Configuration settings and features available for your voice application instance
The voice application uses real-time availability and property content from your CRS to deliver property, pricing and inventory to your reservation agents taking calls over the telephone.
This article outlines the various configuration options and advanced features you can enable to customize the application for your specific business needs.
Whether you manage chains or independent properties, these features bring relevant information to agents, reduce talk times, and increase booking speeds.
This helpful video will outline details on the advanced configuration options
Setup controls in the voice application
Outlined below is how to setup controls in the voice application.
Positioning statements
While selling screen content comes in real-time from the CRS, the positioning screen allows free-text entry for useful telephone agent information. These details may include internal notes since they're not guest-facing.
Outlined below are the steps to add positioning statements in the voice application:
Within the voice application, click on Messages at the top of the screen.
Click on Positioning at the top of the screen.
Enter a Positioning statement for each type of stay:
Business.
Leisure.
Click Update to save.
Call reasons
Enter end-call reasons as needed for your property or brand to track important information when agents complete calls that don't result in reservations. Set the sort order and reason here. Agents can enter call notes, helping report on and identify recurring trends.
Outlined below are the steps to add call reasons in the voice application:
Within the Voice Application, click on Messages at the top of the screen.
Click on Call Reasons at the top of the screen.
Click Add Reason.
Select the Chain or Hotel Group from the dropdown.
Select the Call Reason from the drop down for your agents to use.
Enter the Code you want to use for this call reason.
Enter the Sort Order to control the order the reasons will appear to the agent.
Enter a Description of when to choose this call reason.
Check the box for Require Note (optional) if agent must type a reason as to why a booking wasn’t confirmed.
Check the box for Active to start using this call reason in the system.
Click Insert to save.
Override Reasons
Incorporate override reasons for your agents with appropriate permissions to bypass inventory, pricing or policy settings as needed for your business.
Outlined below are the steps to add override reasons in the voice application:
Within the Voice Application, click on Messages at the top of the screen.
Click on Override Reasons at the top of the screen.
Click Add Override Reason.
Select the Chain or Hotel Group from the dropdown.
Enter the Code you want to use for this call reason.
Enter the Sort Order to control the order the override reasons will appear to the agent.
Enter a description of when agents should choose this Override Reason.
Check the box for Require Note (optional) if agent must type a reason as to why they are performing the override.
Check the box for Active to start using this call reason in the system.
Click Update to save.
Messages
Configure marketing or operational messages to display to call center agents during availability searches – these may be set in the CRS or in the voice application.
Advanced voice application setup
⚠️Important: To enable any of the below advanced features for your voice application instance, contact the support team [email protected]
These settings apply to each customer’s voice application instance and all included properties. Consider any business practices or PMS integrations affected by changes to these areas.
Outlined below is a description of the advanced features:
Time zone settings - Set your property or chain's time zone for the Voice application display. If you have multiple properties across time zones, each property remains bookable based on its specific time zone and the cut-off time for same-day bookings.
Share with – If enabled for your property, share with functionality creates two separate bookings combined into one reservation with one room deducted, featuring two separate profiles and accounts. Share with bookings can also integrate with PMSs that support this feature.
Average nightly rate - If enabled, multiple night stays will display the nightly rate as an average of the total stay for agent reference. This convenient option eliminates the need to read off each night's rate individually. The reservation will be confirmed at the rates set for each night, not the average.
Use result page for packages - If enabled, packages will display by default during availability searches without having to specifically search for packages.
Language selection in itinerary - If enabled for the voice application, reservation agents can select the guest's preferred language from the same languages configured in your CRS. The booking confirmation email will automatically send in that selected language, provided translated content has been entered in the CRS multi-language fields.
Currency selection in itinerary - If enabled, agents can confirm bookings in various currencies if multi-currency is enabled and pricing is set for each rate code in the CRS.
Show PMS ID on reservation screen - Agents can search for reservations via the PMS confirmation number if your PMS provides this information. When enabled, the PMS ID continues to display on all screens for convenience during reservation modifications.
Default search page - Reservation agents see the Expanded View for rooms and rates by default when searching availability. You can change this default to List View for a more consolidated display. Agents can always toggle between both views.
Default search nights - Set a default length of stay to auto-populate for every availability search if this suits your property or group of properties.
UI style - The style applies to all users of your specific voice application setup (CRO ID).
Contemporary - The newest Voice Application design with individual user choice of light or dark mode.
Classic - Available for users who prefer this version, supporting both light and dark modes.
Show or hide search screen filters - Customize what your agents see and can use when searching availability. You can remove group, package, promo, and or negotiated checkboxes if your property or brand use any of these categories.
📌Note: If your property plans to sell packages, keep the checkbox option enabled for users to locate and book these offers, as there's no alternative filter for package offers.
Even with these checkboxes removed, groups, promo rates, and negotiated rates can still be searched using availability filters.
Show or hide additional Info on checkout and confirm - Remove any or all of these three fields from the checkout screen if your business practices doesn’t use them to ensure your team is focused on the most important details.
Contact or additional guest info.
Marketing or miscellaneous info.
Guest preferences.
Show or hide rooms detail modal - Remove any or all of these six tabs in the rooms detail modal if they're not being used as part of your selling strategy.
Room rates.
Inventory.
Room photos.
Room descriptions.
Rate policies.
Miscellaneous.
Guest contact fields - Customize the guest contact fields displayed on the booking screen and define them as required or optional. Changes to field configurations and requirements automatically apply to all properties in your specific CRO Voice environment.
Fields to choose from are:
First name.
Last name this is mandatory.
Email address.
Phone number.
Mobile number.
Mailing address.
City.
State.
Zip or postal.
Guest has stayed before (yes or no drop down).
Opt to receive Info.
Guest comment.
Loyalty program ID.
Company.
Country dialing code.
Country.
Property specific features - These settings apply to each property’s individual setup and features within the voice application instance.
Consider any business practices or PMS integrations affected by changes to these areas.
Room to charge (RTC) - This feature can be enabled per property rather than chain-wide, allowing flexibility within your group to record the room type sold if different than the room type the guest ultimately is assigned or stays in.