Those who are looking for an apartment or house to rent for tourism, work, or any other reason that requires a short stay in a furnished place with all the comfort of one's own home, need the assurance that the place is well cared for and that their doubts will be cleared up at the moment.
If a potential guest makes a query and does not receive a prompt response, they will most likely discard that place and continue looking for an option where service is faster.
Therefore, in addition to including as much information as possible in the property advertisement, it is essential to have a message response system that is fast, clear and friendly, and, therefore, effective.
One of the most useful practices in this matter is to have the possibility of responding 24/7. Property managers with a good Channel Manager have the option to organize automatic responses for the most common queries and for the moment a reservation arrives, allowing guests to receive a message on the spot and, if necessary, then a person from the team dedicated to communication expands the information by adding data, confirmations and more elaborate messages depending on what the query was.
For example, if a guest makes a reservation, it is desirable that immediately after making it they receive a message thanking them for having chosen that property, added to a detail of their reservation data (such as arrival and departure dates, amount of people and cost) and some specific information about that property that is important. They can be the rules of the house, the amenities it offers – especially those that stand out compared to most apartments –, the check-in and check-out times, the address and means of access, etc.
It is likely that after making the reservation the guest will have some doubts and will start sending messages to clear them up. Even if what they are looking for already appears in the description of the ad or even in one of the automatic messages they have just received, it is essential to respond quickly and cordially, so as not to generate uncertainty and reduce the risk of you deciding to opt for another similar option.
Channel Manager software allows you to program default automatic messages for certain instances, such as the confirmation of a reservation, the reminder a couple of days before arrival and the day before check-out, internet data and other useful information – such as nearby places to buy food or have dinner, typical walks, current notable dates, etc.
Once guests are settled in, during their stay they may need to check something or you may want to send a message from time to time to make sure everything is okay and ask if they need anything. In that case, other means of communication can be added to the OTA message channel, such as email, telephone or WhatsApp. Providing one or more of these alternative channels will further speed communication and make the guest feel close to their host.
At the end of the stay, it is a nice gesture to communicate with guests who have just left to thank them, ask them how everything was and if they have suggestions to improve the space and service. This message can also be automated, while subsequent messages that continue the conversation should be personalized, as they will contain specific content based on what each individual guest responds to.
Although automated messages allow you to include the name of each guest and other specific information about their stay (such as dates and costs), it is important that the general communication also includes personal messages, where it is clear that you are talking to a person real and in real time. For example, mentioning previous conversations, recommending places or experiences based on the characteristics of the people who travel, etc.
All the assertive communication carried out before, during and after each stay will encourage the scores your property receives to be positive and the comments or criticisms to be constructive.
In this sense, another valuable ingredient in addition to personalization is empathy. Show interest in what guests say, clear their doubts and provide information that you think will be useful to them. Likewise, if a problem arises at the property, such as an appliance breaking or a lock failing, for example, demonstrate proactivity to resolve it as soon as possible, even if the situation could have been avoided or the guests are responsible for what happened.
Speed, empathy and clarity in communication with guests at all stages of the rental process will lead to three things that every owner aspires to achieve: good reputation, positive reviews and repeat reservations from guests who have had a great experience and decide to return to the same place.
Now, maintaining this type of assertive communication with all guests when you have more than one property to manage can be a difficult task for a single person, requiring a communication team or, even better, good Channel Manager software. A company like ListingOK, recognized Revenue Manager since 2023, helps you to start with a good Channel Manager if you don't have one yet.
If you want to know what the implications of Revenue Managers like ListingOK are to evaluate the advantages they offer, you can read this article about the functions of Revenue Manager companies which will give you an even more complete notion of its scope.