Selecting a Hospitality Call Accounting System

The trick to selecting a hospitality call accounting system is to know how to eliminate unsuitable options quickly by asking the right questions. There's no shortage of supply just suitable solutions. Different properties have different requirements and we have yet to find a solution that fits every type of property from a hotel chain through to a single location motel.

The best way to choose between the dozens of call accounting systems is to have a checklist identifying requirements in descending order from mandatory through to "nice to have." If a short-listed candidate doesn't satisfy a critical requirement waste no more time, move onto the next and repeat the cycle. The objective is to identify one or more call accounting systems that satisfy all mandatory requirements. It's only at that stage that cost should be considered. Cost is irrelevant if a "solution" can't do the job. If you're lucky enough to find two or more options that are fully compliant then cost becomes the final consideration.

Checklist for Selecting a Hospitality Call Accounting System

1. The hospitality industry has specific requirements that generic call accounting systems do not address. Under no circumstances consider pioneering a new product. It will definitely be an adventure, but there are already more than enough options to choose from. You're looking for a solution that's operating in hundreds of similar properties and ideally thousands.

If a call accounting software package isn't proven and specific to the hospitality industry - PASS.

2. It's essential that the solution integrate with VoIP PBX technology. Legacy TDM PBXs are rapidly being retired and support will become a big issue in the near future. Most call accounting systems are PBX agnostic, but don't assume that's always the case. The solution needs to be compatible with your existing PBX and whatever comes along in the future. The right solution should have a life of at least 5 and ideally 10 years.

If a vendor will not state in writing that a solution is PBX agnostic- PASS.

3. Single-site and multi-site businesses have different requirements that need to be addressed with different hospitality call accounting solutions. If you have multiple properties your requirements will include consolidated reporting and multi-site call processing capabilities.

Basic stand-alone solutions will not meet these requirements - PASS.

4. It's essential that hospitality call accounting systems integrate seamlessly with all major hospitality and hotel accounting software packages. The more seamless and automatic the better.

Systems that require manual posting are not only inefficient but also susceptible to errors. Error correction is expensive - PASS

5. The processing of calls and their posting to accounts must happen in real-time. Batch updates whether manual or automatic can result in expensive errors, revenue loss and delays at the checkout.

If the update doesn't happen in real-time - PASS

6. Arguably the most critical requirement of all is the availability of competent 24x7 telephone support. By competent we don't mean someone who can take a message and have an engineer call in the morning. We're referring to someone who is knowledgeable about the specific hospitality accounting software and can provide useful assistance in diagnosing as well as fixing problems.

Competent 24x7 support is essential to assure cost recovery and protect against revenue loss. In the case of vendors that only provide a message recording or answering service. - PASS

7. Because the hospitality industry experiences high rates of staff turnover it's essential that hotel call accounting software is easy to use and clearly but succinctly documented. Bulky manuals will only gather dust.

Housekeeping: new account codes, extensions and trunks should be added automatically. In the same way database optimization routines should run automatically without manual intervention.

Reports should be automatically generated in accordance with a user defined schedule and options for distribution: printers, email, screen, PDF ...

A user friendly and automated call accounting package can be mastered by office staff without need for external trainers or training courses. If that's not the case - PASS

8. It's essential to establish that software updates are provided regularly. Updates to carrier rate tables and area codes should be supplied quarterly and ideally monthly. Vendors with large numbers of existing call accounting users should be well equipped to address this requirement cost effectively.

If a call software vendor hedges a response to this question - PASS

9. Any interruption to the flow of call records from the PBX to the call accounting system can result in revenue loss. The system needs to continually monitor the flow of SMDR / CDR data and automatically generate alerts such as text messages, alarm calls, emails ... in the event of an interruption to the flow.

Systems that don't include this functionality are almost certainly not designed for the hospitality industry or they're out dated - PASS

10. It's essential in the hospitality industry that management has direct control over a wide and flexible range of billing and pricing options. Hospitality call management software must cater for a broad spectrum of markup and surcharge options.

Systems that don't provide highly flexible billing and surcharge options are almost certainly not designed for the hospitality industry or they're out dated - PASS

Hospitality call accounting systems that comply with the critical requirements above will otherwise contain very similar features and functionality.

There are relatively few web based call accounting solutions for the hospitality industry at this stage. A web interface is an added bonus as it eliminates desktop maintenance work and facilitates user access. A web interface is a nice to have, but not an essential feature.

Hospitality Call Accounting - the short list

As noted above there are dozens of hospitality call accounting options to choose from and depending on the nature of a particular operation the best solution will vary. Some of the options that are regularly on our short list include:

• Tapit call accounting software
• Ultimate call accounting software
• Metropolis call accounting software
• Trivium call accounting software

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