Key report findings

The PMS User Experience
Report: Key findings

Listen to report recap

The report revealed critical insights into the PMS user experience for frontline employees and managers.

73%

of employees are trained in-person

Manual training

In-person training takes managers away from the floor, increasing labor costs and affecting service levels. While this might be manageable if training were infrequent, high employee turnover means that for many hotels, training is a near-continuous process.

months to feel confident using PMS

Confidence

According to 33.3% of managers, it takes up to three months of on-the-job experience for new employees to feel confident using the PMS. While still learning the system, employees are prone to errors and rely heavily on others for assistance.

80%

of employees have a positive view of PMS UX

Efficiency and productivity

Employee and manager ratings were generally high across all three categories of the user experience: ease of use, usefulness, and facilitating conditions. These findings underscore the role that a PMS plays in boosting efficiency and productivity for hotels.

38%

employees left their job due to the PMS

Retention

There was a negative association between employee ratings of the PMS’s usefulness and their likelihood of leaving their current employer. While the PMS experience may not be the primary reason employees leave a hotel, it is a contributing factor.

The survey results revealed 7 key findings. Discover the rest.

Manager feedback: Barriers to using the PMS

To gather deeper insights, the survey asked managers an open-ended question: “What are the common issues or barriers non-experienced front desk team members face when working with the PMS?”

The candid feedback sheds light on areas where PMS platforms may hinder employee performance, slow operations, and negatively impact the guest experience. These issues were relatively consistent across all countries, suggesting they are widespread challenges.

The interface can seem confusing and overwhelming as sometimes you have to open more than one window simultaneously to perform a task, and this can cause the feeling of having many tasks to do at the same time.

Front Desk Manager in Mexico

The commonly incorrect or incomplete data entry can cause complications in reservations, billing, and guest records which can be time-consuming to rectify.

Front Desk Supervisor in Canada

It is hard for them to always know the easiest way to do something, so they may take longer to accomplish tasks when inexperienced.

Housekeeping Supervisor in the US

When they make a mistake and can’t figure how to sort it out. This keeps the customer waiting until another staff member can help sort the mistake out. Sometimes the new staff rush their way round the system clicking several icons without thinking.

Revenue Manager in the UK

I can tell they are having a hard time getting used to it [the PMS]. Nevertheless, we have the best staff we could hope for this year.

Assistant Director in Spain