In this compelling webinar episode of Hotel Moment, Jack Newkirk (Enterprise Sales Consultant) and Jason Wells (Customer Success Manager) from Revinate join Dean Blackburn (Director of Resort Experience) from French Lick Resort to explore how strategic voice channel management can transform hotel revenue.

The team debunks the myth that the voice channel is dead, proving instead that it's simply been neglected by most properties. French Lick Resort serves as the perfect case study, having undergone a complete transformation of its reservation operations post-COVID.

● Voice channel transformation: Dean shares how French Lick shifted from reactive post-booking upselling to proactive pre-arrival engagement, calling leisure guests 14 days before arrival when they're ready to make final decisions about their stay.
● Agent development: Learn how French Lick transformed their team from "order takers" into sales professionals by improving average call handle  time, empowering agents to handle all amenity bookings, and creating a culture where agents taste new menu items to better sell dining experiences.
● OTA independence: Discover how French Lick eliminated most OTA relationships, reducing discounting pressure while maintaining direct bookings and capturing 100% of guest data for future marketing efforts.
● Data-driven marketing: Explore their customized lead form strategy that captures detailed guest interests during calls, feeding automated marketing campaigns that have doubled revenue for targeted events.
● Employee retention: With call center turnover averaging 200% annually industry-wide, learn how French Lick achieved impressive retention by empowering agents, providing comprehensive training, and creating fulfillment through meaningful guest interactions.
● Revenue impact: The session reveals measurable results, including increased ancillary revenue, higher conversion rates, and the ability to capture email addresses from 69.3% of non-booking callers for future remarketing.

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[06:59] Strategic shift to proactive guest engagement - Dean explains the post-COVID decision to call guests 14 days before arrival: "When a guest is inquiring and asking about something, that's your opportunity to sell it. And that's when we found out that's when the guest wants us. We were happy to service them prior to their stay."

[08:22] Extended handle times drive revenue - Jason Wells emphasizes the counterintuitive approach: "We did not see a crazy uptick in abandonment as your team's spending more time on the phone with the guests. We did see an increase in conversion, though, which is super important because they're walking that guest through that experience, getting them excited to book."

[13:47] Transforming order takers into sales professionals - Dean reveals the core strategy: "We took, let's just call it order takers, and we needed to basically transform them into sales folks. That is not easy. But when you have to take someone from has no idea about golf to at least be able to explain golf in general, to sell golf, the guests like it."

[16:07] Eliminating OTA pressure - Dean discusses their revenue strategy: "When we were able to tell our team, 'Hey. You don't have to discount.' All of a sudden that pressure was left off them saying, 'Alright. So if I don't get the sale, I'm okay.' We'd say yes, but at the same time, build out that lead form because with automated campaigns, with follow-up campaigns, and outbound calls, we then can capture that business."

[31:36] Data-driven marketing success - Jason Wells shares the impressive results: "We've had a lot of really great success lately on some very targeted campaigns specifically for F&B events, for family days, that are generating just as much revenue and engagement from a small sample set of people... and the revenue percent has doubled. Doubled. Yes."

00:00 - Intro and partnership with Historic Hotels of America 
04:39 - Dean Blackburn's background at French Lick Resort 
05:12 - Strategic shift from post-booking to pre-arrival upselling 
06:59 - The guest experience transformation approach 
08:22 - Improving call handle times 
13:47 - Voice channel evolution and agent empowerment 
16:07 - Eliminating OTA dependency for direct bookings 
18:24 - Team restructuring and retention strategies 
22:42 - Building company culture and agent development 
24:53 - Overcoming implementation challenges 
28:28 - Data capture and lead form customization 
31:36 - Automated marketing campaign success 
36:31 - Closing thoughts and key takeaways