6 Advantages of Automating Trip Rental Visitor Communication

How are you going to host extra friends with out spending extra time dealing with messages? That is the query each trip rental supervisor faces as they scale. 

Even with fewer than 5 properties, you already spend an enormous chunk of your time answering the identical queries about Wi-Fi codes, native retailers, and lock bins. And although you hardly have time to consider rising your portfolio and optimizing your groups’ workflows, you already know there’s acquired to be a greater course of for managing visitor communications as you scale.

And there’s: Automated messaging instruments let you ship out necessary info as quickly as your friends e-book. Then, from reserving via post-stay, you possibly can keep in contact with out spending hours at your laptop computer.  

With customized templates, messaging flows, and triggers that can assist you present friends with the important thing info they want on the proper time throughout their buyer journey, you’ll be extra environment friendly, responsive, and efficient in all of your communications. You’ll even be capable of step again and revel in extra well-deserved day without work!   

On this article, in addition to discussing the important thing advantages of automating visitor communication, we take a look at:

• Organising and optimizing automated messaging processes 
• Copy-and-paste message templates you possibly can instantly begin utilizing
• Actual-life case research like Keith Freedman of HostWell, who saves 20 hours of handbook work every week with automated messaging instruments 

Minimize down your crew’s workload

A terrific visitor expertise requires attentive service. But when your crew has to manually ship out welcome, mid-stay, and check-out messages on high of fixing visitor issues and offering suggestions, you’re dropping hours each week. 

What’s extra, repeatedly sending info and answering the identical questions is a recipe for worker burnout and churn. To retain your workers, it’s good to free them as much as focus extra on significant work like working cleansing inspections or growing inventive upsells.

A terrific messaging system facilitates this shift in focus by permitting you to arrange an automatic circulate that works with out effort and at scale. With Hostfully, the method appears like this:

• You utilize templates to create messages and arrange triggers like “At check-in, ship X” (see examples of templates you need to use, under).
• Hostfully pulls via bookings out of your direct bookings website and channels like Airbnb and Vrbo, then your hands-off messaging circulate kicks in. 
• Lastly, the centralized inbox means that you can save time as you handle conversations and reply follow-up questions. 

Plus, with Hostfully, you don’t even must manually add visitor info, as our templates use shortcodes (or ‘variables’) to robotically insert customized particulars like names, dates, and property info. 

Keep away from communication errors 

While you’re copying and pasting messages to save lots of time, misspelled phrases and incorrect particulars can begin to creep in. And even simply a few errors can injury your model and cut back your friends’ belief—particularly if a type of errors is the property or visitor identify.  

With automated messaging although, all you’ll must do is proofread a small variety of templates. Then you definately’ll know you’ll be sharing all the important thing info error-free. We take a look at how simple it’s to create a complete and clear pre-arrival message for instance, subsequent. 

Put up-booking template

A concise, useful message like this one is simply what friends are searching for after reserving. Be aware that the small print in brackets are all examples of the place you possibly can robotically personalize content material with Hostfully’s variables.

Hey [NAME],  Thanks for choosing [LOCATION] on your subsequent journey! We’re so trying ahead to your arrival on [ARRIVAL DATE].  Please look via our [DIGITAL GUIDEBOOK] to find what’s accessible on the property and what we suggest domestically.  We’ll keep up a correspondence with you previous to your keep to share check-in info and any additional particulars you may must be sure you get settled in and not using a hitch. Greatest, X.

Give friends extra management

Fashionable friends need autonomy and comfort. This implies they don’t need to achieve out to you for the knowledge they want, however they may contact you in a short time if one thing turns into a problem. 

As in our template instance above, by sending out digital guidebooks in your automated messaging sequences, you’ll increase visitor satisfaction by giving them extra independence. 

Your guidebooks may embrace:

• Instructions on your property
• Entry info
• Home guidelines
• An inventory of facilities
• Hyperlinks to native providers
• FAQs

And similar to that, you’ve minimized the variety of questions coming your approach. For instance, after creating guidebooks with Hostfully, Cabins for You considerably minimize the variety of calls they acquired. 

