Going Beyond ‘Service’ with Raja Rajarajan: Services are becoming increasingly consultative and insight driven

 

 

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TDM has began a sequence of interviews underneath the theme ‘Going Beyond’ that deliver to the forefront ‘a behind-the-scenes look’ on the experience of Agilysys APAC group members throughout product engineering, providers, HR, and gross sales, highlighting how every operate performs a strategic position in delivering worth to hospitality purchasers.

This sequence of interviews explores how these groups contribute to key enterprise outcomes — enhancing the visitor expertise, driving RevPAG, enabling seamless, interoperable options, and many others. — whereas offering a deeper understanding of the folks, processes, and innovation that energy Agilysys’ impression throughout the hospitality sector.

In Part 3 of the ‘Going Beyond’ sequence TDM interviews Raja Rajarajan, Senior Director Services, APAC, Agilysys.

Raja Rajarajan explores how the providers group helps hospitality suppliers by means of clean implementation, ongoing optimisation, and long-term success with Agilysys options. He shares how service excellence drives operational outcomes, allows seamless integrations, and straight contributes to enhancing the visitor expertise and supporting RevPAG progress throughout the APAC area.

Travel Daily Media (TDM): As Senior Director of Services, how do you and your group assist purchasers throughout APAC maximise worth from Agilysys options, and what does a typical day in your position appear like?

Raja Rajarajan (RR): As the Senior Director of Services for Agilysys within the APAC area, primarily based in Sydney, my focus is on serving to purchasers not simply implement our options successfully, however maximise their long-term worth. My group and I work intently with lodges, resorts, and hospitality companies throughout the area, supporting them at each stage of their journey – from preliminary session by means of to onboarding, implementation, coaching, and ongoing optimisation.

Clients usually describe us as ‘innovative and responsive,’ and we take delight in that. It displays our deep dedication to creating a significant distinction of their day by day operations and guaranteeing that expertise by no means turns into a barrier to nice service.

No two days are the identical, and that’s one of many facets I take pleasure in most. A typical morning would possibly start with undertaking updates, addressing any escalations, and reviewing useful resource planning throughout the varied markets we serve. Collaboration with our product groups is a key a part of my position; bringing consumer suggestions straight into the event cycle to constantly improve our options.

Managing groups throughout geographies and time zones could be complicated, however I see it as a singular alternative to drive innovation and impression. It challenges me to remain adaptable, talk clearly, and stay intently attuned to the native wants of every market. The variety inside APAC sparks recent considering and helps hold us aligned with the speedy evolution of the hospitality business.

At the core of every part we do is an easy, shared aim: to ship service excellence and assist our purchasers succeed.

TDM: Agilysys is understood for delivering seamless, end-to-end options. How does the providers group assist hoteliers in reaching clean implementation and long-term interoperability throughout their tech stack?

RR: Our providers group isn’t simply targeted on deployment – we’re with our purchasers all through the whole journey. Our aim is to make sure every implementation not solely runs easily but additionally aligns with the property’s long-term operational and business targets.

We conduct detailed wants assessments to realize a deep understanding of every property’s workflows, visitor interactions, and any third-party techniques in use. With this basis, we create a tailor-made deployment plan that minimises disruption, reduces downtime, and ensures seamless integration with present expertise. This considerate, proactive strategy is an enormous motive purchasers see us as responsive and reliable.

We work throughout a variety of hospitality environments, from unbiased lodges to resort teams, new openings, and properties transitioning from legacy techniques. Whether it’s upgrading a single module or implementing a full end-to-end ecosystem, we collaborate intently with every consumer to customize the strategy.

Importantly, our assist doesn’t cease at go-live. We stay actively engaged by means of common upgrades, efficiency opinions, system well being checks, and ongoing coaching. Our aim is to make sure Agilysys options proceed to evolve alongside our purchasers’ wants – becoming not only a software program platform, however an extension of their operation.

TDM: In your expertise working with a various vary of hospitality suppliers, what position does providers excellence play in enhancing visitor experiences and supporting RevPAG-focused methods?

RR: In hospitality, expertise ought to by no means be a barrier – it ought to be an enabler. When techniques are applied and optimised with precision, they liberate employees to give attention to the visitor. This has a direct impression on satisfaction, loyalty, and finally, income per visitor.

