Overview 


This refresher course aims to update and reinforce essential knowledge and skills in the Customer Service process. Agents will revisit key concepts and practices, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of our organizational workflow. The course will emphasize practical applications and real-world scenarios to enhance proficiency and confidence. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to apply their refreshed knowledge effectively in the day-to-day handling of partner concerns, thereby improving performance and achieving better outcomes. 


Hotel Confirmation Number Request


The client is requesting an HCN. Please follow these steps:

  •  Call the hotel and create a supplier ticket simultaneously.  Before calling the hotel, click the “CHECK MAPPING” button to see if the booking has any possible mapping error issue. If there is a mismatch, escalate right away. If there is none, proceed with the HCN call.
    • If the hotel provides the HCN over the phone, relay to the client and resolve both tickets.
    • If the hotel is unreachable, wait for the supplier to provide the HCN.
  • Once the supplier provides the HCN, call the hotel to verify its validity.
    • If the supplier stated the hotel staff name who confirmed the booking, no need to call the hotel to verify.
    • Input the HCN on Admin Portal and relay the HCN to client, then resolve both tickets
  • If HCN is available on Admin Portal, call the hotel to verify its validity.
    • If the hotel is unreachable, relay the HCN to the client without further delay and endorse the case for other shift to try calling the hotel.



Notes:

  • For cases wherein we were unable to get HCN and provide to client and CI date has passed,

no need to chase for HCN for the following days. Specially if the client did not contact us

anymore and did not raise any on spot issue.


  •  For suppliers with whom we have direct contact at the property, the supplier reference ID on our admin portal also serves as the Hotel Confirmation Number.
    • (Best Western, Rotana, Siteminder, SynXis, Jumeirah…)
    • Premier Inn >  refer to the Supplier Booking ID (not the Supplier Reference ID) as the HCN
  • In instances where our client insists that a booking cannot be located, we should refrain from sending out our standard HCN canned response. Instead, in such cases, we will only ask for the HCN.


Booking Failure


● We only have three status on admin portal; CONFIRMED, CANCELED, BOOKING FAILURE.

● If booking failure do the following:

  • Inform the client that it is a booking failure using the canned responses in FD
  • Fill out the ticket properties
  • Assign the ticket to tech specialist by changing the ticket properties
  •  Inform the tech specialist via slack
    • If case is urgent and Tech specialist is not available and is not online (for 9am and 5pm), assign the ticket to your 2IC

Booking NOT Found

  • Make sure to ask your team if there is indeed no booking found on Admin Portal.
  • Try searching for the booking using the details given by the client/email sender such as the guest name, hotel name, travel dates
  • For the ticket properties:
    • Add hyphen (-) on RTX Booking ID field and resolve the ticket as no booking found.
    • Refer on the ticket if the Check-in and check-out date is indicated.
    • If not, put the date you received the ticket as Check-in and Check-out date.
    • Do not execute the ticket

Special Request


A special request in the context of a hotel booking refers to any specific

preferences or requirements that a guest may have regarding their stay. These requests typically fall outside of

standard amenities or room features and may include:


1. Room Preferences: Such as a specific floor level, a room with a view, or proximity to certain facilities

(e.g., poolside, away from elevators).

2. Bedding Preferences: Such as requesting twin beds instead of a double bed, or a crib for infants.

3. Accessibility Needs: Such as wheelchair-accessible rooms or rooms equipped with grab bars in the

bathroom.

4. Special Occasion Requests: Such as arrangements for a honeymoon or anniversary celebration,

including flowers, champagne, or specific decorations.

5. Dietary Requirements: Such as requesting vegan, gluten-free, or other specific dietary needs for meals.

6. Other Preferences: Such as non-smoking rooms, extra pillows or blankets, specific toiletries, or

additional amenities like a mini-fridge or microwave.

These requests are communicated to the hotel during the booking process or directly with the hotel after

booking, and the hotel staff will make every effort to accommodate them based on availability and hotel

policies.

Special Request Rakuten Travel (Supplier)


1. Parking details/shuttle reservation/hotel access(if not present on the hotel’s website)

2. High Floor

3. Food Allergies

4.  Luggage information(if not present on the hotel’s website)

5. Early/Late Check-in/Check-out

6. Request for connecting rooms, adjacent room

7. Request for same room (make sure the booking is with the same supplier RT)

8. Guest Complaints (make sure to ask probing questions first, details of the complaints and if

they have documentation)

9. Extra Pillow


For special request and RT as supplier, to check the hotel’s website, paste the hotel name on Google

search bar and add 楽天


Before creating ticket to RT, check:

  • Supplier Description
  • Room Remarks


e.g., Special request for high floor

1. On supplier description, floor level is indicated - relay the information to the client and do not create supplier ticket

2. On supplier description, floor level is not indicated BUT there is a room remarks for High Floor - Do not create supplier ticket. Send our "Special request sent" canned response to the client or click on Subject to Availability for Ctrip as client.

3. On supplier description, floor level is not indicated and there is NO room remarks - send the special request to Rakuten Travel / RT v5.


We do not need to create a supplier ticket for case #2 as RT is already aware of the special request and it is relayed to the property as well if it is indicated on the Room remarks.

Emails with clickable options (Agoda, Ctrip)


NO NEED to reply on the email. Instead, after clicking on the option, secure the screen shot then add it as notes on the ticket.





New created tickets via automation are NOT for merging.


 Work on it if it is a valid ticket/request

Execute the new ticket if it is not a valid ticket

Do not merge the new ticket to the existing one.


If the ticket is still open (eg., initial req is HCN then the client sent a special request) Gen CS will still work on the case/request.


If the ticket is resolved (HCN achieved) and the client sent a special request, original ticket owner should ONLY change the Request type for it to trigger the automation and the agent working on unassigned should work on the new special request. Do not merge the ticket.


No need to acknowledge the last email of the client/supplier before changing the request type of the ticket.

New tickets with Gen CS concerns with existing tickets

  • Existing ticket is currently being handled by GEN CS
  • Same concern? 
    • Not Urgent? > Merge the ticket and inform the ticket owner
    • Urgent?  > merge the ticket and work on the case if the ticket owner is not online then inform the ticket owner
  • Not same concern? Resolved or not?
    • Existing ticket is RESOLVED > DO NOT merge the ticket, ticket receiver should work on the new request
    • Existing ticket is OPEN
      • Urgent? > Merge the ticket and work on the case then inform the ticket owner
      • Not Urgent > Merge the new ticket to the existing open ticket and inform the ticket owner.
  • Existing ticket is currently being handled by CSS or RMS
    • Ticket owner is online? > ASSIGN the ticket to the ticket owner
    • Ticket owner is not online? > ASSIGN the ticket to the respective specialization you are partnered with.

Resolved ticket with new ticket created keeps on reopening

  • Send the template from the canned responses and resolve the ticket

Before escalating the case to RTX POC, make sure that you already copied the client or the supplier’s escalations email. 


Remove unnecessary copied emails from the client ticket (eg., cs escalations email if not needed, people not with RTX anymore)

Bed type is not guaranteed to clients


On admin portal:


"Description" is not guaranteed but is just a normalization for description used by our tech team.


"Supplier description" is the one guaranteed. This is what we can chase supplier for.

  • If Supplier description contains bed description, we chase suppliers

    Examples are Twin Room, Double Room, Triple Room, King Room, Queen Room.

  • If room type states  2 or more description such as Twin or Double Room, bed is subject to availability.

  • If room type states Standard Rooms, Deluxe Rooms, Suite Rooms, and no bed description, hence bed is not guaranteed and is subject to availability as well.


If we encounter cases where supplier disputes beds indicated in the supplier description, please raise to tech support, tag Ayra Mae and Jin Wee Lee


On spot cases, should NOT be merged to resolved HCN request. But should be assigned to 2IC.

New ticket created  automation DOES NOT WORK on outbound emails or emails that we are the one who sent it out initially (i.e. supplemental supplier tickets or forwarding client tickets).


Update the Admin portal before executing tickets from suppliers who automatically provide us HCN


Gen CS agents should verify the booking details and update the admin portal for this kinds of emails from Nirvana


Make sure to put the hotel staff name in the notes.


https://rakutentravelxchange.freshdesk.com/a/tickets/1555457 


Follow-up templates

Do not use the exact same template to the client when you want to tell them that we are still working on the case. The same goes to the supplier ticket when you want to ask them for updates on the case. Kindly rephrase your templates and avoid redundancy.