Why Don't Vacation Rental Guests Report Problems?
An issue that we noticed is that some guests would have a problem and for one reason or another would never let us know about that problem until after they had checked out. It was always frustrating when the problem was something we could have easily fixed.For example, we once had a guest mad because the A/C didn't work during their stay and they let us know by leaving a nasty notes on the counter at checkout. It was about 98 degrees that week, so I can understand how uncomfortable it would be.
After reading the note I walked over to the breaker box and found the breaker for the A/C had tripped for some reason. I reset the breaker and the A/C worked fine from then on. I couldn't believe it! These guests hated their vacation and if they had just let us know we could have fixed the problem in 30 seconds!
We Tried Begging Guests To Report Problems With Big Signs
So we tried making a really BIG sign for the fridge in each cabin/condo that said the following. These signs made little to no noticeable difference.
Brainstorming Session For a Better Solution
At a staff brainstorming session we talked how we could increase the likelihood that a guest would communicate with us about a problem. Someone mentioned that people, in general, just don't like to talk on the phone anymore. It is too personal. But everybody texts.The Birth of Guestnetix
I have a brother-in-law that is a programmer and runs a software development company called FDEV. I asked him to make a smart texting system that would help us communicate with our guests.Initially we told him the only thing we wanted it to do was identify the property/room the guest was texting from and also route the texts to multiple people, but we ended up adding several other time/money saving services to the system.
This is how GuestNetix was born!
How GuestNetix Works
After having used it for two years I thought I'd share my thoughts on the benefits of the system.First a quick explanation on how it works.
There are two posters hanging up in our properties. One for requests and the other for checking out.
Text Request
Guests follow directions on the "request poster" to:- ask questions about the Bear Lake area
- report problems with cleanliness (sometimes we make a mistake)
- request concierge services
- ask insider tips for the area (we are experts after all)
- report maintenance issues
- ask for instructions on how to use certain appliances
- etc
When they send a text it gets routed to the following staff member's cell phones:
- General Manager
- Assistant Manager
- Head Maintenance
- Head Housekeeper
- Front Desk Manager
If the text is reporting a cleanliness problem the Head Housekeeper will respond and take care of the problem immediately. When she responds her text is also sent to the other staff members, so they know the problem is being fixed.
If it is a question about the area the Front Desk Manager will respond with information. And so on.
Now that the guest is "wowed" by our customer service, we want nothing more than to have them shout it to the world through a review on a popular review website. That is what the "text-to-checkout" process does.
Text-To-Checkout
When the guest has finished enjoying their stay part of the checkout process is to send a text to checkout. This text gets routed to the Head Housekeeper so she knows the guests are out and can send her cleaners to the property. This in itself has proved very useful! Our check-out time is 10am and check-in is at 4pm and during the busy season most properties are booked back-to-back. If the guests check-out early our cleaners want to know so they can get started early.
After GuestNetix receives the checkout text, it sends an automated text back to the guest with a link to leave a review on one of the following sites:
- HomeAway
- VRBO
- TripAdvisor
- FlipKey
- Google+
- Yelp
And those in the vacation rental industry know that the more 4 & 5 star reviews you have the more likely someone else will rent your property instead of your competitor's.
In Summary
GuestNetix has made our guests happier and made it easier for them to share their story about our great customer service with others, which has in turn increased occupancy. At the same time it has decreased the number of unhappy guests which means we have given fewer refunds.
I'm guessing our occupancy is 8-10% higher than it would have been and we have saved $5,000-$8,000 that we would have given as refunds. The $99/month for the service has been well worth it!
GuestNetix is easy to use. No new hardware to buy. No apps for guests or staff members to download & learn to use. Everyone knows how to send a text message.
Add texting to your vacation rental or hotel, because if I come stay in your property I won't call to report a problem! That is too personal ;)
Add texting to your vacation rental or hotel, because if I come stay in your property I won't call to report a problem! That is too personal ;)
Checkout GuestNetix's website by visiting http://guestnetix.com/
(Disclosure: I found GuestNetix so useful that I am a huge advocate of it. Therefore I talked my brother-in-law into giving me a commission if anyone signs up through my post and he agreed.)
