Increase Hospitality Staff Productivity with Microsoft 365

Communication is at the root of productivity. And with Microsoft 365 being built with communication and collaboration at its core, it’s easy to see how this is a top solution for maximising efficiency. 

In hospitality, the guest experience has always been at the heart of everything. Yet somehow, after the past few years, it’s become even more critical. And the key to building a positive experience is productivity. Both front-of-house and back-of-house employees must be given the tools they need to work in a productive, efficient, and effective way that enhances the experience of every guest. 

Technology is crucial to making that a reality. 

Identifying the right technology

It’s not the concept of technology that boosts productivity; it’s using the right type of technology. 

And in this age of digital transformation – an age where businesses are eager to stand out by using the latest state-of-the-art technologies – it’s easy to want to implement the most advanced tech possible. But that can have the opposite effect on productivity. It can leave staff feeling confused and overwhelmed, and reduce their ability to take the right actions, at the right time, to support guests. 

Technology doesn’t have to be futuristic in order for it to enhance workplace productivity. In fact, there’s one great way to help hospitality staff work with ease and efficiency today. That’s by implementing a software suite that was first launched back in 2001, but is still making waves now: Microsoft 365. 

Getting to the root of productivity

What does it mean to be productive? It means being in a position to carry out all necessary tasks in a streamlined, almost linear way. There are no roadblocks. No obstacles. No stop/starting. And the only way to achieve that is for all employees to have all the information they need to get the job done

This can only come from one place: communication. 

Communication is at the root of productivity. And with Microsoft 365 being built with communication and collaboration at its core, it’s easy to see how this is a top solution for maximising efficiency.

Here are just a few ways Microsoft 365 can boost productivity in hospitality environments:

1. Enabling real-time communication

Apps such as Microsoft Teams ensure that staff can communicate effortlessly with their colleagues, no matter where they are. If a guest makes a report to the front desk about a problem in the room, the employee can quickly send a message to the correct person, regardless of what they’re doing. 

2. Facilitating file sharing

Microsoft 365 apps like OneNote make it easy to collect and store vital business documentation, and ensure it’s easy for employees to access the information they need. This can be highly valuable for training, onboarding, and best practice documentation to support new employees in their roles. 

3. Communicating with suppliers

One of the most interesting Microsoft 365 apps is Power Apps. This enables businesses to automate internal processes to free up staff for more guest-centric activities. It could, for example, be used to build an automated system which orders directly from suppliers once a threshold has been reached. 

And of course, when referring to communication in terms of productivity, we’re not just referring to communication between people. It can mean communication between systems, too. 

One of the biggest productivity issues in hospitality today is that many businesses and venues are still relying on legacy technologies. This means that staff are sometimes having to input data multiple times. And this increases the risk of error, resulting in them having to go back again and fix the problem. Apps in the Microsoft 365 suite are designed for full integration, ‘talking’ to each other to sync data across numerous apps. This significantly reduces workload for hospitality employees. 

So even if you’re using a 365 app that, on the surface, isn’t particularly focused on person-to-person communication, it’s still boosting productivity through machine-to-machine communication. 

Implementation matters

Even though Microsoft 365 is considered to be the easy way to boost productivity in hospitality, implementation still matters. It’s crucial that new technologies are rolled out in a way that meets your employees’ needs, supports them, and ensures they can use the tech with confidence.

That’s what we’re here for. Get in touch for more information about our Microsoft 365 support.