Telephone systems
Every hotel needs a telephone system. Guests, particularly business customers, need that connection to the outside world, as do staff and management. Plus, of course, the phone system is used as an internal communication network linking the rooms, offices and staff to ensure a smooth operation.
So how do you go about either fitting a brand new system or upgrading your old one? What questions should you be asking yourself, and any salesman, and how do you make sure you're getting exactly what you need?
Where do I start?
Buying a new telephone system can be a very expensive exercise. Even for a modest hotel the costs can easily run into five figures, so it's not a decision to be taken lightly.
The first step in any major purchase of this nature is to decide exactly what it is you need. This sounds simple, but it's the most essential part of this whole purchasing process and something you will need to return to again and again.
Sit down and draw up your business plan for the next five years. What are your aims? What changes do you want to make? Are you going to refurbish in a couple of year's time? Maybe you're going to expand?
The answers to these kind of questions are crucial. There's no point in putting in anything technology-based if it's all going to change in a few years. For example, if you were planning to refurbish your bedrooms in two years' time, it could work out cheaper and less disruptive to hold off the installation of a new phone system until then.
Or you may be planning to buy another hotel in this five-year period. Depending on how near it is to your current property, you may want to consider a centralised operator that covers both hotels.
Do I need a brand new system?
Ask yourself why you actually need a new system. What are the features you need that are missing from your current telephone? You might not need a brand new system, just an upgrade of the present one. You should always bear this possibility in mind, as you will get conflicting advice from vendors. Whoever installed your current system will recommend an upgrade, but a new vendor will obviously encourage you to install a new system.
For example, you may want to increase the number of lines to each bedroom. The current phone system might be at maximum capacity, but that can be solved with some new software. However, if you want Internet access in the rooms you might need new cabling and have to replace everything.
The difference in cost between an upgrade and a new system can be tens of thousands of pounds.
I've decided I need a new system. What now?
If you're committed to buying a brand new phone system, you need to write a detailed specification of exactly what you need. Here are some questions you should ask yourself:
- How many extensions do you need? How many of these should be digital and how many analogue?
- Do you want to include a voicemail function? This is probably crucial for business customers.
- Do you want to use cordless phones for guests and staff?
- Do you have an adequate call accounting system? For small hotels this will probably be included in the whole system, for bigger properties you may want something separate.
- How may external lines do you want? You may have too many, so you could save money by disposing of some. Digital lines are more efficient and can carry more information.
- Do you want direct dialling in (DDI)? In other words, can people call the bedrooms directly without going through an -operator? Again, business guests will appreciate this the most, and it's essential for incoming faxes.
Preparing a full specification in this way can be laborious but it is crucial. If you don't have it, the vendors will tell you what they think you need - and that can turn out to be very expensive. It also needs to be exact so that vendors will quote you prices for the right thing. It's advisable to get some kind of professional advice, if you can afford it. There are plenty of consultants out there who specialise in this kind of thing.
Who do I send my specification to?
Choosing a vendor is a tricky part of this process. It's a big commitment to make and a decision you'll have to live with for at least five years, probably more.
You need to get yourself a shortlist of suppliers that might be right for you and your property. Ask around other hotels, preferably ones similar in size and function to your own. Who put their system in? Are they happy with it? What would they have done differently? If you're running a large hotel then it's best to get some professional advice when choosing a vendor. You don't really want to spend £200,000 just because you thought the salesman was a nice bloke.
Do as much research as you can, use the Internet, find out the names of the main suppliers and see what kind of things they offer. You'll probably find there are only a few who offer what you want.
Select three or four vendors who you think might be right for you. Send them your specification and give a closing date for a reply.
Evaluate all the information you receive back. It's hard to say how to do this, as it will vary according to your property, but always use your original specification as a checklist.
Pick the two vendors that seem the best and invite them to your hotel or go along to their offices and get a full demonstration of the system they're offering you. This is crucial. Take the members of staff that use the telephones with you. These are the people who will really know how to test them for usability. They are the ones who will know what functions and tasks are the most important and which aren't. How comfortable they are with the equipment should have a serious influence on any decisions you make.
Ask for references. Go and see other hotels that have installed that system, talk to the staff and ask them what they think. What would you do differently? Can the vendor adapt it to suit you?
What happens once I've chosen the system I want?
The installation of a new telephone system is a time-consuming and disruptive process. Every vendor will assign a project manager to your hotel to oversee the technical work.
However, the vendor's project manager will only look after his phone system. He won't act as a interface between the phone supplier and the companies that run and maintain all the other hotel systems that will be affected by it - for example, the property management system. You need to allocate a member of your staff who has responsibility for managing the whole installation project on the hotel's behalf. This means dealing with the vendor's project manager, the other system suppliers, your telephone service provider (eg BT), arranging the schedules to close bedrooms etc.
This is a major project. Do not leave the suppliers to sort it out themselves.
What happens if it breaks once it's installed?
Your maintenance requirements should be detailed in your original specification and tender. Some companies include the maintenance in the first-year costs, others may charge extra. There are many different permutations for this and it will depend on the vendor.
You should ask for seven-day cover: hotels don't shut at weekends. Make sure you get a full breakdown of maintenance costs for the next five years. Ask if there are discounts for taking a five-year contract.
Ask if the vendors are the only people that you can go to for maintenance. If they aren't, then they might be more willing to negotiate maintenance costs.
Do I need different equipment to allow Internet access?
Most hotels will be looking at some kind of Internet access for their guests and staff. Most of the principals detailed here in buying a phone system will apply to installing facilities that allow this. Read the separate article on wiring and high-speed Internet access - for more detailed advice.
Produced by caterer.com with Derek Wood Associates - Independent telecommunication consultants specialising in the hotel & leisure industry
