Chatbot takes a lot of work off receptionists’ hands

On days when Holiday Park Koningshof is fully booked, the Rijnsburg family business receives as many as 1,100 guests a day. Crazy, then, for the people behind the reception desk. Fortunately, they got help answering simple questions. A chatbot tells guests, among other things, what kind of coffee makers are in the rental properties and what time to check out. Courtesy of digitization vouchers from Make Digitization Work for You.

Pim Kromhout (36) who runs the vacation park with his sister Penny, finds the chatbot a godsend. But more importantly, the receptionists are happy with it. And they are. It takes a lot of work off their hands now that the answers to simple questions can all be found online.

Pim and his sister took over the business from their parents six years ago. They are the third generation in the business, he says proudly. “It’s nice when you get to continue the business of your parents and grandparents. That you build on their work is special.” The informal atmosphere and personal attention characteristic of family businesses is very important to Pim. “We maintain that as best we can. It’s an important part of our hospitality.”

A chatbot fits well into that ambition. “People increasingly arrange their affairs online. But calling, we find, is still faster. So especially for quick questions, we still get a lot of calls. Then you don’t want to be on hold for a long time to find out if there is a tea towel in the accommodation.”

1400 phone calls

The answer to all such questions is now much easier to find on the website. A comprehensive frequently asked questions section supplemented by a chatbot gives guests quick answers. “Last season, the chatbot was accessed an average of 8 times a day. It saved our front office 1,400 phone calls and emails. That’s really nice because in high season it’s super busy here. Moreover, this way you serve your guests very quickly. That is also very much appreciated.”

The frequently asked questions section and chatbot were created by the company that maintains Koningshof’s website. “They did the technical part. We did the content part. Together with the receptionists, we came up with the main and sub-questions. That was very fun and instructive to do because together we thought again very carefully about the guest experience.”

Second voucher

For Koningshof, this was the second time they received a voucher. Previously, they used one for digitization. “Then we modernized our reservation module. Since that modification, you get to see alternatives if the preferred period or accommodation, is full.”

Some government grants require a lot of work, Pim knows. “But these vouchers didn’t. It’s really very easy to apply. And if you have questions, you get quick answers. That’s nice, too. So when it turned out that we could apply a second time, we brought forward our investments in a chatbot – because you always pay part of it yourself, too. So as far as we are concerned, the incentive policy to make digitalization steps works!”

Visit www.digitaliseringwerkt.nl to apply for a voucher.