By the time you go live with a new resort property management system, you’ve probably invested over a year’s worth of effort and made thousands of decisions on technology, features and configurations. Your shiny new PMS has been expertly tuned and tailored to the exact needs of your business. Your employees are nervous and excited to put all of their training into action and leverage the bells and whistles to which they now have access.
Fast forward five years down the road – how is that PMS working now? How about 10 years? Even 15 years?
If you’ve been using the same PMS for years, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you feel there is functionality that you could be using but you’re not sure?
- Have you experienced any turnover of staff or management?
- Have you ever questioned some of the configuration of your system?
- Do you struggle to create reports?
- Have any of your business practices evolved since you first installed your PMS?
- Do you experience technical hiccups or loss of system speed?
- Are there codes that you don’t understand anymore?
- Have you lost track of where your documentation and check-lists are stored?
- Do you maintain the same process and procedures following each update?
If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, know that you’re not alone. Most hotels and resorts experience those very same issues. The nature of hospitality drives continual incremental changes – whether it’s personnel or business practices. Over time those issues compound, making it more and more difficult to get the most out of your property management system.
We recommend that every property undertake a site audit of their property management system every five years. A site audit is a customized evaluation of your system and your business, performed by consultants that are experts in the technology, as well as in the hospitality business.
“We have completed two site audits. We find the site audits invaluable and have used the results to convince the business to budget for a site audit every two years. Because of the success of the PMS site audits, we have also implemented site audits with the vendors of our Back Office and POS systems. We feel that over time and with such a high staff turnover,certain procedures and processes change without anyone knowing. Whilst we have our own team who monitor these processes constantly, it sometimes helps to have an outsider come in and offer unbiased external advice.”
—Mark van Santvoort, Systems Manager, Hamilton Island
Investing in a site audit pays off in several ways. They’re a great way to extend the life of your current property technology. After all, your initial investment was significant. A site audit is also a great way to identify small changes that could have a big impact in your use and enjoyment of the system.
Many times properties are in need of additional functionality that they believe is missing from their current system. When they undertake a site audit they find that the functionality has become available in later upgrades or in a different area of the system.
Recommendations resulting from a side audit could include:
- Configuration changes
- Workflow and process automation and enhancements
- Suggestions for operational improvements
- Reporting updates
- Training or re-training suggestions
Far too many properties wind up stuck in an uncomfortable operational rut by never taking the time to question what they do and how they do it. Every software release introduces new features and enhancements, yet many properties never leverage these advancements.
If you take care of your hotel management technology, it will take care of you. Everyone’s business evolves over time. From people to processes, everything changes. Prioritizing a check-up on your PMS every five years is a great way to ensure you are getting the maximum return from your investment.
Is it time to take a look at your property management systems? Contact us to get in touch and find out how our hospitality technology experts can review your technology and perform a site audit.