La Butte uses HiJiffy's automated WhatsApp campaigns to prepare for guests' arrival and boost additional sales
June 2023 – March 2024
11.8K
conversations
97%
automation rate
93%
WhatsApp open rate
18%
WhatsApp campaigns CTR
Introduction
HiJiffy’s mission is to develop the most advanced conversational AI for the hospitality industry. Today, more than 2,100 hotels in over 50 countries across the world have placed their trust in us and use our solution to reimagine the way they communicate with their guests.
This testimonial highlights the impact HiJiffy’s Guest Communications Hub has had on the entire guest journey of the French hotel group La Butte. The brand’s success is based on its willingness to embrace automation powered by conversational AI and its confidence in the solution, as demonstrated by its remarkable 97% automation rate.
How is La Butte taking advantage of WhatsApp campaigns to not only improve the guest experience, but also drive additional sales? We’ll examine this here, initially describing the challenges La Butte faced, and then looking at the results achieved. Finally, testimonials from hotel staff offer an in-depth perspective on their experience.
Client: La Butte
About La Butte
Nestling at the top of the Bay of Goulven, Hotel La Butte embodies a family tradition dating back to 1952. With 32 rooms offering breathtaking sea views and two award-winning restaurants La Table de la Butte, Michelin-starred since February 2014 and recently awarded a green star in March 2022, and Le Comptoir de la Butte au Bib Gourmand, this establishment promises an unforgettable stay in the heart of Brittany.
To add to the well-being of visitors, this establishment also offers an area dedicated to relaxation. It also has its own bakery, patisserie, and grocery store, Le Fournil de la Butte, to satisfy every gourmet craving.
The birth of the La Butte and HiJiffy collaboration
Always on the lookout for innovation, La Butte wanted to integrate an AI-powered chatbot into its services. However, the hotel team had one clear requirement — to avoid it being too “robotic,” a criticism often aimed at chatbots. After analysing other options on the market, the HiJiffy solution was chosen because it “matched management’s expectations.”
What was particularly appealing to the hotel group was how comprehensive the platform is. In fact, the HiJiffy solution does much more than simply provide non-robotic answers to potential guests’ questions; it also offers the possibility of sending automated messages before they arrive at the hotel, a feature for which La Butte previously used another tool.
This consolidation of the two functions has enabled the team to “save time by using a single system” while allowing them to communicate with their customers via a messaging platform that is popular with their guests: WhatsApp.
Challenges
La Butte was looking for a centralised, reliable, all-in-one solution to automate communications with its guests in order to meet three main challenges:
- To free up telephone lines: The establishment sometimes experiences periods of intense telephone activity. In order to free up its telephone lines, La Butte was looking for a chatbot that would enable its guests and prospects to find the information they needed quickly online.
- To improve guest communications and simplify processes for its team: The hotel was already using a tool to communicate with guests, but its system had “become time-consuming,” so the team was looking for a new solution that was both more innovative and easier to use.
- To showcase the hotel’s services: La Butte boasts a spa and wellness area as well as two award-winning restaurants, one of which is Michelin-starred, offering exceptional views of the sea and countryside. The hotel team wanted to emphasise these remarkable assets and make the most of these services for its guests.
Solutions
After exploring the hotel solutions available on the market, La Butte opted for HiJiffy’s Guest Communications Hub as the best solution to meet its challenges and objectives.
With the support of the Customer Success team, this establishment has reimagined communication with its customers by deploying conversational AI that:
- Automatically responds to travellers’ questions through a chatbot. The introduction of the HiJiffy Chabot, powered by AI, specialising in more than 200 subjects specific to the hospitality industry, means that travellers’ questions can be answered instantly and automatically 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from a variety of channels such as their website chat or Facebook Messenger.
- Send automated messages via WhatsApp. The hotel has set up two WhatsApp campaigns, programmed to be sent automatically to guests a week before their arrival and the day before. These messages contain all the essential information for their stay, as well as additional details such as the weather forecast for the day of their arrival. This makes it possible to offer a more personalised welcome and improve the guest experience, all without requiring any extra effort by staff.
