Guest onboarding — balancing experience and compliance

This is the digital era, but people are still filling out online forms — electronic replacements of the paper version. The requirement to type and upload documents are barriers to sign-up/check-in, detrimental to business growth.

In the travel and hotel industries, this is made apparent. 82% of website visitors drop off without completing their booking. According to SalesCycle, 13% of visitors leave because the process seems prolonged. The daunting sight of yet another online form is causing people to run towards the exit.

Restoring conversions on website bookings is not the only task at hand — data cleanliness is also a major concern across the industry. When HEDNA conducted a study of over 1,000 respondents, representing over 40,000 hotels, the biggest concern was the quality of information.

To hoteliers, the solution may not seem straightforward — given the need to acquire more customer data than the typical e-commerce business. So the opportunity to simplify data collection and still obtain what’s required, is worthwhile.

When the data collection process is simplified, it serves to increase customer engagement; it also improves the quality of data collected.

The origin of the challenge has been traced to the manner in which data is entered. Experian reports that 5% of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region have deliberately entered incorrect information, while 20% of consumers make mistakes during input.

Typing is the true cause for both, the abandonment and the error issue. It also extends the booking time, making the customer experience one of frustration rather than delight.

The typeless solution

Sphere Identity’s Personal App and business application make data entry typing-free. Information from an ID is read by the app, which uses advanced capture technology.

When a customer wants to make a booking on a website, they share their information by scanning a QR code (displayed), and the required data is sent directly into the hotel systems. With Sphere Identity, the data on a user’s identification is what the hotel gets, with zero risk of errors.

The elimination of typing takes paperwork out of the equation, making it highly likely for people to complete the booking flow.

The call for compliance

In recent times, hotels have had to manage the matter of compliance — owing to the twin rise of data protection legislation (like the GDPR) and KYC regulations. At first glance, these seem to conflict with each other. KYC requires hotels to collect and hold information on their guests, while some data protection laws hold companies liable in the event of a data breach. For hotels to be able to straddle this, a data-minimisation approach should be followed.

Reducing the amount of data stored works better than the alternative. When people are asked for just the essentials, they recognise that their privacy and security are taken seriously. Plus, with less data collected, onboarding becomes a quicker, simpler affair.

Only the customer information that matters should be requested.

Any amount of KYC has a negative impact on customer experience and it questions ‘trust’ in the hotel-guest relationship. While it is required by law for hotels to collect information on their guests, the gathering of unnecessary data must be avoided.

Consent is the cure

Sphere Identity ensures that operational and KYC data is obtained in a user-friendly and compliant way. Prior to sharing it, a guest can view the details of the information the hotel needs and then choose to send it.

After sending the information via the QR code, the guest receives a consent receipt — a record of what they’ve shared. This privacy-by-design philosophy gives customers the confidence that their information will not be used in any way they haven’t authorised. The trust and data protection obligations are fulfilled, and the hotel is covered under KYC standards.

The advancement of digital commerce has made it possible for people across the world to book their accommodation. The same is true for online retail. Physical stores provide the best customer experience at check-out. Due to the lack of KYC, only a seamless financial transaction takes place — no data transaction. Employees can focus on upselling and customer experience, rather than routine administrative tasks.

By applying Sphere Identity to their booking system online, hotels can edge closer to the physical retail model. Users will still have to key in payment card information where a financial transaction is required, but personal data is shared effortlessly.

Data collection is a legal and operational requirement — without it, hotel businesses cannot serve their customers. The way they do it, however, can determine their competitive advantage. To maximise the value of the online booking process, hotels need to implement a guest-centric, data-efficient method.