Unified inbox: How to create a messaging hub at your hotel

What is a unified inbox?

A unified inbox allows you to combine all of your communications into a single view. Typically referring to email, a unified inbox brings different accounts together so you can easily see where you have new messages and switch between accounts to send responses.

An example might be an instance where you want to view Gmail, Outlook, and iCloud in the same place, without the hassle of logging in and out constantly.

Some inboxes may even be designed specifically for accommodation businesses and be able to unify different types of communications such as email, sms, and messaging apps.

This blog will give you a full overview of unified inboxes and how to achieve a seamless messaging hub at your hotel, enhancing guest experience and efficiency in the process.

Why is it important for property management to have a unified inbox?

Your property management will be much improved with a unified inbox. A hotel is a busy place and a challenge to manage even at the best of times. You don’t want to spend valuable minutes on the frustrating task of checking too many accounts and apps to track guest messages and communications.

Not only will this bog down your efficiency, but it could result in you missing a vital piece of information or an important request. Ultimately, miscommunication can lead to an unsatisfactory guest experience and reduction in your reputation and revenue.

It doesn’t take much for some problems to snowball, so having a unified inbox is important for preventing these issues in the first place.

Guest messaging made fast and simple

With SiteMinder’s platform, you’ll be able to engage with guests in the way you want to, all from one place. With key messaging features and seamless integrations, your guest interactions will be better than ever.

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The impact of a unified email inbox for hotels

Email is still a hugely popular way for guests to book their stay. It’s also very common that guests will use email to send you queries, requests, and feedback. Likewise, you can use email to provide guests with key information, offer upsells and extras, and request reviews.

A unified email inbox will help ensure that your hotel doesn’t miss any guest communications and can respond to queries in a timely manner. Nothing is more anxiety-inducing for a guest than to be left waiting, not knowing if their email was received or read.

When you consider that 3-in-4 customers say that a bad interaction with a business can ruin their day and 73% will switch to a competitor after multiple bad experiences, a unified email inbox will contribute to making sure your guest messaging strategy is airtight.

In the same way, a unified hub for SMS messaging can be just as powerful and effective for your hotel’s relationship with guests.

Complete benefits of an SMS messaging hub

An SMS messaging hub has benefits simply by existing. Knowing that 40% of customers want multiple options to communicate with a business, an SMS messaging hub gives your hotel’s guests an alternative to email where they can quickly send and receive messages for simple questions or requests.

In fact, these days many customers prefer to send a text message than call or send an email, since it’s fast and convenient – and they know they’ll be alerted as soon as there is a response without having to wait on the line or open up their email.

With an SMS messaging hub your hotel will be able to:

• Send messages in bulk to multiple recipients
• Track and analyse SMS messages in one place
• Send reminders and notifications
• Provide customer support
• Implement marketing campaigns
• Collect feedback

You might even be able to use text messaging internally at your hotel, to coordinate staffing, housekeeping, and department operations.

What to look for in a unified messaging hub solution

If you’re looking to create or implement a messaging hub solution at your hotel, it’s important to research carefully based on your specific requirements. For a hotel, it will be important to use a provider that can create a centralised location for all types of guest communications.

Here are some boxes you should be looking to tick:

Best unified inbox

Does the solution offer a best-in-class unified inbox by which you can manage all incoming and outgoing communications across email, SMS, messaging apps like WhatsApp, social media, and even distribution channels such as Airbnb?

Routing

Routing can be important if you want different messages to go to various different people, so the appropriate staff are handling specific queries.

Automation

Being able to pre-define responses for common queries and frequently asked questions will help streamline your communications and save a lot of time.

Templates  

Messaging templates for particular scenarios and message types will also help you become more efficient but also allow you to be more effective and execute strategies easier.

Reporting

You need detailed insights to know whether your communications are being received, read, and acted upon, as well as how positively or negatively customers feel about the service.

Integrations

Can the solution integrate with other systems you wish to use or that will complement the existing service?

Beyond this, it’s important that your solution provider gives you a user-friendly experience with adequate support and security against data leaks or compliance requirements.

By carefully evaluating these factors, you can select a messaging hub solution that empowers your hotel, improves customer satisfaction, and drives business growth.

“SiteMinder’s user-friendly nature is invaluable in optimizing my productivity and overall work experience, making it an indispensable asset to my daily operations. My association with SiteMinder has been nothing short of exceptional, and I am thoroughly content with the current state of the platform.”

Heather Minyard,

Director of Commercial Strategy

Smoky Mountain Resorts

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How to create a unified inbox using hotel tech

Across the hotel technology industry there are many solutions that will help you create a unified inbox or messaging hub at your property.

If generic business solutions or your chosen property management system are unable to fulfil all your needs, you can look at at using:

Hotel apps

There are hotel apps available for integration that are specifically focused on guest messaging and communication services. You can plug these into your existing tech stack to achieve your desired outcome.

Hotel experts

A whole ecosystem of hotel experts and consultants exists which you can use to find partners that will help you find and implement the best unified inbox solution for your hotel. There are plenty who specialise in websites and digital marketing which will be able to cater to your unique needs.

A hotel platform

A hotel platform will often provide a centralised control hub for all of your hotel’s operations. It may include features that focus on guest engagement and messaging, or provide seamless integrations to the industry’s leading solutions in the space.

The best hotel platforms will also give you easy two-way connectivity to your property management system and online distribution channels.

So how can a unified hotel platform deliver the necessary messaging hub capabilities that your business needs?