Guest messaging is top priority for property managers. Responding to guests quickly and consistently will increase your bookings, help you earn more 5-star reviews, and can even boost your rankings on OTAs.
However, it’s extremely time-consuming, especially when you have several properties listed on multiple channels.
One of the best ways to improve customer satisfaction and boost conversions effortlessly is to automate guest messages for each stage of the guest journey.
Here, we’ll explain the benefits of automated messages and how to use them.
Guest communication shouldn’t be a hassle. If you’re ready to make guest messaging easy, watch a demo of Rentals United now!
Why attentive guest communication is vital
Communication with guests can begin with you answering questions about your property and continue all the way through the booking process, during the stay, and even after check-out.
Keeping up with guest messaging is a vital aspect of vacation rental branding and can be a great way to stand out from your competitors.
Here are some reasons to prioritise guest communication:
- Answering queries about your property can help convert guests before they book with your competitors
- Providing information before arrival ensures a smooth check-in and a positive start to the stay.
- Being available and attentive to guests throughout the stay improves their experience and helps you fix any issues before they become a problem.
- Thanking guests at check-out will ensure the trip ends positively and increases the chances of getting a good review.
- You can promote your vacation rental brand and encourage future bookings in your messages.
Keeping up with all the messages is a struggle for many hosts and property managers, who must consider guests in several properties when messages come in from different places, like native booking channel chats, WhatsApp messages, and emails.
Rentals United’s Smart Guest Communication tool already helps by consolidating messages into a single inbox.
Now, with automated messaging, you can maintain communication with guests throughout their stay and you don’t have to worry about forgetting to send important information.
What is automated messaging?
Using the automated messaging feature, you can create templates for all the messages you send frequently, meaning you don’t have to type up the same message content over and over again.
You can schedule these messages to be sent at certain points during the guest journey, personalise each message with guest name and details, and include your branding and signature.
Here are some of the benefits of using automated messaging:
- You’ll never forget to send important messages. Scheduling messages in advance means you don’t have to remember every time.
- Guests will get all the information they need to enjoy their stay.
- There’s no need to write each message individually, so you can save a lot of time.
- Remove the risk of human error, as you only have to type your message once.
- Personalisation and branding will ensure your messages look professional.
Automated messaging examples
What kind of automated messages should you set up?
Here are some examples:
- Pre-arrival message — The pre-arrival message can be sent a few days before guests are due to arrive. Include information about the check-in procedure and be sure to build excitement about the upcoming vacation.
- Welcome message — Welcome your guests when they arrive and provide helpful details about your property and location.
- Mid-stay check up — Schedule a message during the stay to ensure everything is running smoothly and tell guests to reach out if they encounter any problems. This may work best for longer stays of at least 5 days or more.
- Post-check out — Thank your guests for staying in your property, and use this opportunity to invite them to your loyalty or referral program and explain that you look forward to hosting them again.
Automated messages can help you become more consistent and ensure you don’t miss an opportunity to promote your vacation rental brand and create a memorable experience for guests.
Use Smart Guest Communication to manage all aspects of guest messaging
Automated messages are just one tool available in Rentals United’s Smart Guest Communication tool.
Of course, you can’t automate all communication with guests. You’ll often get queries from guests that you have to deal with on an individual basis. Smart Guest Communication helps you save time and become more efficient in all aspects of guest communication.
