Introduction to Automated Services

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Introduction to Automated Services
• Key Capabilities
• How It Works
• Compatibility and Integration
• FAQs
• Technical Requirements
• Getting Started

Introduction to Automated Services

Meet Automated Services: the industry-first product by Flexkeeping that delivers unparalleled personalization and service automation. It helps hotel teams create bespoke services for guests and automate delivery by simply connecting Flexkeeping with their PMS data. 

Automated Services enables the creation of assignments with minimal user input through triggers such as reservation details, products or services, and guest attributes. These triggers can generate various types of assignments for different team members, with personalized logic applied to ensure tailored task allocation.

For example: If there is a reservation in the PMS with a guest attribute “VIP 2”, Flexkeeping will generate multiple pre-arrival tasks before the guest checks in. These tasks are completely customizable and could include:

• Guest relations team to prepare a welcome letter

• Housekeeping team to prepare a bathrobe and slippers in the room

• Kitchen to prepare a VIP treatment platter

• F&B department to bring the welcome letter and VIP treatment to the room

This level of automation eliminates time-consuming admin, costly human error, and miscommunications between departments, helping teams collaborate without friction. It also gives staff more time to deliver hyper-personalized guest experiences. 

Key Capabilities

Automated Services pulls data and guest requests from the integrated PMS and turns them into a streamlined chain of tasks. This allows properties and hotel groups of all sizes to execute countless service scenarios and automate the tasks needed to make them happen. 

Different triggers can be used to generate these tasks, including:

• Products or Services

• Company or Travel Agency 

• Guest or Reservation Attribute

• Rate Plan

• Guest Count

Each service can include detailed to-do lists, department pre-assignments, and deadlines for delivery. They can also have stages and subtasks to ensure every element of a service is delivered seamlessly. 

Most importantly, all of these functions can be 100% customized to align with your property’s standards, operational structure, and targets. 

How It Works

Step 1: Kick-Off Call 

During this Q&A session, your Onboarding Manager (OM) or Customer Success Manager (CS) will get a full understanding of your needs. Things like: special requests your guests typically make, special room preparations, unique cleaning patterns, and beyond. Then we establish a workflow tailored to your operations.

Step 2: Automation Creation 

Time for the nitty-gritty. We’ll help you identify all the specifics to implement your first automations. Think: unique product or service IDs, guest attribute IDs, rate IDs, and other unique triggers (such as the number of guests or children in a reservation). 

You can choose to automate literally anything. Here are just a few use cases from our customers:

• Baby cot for a reservation with a child 

• VIP welcome package 

• Airport transfer coordination

• Additional room clean requested by a guest

• Laundry service 

• Extra cleaning for a reservation with a dog

Step 3: Go Time 

After defining the services you want to implement, we’ll take care of the setup and testing to ensure every automation works perfectly. After that, Automated Services is ready to use. 

Any task that has been automated within Flexkeeping will get an Automated Services badge. You’ll see this on the Task Overview and Task Details screens.

Compatibility and Integration

The level of compatibility depends on the integration with the PMS. Certain details, such as arrival and departure, are always available. However, additional information, like the timestamp for the planned check-in or check-out time, depends on the specifics of the integration. 

Supported PMS integrations include:

• Mews

• Apaleo 

• Opera 

FAQs

Can one Mews product trigger multiple tasks?

Yes. Additionally, each task can use a different code and have a different team responsible for it. 

Can there be a quantity listed in the task depending on how many guests are in the reservation?

Yes, Automated Services can use a combination of triggers, including the number of products or services on the reservation or the number of guests. For example, if a room requests extra towels, Flexkeeping can automatically identify how many guests are in the reservation and create a task to deliver that exact amount of towels to the room.

Who do I contact with questions or feedback? 

Our support team is always here to help. You can reach them by email at [email protected]. 

Technical Requirements

Apart from PMS integration limitations, there are no additional device requirements beyond the minimum specifications needed to support the Flexkeeping platform.

Getting Started

Our Sales or Customer Success team will guide you through the necessary steps to activate the feature. Depending on the client, we can provide a trial or pilot period during which the Customer Success team will actively track progress and offer guidance to support the team.