Updated staff systems helps us look after our customers better
Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2014-04-11 10:42:12 - Graham EllisEvery day at Well House Manor is different, and indeed during the day things can change around. Our "master plan" is on Lisa's database at HQ (not even at the hotel - such is distributed processing), and much of the feedback has been through our web application - our staff "happens" page as we call it, with details populated by upload from HQ. As customer bookings are entered via that happens page, we stay in sync / resynchronise as a matter of course, and the system stands us in good stead. We can handle bookings from just about anywhere, check on availability, etc.
However, printing out invoices and check in cards remotely has proven to be a bit awkward at times - you may be able to do a remote print, but you can't remotely fill up the paper or change the ink cartridge.
And so - Lisa has been writing a new iPad interface to our systems, accessible remotely from a FileMaker database, and presenting the daily information from a top menu - for customers, there's information about restartuants and transport, WiFi access codes and so forth. And then when staff log in ...
So much information in so little space. Colour changes indicate which rooms need to be fully services as one guest leaves and another arrives. Markings such as "DNM" alert staff to the fact that this customer should not be switched to another room. Where a room may be twin or double, that's indicated ... and you'll even see a little doggie icon to tell us who's bringing Rover with them.
We're moving to allowing electronic sign-in too, and a system in which we can enter further information onto guest's bills even at checkout - the number of times that "X" books for "Y" and "Y" only says he wants a change to the paperwork to reflect that he's paying when he comes to check out ... this new system will rally streamline such changes.