- Promotes its services with WhatsApp campaigns. The automatic sending of the two WhatsApp campaigns not only gives guests special attention before they arrive but also enhances the possibility of them booking the hotel’s other services. To achieve this, the Customer Success team, responsible for setting up and deploying the HiJiffy solution, personalised these campaigns by adding three buttons that link directly to the possibility of finding out more and booking one of the following services: restaurant, spa and other activities.
Results
Telephone lines have been freed up and human interaction has been prioritised:
The chatbot now automatically handles answering 9 out of 10 questions from guests, as demonstrated by the excellent 97% automation rate, allowing teams to devote more time to human interaction.
Also due to the automatic replies provided by conversational AI, the number of calls and emails requesting information has reduced
Guest communications have improved, as has operational efficiency, thanks to a centralised 2-in-1 solution:
The introduction of the chatbot combined with the sending of automated campaigns on WhatsApp has significantly improved and personalised communication with guests.
The versatility of WhatsApp campaigns makes it possible to provide customers with all essential information before they arrive while allowing them to confirm or reconfirm their arrival time. This approach improves the operational efficiency of the reception teams, who can therefore prepare themselves better in advance for the check-in of future guests.
What’s more, centralising the two functionalities (the chatbot and the automated sending of WhatsApp campaigns) on a single platform has simplified internal management and saved teams time by avoiding the need to juggle two separate tools.
Showcasing the hotel’s services and stimulating additional sales:
Not only do WhatsApp campaigns improve the guest experience, but the introduction of buttons providing easy access to information about the services and activities on offer also increased additional sales.
The WhatsApp campaigns had an impressive open rate of almost 93%, with click-through rates of 18% for the “Our Spa” buttons and 14% for the “Our Restaurants” and “Activities at La Butte” buttons. These figures testify to the guests’ undeniable engagement.
By way of comparison, the average open rate for a restaurant email marketing campaign is 40.03%, with an average click rate of 1.57%. The WhatsApp campaign sent via the HiJiffy solution was opened twice as often and generated almost nine times as many clicks as a traditional email campaign.
These data highlight the significant impact of these campaigns on guests’ interest in the hotel’s services, which translates directly into an increase in bookings for these services.
Testimonials
“I was the main contact for setting up the e-mail canvassing tool in April 2023. Our contact, Arnaud DEBAUGNY, presented the tool very well, which made it easier for us to then work with management, who wanted to install an innovative chatbot on our website. And the price, the crucial part, remains affordable per month. Then came the setup and its important settings. To ensure that the tool was fully functional, I was supported by Sandra MARC, Sales Manager. Several adjustments were made during the initial use period, but the tool quickly took shape. At the same time, we set up WhatsApp campaigns at HiJiffy to replace our old solution, which had become too time-consuming. The chatbot, combined with campaign mailings via WhatsApp, helps us in our day-to-day work and has enabled us to reduce the volume of emails and/or calls of all kinds and focus on the people on the ground. This process improves the guest experience as they can find the information they are looking for. With support and contacts who know their tools, it’s a winning partnership!”
Emmanuel RIFFAULT, Revenue Manager – La Butte
“Our establishment sometimes experiences periods of high call activity. In order to reduce the number of lines tied up, we were looking for a chatbot so that our guests and potential guests could find the information they needed quickly and online. Once the FAQs have been filled in correctly, customers are easily redirected to the information they need. WhatsApp campaigns are definitely a plus for the hotel. They enable us to offer our customers a personalised welcome, as well as generate additional sales. The platform is easy to use, with each team member having their own access. Our automation rate is over 90%, so conversations waiting to be answered are easy to identify.”
Mathilde JANIN, Reception Manager – La Butte
“I am delighted to work with La Butte in their ongoing quest to improve the experience of their guests. Together, we have explored new avenues and implemented new developments, such as the integration of buttons that direct customers to FAQs within WhatsApp campaigns. A first for a HiJiffy customer! Implementing this project has been a very rewarding experience, and today we can see the many benefits of these WhatsApp campaigns. Not only do they improve the guest experience by providing relevant information before they arrive, but they also increase the visibility of the hotel’s services. The results are convincing. The click-through rates on these buttons attest to their effectiveness, optimising additional sales opportunities for La Butte. I’m grateful to have been able to take part in this pioneering project and look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership in the years to come!”
Elodie SOARES, Senior Customer Success Manager – HiJiffy
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