With seven hotels across London, and one due to open in New York, Firmdale Hotels, one of London’s premier boutique hotel chains, installed the VoSKY Exchange Pro VIS8 to allow its overseas business partners to contact them with Internet-based Skype calls for free, helping them to control their international calling costs.
The VoSKY Exchange, which is connected to the hotel’s Head Office Digium SwitchVox IP PBX phone system, allows Skype callers to ring through to Firmdale’s head office and be transferred to their hotel of choice via an automatic attendant for free, whilst customers without access to Skype can speak to any Firmdale hotel for just the price of a local call.
Mark Rupert Read, Group IT manager for Firmdale Hotels said: “Being present on Skype, the fastest growing network, is a must these days and VoSKY’s Exchange Pro VIS8 is the best hardware solution around to enable this. It was also extremely easy to integrate with our existing infrastructure, as it’s literally plug and play.
“Our priority is to give our customers the very best service possible and to make doing business with us as easy as possible. Since installing the Exchange we have been receiving up to 50 Skype calls per day, and our customers and partners themselves have remarked on the positive difference it has made to them. The Gateway has definitely improved our market presence.”
VoSKY Exchanges enable hotels and hospitality organisations to benefit from rich Skype functionality and low call rates. For example, linking a Skype Online number to existing hotel phone systems via the VoSKY Gateway, enables Skype Global Direct Inward Dial (DID). This feature allows hotels to create a local market presence anywhere in the world, with a local-rate phone number allowing customers to call cheaply via Skype using a number close to home – cutting 0800 phone number costs.
With the VoSKY Exchange, Web Click-to-Call via Skype can be seamlessly integrated into a hotel’s communications, linking the company’s website and phone system to provide real-time interaction with website visitors. By clicking on a “Call Back” button on the hotel website, customers can call reservations or make enquiries for free. The call goes directly through the VoSKY Exchange and onto the office telephone system, enhancing the customer experience while reducing free-phone number expenses.
David Tang, Global VP of marketing for VoSKY, said: “The VoSKY Exchange has helped to make Firmdale Hotels a Skype-enabled hotel chain. This has not only benefited their partners and existing customers, but has also opened up Firmdale to a global market of customers. Being connected via Skype is a must for any hotel looking to improve its customer service and expand its business internationally.”