When front-of-house and back-of-house techniques are tightly built-in and fine-tuned for operational effectivity, properties are higher positioned to personalise experiences, upsell intelligently, and reply to visitor wants in actual time. That’s how RevPAG is unlocked – not simply by having the correct instruments, however through the use of them to their fullest potential.

Notably, our assist doesn’t finish at implementation. We view each relationship as a long-term partnership. Our providers group stays actively engaged, offering ongoing session, system opinions, and tailor-made recommendation. This permits us to reply as wants evolve and ensures that our purchasers can proceed to raise the visitor expertise over time.

TDM: Can you share a current success story or widespread problem the place the providers group performed a key position in serving to a consumer enhance operations or drive income outcomes?

RR: One widespread problem we often see is fragmented visitor information throughout a number of techniques. Many hospitality suppliers depend on separate platforms for property administration (PMS), point-of-sale (POS), stock, and loyalty – which ends up in siloed data and an incomplete view of the visitor journey. This not solely impacts employees effectivity but additionally limits personalisation and focused advertising alternatives.

We lately labored with a multi-property resort group going through precisely this subject. Their entrance desk employees couldn’t entry visitor preferences or previous bookings from spa or eating retailers, lacking crucial upselling moments and alternatives to personalise the expertise. Meanwhile, their advertising group lacked a consolidated view of visitor spend throughout departments, making focused campaigns ineffective. Staff spent far an excessive amount of time manually cross-referencing information – time that might’ve been spent with friends.

Our group stepped in with a strategic strategy, not simply to implement Agilysys’ built-in PMS and POS, however to unify their broader ecosystem and create a single supply of reality. We began with a full information move evaluation, figuring out gaps and delays in how visitor data was captured and shared. Working intently with IT and operations, we developed a plan to import and sync legacy information into the Agilysys platform.

This resulted in a totally unified visitor profile. Today, entrance desk brokers can immediately entry a visitor’s earlier spend, dietary preferences, or favorite actions, no matter the place that information originated. Real-time updates from new bookings – like a last-minute spa appointment – are captured instantly and mirrored throughout the system.

Beyond the tech, we targeted closely on cross-departmental coaching. It wasn’t nearly adoption, it was about workflow transformation. Front desk groups realized easy methods to act on visitor insights to supply significant upsells. F&B employees have been educated to recognise returning friends and tailor service accordingly.

The transformation was vital. Manual processes have been diminished dramatically. Staff turned extra empowered, visitor engagement improved, and operational effectivity elevated. Over time, these enhancements translated into measurable positive aspects – stronger visitor satisfaction, extra ancillary income, and better confidence in utilizing expertise to drive outcomes.

TDM: Looking forward, how is the position of providers evolving within the hospitality tech house, and how is Agilysys positioned to assist hoteliers in assembly the expectations of at present’s – and tomorrow’s – friends?

RR: The position of providers is becoming increasingly consultative and insight driven. As visitor expectations develop extra complicated – from hyper-personalised experiences to mobile-first interactions and seamless service supply – hospitality suppliers want extra than simply software program. They want strategic companions who can anticipate change, share finest practices, and unlock new alternatives.

At Agilysys, we’re investing in superior analytics, AI-powered assist, and steady schooling to assist hoteliers keep forward of the curve. Our providers mannequin is designed to evolve with our purchasers – guaranteeing they cannot solely adapt to shifting visitor expectations however constantly exceed them.

We recognise that many operators are understandably cautious about system change. That’s why we prioritise empathy and collaboration all through each engagement. Whether it’s a phased rollout, a migration from legacy platforms, or a full digital transformation, we stroll alongside our purchasers at each stage – serving to them construct the boldness and functionality to future-proof their operations.

TDM: What does ‘Going Beyond’ imply to you?

RR: For me, Going Beyond is about committing to consumer success in ways in which lengthen far past contracts or service agreements. It’s about being proactive, anticipating wants earlier than they come up, and delivering outcomes that genuinely add worth.

It means staying engaged nicely after go-live – being there when challenges come up, responding with urgency, and celebrating wins as a group. It’s not nearly fixing points; it’s about creating moments of belief, readability, and collaboration all through the connection.

Ultimately, Going Beyond is a mindset. It’s about exhibiting up constantly, standing by our purchasers by means of change, and constructing partnerships rooted in long-term progress. That’s what drives us – not simply delivering software program, however delivering confidence, continuity, and shared success.

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