Arrival template

Queue this message template to be despatched early on check-in day to present friends details about instructions, entry, and the native space. 

Good day [GUEST NAME], We’re so excited on your arrival at [LOCATION] in the present day! Right here’s find out how to discover the property: [DIRECTIONS].  You’re welcome to verify in any time from [TIME] utilizing [ACCESS INFORMATION] and, as a reminder, the Wi-Fi password is [PASSWORD]. In case you want any assist in any respect, the digital guidebook [LINK] incorporates details about the property and native space. Secure travels!

Upsell extra successfully 

Automated messaging sequences open up extra upsell alternatives. Not solely are you able to promote providers in your digital guidebooks (and get an 8% fee with Hostfully and Viator) however you possibly can share recommendations for actions and added providers in your messaging templates.

Tailor-made upsell templates

With just some tweaks, you possibly can create tailor-made upsells and particular provides for various sorts of visitor. For instance, this template is catered for enterprise vacationers however, by swapping out the taxi service hyperlink for a babysitting supplier, it may very well be appropriate for a younger household.  

Hello [NAME], I hope you’re having fun with your keep at [LOCATION].  You possibly can verify the [DIGITAL GUIDEBOOK] for all the knowledge you want, however we additionally wished to verify in particularly to let you already know concerning the [EVENT TAXI SERVICE] we provide as we thought it may allow you to throughout your keep.  We’re at present providing [SPECIAL OFFER].  Simply drop us a message in case you have any questions!

Enhance your rating within the OTAs

Messaging automation lets you rank extra extremely in OTAs as a result of it:

• Permits faster response instances.
  For Airbnb, it’s good to reply to friends inside 24 hours each time to have Superhost standing. Automated instruments make exceeding this expectation simple.

• Boosts occupancy.
  When you could have automated messaging in place to assist self check-in, you possibly can settle for last-minute bookings with out problem. And whenever you mark this in your listings, OTAs will promote your properties extra extensively.
  Find out how Jim Sheehan of Wydaho Property Administration makes use of good locks and Hostfully to streamline visitor arrival.
  
• Encourages optimistic evaluations. By including overview requests to your automated message circulate, you’ll get extra visitor evaluations with out including to your workload. We discover this additional, under.
  
• Reduces unfavorable evaluations.  If a visitor has a nasty keep, you possibly can reduce the danger of them leaving a unfavorable overview by sending them a survey asking for suggestions. This creates an area for them to debate any points exterior of the OTA. 

Assessment request template

It is best to queue this overview request to ship shortly earlier than your visitor receives their first overview reminder from the OTA. 

Hello [GUEST NAME], Thanks for staying at [LOCATION].  We hope you loved your keep and would love to listen to about it whenever you get a couple of minutes.  Shortly, you’ll obtain an e-mail from [OTA] asking for a overview. In case you may go away us one, that will be enormously appreciated and we are going to, in fact, return the favor as you had been a incredible visitor!  Thanks, and we hope to host you once more quickly.

Scale your operations 

While you’re caught with the day-to-day administration of visitor communications, it may be onerous to optimize your crew’s processes. However whenever you automate your trip rental enterprise, you’ll out of the blue have the bandwidth to determine areas the place you may enhance effectivity and develop your stock. 

This might appear to be fine-tuning your property inspection processes and analyzing the efficacy of your crew scheduling instruments, for instance. Or it’d imply extra time to community and market your providers to house owners. 

Rising your online business with automated messaging

Messaging friends is time-consuming, and handbook processes rapidly turn out to be unsustainable as you scale. 

However in taking over this workload, automation ensures you possibly can keep error-free contact all through the visitor journey, with very important communications, insightful suggestions, upsells, and overview requests.

To successfully implement automated visitor communication, you must use:

• Messaging flows for pre-stay, in-stay, and post-stay occasions
• Clear, concise message templates
• Dynamic variables for automated personalization
• Digital guidebooks
• A unified inbox
• A property administration platform like Hostfully that seamlessly integrates all of your visitor communication options

Struggling to handle visitor communications?

Hostfully automates messaging so you possibly can scale operations with out including to your workload.