One of the greatest things that VoIP can introduce your hotel to is the idea of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) as a way to increase functionality and efficiency amongst its employees. This popular trend allows your personnel to use their own devices, typically smart phones, instead of phones issued by the hotel. BYOD has obvious advantages that range from lowering your hotel's expenses and providing greater flexibility to improving interactions with guests and freeing up your employees for additional tasks.
As with any technological shift, of course, the use of BYOD at your hotel will likely come with its own learning curve that must be mastered to get the most out of it. In order to make the transition a smooth one, we recommend these following tips:
Provide Clear and Concise Guidelines
When you institute BOYD, you don't want to burden your employees with a bunch of rules, but it's important that you set clear and concise guidelines for them to follow. Start by including a list of allowable devices, accepted use, and required security measures. Follow that up with information regarding reimbursement policies and procedures, what happens if the employee quits their position, privacy guarantees, and any other considerations that you believe are pertinent.
Don't Ignore Your Employees' Suggestions or Concerns
Once BOYD has been integrated into your hotel's daily workflow, you need to listen to what your employees have to say about it. Don't just expect that everything's going to run perfectly at the onset of such a new communications setup. Ask your employees if the Bring Your Own Device policy is meeting their needs, improving their job functionalities, providing better flexibility, etc. Also allow them to provide their own suggestions or concerns, which may clue you in to needed improvements. Work together as a team and everyone will benefit.
Secure the Data
Many hotels won't have to worry about data too much, because employees at many facilities will be using their devices for nothing more than simple communication and convenience. If you plan to have customer data on these phones, however, you will need to secure the data. People lose phones all the time and your employees are no exception. This is something you must think about in order to keep any sensitive data protected. If nothing else, you must to be able to remote-wipe the phone in the case of loss or theft, just to be sure. The last thing you need is a data breach caused by unprotected data that finds itself in the wrong hands.
Consult Rather Than Scrutinize
When any business, including a hotel, hands out devices to its employees, one of the tasks that it must initiate is the monitoring of said device. It's important for the employee not to install, download, or otherwise place questionable or unauthorized material on the phone. This is the hotel's right, because they own the phone. WIth a Bring Your Own Device program, however, you can't scrutinize every single thing that a person puts on his or her phone. Instead, what you want to do is offer consultation services that will allow each employee to find technology solutions and receive advice whenever he or she may need it. This self-service option is a great way to offer a viable solution to everyone involved.
If you've been thinking about instituting a BYOD program, upgrading your hotel's phone system to VoIP is a move in the right direction. Once you're ready to make the switch to VoIP, contact one of the professionals at PhoneSuite. We'll walk you through the process every step of the way and make the transition a painless one.
