White Paper: Solving Labor Challenges and Boosting the Customer Experience in Travel & Hospitality

Travel and hospitality providers recognize the importance of speed and convenience—whether it be in hotels, restaurants, airlines, or cruise ships. However, with ongoing staffing issues and long lines and wait times, hospitality enterprises are facing major issues with staffing and customer experience.

The following is a brief excerpt from our white paper: Solving Labor Challenges and Boosting the Customer Experience in Travel & Hospitality. Click below for the full white paper. 

The Problem

Long lines and labor challenges go hand in hand. Together, they have the potential to weaken the customer experience and hurt profitability.

According to a 2022 survey by Waitwhile, 74% of customers say they sometimes leave a line because the wait is too long. 

Further, businesses are facing significant challenges with hiring and retention. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the existing labor shortage in these industries, leading to a decline in service quality due to insufficient staffing.  The U.S. Travel Association reported that out of the 1.6 million jobs yet to recover since COVID-19, approximately 1.5 million are in leisure and hospitality. This puts additional strain on an already stretched-thin workforce. Although the situation is slowly improving as the economy recovers, labor shortages remain a significant issue in the United States.

The Solution

Self-service kiosks can be a solution to both long lines and labor shortages for travel & hospitality businesses. 

Eliminating long lines and wait times: Self-service check-in kiosks reduce lines by providing multiple fast ways for customers to check in. 

One recent survey found that guests were 73% more likely to visit hotels that offered self-service technology. 

Solving staffing challenges: Self-service check-in kiosks can also solve the problem of labor shortages. With self-service kiosks, businesses can reduce the number of staff members needed to receive guests and provide customer service. 

Further, self-service kiosks can be deployed in fleets of whichever amount is needed to eliminate lines. 

The Benefits

Implementing self-service check-in kiosks can provide several benefits to travel & hospitality providers, including:

Improved customer experience: 

According to a survey by PwC, 73% of customers point to experience as an important factor in their purchasing decisions. The same survey found that 43% of customers would pay more for a better experience, highlighting just how important it is to keep long lines to a minimum. 

Increased capacity and sales: QSR Magazine reported that businesses found a 15-30% lift in sales when utilizing self-service kiosks. Offering additional services and promotions at the time of check-in via a self-service kiosk ensures that your promotion is offered to each and every customer—something that is hard to achieve using only frontline staff. 

Cost savings: One provider estimates that businesses can save each location around $6,000 per month on labor costs by automating customer experiences with self-service kiosks.

Read the full white paper to learn more: