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A Message from the President
We’re off to a challenging start this year. Continuing their efforts to halt the spread of the resurgent pandemic, businesses will continue to adopt innovative remote work and hybrid arrangements - perhaps for the long haul.

Many in the hospitality industry are deploying more “touchless” technologies to stay in business, improve customer experience, and protect employees - inspiring others to innovate as well.

In this edition, we’ll explore a variety of issues facing our region’s businesses as they navigate government mandates and digital transformation, while keeping their IT infrastructure properly supported and fine-tuned to exploit new opportunities:

  • Check out the Top Tech Trends in the Hospitality Industry… Some may make sense for Your Business

  • Digital Transformation in 2021… Keeping up with Touchless & New ways to Connect with Customers

  • Get to know TCI’s Support Plans… Annual agreements and Ad hoc on-call

  • Remote work and Hybrid workplaces… The future of work is Now 

  • 2021 Technology Planning Sessions

Contact me today to discuss how TCI can help you sustain operations and serve customers effectively in these hectic times.

Tom Cornbrooks, President
(703) 321-3030 | cornbrookst@tcicomm.com.

Check out the Top Tech Trends in the Hospitality & Lodging Industry… Some may make sense for Your Business
Hotels, motels and other hospitality businesses once occupied a fairly simple space in people's lives – they were a place for guests to lay their heads while away from home.

But anyone who's spent time on the road in recent years knows that the role of technology has greatly expanded. Here are some of the top communication technology trends in hospitality today…

1. Cloud migration – The hospitality industry is making the transition to the cloud, where opportunities abound for back office efficiency with low technology acquisition costs. Cloud technologies are simplifying operations, reducing staffing needs, and providing a better guest experience.

2. Service automation through AI – Automation continues to be a trend that’s changing the way guests are served. With the advancements in Artificial Intelligence, hotels are interacting with guests digitally while freeing up hotel staff to work on other tasks. This also improves the travel experience as language differences can be eliminated, ensuring clear communication with travelers wherever they’re from.

3. Integrated guest applications – Guest apps for personal mobile devices are the natural place to host everything from deal notifications to hotel services to loyalty programs. Innovative capabilities can be integrated into these hotel applications to grant guests increased ability to engage with hotel staff and other guests.

4. Touchless interactions – The pandemic has emphasized the need to reconsider how guests interact with amenities. From digital room keys that allow guests to unlock doors using their phones to motion sensors that turn on lights, to voice-activated control of appliances, reducing contact with commonly touched interfaces allows guests to stay safe and housekeeping staff to sanitize and prepare rooms faster.

5. Self-service meeting spaces – No longer are meeting spaces just about table and chair arrangements. Today’s meetings rely on multimedia presentations and videoconferencing to bring in remote attendees. And for marathon meetings, access to services like catering must be handled with minimal interruption. Advanced technology enablement is also becoming a must-have in ballrooms and event halls.

6. Predictive Analytics – As more technology is added to improve the guest experience, more data is being collected about how guests interact with staff and amenities. When analyzed, the data can provide insights that can improve internal operations as well as the guest experience, resulting in your property becoming a preferred place to stay and the one that gets recommended to others.

If you see an application here that could help your business get ahead, reach out to the experts at TCI. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.
Digital Transformation in 2021… Keeping up with Touchless & New ways to Connect with Customers 
Adaptation has always been a necessity for survival, but now businesses are finding that they have to adapt overnight to stay afloat. Touchless technology in the form of contactless payments, expanded mobile app offerings and remote contact centers is becoming the new normal for businesses across industries.

Touchless technology is impacting the B2C world primarily in payment transactions and customer communications. For example, contactless digital payments are replacing traditional paper checks in many transactions. While the primary driver is health and safety, there are other benefits: digital payments are received faster and cost less to process, improving cash flow and reducing costs.

B2B companies, as well as organizations with call centers or large sales teams, have had to quickly figure out how to stay in touch with customers and clients via a largely remote workforce...

  • Unified communications technology keeps the lines of communication open from any device and any location.

  • Cloud-based VoIP phones enable employees to communicate and collaborate via voice, text and screen share, making it easy to assist customers even when working from home.

  • A unified communications contact center empowers businesses to communicate with customers via chat, SMS, voice, email and social media – all with a virtual workforce. 

All companies should consider the impact touchless tech will have on how their business is run, and we encourage you to explore Digital Transformation and new avenues of communications with your customers.

Looking for new ways to connect that will grow your business? Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.
Get to know TCI’s support plans… Annual agreements and Ad hoc on-call
Our customers appreciate having a choice of service programs for keeping their Voice and IT systems running smoothly. We offer everything from traditional ad hoc support to annual plans.

TCI’s factory certified technicians provide installation, repair and maintenance services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year…

  • Telecom system moves, upgrades and service
  • Maintenance contracts
  • Managed Services
  • Monitoring service (Telecom and Network)
  • Service level programs

Extended Service and Support

  • Discounted labor bundles (2, 4, 6 and 8-hour units)
  • Labor can be used for anything
  • Flat rate annual contract with no trip charges
  • Extended hours 7 am to 9 pm Monday through Saturday

Maintenance Contracts

  • Flexible programs
  • Alarm monitoring and reporting option

Four packages to choose from: 

  • Parts coverage
  • Parts & Labor business hours
  • Parts & Labor business hours, plus free remote MAC
  • Parts & Labor with 24-hour labor coverage, plus free remote MAC

Take the headaches out of managing your Voice and IT… Contact the TCI relief team to customize a support plan that makes sense for your business: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

Remote work and Hybrid workplaces… The Future of Work is Now
Remote and hybrid work is no longer the future of work – it's the “now” of work. But connecting and collaborating with coworkers can be a challenge. We've all had our share of setbacks and lessons learned, but at TCI we’ll make sure your business communications are optimized for your future success. We’ve been designing, deploying and supporting technology for over 40 years.

Let’s talk about your new opportunities and the new ways your teams can work together… 

  • Cultivating easier collaboration for improved Customer Experience

  • Migrating to the Cloud for flexibility and growth for the “now” of work

  • Industry-specific solutions and tools, including field service apps and distributed call centers for customer support

  • Leverage next-gen apps, including customized Google AI solutions

  • Improving the security and compliance of remote work

Regardless of what the future holds, it's clear that hybrid and remote workers are here to stay. It's up to you to keep your employees engaged, productive and safe, no matter where they're working.

For insights on building solutions and processes for hybrid work that can scale into the future, arrange a planning session with your local TCI experts.

TCI can help your business thrive in 2021. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

2021 Technology Planning Sessions - Call Your TCI Team to Schedule Now
With the new year under way, now is the time to start evaluating your current office technologies and explore new innovations to help your business perform better.

TCI can help you…

  • Plan, design, implement, and manage your next communications platform to add collaboration, UC, and mobility to your business toolbox.

  • Make sure your IT infrastructure is robust, always available, secure, and tailored to fit your business.

  • Speed up your broadband connections and wireless networks.

Don’t let aging technology slow you down… Invite TCI to your planning table so we can share new ideas on how you can give your business a boost. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.
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