinating deliveries. A well-coordinated omnichannel contact center reduces the risk of losing customers due to long response times or order errors. Additionally, contact center agents can inform guests about menu changes or promotional offers, increasing customer engagement.
Another significant advantage is the ability to organize automated reminders for reservations or special events. This enables restaurants to create a personalized approach to service, attracting more loyal customers. With such solutions, restaurants gain an efficient tool for optimizing processes without significant investments in their own resources.
Example of Contact Center Outsourcing for a Top-tier Restaurant Chain
Premium-class restaurants prioritize a personalized approach for each visitor. In this scenario, outsourcing is more concerned with providing excellent service and creating a one-of-a-kind experience than with saving money. Guests in the premium class demand individualized service and thorough attention to detail, taking into account their preferences, dietary restrictions, and other requirements.
In 2023, an American chain of upscale restaurants delegated more than simply customer service to a professional contact center. The primary objectives allocated to the partner included:
- Optimizing table reservation processes.
- Personalizing menu orders by considering customers’ preference history and dietary restrictions.
- Handling requests for additional services, such as organizing celebratory events or ordering flowers.
The partnership between the restaurant chain and the outsourced contact center led to the following outcomes:
- A 45% reduction in average handling time (AHT) for inquiries.
- A 25% decrease in order errors.
- A 21% improvement in customer satisfaction (CSAT).
By leveraging data analysis in the CRM, the contact center began sending customers personalized offers, such as special menus, promotions, and invitations to exclusive events. This boosted repeat visits by 20%. Overall, the partnership resulted in a 9% increase in the chain’s revenue.
Outsourcing a contact center enabled the premium restaurant chain to create a service that meets the expectations of the most discerning clients. Through centralized solutions, personalization, and process automation, the restaurants significantly improved service quality, optimized internal resources, and strengthened their market position.
You might also like: The Impact of Customer Experience (CX) in Contact Centers on Customer Lifetime Value (LTV).
Practices and Trends in Contact Center Outsourcing for Cafés
Many large café chains, coffee shops, and quick-service restaurants encounter customer service challenges during certain stages of growth and expansion:
- A high volume of inquiries during peak hours, such as mornings and lunchtime, when the number of calls for takeaway orders or table reservations significantly increases.
- Difficulty maintaining consistent service quality across locations due to variability in staff communication skills.
- The need to manage online orders from various platforms, including websites, mobile apps, and delivery services, which complicates the order-processing workflow.
When a café chain reaches a certain scale, business owners often decide to outsource their contact center. This was the case for the management of a rapidly expanding coffee shop chain based in Seattle, USA.
The outsourcing contact center partner implemented a unified, multichannel platform to process inquiries via phone, mobile apps, and social media. This integration consolidated all communication channels into a single interface for faster and more convenient order processing. What were the results?
- The average customer wait time was reduced from 45 seconds to 20 seconds, significantly boosting customer satisfaction (CSAT).
- Contact center agents used communication scripts developed based on the chain’s standards, ensuring consistent service quality across all locations, which increased the Net Promoter Score (NPS) by 16%.
- Efficient inquiry handling across multiple channels led to a 15% increase in orders within the first year.
- Centralized inquiry processing allowed café staff to focus on delivering high-quality in-store customer service, positively impacting employee productivity.
- Shorter wait times resulted in a 25% decrease in order cancellations, generating additional revenue for the chain.
Studies by renowned consulting firms show that global demand for contact center outsourcing continues to grow. While specific results in the café and quick-service restaurant industry may vary, the overall trend confirms that outsourcing can be a profitable solution for businesses in this sector.
Global Bilgi: Contact Center for Hotels, Restaurants, and Cafes
Outsourcing customer support to Global Bilgi allows businesses in the HoReCa sector to focus on their core activities—creating unforgettable experiences for guests. We handle all communication processes, ensuring a high level of service and contributing to business growth. Here’s how Global Bilgi can improve your business:
Streamlining Booking and Order Processes
Our agents quickly and efficiently handle room bookings, restaurant reservations, and food orders, minimizing customer wait times. This boosts satisfaction and encourages repeat business. Automation and integration with booking systems help eliminate errors and optimize workload distribution.
24/7 Customer Support Availability
We provide uninterrupted support for your customers, regardless of the time of day. This is especially crucial for hotels and restaurants, where inquiries can come in at any hour. Round-the-clock support enhances service levels and demonstrates care for your clients.
Managing Reviews and Online Reputation
Outsourcing support on social media allows you to respond promptly to customer reviews across various platforms. This helps maintain a positive brand reputation online and quickly resolve conflicts. Proactive review management improves the establishment’s image and attracts new customers.
Boosting Customer Loyalty and Encouraging Repeat Visits
Hyper-personalized service and prompt problem resolution help improve customer loyalty metrics such as NPS, CSAT, and CES. In an outsourced contact center, measuring these indicators can be automated using IVR surveys after calls or messenger survey distribution. This allows for timely feedback collection, monitoring loyalty trends, and addressing negative dynamics.
Satisfied customers are more likely to return and recommend your establishment to others. Loyalty programs, informational mailings, and personalized offers implemented through the contact center encourage repeat visits.
Multilingual and Omnichannel Support for International Customers
We provide customer support in multiple languages and through various communication channels, from phone calls to online chats. This ensures comfortable interaction for all clients, expanding your business’s reach and increasing competitiveness.
Reducing Operational Costs and Optimizing Resources
Outsourcing your contact center for HoReCa reduces expenses for personnel, equipment, and training. You gain access to a professional team and advanced technologies without the cost of establishing your own call center. This allows you to optimize your budget and invest in other areas of business development.
A Personalized Approach to Each Customer
We consider the unique needs of every customer and offer tailored solutions. This increases satisfaction levels and fosters long-term relationships. Personalization can include addressing customers by name, remembering previous orders, and providing individualized offers.
Data Analysis and Business Strategy Improvement
We collect and analyze customer inquiry data, providing valuable insights into their needs and preferences. This information can be used to enhance business development strategies and make informed decisions. Analytical reports offer clear insights into operational efficiency and opportunities for optimization.
Supporting Marketing Campaigns and Promotions
We assist in executing marketing campaigns and promotions, providing informational support to customers and collecting feedback. This enhances the effectiveness of marketing efforts and drives sales growth. The contact center can conduct outbound calls, send notifications, and inform customers about promotions.
Handling Complaints and Resolving Conflicts
We professionally handle complaints and resolve conflicts, minimizing negative impacts on your brand’s reputation. Prompt and effective problem resolution increases customer loyalty and prevents the spread of negative feedback.
Recommended Reading: Contact Center Call Script: How to Address An Angry Client
Conclusions
High-quality customer service is critically important for business success in the HoReCa sector. Rising customer expectations, the need for multichannel communication, and prompt responses to inquiries pose significant challenges for hotels, restaurants, and cafes.
Establishing an in-house contact center is a complex and resource-intensive process. Outsourcing, however, offers an effective alternative by saving resources, providing scalability, granting access to modern technologies, and delivering professional customer support.
If you need a reliable partner for contact center outsourcing in the HoReCa sector, contact us via the feedback form. We deliver a unique customer experience and contribute to your business growth.