Hawaiian Travel customer service is dead. What’s next?

Hawaii’s hospitality industry has continued to grow at an unprecedented rate over the past three years. In this amazing evolution, new innovative technology is replacing people. How does this work in terms of customer satisfaction?

Why customer service is dead at Hawaiian Travel.

Post-Covid, we’ve seen hotels, airlines and other parts of the industry unable to replace workers who quit or were fired, even when the job was needed. The labor shortage is severe and unending. Not only this, but the cost of retaining hospitality workers has also increased significantly. If an industry was unable and perhaps unwilling to provide traditional customer service as we once knew it, something had to give.

Started in 1947, Outrigger, a once traditional Hawaiian hotel brand, is moving in a new direction that uses technology to replace face-to-face interactions. The company was founded by architect Roy Kelly, who worked on many Honolulu buildings, including the old Halekulani Hotel and the former Waikiki Theatre. In the year In the 1960s, Kelly purchased the old Outrigger Canoe Club Queen Emma property and built the famous Outrigger Waikiki. Then Outrigger Waikiki arrived on the beach, and fifteen Hawaiian properties later, the rest is history.

Oracle says 73 percent are more likely to choose hotels with self-service technology.

At the same time, 38 percent report that they still want a fully self-service model. Outrigger is an early adopter of new technologies coming to the rescue of an industry lacking customer service. The company is implementing technology to provide instant customer service touchpoints through guests’ smartphones. This includes making changes to reservations, checking the status of reservations, renovating a room, getting fresh towels or requesting a late check-out, and more.

The Outrigger team can connect with guests instantly. That’s true regardless of the method guests choose, from text messaging, web chat, web apps, Facebook and WhatsApp. The side benefit is that translation is a natural part of the new digital communication, so it doesn’t matter which language the guest chooses.

Another advantage is the easy collection and analysis of guest data. How many guests have requested a late check-out or extra towels, and did these requests occur during their stay? This helps hotels plan ahead for what guests might want.

Other helpful features include weather updates, notifications of changes to restaurant hours or other services, and all other guest updates. “We understand that early stage technology plays a critical role in the human touch,” Outrigger said.

Q: Would it be better to contact an external call center or talk to a chatbot?

For us, it’s a toss-up. A large vacation rental management company we know has moved all of their customer service and reservation agents to a call center in the Philippines. We talked to them, and it wasn’t good. You also know our recent experience with the Hawaiian Airlines call center in the Philippines, and it simply wasn’t good. Read Hawaiian Airlines’ $700 fare change with a “no-change fee” of $100.

There is no doubt that customer service at Hawaii Travel is not what it used to be. Following the Great Retrenchment, the entire industry is trying to keep its head above water.

Technological solutions replace time-tested customer service.

Hawaii Hotel Outrigger, which has 15 locations across four islands, is leading the way in this area and has decided that the way to solve the customer service dilemma is to essentially replace it. Their goal is to improve guest relations, improve efficiency and deliver a new, high-quality guest experience.

“The marriage of technology and travel has become essential,” Outrigger said. Our growth and development strategy includes technology for our guests and hosts as well as front-end and back-end operations. This simplifies interactions while enhancing the guest experience.

Our view: None to be called. Customer service is dead, but we still have 24/7 coverage. Your editors have experienced high quality hands-off hotels before and honestly, the experience wasn’t bad. But how does it work here in Hawaii?

How does the human touch exist in all technological solutions?

Can an industry based on high-touch customer service succeed in the new technology? As longtime technologists we say it won’t be easy and there are bumps in the road ahead.

Our tips on tech customer service:

1. Use video communication as often as guests want. Hawaii travel companies need to make it quick and easy to engage guests online when some anonymous chatbot can’t meet a guest’s needs.

2. Mu;ti-channel, easy-to-use customer service wherever guests need it. No matter what technology companies choose, they need to be where the guests are. Some travel companies and Hawaii-based airlines do well on Facebook Live Messaging and Twitter, for example. But what about those guests who don’t use it? Does your hotel have an online FAQ section? What about forums or knowledge base? These are great additions.

3. Email is slowing down; Real time is increasing. You don’t want to send out an email with no idea when guests will respond. They want to know that they are being taken care of right away.

4. Don’t go too far too fast. Chatbots can occasionally be useful, but more often they’re annoying. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from someone who isn’t working to help the guest. A balanced approach is suggested.

5. We love check-in kiosks and digital lockers for hotels and vacation rentals. At our convenience, it’s great to walk in unsupervised. But if it doesn’t go as planned, we like to have help nearby.