GuestWare Helps Simplify, Centralize Copper Mountain's Complex Guest Response System
"Last Winter we handled about 6,000 calls. Without GuestWare It would have been very difficult to organize them."
Robert Stenhammer - Lodging Director
Responding to and tracking guest requests can be a challenge at any resort. When the resort is spread out over a six-square-mile area, the challenge can be immense especially when each unit is individually owned. Fortunately for Copper Mountain Resort, which includes such a diverse mix of rental properties, it uses GuestWare's Rapid Response software to help its staff respond quickly to guest requests.
Keeping guests satisfied has not always been as easy at the Copper Mountain, Colo.-based resort. Prior to December 2001, when it implemented GuestWare, staff struggled to respond efficiently to guest requests because of a decentralized communications system.
"If guests needed towels, they would call housekeeping," says Robert Stenhammer, Managing Director-Lodging at the ski resort. "If there was a maintenance issue, they would call our maintenance department. There was no centralized system. There was no control on response time, and there was no consistent service throughout all of our operations."
Reports pinpoint service hot spots
Because of GuestWare, resort staff changed the process they use to field guest calls. Instead of giving guests the option of calling different departments, Copper Mountain staff created one call center in a workspace behind the resort's front desk. The new communication system, called LodgeCom, accepts calls generated through the resort's Lodging At Your Service program.
When a guest calls the Lodging At Your Service number, an operator at one of six computer stations answers the call and types the request into GuestWare's Request Entry screen. The screen uses customizable hot buttons and drill-down menus to enable the operator to quickly log the request. A dispatcher then uses a radio to assign the incident. While a staff member works to solve the problem, GuestWare displays it as an open request.
After a problem is solved, the staff member then calls the dispatcher, who then closes the incident in GuestWare. The system alerts the dispatcher when a request is overdue and sorts new calls by elapsed time. As part of the resort's Lodging At Your Service program, a call center representative follows up every closed incident with a call to the guest to ensure the issue has been resolved.
"Our goal is to resolve each problem in 20 minutes," Stenhammer says. "We never knew our response time before GuestWare. We never had a goal. Last winter we handled about 6,000 calls. Without GuestWare, it would have been very difficult to organize them."
Ninety-seven Percent of Guests Report "Everything in Working Order"
Because each incident logged into GuestWare is stored in a database that can be accessed for analysis, Stenhammer and his staff have been able to identify and correct persistent service issues. GuestWare can generate a wide range of graphs, including ones that show response time by staff, request or department. The software also enables Copper Mountain management to predict peak request times to optimize staffing. Unit, type of incident and department, can track incidents. Because of GuestWare's interface with the resort's property management system, it can also track incidents by group.
Copper Mountain Resort's No. 1 issue last ski season was lost ski locker keys. Thanks to GuestWare, which helped identify the problem, the resort is now working on an improved ski check system.
"The key problem was a real eye opener for us," Stenhammer says. "We were able to attack that problem proactively because of GuestWare."
Stenhammer says the resort also had a big problem last season with a shortage of in-unit supplies such as soap and coffee.
"Because of the types of reports GuestWare can generate, we were able to identify the trend. We now stock each unit with extra supplies. We use the same strategy with towels because we had too many calls asking for extra ones. Our goal this season is to reduce the number of all incidents by 30 percent."
Data drives service improvements
GuestWare provides Copper Mountain staff with the data they need to improve customer service. Through GuestWare, management frequently provides unit owners with detailed accounts of incidents occurring in their properties. Stenhammer says his management team reviews Guest Ware's "Top 10 Incidents" report on a weekly basis by department and unit.
"I've enjoyed the flexibility GuestWare's reporting feature gives us," Stenhammer says. "Before GuestWare, we really had no clue where our problem areas were. It was more of a feel for what was happening."
Copper Mountain also uses GuestWare's Comment Card Tracking feature to gauge the effectiveness of its BeeLine Advantage program. BeeLine Advantage provides guests with access to dedicated lift lines and gives them access to the mountain 15 minutes before other guests. Stenhammer says his staff asks guests questions about BeeLine Advantage when they call LodgeCom to use the resort's express checkout system. Copper Mountain staff logs the results into GuestWare.
"In the case of our BeeLine Advantage program, GuestWare validated that guests get a lot of satisfaction out of it," Stenhammer says.
GuestWare's Comment Card Tracking gives Copper Mountain the ability to quickly and efficiently manage customer feedback. Comments can be categorized, graphs can be built to identify trends, and a mail-merge feature can be used to generate follow-up letters.
Resort's success linked to GuestWare
Stenhammer says GuestWare helps his staff get their arms around a very complex resort. It helps them anticipate their needs and react to needs.
"It's about operational information that did not exist before," he says. "It's comprehensive and covers the entire operation of what we do. I am a big fan of how simple it is and easy to use. It is a significant part of our success. I can't imagine not having it because we rely on it so much."
Vancouver, B.C.-based Intrawest Corp., a leading developer and operator of mountain resorts own Copper Mountain Resort across America. The resort offers more than 2,400 skiable acres and many lodging options. For more information about Copper Mountain Resort, go to www.coppercolorado.com or call (800) 458-8386.
GuestWare, Customer Relationship Management software for the lodging industry, is developed, marketed, implemented and supported by Diversified Computer Corp., Seattle. GuestWare is installed in more than 700 hotels worldwide.